difficult train of
thought, in their own ordinary gait, their unfortunate followers vainly
trying to keep up with them. The case is precisely analagous to that of
the father, who walks with the step of a man, while his little son is by
his side, wearying and exhausting himself, with fruitless efforts to
reach his feet as far, and to move them as rapidly, as a full gown man.

But to show what I mean by subdividing a difficult process, so as to
make each step simple, I will take a case which may serve as an example.
I will suppose that the teacher of a common school, undertakes to show
his boys, who, we will suppose, are acquainted with nothing but
elementary arithmetic, how longitude is ascertained, by means of the
eclipses of Jupiter's satellites; not a very simple question, (as it
would, at first view, strike one,) but still one which, like all others,
may be, merely by the power of the subdivision alluded to, easily
explained. I will suppose that the subject has come up at a general
exercise,--perhaps the question was asked in writing, by one of the
older boys. I will present the explanation, chiefly in the form of
question and answer, that it may be seen, that the steps are so short,
that the boys may take them themselves.

"Which way," asks the teacher, "are the Rocky Mountains from us?"

"West," answer two or three of the boys.

In such cases as this, it is very desirable that the answers should be
general, so that throughout the school, there should be a spirited
interest in the questions and replies. This will never be the case, if a
small number of the boys only take part in the answers; and many
teachers complain, that, when they try this experiment, they can seldom
induce many of the pupils to take a part.

The reason ordinarily is, that they say that _any_ of the boys may
answer, instead of that _all_ of them may. The boys do not get the idea
that it is wished that an universal reply should come from all parts of
the room in which every one's voice should be heard. If the answers were
feeble, in the instance we are supposing, the teacher would perhaps say;

"I only heard one or two answers: do not more of you know where the
Rocky Mountains are? Will you all think, and answer together? Which way
are they from us?"

"West," answer a large number of boys.

"You do not answer fully enough yet; I do not think more than forty
answered, and there are about sixty here. I should like to have _every
one in the