Chapter VII: Section II: The Knowledge of Man 169

(_a_) _History_: Montaigne on history--The League of Nations
and its parallels--_Henry VIII_ on precedent--Dangers of
indifference to history--Rational patriotism depends upon
knowledge of history--History must give more than impressions
and opinions--P.U.S. method multiplies time--Concentrated
attention given to the right books--Condition, a _single_
reading--Attention a natural function--Teacher’s interest
an incentive--Teacher who “makes allowance” for wandering,
hinders--Narration in the history lesson--Distinction between
word memory and mind memory--English history for children of six
to nine--Of nine to twelve--French history--Ancient history--For
children of twelve to fifteen--Indian history--European
history--History for pupils of fifteen to eighteen--Literature--A
mental pageant of history--Gives weight to decisions,
consideration to action, stability to conduct--Labour
unrest--Infinite educability of all classes--Equal opportunity
should be afforded--But uneasiness apt to follow--Knowledge
brings its own satisfaction--Education merely a means of getting
on, or, of progress towards high thinking and plain living.

II: THE KNOWLEDGE OF MAN 180

(_b_) _Literature_: Literature in Form I--Classics, not
written down--In Form II--Children show originality in “mere
narration”--Just as Scott, Shakespeare, Homer--Children all
sit down to the same feast--Each gets according to his needs
and powers--Reading for Forms III and IV--Abridged editions
undesirable--Children take pleasure in the “dry” parts--Must have
a sense of wide spaces for the imagination to wander in--Judgment
turns over the folios of the mind--Statesmanship, formed upon
wide reading--Reading for Forms V and VI (fifteen to eighteen).

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(_c_) _Morals and Economics_: _Citizenship_: Form
I--Tales--Fables--Hears of great citizens--Form II--The
inspiration of citizenship--Plutarch--Present day
citizenship--Problems of good and evil--Plutarch does not
label actions--Children weary of the doctored tale--The
human story always interesting--Jacob--The good, which is
all virtuous, palls--Children must see life whole--Must be
protected from grossness by literary medium--Learn the science
of proportion--Difficulty of choosing books--Chastely taught
children watch their thoughts--Expurgated editions--Processes
of nature must not be associated with impurity--Games--Offences
bred in the mind--Mind must be continually and wholesomely
occupied--A sound body and a sound mind--_Ourselves, our Souls
and Bodies_--An ordered presentation of the possibilities and
powers of human nature.

II: THE KNOWLEDGE OF MAN 190

(_d_) _Composition_: Oral, from six to seven--Dangers of
teaching composition--The art of “telling”--Power of composition
innate--Oral and written from nine to twelve--Integral
part of education in every subject--From twelve to
fifteen--An inevitable consequence of free and exact use of
books--Verse--Scansion--Rhythm--Accent--Subject must be one
of keen interest--From fifteen to eighteen, some definite
teaching--Suggestions or corrections--Education bears on the
issues and interests of everyday life.

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(_e_) _Languages_: English--Grammar--Begin with
sentence--Difficulty of abstract knowledge--French--Narration
from the beginning--Italian--German--Latin.

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(_f_) _Art_: Art is of the spirit--Reverent knowledge of
pictures themselves--Method--No talk of schools of painting
or style--Picture tells its own tale--Drawing--Original
illustrations--Figures--Objects--Colour--Field
studies--Architecture--Clay-modelling--Artistic
handicrafts--Musical Appreciation.