Geography should be taught in connection with history. No teacher should give a lesson on the geography of a country without associating the leading geographical facts with the most remarkable events of its history, or with its existing resources of trade and wealth. He should also introduce historical and picturesque descriptions of the great cities of the country of which he treats. Great cities constitute the identity of a people: - their past history is sculptured on their monuments, churches, and public buildings;- their existing industry, and real sources of wealth and power, are exhibited in their machinery, their factories, their shipping, and their marketplaces or thoroughfares, where the products of nature and art are bought and sold ; — their intellectual, moral, and political tendencies, may be seen in the tastes, habits, and pursuits of the people that crowd their public rendezvous; for the ceaseless struggle of opinions, passions, and interests, which here manifest themselves, may be regarded as the throbbings of the great heart of society, which extend themselves, as certainly as by the action of an hydraulic law, to the utmost extremities of the living

mass.

The events of scripture history should be taught in connection with the map of Palestine. In like manner, history should be taught in connection with geography. Local associations give vividness and power to the remembrance of events.

"And hence the charm historic scenes impart;

Hence Tiber awes, and Avon melts the heart."

A man who has looked upon the field of Bannockburn, where the devoted bands of Scottish patriots withstood the onslaught of the mighty host of their oppressor, will never forget the historical events connected with the battle. “That man," says Johnson, "is little to be envied, whose patriotism would not gain force upon the plain of Marathon, or whose piety would not grow warmer among the ruins of Iona." Who can look on the statue of Henri IV., standing on Pont-Neuf, which crosses the Seine in

GEOGRAPHY SHOULD BE ILLUSTRATED BY HISTORY. 195

the heart of Paris, without having the remarkable events of this chivalrous monarch's life more deeply impressed upon his memory? The birth-places or the sepulchres of great men form some of our most remarkable links of association.

""Twas ever thus. As now at Virgil's tomb

We bless the shade and bid the verdure bloom;
So Tully paused, amid the wrecks of Time,
On the rude stone to trace the truth sublime;
When at his feet, in honoured dust disclosed,
The immortal Sage of Syracuse reposed."

Picturing out scenes. Children are passionately fond of pictures, whether real or imaginary, whether addressed to the outward or to the inward sense of vision. This passion constitutes one of the most unconquerable instincts of our nature: but why should we wish to conquer it? none but antiquated governesses or old maiden ladies would do such violence to our happy nature.

""Twas here, at eve, we formed our fairy ring;
And Fancy fluttered on her wildest wing.
Giants and genii chained each wondering ear;
And orphan sorrows drew the ready tear.
Oft with the babes we wandered in the wood,
Or viewed the forest feats of Robin Hood:
Oft fancy-led, at midnight's fearful hour,
With startling step we scaled the lonely tower,
O'er infant innocence to hang and weep,

Murdered by ruffian hands, when smiling in its sleep."

The gallery lessons given to children should contain pictures addressed to the imagination. This mode of instruction not only secures their attention by gratifying their intellectual instincts, but also supplies their recollective faculty with appropriate links of association. The picturing style of teaching gives life and vivacity to a class; whereas the dull, dry, sermonising style of giving a lesson is better than any soporific to be found in the Pharmacopoeia. The tick-tick of the clock in our room is rarely heard: so it is with the repetition of certain set forms of words: the sounds grow familiar to our

ears; and the ideas, however sacred, like an oft-told tale, cease to make any impression on our minds.

This is especially the case with respect to scripture reading. The plan of picturing out the scenes and events, connected with a passage of scripture that may have been read, is eminently calculated to produce the most vivid and lasting impressions on the minds of children.

In order to illustrate this plan of teaching, let us suppose the first three verses of the sixth chapter of St. John to have been read by the master to his pupils. How few of the children would trouble themselves at all about the familiar sounds that had fallen upon their ears! and of the few who had given their attention to the matter, how many of them could form any clear conception of the ideas intended to be conveyed? A skilful teacher, it is true, might, by the usual method of interrogation, succeed in making the children comprehend the subject-matter of the verses; but how long would they retain the ideas thus conveyed to them? how many of them would be able to answer the questions that might be put to them by the master on the following day?

