is, for it is, except in the principles which
it is intended to illustrate, imaginary, a very strong interest would be
awakened in the class, in the work assigned them. Intellectual effort,
in new and constantly varied modes, is in itself a pleasure, and this
pleasure the teacher may deepen and increase very easily, by a little
dexterous management, designed to awaken curiosity, and concentrate
attention. It ought, however, to be constantly borne in mind, that this
variety should be confined, to the modes of pursuing an object, which is
permanent, and constant, and steadily pursued. For instance, if a little
class are to be taught simple addition, after the process is once
explained, which may be done, perhaps, in two or three lessons, they
will need many days of patient practice, to render it familiar, to
impress it firmly in their recollection, and to enable them to work with
rapidity. Now this object must be steadily pursued. It would be very
unwise for the teacher to say to himself; my class are tired of
addition, I must carry them on to subtraction, or give them some other
study. It would be equally unwise, to keep them many days performing
example after example, in monotonous succession, each lesson a mere
repetition of the last. He must steadily pursue his object, of
familiarizing them fully with this elementary process, but he may give
variety and spirit to the work, by changing occasionally the modes. One
week he may dictate examples to them, and let them come together to
compare their results; one of the class being appointed to keep a list
of all who are correct, each day. At another time, each one may write an
example, which he may read aloud to all the others, to be performed and
brought in at the next time. Again, he may let them work on paper, with
pen and ink, that he may see how few mistakes they make, as mistakes in
ink, cannot be easily removed. He may excite interest by devising
ingenious examples, such as finding out how much all the numbers from
one to fifty will make, when added together, or the amount of the ages
of the whole class; or any such example, the result of which they might
feel a little interest in learning. Thus the object is steadily pursued,
though the means of pursuing it, are constantly changing. We have the
advantage of regular progress in the acquisition of knowledge truly
valuable, while this progress is made, with all the spirit and interest
which variety can give.

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