( SCHOOL-ROOM CLASSICS. IV THE ART OF Securing Attention. BY JOSHUA G. FITCH, M. A. SYRACUSE, K Y. : Davis, Bardeen & Co., Publishers, 1880. Copyright, 1880, by C. W. Bardeen. DAVIS, BARDEEN & CO., UBLISHERS, $O0KSELLERS I $TATIONERS, White Memorial Building, Vanderbilt Square, SYRACUSE, N. Y. TEACHERS' HEAD-QUARTERS FOR CENTRAL NEW YORK. All kinds of School Supplies kept constantly in stoek, from Black-board Crayons to Furniture of the latest im- provements. Come and see before purchasing elsewhere. Magazines and New Books received as soon as issued. Any Book published will be ordered and promptly furnished. School Supplies and Books for Libraries fur- nished at low rates. Call or Write for anything you want, No trouble to show Books or give information. SCHOOL-ROOM CLASSICS. IV. THE ART OF Securing Attention. BY JOSHUA G. FITCH, M. A. | ifUiJ SYRACUSE, X. Y.: Davis, Bardeen & Co., Publishers,. 1880. Copyright, 1880, by (J. W. Bardeen. v^ Tut: following paper contains the substance of a lecture delivered to training classses established in connection with the British Sunday-School Union. In editing it for this series of educational publica- tions, I have omitted such portions as pertain exclusively to the work of mission Sunday-schools, and were unessential to the continuity and com- pleteness of the work as a valuable manual for public-school teachers. C. W. BARDEEN, Syracuse, April 9, 1880. THE ^T OF J3eCUF([NQ ^TTE^TIOjM By attention I mean fixity of thought, the concen- tration of the whole mind upon one subject at a time ; that effort of will by which we are enabled to follow what we hear or read, without wandering, without weariness, and without losing any particle of the meaning intended to be conveyed. I do not doubt that to many of you the thought occurs, " This, indeed, is the one thing which I most want. If I could only secure attention, what an admirable teacher I should be ! How happy I should be in my work! How much success and usefulness would follow my efforts!" Now. this is a very natural reflection ; but it will be my object to prove to you that it is not a very sound one ; and that at- tention must not be looked upon as the condition of our being good teachers ; but rather as the result of our being so. Let us first of all acknowledge to ourselves, that attention, such as we want to set from children, is a 6 THE ABT OF very hard thing to give. You and I, even when we have the strongest sense of duty urging us to attend to a subject, often find that it is next to impossible to chain our thoughts resolutely down to it. The memory of yesterday's business, the prospect of to- morrow's pleasure, will intrude upon us in spite of all our efforts. We constantly lose the thread of argument, even in a book that interests us; the eye glances down the page, but the thoughts do not fol- low it, and we arc compelled to go back again, and make a renewed effort to keep our wayward minds in harness. You know how often this is true ; whether you listen to a sermon or a lecture, or read a book. It is true even when you most desire to rcsivf the temptation. How much more is the diffi- culty likely to be felt by little children, who are con- stitutionally more restless than we are; whose moral natures are but partially developed ; and who have, at present, no strong sense of duty to chide them into silence or awe them into attention. And let us confess to ourselves, also, that we are accustomed to make very heavy demands upon a child's faculty of attention. We expect him to listen to teaching from nine o'clock until twelve; then brief interval to compose himself into stillness and attention again, often giving him instruction, SECURING ATTENTION. 7 the greater part of which is above his comprehension, and adapted to eases and experiences very different from his own. He is naturally very inquisitive about tilings that immediately surround him; lie is curious to learn about the sun, and the moon, and the stars; about distant countries: about the manners of foreigners ; about birds and beasts and fishes; nay, even about machines, and many other human inventions; but he is not prepared at first to perceive that the knowledge which you im- part is related to his daily life. You do not find the appetite for such knowledge already exist- ing. You have to create it ; and until you have created it, he cannot give you the fixed and earnest attention you want, without an effort which is posi- tively painful to him. I think it important at the outset that we should be aware of these tw 7 o simple facts : first, that fixed attention is a hard thing for anybody to give; and, second, that fixed attention to prescribed subjects is especially a hard thing for children to give. When we have fairly taken these facts into account we shall be better prepared to avail ourselves of any counsel which may enable us to secure attention. It is always a great step toward the removal of a 8 THE ART OP difficulty, to know that there is a difficulty and that ii needs to be. removed. For you know, however hard ii may he to gain attention, we r&ust get it if we are to do any good at all in school. It is of no use there to tell children things which go no deeper than the surface of their minds, and which will he swept away to make room for the first trifling matter which claims admission there. If children are really to be the better for what we teach, if the truths which we love so well are really to go deep fnto their consciences, and be- come the guiding principles of their lives, it is no half-hearted, languid attention which will serve our purpose. We are not dealing with facts which will bear to be received and then forgotten; hut with truths which, if they have any significance, and. if they have any practical value to a child at all. must be not only received hy his understanding, hut lodged securely in his memory, and made to tell upon the formation of his character for this world and the next. Let me tell you firsl how you will not get atten- tion. Von will not gel it by claiming it, by demand- ing it as a right, or by entreating il a- a favor; by urging upon your pupils the importance of the sub- ject, the kindness of their teachers, or the important SECURING ATTENTION. 