But now suppose that the master could, by some magic power, show to his pupils the real scene which these verses describe.* Suppose he could go back through the eighteen hundred years which have elapsed since these events occurred, and taking his pupils to some elevation in the romantic scenery of Palestine, from which they might overlook the country of Galilee, show them all that this chapter describes.

"Do you see," he might say, "that wide sea which spreads out beneath us, and occupies the whole extent of the valley? That is the sea of Tiberias; it is also called the sea of Galilee. All this country which spreads around it is Galilee. Those distant mountains are in

* This picture is mainly taken from Abbott's "Young Christian."

Galilee, and that beautiful wood which skirts the shore is a Galilean forest."

66

Why is it called the sea of Tiberias ?" a child might ask.

"Do you see at the foot of that hill, on the opposite shore of the lake, a small town? It extends along the margin of the water for a considerable distance. That is Tiberias, and the lake sometimes takes the name of that town."

"But look! Do you see that small boat coming round a point of land which juts out beautifully from this side of the lake? It is slowly making its way across the water; we can almost hear the splashing of the oars. It contains the Saviour and some of his disciples. They are steering towards Tiberias: now they approach the shore; they stop at the landing, and the Saviour, followed by his disciples, walks up the shore."

"Some sick person is brought to the Saviour to be healed. Another and another is brought. A crowd collects around Him. He retreats slowly up the rising ground, and, after a little time, He takes his place upon an elevated spot, where he can overlook and address the throng."

If teachers could accustom themselves to the habit of drawing pictures like this, how strong and how lasting would be the impression made on the minds of their pupils! Years, and perhaps the whole of life itself, would not obliterate the impression. Even this faint description, though it brings nothing new to the mind, will make a much stronger and more lasting impression than merely reading the narration would do. And what is the reason? Why, it is only because we have endeavoured to lead you to picture this scene to your minds, to conceive of it strongly and clearly. Now any teacher can do this for himself, in regard to any passage of scripture. It is not necessary that we should go on and delineate in this manner the whole of the account. Each teacher can, if he will task his imagination, picture for himself the scenes which the Bible describes. And if he does

bring his intellect and his powers of conception to the work, and read not merely to repeat formally and coldly sounds already familiar, but to bring vivid and clear conceptions to his mind of all which is represented there, he will be interested himself and will also interest his pupils. He will find new and striking scenes tinually coming up to view, and will be surprised at the novelty and interest which this simple and easy effort will throw over those very portions of the Bible with which the ear has become most completely familiar.

con

6. Frivolous, unnatural, or unpleasant associations should be avoided. Fear enfeebles the memory, and terror paralyses it.

Our associations should always be in keeping with the dignity of the subject. The unnatural and trifling modes of association, adopted by the advocates of SYSTEMS OF MNEMONICKS, are unworthy the notice of intellectual teachers of youth. If any artificial system of memory be necessary, it should be constructed on the principle of the chemical nomenclature, which is really one of the best systems of memoria technica that ever has been invented.

The plan of giving tasks as punishments cannot be too strongly deprecated: it invests learning with painful associations, and most effectually engenders a sullen and wilful habit of inattention.

Fear enfeebles the memory, by producing tremor and nervous debility. How can a boy exercise his memory when the terrors of the rod are placed before him? How can the intellectual faculties exercise themselves freely or vigorously when the soul is manacled? When the axe of the executioner is about to fall upon the doomed wretch, can you expect him to admire the sur rounding scenery, or to observe the various passions pictured on the faces of the eager crowd?

"Come here, you dunce," says the Pedagogue to his task-ridden pupil-"Come here, well now, what dost thou chiefly learn in these Articles of thy Belief?" To which the boy with trembling and hesitation answers