Immediately after this they proceed to their lessons;
which are fixed
to what are called lesson-posts. To each of these posts there is a
monitor, who is provided with a piece of cane for a pointer. This post
is placed opposite to his class; and every class has one, up to which
the monitor brings the children three or four at a time, according
to the number he has in his class. We have fourteen classes, and
sometimes more, which are regularly numbered, so that we have one
hundred children moving and saying their lessons at one time. When
these are gone through, the children are supplied with pictures, which
they put on the post, the same as the spelling and reading lessons,
but say them in a different manner. We find that if a class always
goes through its lessons at one post, it soon loses its attraction;
and consequently, although we cannot change them from post to post in
the spelling and reading lessons, because it would be useless to put
a
child to a reading post that did not know its letters, yet we can do
so in the picture lessons, as the children are all alike in learning
the objects. One child can learn an object as quick as another, so
that we may have many children that can tell the name of different
subjects, and even the names of all the geometrical figures, who do
not know all the letters in the alphabet; and I have had children,
whom one might think were complete blockheads, on account of their
not being able to learn the alphabet so quickly as some of the other
children, and yet those very children would learn things which
appeared to me ten times more difficult. This proves the necessity of
variety, and how difficult it is to legislate for children. Instead,
therefore, of the children standing opposite their own post, they go
round from one to another, repeating whatever they find at each post,
until they have been all round the school.
For instance, at No. 1 post there may be the following objects; the
horse, the ass, the zebra, the cow, the sheep, the goat, the springing
antelope, the cameleopard, the camel, the wild boar, the rhinoceros,
the elephant, the hippopotamus, the lion, the tiger, the leopard, the
civet, the weazel, the great white bear, the hyena, the fox, the greenland
dog, the hare, the mole, the squirrel, the kangaroo, the porcupine,
and the racoon. Before commencing these lessons, two boys are selected
by the master, who perhaps are not monitors. These two boys bring the
children up to a chalk line that is made near No. 1 post, eight at a
time; one of the boys gets eight children standing up ready, always
beginning at one end of the school, and takes them to this chalk line,
whilst the other boy takes them to No. 1 post, and delivers them up
to the charge of No. 1 monitor.
No. 1 monitor then points to the different animals with a pointer, until
the name of every one that is on his plate has been repeated; this done,
he delivers them to No. 2 monitor, who has a different picture at his
post; perhaps the following: the fishmonger, mason, hatter, cooper,
butcher, blacksmith, fruiterer, distiller, grocer, turner, carpenter,
tallow-chandler, milliner, dyer, druggist, wheelwright, shoemaker, printer,
coach-maker, bookseller, bricklayer, linen-draper, cabinet-maker, brewer,
painter, bookbinder.
This done, No. 2 monitor delivers them over to No. 3 monitor, who may
have a representation of the following African costumes: viz. Egyptian
Bey, Ashantee, Algerine, Copts woman, Mameluke, native of Morocco, Tibboo
woman, Egyptian woman, Fellah, Bedouin Arab, Turkish foot soldier, Maltese,
Rosettan, native of Cairo, Turkish gentleman, Bosjesman, native of Coronna,
native of Namacqua, Caffree, native of Tamaha, native of Ebo.
Having repeated these, No. 3 monitor hands them over to No. 4, who perhaps
has an engraved clock face, with hands composed of two pieces of wood,
over which paper in the shape of clock hands has been pasted; he gives
the children a lesson from this object, explains
to them the difference between the minute and second-hand, shews them
their uses, and points out the dots which mark the minutes, and the
figures which divide it into hours, makes them count the seconds, and
soon tell the hour.
No. 4 then gives the class to No. 5 monitor, who has at his post a representation
of the mariner's compass; he explains its uses, shews them the cardinal
points, tells them how it was discovered, and then he will move the
hands around, beginning at the north, and making the children repeat
as he moves the hands, north, north-north-east, north-east, east-north-east,
east, east-south-east, south-east, south-south-east, south, south-south
west, south-west, west-south-west, west, west-north-west, north-west,
north-north-west, north. The degrees, &c., may be considered as
going too far for infants; we therefore reserve them until we treat
of juvenile schools. We have not thought it necessary to name all the
points of the compass, but have confined ourselves to the principal
ones.
No. 5 then hands the class to No. 6, who has on his post representations
of the following fishes, viz., whale, sword fish, white shark, sturgeon,
skate, John Dorey, salmon, grayling, porpoise, electrical eel, horned
silure, pilot fish, mackerel, trout, red char, smelt, carp, bream, road
goldfish, pike, garfish, perch, sprat, chub, telescope carp, cod, whiting,
turbot, flounder, flying scorpion, sole, sea porcupine, sea
cock, flying fish, trumpet fish, common eel, turtle, lobster, crab,
shrimp, star fish, streaked gilt head, remora, lump fish, holocenter,
torpedo.
No. 6, then gives the class to No. 7; and as variety is the life and
soul of the plan, his post may be supplied with a botanic plate, containing
representations of the following flowers:--daffodil, fox-glove, hyacinth,
bilberry, wild tulip, red poppy, plantain, winter green, flower de luce,
common daisy, crab-tree blossom, cowslip, primrose, lords and ladies,
pellitory of the wall, mallow, lily of the valley, bramble, strawberry,
flowering rush, wood spurge, wild germander, dandelion, arrow-head.
No. 8 monitor has on his post a set of geometrical figures, illustrated
by the representation of objects either natural or artificial of the
same shape; thus a triangle illustrated by one side of a pyramid, a
square, a pentagon, a hexagon, a heptagon, an octagon, a nonagon, a
decagon.
