ting lines, and not only familiar in the
sense of being able to receive and obey dictations intelligently, but
in constantly making correct and artistic use of them in his
creations. The practice with them, however, is often deferred entirely
too long, and the intense pleasure and profit which the child gains
from the beautiful and satisfying curved line are not given him until
very late in the kindergarten course. This is manifestly unnecessary,
for although, if we introduce Froebel's gifts and occupations in
orderly sequence, we make greater use of the straight line after the
first and second gifts are passed than we do of the curve, yet we
should not end with it, nor accept it as a finality; neither should
we keep the child tied down altogether to the contemplation of such
lines.

There is no need of exhausting all the possibilities of the straight
line before beginning work with the curve, for sufficient difficulties
could be devised with the former to last an indefinite length of time.

If the child understands the relation of the edge to the solid, and of
the outline to the body; if he is skilled in the use of six to a dozen
sticks laid in various positions, he can appreciate perfectly the
relation of the curved edge or line to the spherical and circular
objects which he has seen in the kindergarten. He remembers the faces
of the cylinder, the conversation about spherical and flat rounding
objects in his plays with the ball, and he has seen the circular as
well as square paper-folding.

He will be accustomed in that to the appearance of the semicircle,
segment, quadrant, and sector, and will take great delight in cutting
and drawing rings and crescents if we open the way for him.

How we may keep the Curve before the Child's Eye.

Although the gifts, from third to ninth, illustrate straight lines,
angles, and rectilinear figures, yet the occupations present many
facilities for keeping the curve before the eye of the child. In
sewing, we introduce curving outlines during the study of the ball,
and work out a series of objects in the vegetable and animal world in
order to vary the mathematical precision of the making of lines,
angles, and geometrical figures, as well as to illustrate more fully
the spherical form.

We may also use the circular paper-folding in some simple sequence as
early as the child's development will permit, and we have, of course,
at the very outset, the occupation of modeling, which i