t the incorrect movements are
now closely co-ordinated with a number of correct movements, which must
necessarily be retained while the other portions of the process are
being modified. To effect such a modification, it is necessary for
attention to focus itself upon the incorrect elements, and form a clear
idea of the changes desired. With this idea as a conscious aim, the
pupil must have abundant practice in writing the new forms, and avoid
any recurrence of the old incorrect movements. This fact emphasizes the
importance of attending to the beginning of any habit. In teaching
writing, for instance, the teacher might first give attention only to
the form of the letter and then later seek to have the child acquire the
muscular movement. In the meantime, however, the child, while learning
to form the letters, may have been allowed to acquire the finger
movement, and to break this habit both teacher and pupil find much
difficulty. By limiting the child to the use of a black-board or a large
pencil and tablet, and having him make only relatively large letters
while he is learning to form them, the teacher could have the pupil
avoid this early formation of the habit of writing with the finger
movement.

=Limitations of Habit.=--From what has here been learned concerning the
formation of physical habits, it becomes evident that there are
limitations to these as forms of reaction. Since any habit is largely
an unconscious reaction to a particular situation, its value will be
conditional upon the nature of the circumstances which call forth the
reaction. These circumstances must occur quite often under almost
identical conditions, otherwise the habit can have no value in directing
our social conduct. On the contrary, it may seriously interfere with
successful effort. For the player to habituate his hands to fingering
the violin is very important, because this is a case where such constant
conditions are to be met. For a salesman to habituate himself to one
mode of presenting goods to his customers would be fatal, since both the
character and the needs of the customers are so varied that no permanent
form of approach could be effective in all cases. To habituate ourselves
to some narrow automatic line of action and follow it even under varying
circumstances, therefore, might prevent the mind from properly weighing
these varying conditions, and thus deaden initiative. It is for this
reason that experience is so valuable in dire