the nursery, beginning in a very small
way and progressing slowly. The pupils of the kindergarten are a
little older, and having already a slight knowledge of numbers (though
not of course in their abstract relations) are able to accomplish
greater things.

The child can, with our guidance, make all possible combinations of
the parts of the number Eight. The principles of Addition,
Subtraction, even Multiplication and Fractions, can also be mastered
without one tear of misery or pang of torture. He grasps the whole
first, then by simple processes, building with his own hands, he finds
out and demonstrates for himself halves, fourths, and eighths,
sometimes in different positions, but always having the same contents.

Method and Manner of using the Gift.

Even yet we must not suffer this to become work. The exercises should
be repeated again and again, but we must learn to break off when the
play is still delightful, and study ways to endow the next one with
new life and charm, though it carry with it the same old facts. What
we want to secure is, not a formidable number of parrot-like
statements, but a firm foundation for future clearness of
understanding, depth of feeling, and firmness of purpose. So, at the
beginning of the exercise, we should not ask John if he remembers what
we talked about last time, and expect him to answer clearly at once.
Because he does not answer our formal questions which do not properly
belong to babyhood, we need not conclude he has learned nothing, for a
child can show to our dull eyes only a very tiny glimpse of his
wonderful inner world.

Let our aim be, that the child shall little by little receive
impressions so clearly that he will recognize them when they appear
again, and that he shall, after a time, know these impressions by
their names. It is nothing but play after all, but it is in this
childish play that deep meaning lies.

A child is far less interested in that which is given him complete
than in that which needs something from him to make it perfect. He
loves to employ all his energies in conceiving and constructing forms;
the less you do for him the better he enjoys it, if he has been
trained to independence.[41]

[41] "Probably the chief wish of children is to do things for
themselves, instead of to have things done for them. They
would gladly live in a Paradise of the Home-made. For
example, when we read how the 'prentices of London used to
s