another, draws coaches and carts, and is very strong, and can run very fast. Q. What is this? A. An ass. The Ass. Q. What is this beast useful for? A. He is very patient, and carries heavy loads, such as sand, coals, and many other things. Q. The ass is indeed a very useful beast, and the female gives milk, which is very useful to sick people. But can you tell who it was rode into Jerusalem on an ass: I mean the Jerusalem we read of in the Bible? A. Oh yes! it was our dear Saviour Jesus Christ who rode into Jerusalem. Q. Who is the ass the most useful to? A. To the poor people. Q. Why then did our Saviour ride upon an ass? A. That he might teach us to be humble. Q. That is right; and to be humble you know is to be thankful to our dear heavenly Father for the food he gives us, and for the clothes we wear, and for the kind friends who provide teachers that we might be taught our duty: But who is it gives the animals for our subsistence? A. Almighty God, our dear heavenly Father and friend. Q. And how are we to use these creatures? A. With kindness. Q. What do you mean by kindness? A. We must never throw stones at them, nor beat them with sticks, nor be cruel in any way unto them. Q. I hope then you will remember what you ought and what you ought not to do. But should we not be very thankful to our dear heavenly Father for giving us these animals? A. Yes. Q. And how can we show ourselves thankful? A. We cannot show ourselves more thankful than by being kind to all that God has made. I am glad to hear you say so, and therefore I will now let you repeat a pretty poem which teaches us how we should use these animals. Q. What is this? A. A rabbit. A Rabbit. Q. It is a very harmless little animal, and feeds upon oats and cabbage leaves. Have you ever seen a little rabbit? A. Yes. Q. What a beautiful soft skin he has: Is the hair of use? A. Yes, it is very useful: sometimes it is used to assist in making of hats and sometimes to make tippets. Q. See what nice long hair he has gotten on his back: Do you think it is useful for any thing? A. Yes, every thing is of some use. Q. But do you know what use it is? Q. Then I will tell you it is very soft, and is used to put into gentlemen's shaving brushes: But is not the badger a very fierce and cruel creature? A. Yes. Q. But it is sometimes very cruelly bitten by dogs, which men set to bite it and teaze it, and they call it badger baiting. Do you not think this very cruel? A. Yes. Q. I hope if you live to grow up men and women, you never will do so? A. We never will. I am glad to hear you say so, for I think men who know better, are more cruel than the badger whose very nature is cruel. Q. What is this? A. A pig. A Pig. Q. What is it that grows on his back? A. Hair or bristles. Q. What are they useful for? A. To put in shoe brushes and clothes brushes. Q. What is the flesh of the pig called? A. Pork. Q. When the flesh is dried and salted, what is it then called? A. Bacon. Q. Are dogs of any other use besides guarding houses? A. Yes, they take care of sheep, and they always mind what their masters bid them. I hope good children will take pattern then from these animals. Let me hear you repeat the little poem I taught you about the dog. THE DOG. I'll never hurt a little dog, But stroke and pat his head; I like to see it wag its tail, I like to see it fed. Poor little dogs are very good, And very useful too; For do you know that they will mind What they are bid to do. Then I will never beat my dog, Nor ever give him pain; Poor fellow! I will give him food, And he'll love me again. A Cat. Q. What is this? A. A cat. Q. What is a cat useful for? A. To catch rats and mice, which would otherwise be very troublesome, and eat up our food. Q. I suppose some of your mothers have gotten cats, and I hope you use them with kindness? A. Yes, we do. Q. You never find cats hurt you, if you use them with kindness, do you? A. No. I am glad to hear it: I have a little poem also on a cat, and as you are so kind to them, you shall repeat it. THE CAT. I like little pussey, her coat is so warm, And if I don't hurt her, she'll do me no harm; She shall sit by my side, and I'll give her some food, PHILOSOPHICAL OBSERVATIONS. Q. Where does the sun rise? Q. What does it move round? A. The stars are other worlds. A. Springs form brooks. A. Clouds produce rain. A. Frozen rain is hail.. A. Snow is frozen vapours. A. Frost is frozen dew. RULES AND REGULATIONS, BY S. WILDERSPIN: AS OBSERVED AT THE INFANT SCHOOL, QUAKER STREET, SPITALFIELDS. TIME.