to conflicting thoughts. The problem of advanced education is the problem of eliminating this conflict of thoughts. The man whose mind naturally grasps the important with a consciousness of its true importance, and at once relegates the obtrusive unimportant to its proper place, is a master in his sphere. The teacher who has this ability in his profession has the elements of success; and he who so develops the minds of his pupils that their thoughts are marshalled in this order, displays a skill which is nothing short of genius.

(V.) While a certain degree of excitement is necessary for progress, the great problems of life have been brought into the clearest intellectual light, in quiet retirement. Brilliant gleams of truth may shoot across the mind when it is roused to a high pitch of varied activity, but the steady attention required for consecutive thinking can be maintained only when the feelings are comparatively quiescent, and all the forces of the mind are under control of the rational will.

(VI.) Rational will implies a class of motives that are permanent in their influence. Amongst such may be named the love of approbation, ambition, emulation, and prizes of whatever sort. A motive of this class, later in coming to maturity, but nobler and more constant and enduring than those mentioned, is a sense of responsibility. Lord Erskine, when a young barrister, objected to the ruling of a judge of high repute upon the bench, and set forth his views with such eloquent earnestness and force as both to command the admiration of his hearers and secure a reversal of the decision. When his friends expressed their astonishment at his audacity in attacking the opinion of such a judge he replied, "I felt my children pull at my coat-tails, crying, 'Now, father, now is the time to get us bread.""

A sense of responsibility is sometimes forced prematurely, but a more frequent mistake is to allow youth to pass away as if life were only a holiday. If injury or wrong results from waywardness, parent or other mistaken friend will assume all the responsibility, repay the damage, and shield the wrong-doer from harm. It is a most fruitful cause of breaches of trust, that great interests are placed in the hands of inexperienced young men,—too young to have a matured sense of responsibility, and who, besides, have not had this feeling developed even as it might have been, and when temptation comes, they are not prepared to meet it. They are not fully aware of the criminality of their conduct till they see its disastrous results, and instead of learning the lesson in a school designed for instruction, they are taught it by a law that demands only punishment. The beginnings of a sense of responsibility may be found in the very young, and it may be appealed to as the surest way to secure good order and fidelity.

(VII.) The object a teacher should have in view in preparing a lesson is to direct the attention of his class to the points that ought to be made clear. A hint as to the best order may be of use. The first discrimination to attract attention is contrast, since the attention is most easily aroused by truth presented in this form. The antithesis of Macaulay, and the unlooked-for turns of thought of Emerson are the most striking and attractive features of their style. First, then, let a subject be isolated by contrast. Next to contrast is variety. The thought should be developed by repeated discriminations that belong to the unity, and made to take more distinct form in the mind. Illustrations differing from each other in minor points, different characteristics, and different applications of truth, come under this head. Finally, there should be

such a classification of the points as to bring all into one view in their proper relations. If one will examine the parables of the New Testament he will find these three features more or less prominent in nearly all of them; and they particularly abound in strong contrasts, as was most necessary in the beginnings of Christian instruction. By universal consent, these parables deserve study as models of the best form of instruction. The parable of the sower, for instance, contrasts productive with unproductive labor. Of the unproductive sowing, some seed fell by the way-side, some on stony ground, and some among thorns. Of the productive labor, some seed yielded thirty, some sixty, and some an hundred. Thus, the main thought is presented by way of contrast, and each of the two members has a three-fold variety. The points here made naturally fall in their proper places from the order of narration.

CHAPTER IX.

EXERCISE.

T may be seen in a general way in each of the preceding Laws that the powers of the mind are developed by exercise. In no other way can they be known; and it is a fact of such common observation that the use of the faculties strengthens them, that formal proof does not seem necessary. The proof is incidentally found in the proof of each one of the Laws given, for it is the exercise of mental power in some particular way in each case that the development treated of is secured.

2. Whether mental energy is increased, or the brain modified, or both these results are produced are questions that may be asked, but they are not easily answered; and they are not important in discussing the influence of exercise in developing the mental powers. A power is judged by what it can do, and we are never able to trace the cause of efficiency through every phase and moment of activity. We know that care of the body and exercise of mental power are both necessary to healthy mental growth, but, however interesting it might be to know whence comes the mental power, and what is the exact nature of the physical changes corresponding to activity of mind, the laws showing the relation of exercise to growth may be clearly seen without this knowledge.

3. The development of the body by exercise and nourishment manifests itself in three classes of changes. There

is an increase or enlargement of tissues; a strengthening, hardening, or toughening of tissues; and an increase of dexterity or facility of action. The development of the mind shows a similar three-fold change. Growth of the mind by an increase in the number of different forms of activity of which it is capable is called breadth of mind. Strength of mind is the power to hold a thought before the mind in complete consciousness, that is, clearly, distinctly, and with positive affirmation—in all its variety of contents and relations. Mental dexterity or skill is manifest in the production of activities with a small amount of stimulus and a small expenditure of energy. These forms of development take place in accordance with different laws of exercise.

LAW I.-MENTAL BREADTH IS PRODUCED BY EXERCISE on as GREAT A VARIETY OF FORMS, AND BY EXPENDING AS LITTLE ENERGY ON EACH, AS IS CONSISTENT WITH ACCURACY OF KNOWLEDGE.

First Proof-In so far as mental growth depends upon the body, the Law is easily proven. In the growth of physical organisms nature has provided that the tissues shall be worn away by exercise, and, so long as vitality is not exhausted, a supply of nourishment shall not only renew the tissue thus worn away, but increase it. It is probable that brain cells are thus multiplied by the exercise that comes with thinking. If there is too little exercise growths will be imperfect; if too much, vitality will be exhausted and the tissues worn away will not be fully replaced; if it is too limited in variety, the mind will be narrow.

Second Proof.-The mind must be exercised on a discrimination till it is clearly unified with other activities,