orth without presenting
a more conscious aim toward embodying something of the principle and
order of _discovery_ than has marked even their English prototypes.
These anticipations we find exactly realized in the first book of the
new pattern that has yet made its appearance--the 'Primary
Object-Lessons' of Mr. Calkins. Of this book, issued June, 1861, the
author thus states the motive: 'With an earnest desire to contribute
something toward a general radical change in the system of primary
education in this country--a change from the plan of exercising the
memory chiefly to that of developing the observing powers--a change from
an artificial to a natural plan, one in accordance with the philosophy
of mind and its laws of development, the author commenced the following
pages.'

Acknowledging his indebtedness to the manuals of Wilderspin, Stow,
Currie, the Home and Colonial School Society, and other sources, the
author tells us that the plan of developing the lessons 'corresponds
more nearly to that given in Miss Mayo's works than to either of the
other systems;' and we understand him to claim (and the feature is a
valuable one) that in this book, which is not a text-book, but one of
suggestive or pattern lessons for teachers, he directs the teacher to
proceed less by telling the child what is before it and to be seen, and
more by requiring the child to find for itself what is present. Again,
an important circumstance, the purpose of the book does not terminate in
describing right processes of teaching, but on the contrary, _'in
telling what ought to be done, it proceeds to show how to do it by
illustrative examples,' (sic.)_ Now, spite of some liberties with the
President's English, which may properly be screened by the author's
proviso that he does not seek 'to produce a faultless composition,' so
much as to afford simple and clear examples for the teacher's use, we
are compelled to inquire, especially as this is matter addressed to
mature and not to immature minds, which it is the author really meant us
to understand; that is, whether, in fact, the book 'proceeds to show
_how to do it by_ illustrative examples;' or whether, in reality, it
does not aim _to show by illustrative examples how to do it_--that,
namely, which ought to be done. If we still find Mr. Calkins's
philosophy somewhat more faultless than his practice, perhaps that is
but one of the necessary incidents of all human effort; and we can say
with sinceri