ething in which
the child is naturally interested.

(2) _Greater mental power._ While the child does not reason as an
adult, he enjoys thinking for himself. The Primary teacher who gives
him predigested lessons, tells him everything in the picture, asks no
questions, and does not lead him on to arrive at any conclusions for
himself, not only fails to obtain results that are possible, but
really retards the child's development. Personal effort must precede
increase of strength in soul as well as body.

#12. Special Characteristics of the Primary Age.#

(1) _Physical activity._ In place of the restlessness of the preceding
period, activity directed toward more definite ends appears. It is
very important that the activity be expended rightly, since its use in
every action strengthens some one of the rapidly forming habits.

(2) _Power of perception._ This is the ability of the mind to
understand the sensations which senses and nerves send to the brain,
or to interpret their meaning; as, for example, to know that the round
yellow ball is an orange, or to recognize the different details in a
picture. Perception grows constantly more quick and active as the
child's store of knowledge increases. Two things must be remembered:
(_a_) the teacher must be sure that the first idea of anything is the
correct one, for it will be eradicated with difficulty, and upon it
all future thinking in that line will be based; (_b_) since each
sensation produces an idea embodying itself, and it is on these ideas
that the soul is nourished, character must grow in quality like its
food. "Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are."

(3) _Memory._ The mind has greater power to retain that which is given
to it than in the preceding period, though it holds these facts
disconnectedly rather than related into systematic knowledge, as they
will be later. But this power of retention must not be abused through
storing memory with a quantity of useless material. That which is
impressed upon the plastic, non-resisting cells of the child's brain
ought to have some immediate meaning and value for the life at a time
when the intellectual and spiritual needs are so many.

(4) _Imagination._ This is the power of the mind to make living and
real that which is not present to the senses. It is one of the most
striking characteristics of the Primary period and one of the most
important as well. The imagination works only with concrete things in
chi