prehension of this nature? Let us ascend the proudest and highest pinnacle of knowledge, with all the aid of human acquirement, with the greatest refinement of intellect, and how much ncarer are we to the attainment of a clcarer knowledge of the nature of God? How far have we been able to penetrate into the clouds of inscrutable mystery, with which he has veiled himself from the gaze of presumptuous man? Truly, I think, we might confess, that we saw less of his nature there, than ere we ascended that elevation of vanity, and should find it better for us to descend from our lofty station, to the state of humble adoration, which is found in the bosom of infancy. Infants view Him through his works, in the evidences of his goodness and his wisdom; and here I would seriously put it to every parent, whether it is proper, whether it is de sirable, nay, whether it is wise, to allow little children to stand up and repcat long catechisms and creeds, which even men do not understand, (and about which they are at perpetual variance,) and allow the children to say that they believe this, and believe that, when a moment's rc flection will convince us that it is impossible, from the nature of the infant mind, that they can understand what they are made to say they believe. We allow a child to say he believes in that which we must know he cannot understand, and thus pave the way for his initiation into falsehood, and then we afterwards complain of him if we detect him in error; this is just as rational as if we gave a child food which we knew it could not digest, and then find fault with the child if he complained to us that it gave him pain. The religion we teach, then, to such young children in our schools, is the love of God in the heart; the tcacher, by his kindness, his parental love towards them all, sets the first example, or rather, he thus directs the will and the affections; they scc in him no stern peda gogue to terrify them into religion, no frowning countc nance, no uplifted hand to flog them into good rules and

religious principles; they are not long, therefore, before they feel and appreciate the delights of mutual kindness towards their teacher, and their teacher towards them. Nor where, under the influence of a judicious teacher, the moral sympathy has been fully developed, will they soon, or on a trifling occasion, break the bond of love which is established amongst them; they are made to feel the advantages and delights of giving and partaking kindness, not taught merely by words that it should be so; hence it is that we have so much harmony, and so little occasion for any sort of coercion in schools, consisting of from one to two hundred infants, all of them of an age, that would at one time have been thought wholly unmanageable. Their duty towards their neighbour, then, arises, like their duty towards God, from the heart-felt impulse of love. There are in these schools continual displays of kindness towards each other, of forgiveness of injuries, acknowledgment and contrition for error; in short, such a refined moral perception and liveliness of conscience, that they are truly admirable and astonishing. Occasional breaches of propriety there certainly are, it would be unreasonable in the extreme to expect such should not sometimes occur; but they are always turned to advantage, and made the means of producing, by public trials in the school, the master stating the case, and the whole of the children forming the jury, some beneficial results. One instance out of many I will here mention; a child who had, in a fit of passion, struck his little school-fellow, was brought out by the teacher, and placed on a stool before all the assembled infants. His crime was told them,-that he had been beating his little school-fellow; silence ensued; an expression of mingled pity and astonishment appeared on every counte"What must I do to him ?” "Should I let so naughty a boy go unpunished?" Several voices answered, "No, Sir." The little offender, who was of a very proud disposition, stood in sullen silence; again the teacher put

nance.