No. 9 monitor has another set of geometrical definitions on the same
principle, as a perpendicular line, a horizontal line, an oblique line,
parallel lines, curved lines, diverging or converging lines, an obtuse
angle, a circle.
No. 10 a different set of geometrical shapes, viz. sociles-triangles,
scolene-triangles, rectangle, rhomb, rhomboid, trapezoid, trapeziums,
ellipse or oval.
Having arrived at No. 11, the class find here the European costumes,
viz. Englishman, Frenchman, Russian, Swiss, Italian, German, Scotchman,
Welchman, Irishman, Turk, Norwegian, Spaniard, Prussian, Icelander,
Dutchman, Dane, Swede, Portugese, Corsican, Saxon, Pole.
No. 11 monitor delivers them to No. 12, and there they may find pictures
representing Negroes, Otaheiteans, Highlanders, American Indians, East
Indians, Laplanders, Greeks, Persians, Sandwich Islanders, Turks, English,
Chinese, Dutch, Tartars.
To enter into a thorough explanation of the uses to which such lessons
as these may be applied would make a volume of itself, which at
present I have no time to write[A]; but it may be necessary, for the
sake of teachers generally, to shew the uses to which a few of them
may be applied, and leave it to their own ingenuity to go on is a
similar manner with the great variety of lessons we have of this
description, and which infants are quite competent to learn. Take the
European costumes as an example. When the children are thoroughly
acquainted with each of the representations, and can name them
themselves, or if too young to name them, can point them out if they
are named by the teacher, they may then be told that the Englishman
is
born in a country called England, and that London is the capital, and
that capital means the greatest town or city. Care must be taken that
every thing is thoroughly explained, and that the pupils understand
the meaning of the terms used. You then windup this much by telling
the pupils that Englishman means the man, England the country, and
London the chief city; that England is the country they live in, if
you are teaching English children. That Frenchman means a man that
lives in a country called France, which is separated from England by
a part of the sea called the English channel; that Paris is the chief
town or capital. The teacher may here mention some remarkable events
connected with the history of France, and tell the children that
France and England have been often fighting against each other, but
that they are now at peace, and that we should be as kind and good to
Frenchmen as to any other men, because God likes to see all men live
friendly with each other. The children are then told that Russian
means a man living and born in Russia; that Russia is a country where
there is much ice and snow, and which is very cold; that Petersburgh
is the chief town, and that the people of Russia drive over the ice
and snow in sledges, which are carriages without wheels. That Swiss
means an inhabitant of a country named Switzerland, which is almost
in
the centre of Europe, and has no sea near it; that it is a very pretty
country, full of beautiful lakes and mountains; that a lake is a very
great pond of water, and that mountains are very high rocky places,
and that the tops of the mountains in Switzerland are always covered
with snow; that the Swiss people are very brave, and fought very hard
for their freedom, that is, that no other people should be masters
over them; that the capital or chief town of Switzerland is Berne.
When the teacher comes to the Italian, he will say that he is an
inhabitant of a country called Italy, which is a very beautiful place;
that Rome is the capital, and was once the greatest city in the world.
In speaking of the Scotchman, the teacher may tell the children that
Scotland is not separated from England by any sea, but the three
countries called England, Scotland, and Wales, all form one island,
which is entirely surrounded by the sea; that the people who live in
the north, and cold parts of Scotland, are called Highlanders, and are
very brave and hardy; that Edinburgh is the capital. When the Welchman
is under the children's notice, the teacher will tell them that he lives
in a pretty country called Wales, which is joined to England,
that is, no sea divides them, that the chief town is London, although
London is in England and not Wales, because Wales has been governed
by the same king as England for many hundred years, and the eldest son
of the King of England is called Prince of Wales. When the teacher points
out the Irishman, he may tell his class that he lives in an island
near England, separated or divided from it by a part of the sea called
the Irish Channel; that Dublin is the chief city, and that Ireland is
governed by the same queen as England is. Speaking of the German, he
may say that he lives in a country of which the chief town is Vienna.
He may tell the children that the Turk lives in a country called
Turkey; that it is a very warm place, and its chief town is
Constantinople; that the Norwegian lives in a cold country called
Norway, whose chief town is Christiana; that the Spaniard lives in a
country called Spain, the chief town of which is Madrid; that many
of the oranges we eat come from Spain; that the Prussian lives in a
country called Prussia, the chief town of which is Berlin; that the
Icelander lives in a very cold place, called Iceland, which is an
island; that it is a place surrounded by water on every side; that
there is a great mountain in Iceland which is called a burning
mountain, because flames of fire often come out from the top of it.
That the Dutchman lives in a country called Holland; that the people
of that country are remarkable for being very clean, and that most of
the dolls which little English girls play with, are made by children
in Holland; that Amsterdam is the chief town or capital. The children
are told that the Dane lives in a country called Denmark. The teacher
may state that many hundred years back the Danes conquered England,
but that a brave English king, called Alfred, drove them all away
again; that Copenhagen is the capital or chief town; that the Swede
lives in a country called Sweden, and that Stockholm is the chief
town; that the Portuguese live in a country called Portugal, the
capital of which is Lisbon; that the Corsican lives in an island
called Corsica, the capital of which is Bastia; that the Saxon lives
in a country called Saxony, the chief town of which is Dresden. In
telling the children that the Pole lives in a country called Poland,
the chief town of which was Warsaw, the teacher should explain to them
that Poland has been conquered by the Russians, and taken from the Poles,
and shew how unjust this was of the Russians, and also how
the Poles fought very bravely to defend their country, but that the
Russians being stronger, and having larger armies, they were at last
overcome.
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