9 character of the truths you have to impart. All these are very legitimate arguments to use to older people. You and I, we may hope, feel their force. The sense of these things keeps us thoughtful and silent many a time, perhaps, when we are hearing a dull or unintelligible address. We feel we ought to be attentive,- and so we make an effort to be so. George Herbert argues that if the preacher's discourse entirely lacks interest, we must consider that "God takes a text, and preacheth patience." This is a very valid argument to us, no doubt, but it is no argument to a child. Nothing in the long run (except fear, which I know you would feel to be a very unsatisfactory motive) can keep a child's attention fixed, but a sense of real interest in the thing you are saying. It is necessary that he should feel that the subject claims attention for itself, not that you are claiming attention for the subject. Depend upon it, that attention got by threats, by authority, or even by promises, or indeed by any external means whatever, is not a genuine or effective thing. The real attention, such as alone can serve the purpose of a teacher, must always be founded on the facts that you have got something to say which is worth a child's hearing, and that you can 10 THE ART OF say it iii such a manner that he shall feel it to be worth hearing. And of course the first condition to be fulfilled, iu order to secure this, is, that the teacher's own mind shall be accurately and abundantly prepared on the subject which he has to teach. It seems a trite thing, to say to teachers that they should prepare their lessons. Few of my readers, I hope, need to be reminded of their duty in this respect. But I doubt whether many of us see the importance of pre- paration in its true light. Observe, I said a teacher should tic accurately prepared. By this I mean, that there should be no vagueness or indistinctness in his mind about what he is going to teach. He should not rely on a general impression that he comprehends the subject. He must have details— facts which he knows how to state with exactness; and a degree of nic dangers, ii- wants, and SECUBING ATTENTION. IS the peculiar teaching which is best suited for it. He will constantly be watching incidents and events, and treasure up as much of them as can be brought to bear upon his scholars, or is likely to convey in- struction to them. I am afraid some of us do not think enough of this. Why, there is not a circum- stance that happens to any one of us, not an incident in our daily life, public or private, not a success or a failure, a misfortune or a blessing, which has not its own special significance, and is not meant to teach us some useful lesson. If we only had eyes to see and hearts to receive it, we should perceive that the history of each day's experience, even of the hum- blest of us, every one of the shifting phenomena of our daily life, illustrates some great moral and spirit- ual truth which underlies it, and is meant to be rec- ognized and understood by us. Do we husband the experiences of every day ? Do we watch the lessons it teaches, the warnings that it brings, and do we try to bring it to bear upon our teaching? If we do not we lose a great opportunity of usefulness, and throw away one of the main securities for ob- taining attention. For, after all, one of the first requisites in good teaching is, that it shall address itself to the actual experience and necessities of the learner, and not to 14 THE ART OF any imaginary experience or necessities. We can- not fulfill this condition unless we make it our busi- ness to know what are the real dangers and tempta- tions, the weaknesses and the wants, of the children whom we have to teach. I took a little child to church with me the other day. and her remark on coming" out was, "I don't understand that preacher, he doesn't talk like gentlemen in rooms."' Now I do not suppose that public service can ever, in the nature of things, he otherwise than strange and unintelli- gible to children: but I am sure that the more teachers talk like "gentlemen in rooms," the better. [f there i- anything unfamiliar, or artificial, or ser- monizing in your language or even in your tone; if your illustrations are bookish and unpractical; if the virtue- and the vices you talk about are not the actual virtues which it is possible for them to prac- tise, and i he actual vices into which they are likely to fall; if in any way you shool above their heads, or betray a want of familiarity with the real lives which children lead, your class will cease to feel any interest in what you say. We may safely say. 1 think, that ample and ac curate knowledge of the subject, and skill in apply- ing it to the case of children, will in every case give the teacher a right to be heard, and will enable him SECU«ING ATTENTION. 15 therefore, without difficulty, to gain the car of his class. But suppose attention is once gained in this way, \vc still have to inquire how it may be kept up. First, let me mention one or two merely mechan- ical devices for maintaining attention. Of course, these are not the highest, but they are sometimes useful nevertheless. For instance, children need changt of posture. The restlessness which we often complain of in children is not a fault ; it is a consti- tutional necessity. It is positively painful to them to remain in one attitude long. We ought to be aware of this; and occasionally, when attention seems to flag, let the whole class stand fur a short time, or go through some simple exercise which re- quires movement. You will often find that in this way your class will be refreshed. When the body has had its lawful claims recognized, the mind will be more at leisure to devote itself to the lessons; the sense of weariness will disappear, and the work of teaching proceed with more cheerfulness. I have often seen teachers and children remain sitting during the whole of a long summer afternoon, and the teacher wondering at the listlessness of his class. But I see nothing to wonder at. Indeed, for myself, I know I cannot teach with vigor and spirit for long 16 THE ART OF together while I am sitting down ; and it is hard to expect children to be better in this respect than my- self. Dullness and lassitude begin to creep over the mind, and I confess I like to see a teacher stand up, now and then, and throw a little life into his lesson, as well as occasionally cause his scholars to stand up too. In a small class, also, attention may very often be sustained by causing the children to answer strictly in turn ; by making them take places, and by record- ing the number of times the same boy gets to the top. The little emulation promoted by this plan is favorable to mental activity, and often prevents a a lesson from becoming dull. It requires to be rather skilfully managed, and needs a good disciplinarian t<> conduct it; but I have seen the plan used with very great success, and excite great interest on the part of the children. It is particularly useful in testing the result of your teaching by questions at the end of each division of the subject, as it applies the test with perfect fairness and uniformity to every child in the class. What is called simultaneous reacting may also prove a greal help in maintaining the interest and attention, especially of a younger class. Of course it must not SECURING ATTENTION. 