hat they are intended to illustrate. It
would be injudicious to use candies or other inherently attractive
objects to illustrate number facts in primary arithmetic. The objects,
not the number facts, would be of supreme interest. The teacher who used
a heap of sand and some gunpowder to teach what a volcano is, found his
pupils anxious for "fireworks" in subsequent geography classes. The
science teacher may make his experiments so interesting that his
students neglect to grasp what the experiments illustrate. The preacher
who uses a large number of anecdotes to illustrate the points of his
sermon, would be probably disappointed to know that the only part of his
discourse remembered by the majority of his hearers was these very
anecdotes. In his enthusiasm for objective teaching, the teacher may
easily make the objects so attractive that the pupils fail altogether to
grasp what they signify.

4. In the case of pictures, maps, and sketches, it is well to present
those that are not too detailed. A map drawn on the black-board by the
teacher is usually better for purposes of illustration than a printed
wall map. The latter shows so many details that it is often difficult
for the pupil to single out those required in the lesson. The
black-board map, on the other hand, will emphasize just those details
that are necessary. For the same reason the sketch is often better than
the printed picture or photograph. Any one who can sketch rapidly and
accurately has at his disposal a valuable means of communicating
knowledge, and every teacher should strive to cultivate this power.

MODES OF PRESENTATION COMPARED

The relative clearness of different modes of presenting knowledge may be
seen from the following:

If a teacher stated to his pupils that he saw a guava yesterday,
possibly no information would be conveyed to them other than that some
unknown object has been referred to. Merely to name any object of
thought, therefore, does not guarantee any real understanding in the
mind of the pupil. If the teacher describes the object as a fruit,
fragrant, yellow, fleshy, and pear-shaped, the mental picture of the
pupil is likely to be much more definite. If, on the other hand, a
picture of the fruit is shown, it is likely that the pupil will more
fully realize at least some of the features of the fruit. If the pupil
is given the object and allowed to bring all his senses to bear upon it,
his knowledge will become both more full and