-Mornings. School to assemble at Nine o'clock, and to leave at Twelve. Afternoons. School to assemble at Two o'clock, and to leave at Five. MONDAY. Morning. When assembled, to perform the appointed prayer, after which an hymn is to be sung; then slates and pencils are to be delivered to the children; after which they are to proceed with their letters and spelling. At half-past ten o'clock to play, and at eleven o'clock to assemble in the gallery, and repeat the picture lessons on natural history after the monitor in the rostrum. Afternoon. Begin with prayer and hymn as in the morning; picture lessons on Scripture history to be repeated from the lesson post, and to be questioned on them afterwards in the gallery. TUESDAY. Morning. Usual prayer and hymn. Slates and pencils. Letters and spelling from the sides of the school, and from the tins. Play. Gallery; repeat the addition and subtraction tables. Afternoon. Prayer and hymn. Multiplication table; the monitor asking the question, and the children answering. Reading lessons. Play. Gallery; numeration and spelling with brass figures and letters. WEDNESDAY. Morning Prayer and hymn. Slates and pencils. Letters and spelling. Play. Gallery; master to teach geometrical figures, and musical characters, by chalking on the swing-slate. Afternoon. Prayer and hymn. Practice, pence and shilling tables. Play. Gallery; master to give lessons on arithmetic. Extempore teaching on men and things, &c. &c. THURSDAY. Morning. Prayer and hymn. Slates and pencils. Letters and spelling. Division, weights, measures, and time, from the rostrum. Play. Gallery, same lessons as Monday morning. Afternoon. Prayer and hymn. From the lesson posts, epitome of geometry, and natural history. Gallery, brass letters and figures. Extempore teaching on men and things, taking care that all such teaching shall be illustrated by sub stances. FRIDAY. Morning. Prayer and hymn. Slates and pencils. Letters and spelling. Tables in arithmetic at the master's discretion. Play. Gallery; lessons on geography, maps, globes, &c. Afternoon. Prayer and hymn. Scripture pictures on the lesson posts, and questions on them in the gallery. SATURDAY. Morning. Prayer and hymn. Slates and pencils. Letters and spelling. Tables of arithmetic from the rostrum. Play. Gallery. Lessons on the transposition frame, and on geometry from the brass instrument. N. B. If visiters wish any particular lessons to be performed, and the children appear inclined, the master is not bound to adhere to the above rules, neither at any other time if the children appear particularly disinclined. CHAPTER IV. THE SCHOOL ROOM. In an establishment where circumstance and the personal influence of the teacher, as well as mutual example, fill so important a place among the means of attaining the purpose which is in view, the choice of a suitable room is of very principal moment. On this subject, some general principles may be laid down, which will distinguish those things which are absolutely necessary to the real efficiency of the system, from those which are only desirable. In the choice of a room, then, it will have sufficiently appeared, that cheerfulness, light, freedom of air, and of dimension, must always be consulted. The walls should, if possible, be spacious, and the roof or ceiling lofty. The size of the room must be regulated by the number of the children who are to be educated in it. There should be space for the whole of the school with the exception of the monitors, to sit around the room on seats affixed to the walls, that the area may be perfectly free. The average of one foot to a child is sufficient. As one of the principal objects in these establishments is to gain and fix the attention of the school on one spot, and on one person, the form of the room should, if possible, be such as to cause the infants the least personal trouble and effort in doing so. It is desirable farther, that the voice of the teacher should be equally heard, without effort on his part, and that his person should be seen with equal distinctness, at all the most distant points in the room. If he be obliged to raise his voice, in order to be heard by those who are at a greater distance than others, his tone will almost necessarily seem to approach to that of anger; and the good feelings of his little flock will in consequence be disturbed; whilst, on the other hand, distance will encourage carelessness in those whose attention is not yet sufficiently secured. It will appear, from these remarks, that one decided aim in the choice and the fitting up of an infants' school room must be to place the little pupils, as far as may be possible, at an equal distance from the point from which the teacher may propose generally to address them. I offer to the consideration of my readers a plan for a school room, the area of which is an oblong of such proportions as that, after a part has been divided off from one end for a gallery of raised seats, the forms for the children, when in their classes, may occupy the sides of a square. (A A) are the seats round the room. (B) is a double rostrum, in the front part of which the monitor who is to lead the rest, when the school is engaged in an united lesson, takes his stand; and on the back part of which the superintendent places himself whenever he may wish to obtain the attention of the whole school at once, and convey a lesson to them all. (C) is the gallery, in which all the children may be occasionally |