reasoning powers or from its senses. How does it learn the meaning of
words? Certain nouns like "papa" or "cat" it may easily be made to
understand by pointing at the object referred to and uttering the word,
but how does it learn the meaning of abstract nouns, or of verbs and
other parts of speech which cannot be illustrated by pantomime? It is
almost inevitable that the child should use many words the meaning of
which it does not understand, and when young children in school recite
poetry at class-day exercises, it is almost certain that they do not
understand the meaning of many of the words they use. Thus, it happens
that they come {23} into the habit of using words and phrases without
carefully examining their meanings. This tendency should be
counteracted from the earliest stage. The child should be continually
asked the meanings of words which it uses, and should be encouraged
itself to inquire as to those meanings and to take the proper mental
attitude. The use of the dictionary should be insisted upon even from
an early age, the object being to avoid the formation of the habit of
using words or phrases unintelligently, which is one of the worst
habits that one can acquire.

Professor James, in his interesting book, "Talks to Teachers,"
illustrates this habit by an amusing anecdote:

"A friend of mine visiting a school, was asked to examine a young class
in geography. Glancing at the book, she said: 'Suppose you should dig
a hole in the ground, hundreds of feet deep, how should you find it at
the bottom--warmer or colder than on top?' None of the class replying,
the teacher said: 'I'm sure they know, but I think you don't ask the
question quite rightly. Let me try.' So, taking the book, she asked:
'In what condition is the interior of the globe?' and received the
immediate answer from half the class at once; 'The interior of the
globe is in a condition of igneous fusion!'"

Perhaps it may be thought that an incident like the foregoing would
only occur in an elementary school. As a matter of fact, college
students and graduates, and indeed most of us, {24} do this very thing
more often than we realize, even in subjects like mathematics or
mechanics; and terms like "energy," "momentum," "rate of change,"
"period of vibration," "value," "social justice," etc., are often used
without a clear understanding, and sometimes without any understanding
at all, of what they mean.

(_a_) THE STUDENT SH