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the question, "What shall I do with him?" A little trc mulous voice replied, Forgive him this once, if you please, Sir." It was the injured little boy! I was de lighted beyond expression, and my delight was still more incrcased, when, on turning to the obdurate offender, whom the prospect of punishment could not move, I found him in tears; the power of love had melted his fcclings, and awoke a sense of wrong and confession of it, which ended in the offender being again scated by the side of his generous and forgiving school-fellow. What could have been more noble more dignified than this behaviour of a child, not more than six years of age? And here I beg to remark, that I have frequently witnessed such admirable conduct, such nobleness of soul, such forgiveness, and such truly magnanimous behaviour in little children, as would put thousands of the adult population, if they were made public, to the blush. Examples of similar fcclings are continually occurring in our schools, though elicited by different circumstances; such, then, is the religious and moral development of our infant-school system, which, if thoroughly understood in all its ramifications, and properly applied, will prove one of the most powerful moral levers, which this or any other country has ever possessed; but on the contrary, if improperly applied, will prove one of the greatest curses that could ever befal the infant population, for in the hands of ignorant, passionate, enthusiastic, though well-mcaning persons, it will injure the brain, enervate the mind, and render the child a mere autom-. aton. With regard to the mental improvement of the development of the intellectual faculties, the great principle here, is to induce the child to scck knowledge through some object; not compel it to scck it, nor cram it, nor force it upon his mind. This purpose we effect by combining it with amusement, by exciting a spirit of acquisitivness, which receives information as a favour, instead of acquiring it as a task. There is no inactive healthy child, either in mind.

INFLUENCE OF ATMOSPHERE AND TIME ON INFANTS. 25

or body, in the world; it is always seeking information, and anxious for it, but when it applies to those whose duty and whose business it is to give it, how frequently is it sent away with scowling looks, and rash observations, and desired to leave the room for being so "troublesome.”

Methinks that infants sometimes propound questions, which parents and teachers too, find it rather difficult to answer; the fault, however, is always upon the child, he is invariably desired to hold his tongue, and told that "little children should be seen and not heard; — speak only when they are spoken to, and come when they are called;" and not ask ridiculous questions; though a few days afterwards, or even the same day, he may be sent into a room by himself, and scolded, if not beaten, for not learning what those set over him chose to call his task. It is, however, the assumption of so unamiable a character, on the part of those who should know better, that does so much harm to both teachers and scholars, in our seminaries for children of a more advanced age-it mars the endeavours of the one, and impedes the progress of the other. We all know with what a different spirit we apply ourselves, to that to which we apply ourselves willingly, and to a thing with regard to which we have no alternative, what alacrity and perseverance we find in the one instance, what a listlessness in the other. With the knowledge of this fact in our mind, it has been the endeavour to make the business of the school an amusement to the children; to young children indeed this was peculiarly necessary; we find it impossible to regulate the infant mind by the clock. The weather, the atmosphere, the season, has a mighty influence on the mind; on a dull day and thick hazy weather, they are never in a state for mental development; at these times physical education must be attended to, to which may be added moral education in the play ground; and even in clear fine weather, the morning is the proper time to operate on the mental powers of little children;-in the afternoon

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they are in a very different state, and require to be acted on accordingly, and who does not, or will not, or cannot watch for these times and scasons, will never succccd in the way that could be desired as an infant instructor; he must never forget that to meet with complete success, he must act in accordance with the organic laws of nature, for it is only by attention to these, that health, and strength to the bodily frame, and vigour and activity to the mind can be secured. The rooms of a properly conducted infant school, should have the means of a frce ventilation, to which the master and mistress will, if they know their duty, scrupulously attend. The infants should never draw one inspiration of that poisonous air, which injures both body and mind in crowded school rooms this immense advantage, must be secured without sacrificing the comforts of warmth in cold weather, for this is as important to the health of the young, as any other point in which we have spoken. Ventilation within doors, must, however, at all times, when practicable, yield to the free breeze without, and therefore, let it be remembered, that half the child's time during school hours, ought to be spent in a dry, airy, well furnished, play ground; and, moreover, the teacher is to remember that it is here that the children require his most active, anxious, scrupulous, and undivided attention, if they are not watched here, ninc tenths of the moral education is lost and the means which would have enabled the teacher to have legislated for each and all of his pupils, at the most important time that could be named; before the formation of character has been given to the evil one. The infant school playground is the world in miniature, each inhabitant of which lives in harmony or otherwise, with his associates; it is here that he will shew what his propensities are, if he is selfish he shews it here; if he is pettish or quarrelsome, it can only be manifested in the play ground; if he is dominccring and revengeful, or mild and merciful, it is here that he is sure