17 be practised in a crowded school-room, when the noise would disturb other classes, unless you have tutored your class to read in a quiet and subdued tone, (which is a great point in education, and quite worth taking some trouble to obtain.) But if it can be adopted, the plan will occasionally relieve a les- son very much. It is always interesting to children to do something in concert ; and if the teacher has a sharp eye and a quick ear, he can easily secure that every child shall be thoroughly wakeful and atten- tive. The exercises may often be well varied in this way. The teacher reads a passage slowly, and with correct tone and emphasis, alone : he then reads it a second time, the class joining with him, and reading in unison. He then asks them to lie silent, and to keep their eyes fixed on the book while he reads, and to supply any word which he leaves out. Then he reads the passage, pausing frequently, and omitting a word to be supplied by the children. Lastly, he calls upon one and another separately to read the same passage. The plan of elliptical reading is one of the best I know to stimulate watchfulness and fixed attention on the part of the children. I have seen fifty little ones together, their eyes fixed intently on the book, all eager to pronounce the word omitted by the teacher at exactly the right moment. 18 Till-: ART OF There is an indirect method of questioning, too, very familiar to you all; which is founded on the same principle, and may serve a useful purpose in sustaining attention. I mean the use of ellipses, as they are called. The teacher, instead of finishing- the sentence himself, pauses suddenly, and requires the children to finish it for him. Good teachers, especi- ally those of infant schools, have long been accus- tomed to use this method, and have found it very efficacious. Only it must be remembered that it is a device which wants very skillful management. The wordlefl out of the sentence, which the children are expected to supply, should be one which they ought to remember, and it should also, in every case, be a definite word. There should be no vagueness in the teacher's own mind as to what he expects; there should be one way. and only one way. in which the sentence can be properly finished. The word required, moreover, should be one which it requires a little effort to recollect; it should not be the mere echo of the word just uttered. And it is just as necessary in the use of ellipses as in the practice of questioning, to lake care that there is no guessing, and no merely mechanical utterance of a word to which the child attaches no meaning. The ellipti- cal method is an admirable device for keeping up the SIX THING ATTENTION. 19 attention, especially of little children; bul il can never he made a substitute for good questioning, for the simple reason that it only demands a single word, and can never enable you to be sure that the learner understands the whole sentence of which the word forms a part. Again, one of the greatest safeguards for the atten- tion of the class is the cultivation on the teacher's part of quickness of (i/i- and ear. It is surprising sometimes to see teachers addressing themselves to one part of their class, and apparently unconscious that another part is listless and uninterested. They seem incapable of taking in the whole class at one glance. Their eyes move slowly, and they either do not see the disorder and trifling which lurks in the •corner of their class, or they do not care to notice what it would give them some little trouble to rem- edy. A person of this kind will never keep up atten- tion, nor prove a successful teacher, however well he may lie provided with knowledge, and however anxious he may be' to do good. What every good teacher greatly needs i> a quick eye and a comprehensive glance, which will take in the whole class at one view, or travel instantly from one part of it to the other. He should be able to detect the first rising of disorder, and the first symp- 20 THE ART OF toms of weariness, in an instant, and to apply a remedy to it the next instant. It is from want of promptitude in noticing the little beginnings of inat- tention that our classes so often get disorderly and tired. I recommend every one who wants to be a good teacher, therefore, to cultivate in himself the habit of sharpness and watchfulness. IJe should so train himself that he shall become peculiarly sensi- tive about the little signs of inattention. It ought to make him uncomfortable to see one child's eye averted, or one proof, however small, that the thoughts of the class are straying from the subject. The surest way to increase inattention is to seem unconscious of it, or allow it to pass unnoticed. I would have every teacher here ask himself these questions: "Can I s< e the whole of my class? Do I stand or sit so that the slightest movement or whis- per on the part of any single child will be apparent to me in a moment? Do the children all know, that whatever happens I am sure to notice it? Do I allow myself to remain at ease during inattention? Have I got used to it by long practice, and become reconciled to it? ( )r does it pain me to discover even a slight proof of it? Do I, in short, make it a prac- tice never to go on with my lessons until I have recovered attention?"' Unless you can answer these SECUBTNG ATTENTION. 