ory we are reading, but sticks to the story. The more absorbed we
are in the story, the more rapidly we read. Attention is sustained
here, and still it moves. Sustained attention is not glued to one
point, by any means, but is simply confined to a given object or
theme, within which its motion may be as lively as ever.

What is it, then, that sustains attention? Evidently it is the factor
of present desire or interest, already mentioned. It is a
reaction-tendency, aroused to activity by some stimulus or other,
unable to reach its goal instantly, but persisting in activity for a
while and facilitating responses that are in its line, while
inhibiting others. Such a tendency facilitates response, i.e.,
attention, to certain stimuli, and inhibits attention to others, thus
causing them to be overlooked and neglected.

For the student, the ideal attention-sustainer is an interest in the
matter presented. If, however, he cannot get up any absorbing interest
in the subject-matter at once, he may generate the necessary motive
force by taking the lesson as a "stunt", as something to be mastered,
a spur to his self-assertion. In the old days, fear was often the
motive force relied upon in the schoolroom, and the switch hanging
{258} behind the efficient teacher's desk was the stimulus to
sustained attention. There must be _some_ tendency aroused if
attention is to be sustained. The mastery impulse is certainly
superior to fear for the purpose, but better than either is a genuine
interest in the subject studied.

In order to get up a genuine interest in a subject--an objective or
inherent interest--it is usually necessary to penetrate into the
subject for some little distance. The subject may not appeal to any of
our native impulses, or to any interest that has been previously
acquired, and how then are we to hold attention to it long enough to
discover its inherent interest? Curiosity will give us a start, but is
too easily satisfied to carry us far. Fear of punishment or
disapproval, hope of reward or praise, being put on our mettle, or
realizing the necessity of this subject for our future success, may
keep us going till we find the subject attractive in itself.

So, when the little child is learning to read, the printed characters
have so little attractiveness in themselves that he naturally turns
away from them after a brief exploration. But, because he is scolded
when his mind wanders from those marks, because other child