serve order, the others retire (generally speaking) in the greatest good humour to their seats.

Some will I know be apt to exclaim, surely this is encouraging and fostering bad feelingscreating enmity and ill-will amongst the children; but I say, No, it is learning them to feel a spirit of generous emulation, as distinguishable from that of ill-nature or envy.

There is a swing for boys who are between five and six years old, another for those between four and five, another for the very little children, and another for the little girls; and on no account are children permitted to swing on the wrong swing, because if this were suffered, the strong would overcome the weak. But when the children opposed to each other, are nearly equal, the most active of them, as I observed before, generally get the first turn, whilst the less agile are driven to cogitation, that what they cannot achieve by activity they may by address and generalship. I have seen children about three years old trying a number of plans, in order to get on the swing, that would have done credit to much older heads. One thing I would particularly mention, which may perhaps appear singular,—we never had a serious accident from the introduction of the swing; and I was informed by Mr. Buchanan, when master of the Westminster infant school, that during the seven years he had been a teacher there, and at Mr. Owen's establishment, at New Lanark, he never knew of any such happening to one of the children.

Beside the swings, in many schools they have a very useful addition to the play-ground. I mean the gymnastic pole. It consists of an upright pole, firmly fixed in the ground; to the

summit of which is attached a cross piece of wood, turning on a strong pivot; from each end of this cross piece hangs a piece of rope, by which the children can swing themselves round; and which affords a method of exercise at once healthful and safe.

Although it is most proper for the master in the play-ground to relax altogether the brow of magisterial severity, yet there is no occasion for him to withdraw the influence of love. He will not prove a check to the enjoyment of the children, if, entering into the spirit of their innocent pastimes, he endeavours to heighten their pleasures by a judicious direction of their sports.

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Among other amusements, which his ingenuity may suggest, I would mention a geometrical amusement, which is very practicable. First, let a certain number of children stand in a row. posite to these let one or more children be placed as directors to order the change of figure. A straight line, we will suppose is the first thing shewn by the position of the children; the next thing to be formed is a curve, by the advancement of each end; then a half-circle, a circle, by joining hands in a ring;-two equal parallel lines, by the division of the number in action; next a square,-triangle, &c. &c. These changes may either be made at the command of the master, or, as we before proposed, of one or more children acting as officers to direct these geometrical movements.

As a very efficient amusement within doors, I must not omit to mention singing; I have incidentally noticed it in a preceding part of this volume, but I would most particularly recom

mend its cultivation to all founders and teachers of Infant Schools. For my own part, I know of nothing in the world which produces such a thrilling sensation of delight as the hearing of a number of infants singing, in a sweet though simple style, the praises of their Maker. It brings forcibly to one's mind the saying of the Psalmist, "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise." I knew an instance of a reverend gentleman, who was rather averse than otherwise to Infant Schools, being made a sudden convert and a zealous patron of them, from hearing this lisped melody of devotion. He had long been pressed by a friend, who was an active promoter of the system, to visit one of the schools. At length he consented. When they got to the school the children were singing a hymn. The reverend gentleman paused to listen, evidently much affected by the sound of their voices; before they had concluded the hymn, he entered the school, and beheld the infant choir. "Surely," said he, "this must be pleasing to God!" And from that time he became a warm friend and encourager of Infant Schools:

But it is not only hymns which we set to music; we pursue the same plan with regard to many of the lessons; taking care that the tunes selected are at once lively and simple; if they are dull, or too solemn, the children sing them with no spirit, and it they are difficult, the children will not only be longer in learning them, but they will never sing them with ease to themselves or pleasure to others. But, that children are extremely fond of singing, generally, I might almost say, universally, I am quite convinced; nor are they

long in learning a tune; those who have quick ears, imparting it to those who are more slow of acquiring it. As to the method of teaching singing, I have spoken of that in a preceding chapter.

CHAPTER XVI.

ON GRAMMAR, AND THE ELLIPTICAL PLAN OF TEACHING.

"The grand object of Infant Education is to simplify."

IT has been well observed, "that grammar is the first thing taught, and the last learnt." Now, though it is not my purpose to pretend that I can so far simplify grammar, as to make all its rules comprehensible to children, so young as those found in Infant Schools, I do think that enough may be imparted to them to render the matter more comprehensible to them than it is usually found to be, in after years.

The great mystery of grammar results, in my opinion, from not making the children acquainted with the things of which the words used are the signs, and moreover, from the use of a number of hard words, which the children repeat without understanding. For instance, in the classification of words, or the parts of speech, as they are called, nouns, substantives, and adjectives, convey as terms no idea to the mind of children; and in spite of the definitions by which their import is explained, remain, to the infant mind, as unin