21 questions satisfactorily, you will always be plagued with inattention. For among the minor character- istics of a successful teacher, few things are so im- portant as alacrity of movement; promptitude and readiness both in seeing and hearing; skill in rinding out, at a moment's notice, who is the idlest boy in the class, and in giving him a question, or giving him a verse to read, or making him stand up at once, before h s mind becomes thoroughly alienated from the subject, and before the contagion of his example has had time to spread among the rest. A sluggish, heavy, inactive looking teacher can never gain the sympathy of children, or keep up their attention long. I have called these mechanical meflbods of sustain- ing attention, because no one of them has anything to do with the matter of teaching, or with the treat- ment of the subject; but they are simply external, and subordinate contrivances for keeping the atten- tion of a class from nagging. Of course no one needs, especially in a class of elder children, to adopt all these methods at once and the better a teacher is, the better able lie will be to do without some of them; but we all need to keep them in mind sometimes. And I want, before I pass on to the more important part of the subject, just to remind you that all I have 22 THE ART OF said on this point is founded on two principles: first, that the nature of childhood, its physical weakness. above all, its restlessness and need for change, should be fairly taken into account and provided for by a teacher, and not set down as faults, or frowned down by authority; and. secondly, that even' child under a teacher's care should always feel that there is something for him to do. Continual employment is the great antidote to inattention. I think that if you will keep these principles in view, you will be induced to invent many expedients for keeping up the vivacity and interest of a class besides those which I have named. Closely allied to what I have called mechanical methods, is one which, however, needs some intel- ligence to put it in operation. I mean the practice of recapitulation, by dilligent and thorough interro- gation, not only at the end of the whole lesson, but also at the ''lid of each separate division of it. This is of great importance in sustaining the interest of a class. Children are not likely to take much pains in receiving and remembering a lesson, unless they know that their memory is sure to be tested; and that, however many facts or truths you teach, you are sure to wish to hear of them again. Every lesson should be planned out in the teacher's own mind SO SECURING ATTENTION. 23 as to consist of two or three distinct portions. I do not mean that he should talk about "firstly, secondly, and thirdly'* to his class, or make any needless dis- play of the skeleton or framework of his lesson; hut a clear logical division of the subject into two or three portions is indispensable to the teacher himself; and at the end of each of these he should go over the ground thoroughly, and challenge the ch ldren to give him back all he has taught, When hoys become habituated to this they learn to expect it as a matter of course, and are therefore induced to pre- pare for it by much closer attention than would otherwise seem necessary to them. 1 always made it a practice, in my own class, not only to recapitu- late the lesson just taught, but also to spend the first ten minutes in giving a few questions on preceding lessons. I kept a record of those who answered best, and rewarded them by an extra mark or ticket. With elder boys, also, I always required the sub- stance of last lesson to be written down on paper, and brought to me. One consequence of this was, that some of the boys kept note books with them, ami at any rate far closer attention was paid to my teaching than before. Of course, this plan involves the necessity of some system and method, and of *some little trouble too ; for all the papers require to 24 THE AKT OF be tak n home and read by the teacher. But of one thing we may be sure: no one of us, child or man, ever takes pains to grasp a subject, or fasten it in our memories, unless we expect in some way to find a use for it hereafter. So, if we wish to get a real effort of attention from children, we must do it by leading them to expect that their knowledge will be asked for again, by showing them that when Ave have once taught a thing we do n t forget it, but arc sure to return to it; it may be half an hour hence, or it may be a week hence, but at any rate certainly and systematically. One of the most efficient means of kindling the interest and chaining the attention of children, is the power of using good and striking illustrations. The best teachers are always those who, in addition to a knowledge of their subject, and the other qualifica- tions which are necessary, possess also what may be called pictorial power. By this I mean the power of describing scenes and incidents so that they -hall appear to a child's imagination as if they were really present to him. Now, we must always remember that the imagination is a very active faculty in a child. It is developed far earlier, in the life of all of us, than the judgment and those reasoning pow- ers which we are generally so anxious to cultivate, SECURING ATTENTION. 30 Every teacher therefore, should know how to address himself to this faculty, and should be able to gratify that love of description which is so natural to a child. Now, how many of us arc there 1 should like to know, who can tell a story well, or who can so de- scribe a thing which we have seen that those who hear our description shall think they can almost see it too? Yet a man is never a perfect teacher until he can do this; and no appeals to the reason and con- science, and the feelings of a child, wdl he so effec- tive as they might be unless Ave can' also appeal to his imagination. Need i remind you how constantly this is recognized in the word of God;- how continu- ally the Bible writers, and especially the great Teacher himself, condescended to the weakness of man in this respect, and addressed their teachings not to the understanding directly, hut indirectly, through the medium of the senses and the imagina tion. What else is the meaning of our Lord's para- bles? What else are those glowing Eastern Meta- phors, sparkling like rich gems over the whole surface of the Bible, but helps to the comprehension of great truths, optical instruments, so to speak, through which our dim eyes might behold doctrines and principles, and deep lessons, which otherwise thev could not have perceived? Now. it is almost 20 THE ART OF unnecessary to say much as to the power of exciting attention which a teacher possesses who is able to use good illustrations. We all know what an advan- tage such a teacher has over others. We have all observed, when a scene is picturesquely described, or a striking illustration brought forward, or a story told, how the fac s of