INNATE TASTE FOR HARMONY. 165 the only fashionable amusement of the Hottentot, proceeds from the same cause; and many other phenomena of a higher cast, for instance the impressive effect of the responses, when followed up by the whole congregation, are in a great measure to be referred to this feeling of delight in union of any kind. And let it not be supposed, that this is an isolated fact of our feelings; the beauty of the whole creation consists in the union of its millions to one constant and ever-renewed act of life. With reference to man in particular, we may observe, that his taste for union not only becomes more intense in proportion to the number of individuals united, but that it also gains in depth and refinement, when the higher and nobler faculties of his being are called into simultaneous action. A general clapping of hands is one of the favorite exercises in an infant-school; and the sound of a thousand feet stamping the ground at one instant, enchants the ears of an uncultivated youth, and prompts him to join his supernumerary limbs with those of the marching regiment. But the sound of our voice is a far more powerful and characteristic means of expressing our feelings than the motion of our limbs, and, accordingly, the simple uniform repetition of any, even the most monotonous and unmeaning sound, is music to the ears of children and of savages, while the hauling of an anchor is materially facilitated by the sailors' call. The measuring of time, and its uniform division, is an indispensable condition of every simultaneous movement; and as an intellectual operation, though of the very lowest kind, it forms an essential ingredient of the internal delight which the movement produces. This internal delight is increased, if, to the harmony of time, that of tone be added; and in their joint effect consists the deep charm of music. The value of music again is raised, if, with its sounds, the feelings of kindred affections, or the higher ones of adoration, be associated in simultaneous expression; and, abstracting from all that is external, or addresses itself to the senses, nothing can be more ravishing than the idea of myriads of spirits 166 SIMULTANEOUS REPETITION OF SOUNDS. whose deepest and unuttered thoughts are united in an everlasting harmony of love and praise to the Father of Spirits. Such is the effect of one and the same feeling at different stages of human development. Its powerful influence is manifest; its tendency cannot be condemned, because it is met with, whenever man is progressive towards good, and we find him skrinking from it, into selfish shyness, whenever he is conscious of evil. The question then is for us, what use is to be made of it in education? This depends entirely on the stage of development which the children have attained. With such as have grown up in a condition almost savage, or worse than savage, and who are for the first time brought together under an influence intended for their improvement, the lowest degree of simultaneous action is calculated to arouse the soul from that selfish indolence, in which it loves nothing, and observes nothing but self, and disturbs every thing around it, not from a wish to do so, but from an exclusive tendency to follow self, and from an entire inattention to the fact, that there exists any thing besides self. For this purpose Pestalozzi made his children pronounce sounds together; and his "meteoric" success was the natural effect of the lever which he brought into action. But had he stopped there, as many of his pretended disciples have done, had he continued to pronounce sounds and elicit their simultaneous imitation, his experiment would have terminated as the sound vanished amid his mountains. And if he had put all the words of wisdom and of virtue simultaneously into the mouths of his children, it would still have been the same. But Pestalozzi was too wise to commit such a mistake, and to cling with thoughtless confidence to a means, however powerful, because he found it answering well in the commencement. We shall see, in the progress of his narrative, how he availed himself of the success of this first experiment for the attainment of more important objects. In the mean time our readers will, no doubt, feel interested here by a more detailed explanation of the manner in which simultaneous language may with advantage be applied to instruction generally. For this purpose it ought to be a rule with the teacher never to employ this means for bringing a new subject before his pupils, or inculcating something which they knew not before, but to confine its use exclusively to repetition. A practical illustration will show this more clearly. Suppose the object of the lesson to be the analysis of the first numbers, by addition and subtraction, the mode of proceeding would be the following: The teacher writes on the slate first; The former he calls two; the latter one and one. He then writes three, and asks for the different ways of making them up of two numbers; when he will receive the following answers: one and two, two and one, The pupils may give their answers either verbally, or by writing the different cases themselves on their slates, from which the teacher copies them on the general lesson board; at first in the order in which they occur, taking care to add a special exercise for the purpose of bringing them into some uniform order. After this, he proceeds to repetition, by pointing to the cases of the analysis, one after the other, and 168 ILLUSTRATED BY AN ARITHMETICAL LESSON. letting the children express with one voice, what is written. on the board; in this manner: One and one. One and two. Two and one. One and three. Two and two. Three and one. One and four. Two and three. Three and two. Four and one. After this he may point to them promiscuously, to prevent the children from falling into a mere routine, thus: Two and one. Two and two. Three and two. Three and one, &c. &c. Lastly, the teacher may rub out the whole lesson, and desire it to be repeated simultaneously from recollection, and if the pupils be familiar with the subject, he may even ask for the analysis of a new number extempore, it being understood, that the order of the cases shall be upon the same principle as in the analysis of the preceding numbers. This order, of course, admits of variation, which will form a source of new exercises, both by writing on the board and by simultaneous repetition. Whoever will take the trouble of reflecting on the effect which this mode of proceeding must produce upon children's minds, will easily discover the difference between the simultaneous repetition of a lesson produced by the children themselves, and the mere inculcation, through the ear, of a lesson with which their own minds have never grappled. To such it will be apparent, that the simultaneous repetition, whether NECESSITY OF DWELLING ON THE ELEMENTS. 169 in a musical form or not, of addition, multiplication, pence, weight, and other tables, now so common in public charityschools, so far from forming a part of Pestalozzi's plan, is, on the contrary, a mere caricature of it. We certainly wish that those who take upon themselves to set up modelschools "on the Pestalozzian system," or to introduce "Pestalozzian improvements," would first qualify themselves for their undertaking, by making themselves acquainted with the spirit of Pestalozzi's views, lest by running away with empty forms, they become in the end blind leaders of the blind. But we return to the narrative of our author: "Being obliged to instruct the children by myself, without any assistance, I learned the art of teaching a great number together; and as I had no other means of bringing the instruction before them, than that of pronouncing every thing to them loudly and distinctly, I was naturally led to the idea of making them draw, write, or work, at the same time. The confusion of so many voices, repeating my words, suggested the necessity of keeping time in our exercises, and I soon found that this contributed materially to make their impressions stronger and more distinct. Their total ignorance forced me to dwell a long time on the simplest elements; and I was thus led to perceive,` how much higher a degree of internal power is obtained by a persevering attention to the elementary parts, until they be perfectly familiar to the mind; and what confidence and interest the child is inspired with, by the consciousness of complete and perfect attainment, even on the lowest stage of instruction. Never before had I so deeply felt the important bearing which the first elements of every branch of knowledge have upon its complete outline; and what immense deficiencies in the final result of education must arise from the confusion and imperfection of the simplest beginnings. To bring these to perfection and maturity in the child's mind became now a main object of my attention; and the success far surpassed my expectations. The consciousness of energies hitherto unknown to themselves was rapidly developed in the children, and a general sense of order and harmony began to prevail among them. They felt their own powers, and the tediousness of the common-school tone vanished, like a spectre, from our room; they were determined to try; they succeeded, they persevered, they accomplished, and were delighted. Their mood was not that of laborious learning, it was the joy of unknown powers aroused from sleep; their hearts and minds were elevated by the anticipation of what these powers would enable them to attempt and to effect. "Children became the teachers of children. They endeavoured to carry into effect what I proposed, and in doing so, they themselves frequently |