in short lessons of a quarter of an hour,
or even of ten minutes. Children are fond of precision also, and it will
be found that they like the teaching best, when they are made to do the
exercises exactly right, and in perfect time to the music.

But the regular gymnastics and the romping plays must be alternated with
quiet employments, of course, but still active. They will sing at their
plays by rote; and also should be taught other songs by rote. But there
can be introduced a regular drill on the scale, which should never last
more than ten minutes at a time. This, if well managed, will cultivate
their ears and voices, so that in the course of a year they will become
very expert in telling any note struck, if not in striking it. The ear
is cultivated sooner than the voice, and they may be taught to name the
octave as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and their imaginations impressed by
drawing a ladder of eight rounds on the blackboard, to signify that the
voice rises by regular gradation. This will fix their attention, and
their interest will not flag, if the teacher has any tact.

Slates and pencils are indispensable in a Kindergarten from the first.
One side of a slate can be ruled with a sharp point in small squares,
and if their fancy is interested by telling them to make a fish-net,
they will carefully make their pencils follow these lines,--which makes
a first exercise in drawing. Their little fingers are so unmanageable
that at first they will not be able to make straight lines even with
this help. For variety, little patterns can be given them, drawn on
the blackboard, (or on paper similarly ruled,) of picture-frames and
patterns for carpets. When they can make squares well, they can be
shown how to cross them with diagonals, and make circles inside of the
squares, and outside of them, and encouraged to draw on the other side
of the slate, from their own fancy, or from objects. Entire sympathy and
no destructive criticism should meet every effort. Self-confidence is
the first requisite for success. If they think they have had success, it
is indispensable that it should be echoed from without. Of course there
will be poor perspective; and even Schmidt's method of perspective
cannot be introduced to very young children. A natural talent for
perspective sometimes shows itself, which by-and-by can be perfected by
Schmidt's method.[B]

[Footnote B: See _Common School Journal_ for 1842-3.]

But little children will not