the children have lighted up with interest, and their eves have been fixed upon the speaker. But. perhaps, while we all acknowl- edge the attractiveness of pictorial teaching, wehave not all duly considered its usefulness, nor the rea- sons which give it its peculiar force and value. Let us look for a moment at an example or two. When we read in the Psalms the word . "The Lord God is a sun and shield." we know, and every child knows, that the words are not literally true, but must be thought of a little before they can be understood. So we say to ourselves, ■"What does this mean? The sun is the great source of light and cheerfulness; and a shield is something with which soldiers defend themselves in battle. Therefore, this must mean that God's presence and favor make a man glad and happy, and al the same time shelter him from .dan- ger." Suppose all this has passed through our iiiimU. we have got the knowledge of a great truth in a somewhal indirect way. it is true: but we are far SECURING ATTENTION. 27 more likely to be impressed by it, and to remember it, than if the literal fact bad been conveyed to us in plain language. And why so? Because we have bad a share in finding out the truth for ourselves;. because the mind was not called upon passively to receive a truth in the form of direct statement, but to exert itself a little, first in interpreting a metaphor, and. secondly, in drawing a conclusion from it, We are always far more interested by what we have had a hand in winning for ourselves, than by what is merely communicated to us as a favor, or enforced on us by authority. Which of us has not a deeper feeling of the Saviour's tenderness and compassion, after reading the parable of the Good Shepherd, than we could ever have had otherwise? When we read, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runneth into it, and are safe;" or. "As the mountains are about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people;" "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God ;" or, when we come upon that glorious description, in the Apocalypse, of "a city which "hath no need of the sun. neither of the moon to shine in it, for the Lord God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof,*' we are conscious that, over and above the value of the truths thus imparted, we receive a cer- 28 THE ART OF tain gratification from the form in which the truth is presented, and are pleased to have had something- given us which we have been able to interpret for ourselves. Consider, again, in regard to the lessons which lie hid in allegories and stories, that we often receive them far more effectively into our minds for the very reason that they are indirect, and do not at first seem to apply to ourselves. If we obtrude our moral teaching too early, or if we begin by telling the children that we hope they will learn a useful lesson from what we are going to say. children fancy that we are preaching, and are perhaps indis- posed to listen. But if we take care that the relig- ious truth, or the rule of conduct, which we wish to enforce, seems spontaneously to grow out of the lesson, and keeps its place as an inference to be gathered from the story we are telling, it is far more likely to be efficacious. When Nathan was commissioned to reprove David, you know that if he had gone at once, and taxed him with the offence, and said. " You have committed a great sin, end I have come to rebuke you.' - David would probably have been prepared with -Mine answer. Thai was a form of accusation which he very likely anticipated, and we do not doubt he had so armed SECURING ATTENTION. 29 himself with pleas of self justification, and so skill- fully "manage.d" his conscience, that the charge would scarcely have impressed him at all. But instead of this, the prophet began to tell him a narrative: " There were two men in one city, the one rich, and the other poor." He went on further, as you know, detailing the various incidents of his story, until "David's anger was greatly kindled against the man." and he exclaimed, "As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die." Not till the solemn words. "Thou art the man! " had been uttered in his hearing, did the conviction come thoroughly home to his heart that he was really guilty. Now, why was it that Nathan's method was so effective? Because David had listened with interest so the story without sup- posing that it concerned him. His Judgment was clear and unbiased, and he came to the right con- clusion before he perceived that the conclusion ap- plied to himself. How much deeper and more per- manent was the impression thus made than if the prophet had confined himself to a plain literal exam- ination of the right and wrong of David's own case. And we may see the same thing illustrated in our Lord's parables constantly, that they are not only chain the attention of the listner by their pictorial 30 THE ART OF character, but the}' set him thinking for himself, and drawing inferences about truths of the highest value almost without being aware of it. The most effective lessons which cuter the human heart are not those which take the form of lessons. It is when we are least conscious of the process by which we are impressed that we are impressed most deeply. And it is for this reason, if for no other, that the indirect teaching which is wrapped up in stories and metaphors often secures n ore attention than teaching of a more direct and didactic kind. But it is very likely that some of you may be disposed to answer, "Yes, I know that teaching, when well illustrated by stories and parables, is far more interesting to children than if it is full of dry statements: but then the power to choose Mich illus- trations wisely, and to make a good use of them, is, after all, a very rare power, and a very difficult one to acquire. I do not possess it, and I do not know how to get it. Besides the creative genius which can invent skilful illustrations is a special gift, It is rather the attribute of a poet than a teacher. I must learn to do without it." Now, 1 cannot help sympathizing with any one who speaks thus, but I should like to encourage hi in a little, nevertheless. We may all mend ourselves a SECURING ATTENTION. 81 great deal in this respect it' we try. Suppose we en- deavor to remember carefully tilings which we have seen, and to describe them afterward. Suppose we practise ourselves a little more than we do in the art of telling a story. Suppose, when we have read of a circumstance, or met with one which has inter- ested us, we sit down and try to reproduce it in our own language in writing. Suppose we watch care- fully the sort of illustration and metaphor which ex- cites our own attention, and then carefully husband it in our memories, with a view to making use of it in our classes. Suppose, when we are going to give a lesson on some Bible narrative, v. e study all its details and all its surrounding circumstances so well, that we can almost realize the picture of it ourselves. Sup pose, in short, we alway keep in view the necessity of rendering, our teaching more vivid, and are al- ways on the watch for material by which it may be made more so, I believe that we shall make a step in the right direction at least. Any man whose heart is in his work may do all this, and may become a very interesting teacher without being a poet, and without possessing any peculiar natural gifts. If you go to the sea-side, and hear the rolling of the waves, or if you stand on a hill in view of some fair landscape, which the summer sun lights up with 32 THE ART OF unusual glory, try to retain your impressions, and see how far you are able to convey the picture of the scene to others. If you want to gave a lesson on St. Paul's preaching at Athens, try to rind out what it was that the apostle could see as he stood on Mars Hill, with the temples of Minerva and of- Theseus near him; with an eager inquisitive crowd throng- ing round his feet: with the altar, and its myste- rious inscription, " To fhe unknown God," just in sight; and with the blue waters of the Pirams spreading out beyond. And if you will do this; and if, meanwhile, you take care that your love of illustration never betrays you into levity or trifling; that you never tell stories for the sake of telling stories, but always for the sake of some valua ble lesson which the story illustrates, I cannot doubt that, by God's blessing, you will become possessed, not only of one of the best Instruments for keeping up the attention of little children, but also of a key which will unlock their heart. Another hint, which it seems to me is sometimes needed most by those who arc the best teachers, is this: Do not get into a stt reotypt d matin, method of giving lessons. You will often, at conventions, hear a good model lesson: you will admire its style and it- method; you will think it, perhaps, the best les- SECURING ATTENTION. ., 33 son you ever heard. But do not suppose that is a reason for imitating its method precisely, and for casting all your lessons into the same mould. Dif- ferent subjects admit of and require greal diversity of treatment; and even if they did not, it would still he necessary to vary your mode of teaching con stantly, for the sake of sustaining and keeping alive the interest of your class. Illustration, such as I have spoken of jusl now. is not always equally desirable ; the lesson will not always fall into the same number of divisions; ques- tions must not always be given in the same propor- tion, or at the same times. Almost every lesson does in fact demand a different treatment: and though there may be some one course which, on the whole, we have reason to prefer, we should not confine our- selves to it, but look into the nature of each subject when we are preparing it, and determine what is the best form in which it is likely to present itself to the mind. Besides, the method which is best for one teacher is not always the best for another; and no* teacher is worth much who does not exercise a little originalty and independence in the construction of those methods which are best suited to his special circumstances, and to what he knows to be the char- acter of the children who compose his class. At any 34 « THE ART OF rate, remember that uniform methods have a ten- dency to destroy interest, and that prompt attention can only be kept up by varying our plans as occasion may require. Again, it is very desirable that there should be a coherence and unity about the lessons of each day. We must beware of dissipating the attention of children, by leading them too hastily from one subject to an- other, or by giving them too many lessons which seem to have no mutual connection. But one of the main safeguards of attention, after all, is to determine that, whatever you teach, you will not goon unless you carry the whole class with you. Very often we set down in our minds exactly what is the area which the lesson is to cover, and how much we mean to teach. We then go into the class, and find perhaps that we are not getting on so fast as we expected. So we push on hastily, in order that the plan on which we were determined shall be car- ried out. Meanwhile, attention has flagged: stum bling-blocks have revealed themselves which we have not had time to remove, and we discover at the end that only one or two have kept pace with us. Now.it is far better 1fo do a little thoroughly than to do a great deal superficially and unsoundly. "VVe all know that. So it is far better to give half SECURING ATTENTION. 35 our intended lesson, than the whole, if only the halt* could be well understood. We do not come to the school so much that we may give lessons, as thai the children may receive them. Let us determine, there- fore, that, however little we teach, the whole of that little shall be learned. Let us stop and recapitulate very often, especially if the class seems languid and indifferent; let us think no time lost which is spent in satisfying ourselves that what has been said is un- derstood, and that we are making sure of our ground as Ave are going on. Let us pause whenever neces- sary, and put questions, especially to the least atten- tive members of the class. And let us determine at every step to secure that the whole of the children are advancing with us. It is wonderful to see how often really intelligent and valuable teachers seem to forget this. They take for granted that what is so clear to them, and what is evidently so plain to one or two, is therefore communicated to the whole of their pupils, whereas they ought to have evidence step by step of the fad. They should remember that attention once lost is a difficult thing to recover, and they should therefore be careful not to lose it, I am sure that more of us lose attention by going on too fast, and by attempt- ing to teach too much, than wc are inclined to be- 36 TITE AUT OF lieve. The best teacher is he who is never afraid of the drudgery of repeating, and going back, and ques- tioning in many different forms, and who is content to move slowly, if only he can make the dullest member of the class move with him. Afterall. it is by the dull boy that you should measure your own pro gress in a lesson-, not by the quick one. Move with the worst learner. doI with the best, and then your pace with be sure at least, even though it be not very rapid. And now 1 wish to remind yon of two or three things worth remembering about attention. The first is. licit it is an act of tin will. It is the one of all the mental faculties which is most under our own control. We can all lie attentive, or at least more attentive than we are. if we Avish to be so. The de- gree of attention we pay. therefore, depends on our own disposition to attend. This shows us that the matter, after all, is very largely one of discipUm . and that, all other things being equal, that teacher will win most attention who lias most personal influence, and who is looked up to with the greatest respect. Is there any one of you w hoin the children are accus- tomed to treat with dbrespeet ? Do any of you find your commands disobeyed, and your. look- of anger disregarded? Depend upon it, if this be the case, SECTrttlNG ATTENTION. :'>? that tlic disposition to attend to your teaching will not exist, and that you are sure to have trouble in yourclass. Depend upon it, also, that there is some thing in your own conduct, or manner, Or character, which does not entitle you to be looked up to as you ought to be, Ask yourself, in that ease, whether your own behavior is uniform and dignified; wheth er you ever give commands without seeing that they are obeyed; whether you waste your words or your influence in an injudicious way; whether there is anything in your conduct thai reveals to the children a want of punctuality, or of earnestness, or of stead iness on your part. For children are very keen ob servers of character, and in the long run arc sure to feel loyalty and affection for one who is manifestly anxious to do them good, and who can be uniformly relied on in word and deed. There can lie no thor- ough attention unless you accustom yourself to have perfect order, and .therefore every step you can take to secure better discipline, and to gain more influence over the minds of the children, will indirectly tell upon the degree of attention you will obtain in teaching. Nor must we forget that attention is ,i habit, and subject to the same laws which regulate all other habits. Every act we perform to-day becomes all 38 THE ART OF the easier to perform to-morrow, simply because we have performed it to day. And every duty we neg- lecl to perform to day becomes harder to perform to-morrow, and harder still the next day. Every faculty and power we possess is daily becoming either stronger or weaker; we cannot standstill, and our characters are becoming hardened and stereo typed ever\ day, whether we wish or not; hardened. too, we must recollect, not according to what we think, or to what we wish to be, but according to what we do. Therefore, every time we listen lan- guidly to an address, or read a book carelessly, the habit of inattention becomes strengthened, and it becomes less and less possible for us ever to become clear thinkers or steady reasoners. On the other hand, suppose we determine to make a great effort, and resolutely bind down our whole thoughts to a subject; the next time we wish to do the same thing, the effort required will be less painful, the third time less painful still, until at length the habit of atten tion will grow on us, and will become easy and pleasanl to us. What is the practical inference to he drawn from these simple truths ? Why, that in all we do in schools, the habit of strict attention to rules should he cultivated, in little things .-is well as in great, [f a boy is allowed to be unpunctual, to SECURING ATTENTION. 39 miscall words without being compelled to go back and correct himself, to read how he likes, to answer when he likes, to sit down when he is told to stand, to repeat tasks inaccurately, and to give a half- hearted attention to the minor rules of the school, of course he will give half-hearted attention to the teaching. It would he wonderful if he did not. The habit of inattention is strengthened in little things, and necessarily show's itself in great. Do not, therefore, think lightly of the minor acts by winch obedience, and promptitude, and close watch- fulness can be cultivated. Sec that these minor acts arc done well, and you will find that in this way the habit of listening attentively to your leaching will be confirmed. And, besides this, it is necessary to recollect that teachers have a great deal to do with the formation of the intellectual habits which will cling to their pupils for the rest of their lives. Of course, apart from the primary and immediate object of imparting instruction, we ought all to feel some interest in the sort of mental character which our little scholars are acquiring during their intercourse with us. We must look forward to the time when the children will be men and women, and consider what sort of men and women we would have them to be. We 40 THE AllT OF cannot help desiring that when hereafter they read a book, they shall read seriously; that when they hear a sermon they shall not bring preoccupied or wan- dering minds to what they hear; that as they move along in life they shall not be unobservant triners, gazing in helpless vacancy on the mere surface of things, but shall be able to fix their eyes and their hearts steadily on all the sources of instruction which may be open to them. If they are ever to do this, it is necessary that they should have acquired in youth the power of concentrating their attention. This power is the one qualification which so often constitutes the main difference between the wise and the foolish, the:. successful and the unsuccessful man. Attention is the one habit of the human mind which, perhaps more than any other, forms a safeguard for intellectual progress, and even, under the divine blessing, for moral purity. Now, every time a child comes into your ela^s, this habil is either strength ened or weakened. Something is sure to be done, while the children are with you,, either to make them better or worse in this respect lor the whole of their future lives. If you claim and secure perfect obedi- ence; if. without being severe, you can he stricl enough to enforce diligent attention to all you say, you are attaining another important end beside t li.it SECURING ATTENTION. 41 which is usually contemplated, for you are develop- ing the intellectual vigor of your scholar, and famil- iarizing him with a sort of effort which will be of immense use to him hereafter. But every time you permit disorder, trifling, or wandering, you are help- ing to lower and vitiate the mental character of your pupils. You are encouraging them in a bad habit. You are, in fact, doing something to prevent them from ever becoming thoughtful readers, diligent ob- servers, and earnest listeners, as long as they live. We are, I hope, brought by these reflections with- in sight of the one great rule on which not merely all attention, but all true success in teaching depends. Try to feel with the children, to understand theirna- tures, and to discern what is going on in their minds. Do not half the faults of our teaching arise from a want of thorough acquaintance with the little ones, and a want of true insight into their mental and moral nature ? Does not this lie at the root of much of the inattention of which we complain ? The truth is, that a good teacher ought not only to pos- sess that sympathy which makes him feel for a child, and love him. and try to do him good ; but the sympathy which feels with him, which makes due allowance for his imperfectly developed nature, and which thoroughly comprehends his character 42 THE ART OF and wants. Some of you who hear me are young teachers, and it is not so long ago that you were learners. Perhaps you have not forgotten how you felt then, and what sort of things interested and affected you; how knowledge looked when it was first presented to your view, and what was the kind of teaching which best secured an entrance for that knowledge into the recesses of your minds. If you have nearly forgotten these things, strive with all your might to recall them. As you grow in knowl- edge, in thoughtfulness and experience, take diligent care not to lose the remembrance of what you were years ago. He is always the wisest teacher who can combine the man's intellect and the child's heart; who contrives to keep fresh in his memory the knowledge of what he once was, and what a child's wants, and a child's likes and dislikes, and a child's infirmities really are. We are sometimes so glad to find ourselves men, that we take a pleasure in casting off the traditions, and the habits, and the thoughts of childhood. But a really earnest and loving teacher will esteem every recollection very preen mis which helps him better to understand the nature of the being on whose heart he is going to work ; he will be very careful not to set up a man's standard to measure a child by; he will always ask himself, SECURING ATTENTION. 43 when preparing or giving- a lesson, not. "What will it seem proper for me to say'?" but, "What is the thing best adapted for these children to hear ?" lie will cultivate an intimate acquaintance with child- hood, and all its little whims and follies. He will ask God daily to enlarge his own heart, and to make him sympathize with every form of childish weak- ness, except sin; and he will lay to heart the secret meaning of the solemn warning which our Saviour addressed to his disciples : "Take heed that ye de- spise not one of these little ones.'' I think that such a teacher will not want any one to give him rules for sustaining the interest of his class, because he will have got hold of the principle which w 11 enable him to devise rules for himself. Such a teacher will lie sure to win attention, and when he has won it will be likely to keep it. SCHOOL-ROOM CLASSICS. Vol. I. Unconscious Tuition : by Bishop Huntington, II. The Art of Questioning : by J. G. Fitch. III. The Philosophy of School Discipline: by John Kennedy. IV. The art of Securing Attention: by J. G. Fitch V. Learning and Health : by Benjamin Ward Richardson. {Other Volumes in Preparation .) Uniformly bound in convenient form. Fifteen cents each. It is designed to publish in this series only such brief mono- grams as have been universajly Hccipted as the best thought on a given subject. Of the volumes first issued, the following extracts will show the general opinion of the press. I. Unconscious Tuition. "Ifthe subsequent numbers hold any comparison with this incomparably-excellent paper by Mr. Huntington, they will be a valuable addition to the literature for the education of every grade. We listened some years since, spell-bound, to this paper, and all who have not read it shouldsecure it at once.— New England Journal of Education. II. The Art of Questioning. "Mr. Fitch, who is happily inside his eubji ct and as clear as a bell, divides teachers' ques- tions into three kinds : those which help the instructor to measure the knowledge of the pupil,— experiment ; those which compel the pupil to do his own thinking,— instruction ; and tho e which test the result, examination. By precept and example he shows how a teacher may develop interest, may connect new knowledge with what has already been at- tained, may simulate mental action, and put a living spirit into the exercise* ."—Christian Register, Boston. III. The Philosophy of School Discipline. "This paper is clear and logical, and goes down to the very foundation." — Vtica Morning Herald. "The idea of erecting a new science upon what is commonly known as school-discipline, will strike many as highly dignify- ing a very ordinary and inferior element of education. Even a casual perusal of this little book will open the eyes of such people, and reveal to them almost a world of new ideas in connection with this single subject."— Syracuse Evening Journal. Any of tho above sent, post paid, on receipt of price. DAVI^, BAKDEEN & CO., Publishers, Syracuse, N. V. The School Bulletin Publications. Retail Price List, April 1, 1880, The School Bulletin and New York State Edu- cational Journal, Monthly, per year $1 00 Aids to School Discipline, per box 1 25 Alden. First Principles of Political Economy 75 American Library of Education. See Bible, Locke, Mann. Each 25 Bardeen. Common School Law, with State Examina- tion Questions 50 Roderick Hume, the storyof a New York Teacher 1 25 Geography of Onondaga County with Colored Map %\ Some Facts about our "Public School System 25 Preliminary Educational Directory, 18T8 2o School Bulletin Year Book, 1879 1 '0 " " " " 1880 1 0U Bennett. Education Abroad 15 Beebe. First Steps among Figures. Teachers' edition 1 00 Oral Edition 50 Pupils' Edition