other half upon history and science. I began
to struggle —through the history of man—
fully enough to occupy over the task five or
six hours a week, and get to the end in about
three years. In the same time, we were to
get through the story of the world about us,
and complete the circle of the sciences.
Geography we learnt insensibly with history
and science, filling up our knowledge of it
with the reading of good books of travel.
In these studies, the interest taken by the
children was complete, but partly because I
felt that there was insecurity in oral teaching
by itself, partly because I wished to see how
we were getting on, a practice was established
of mutual examination in all things
taught verbally to the whole school together.
All were parted into two sides, matched
pretty evenly, whose work it was to puzzle
one another. The sides were often shifted, for the
eagerness of competition became sometimes
greater than was wholesome: though it
was a pure game of the wits, in which there
was no tangible reward held out to the victor.
Very proud I felt at the first trial when I
heard questions asked and answered upon
facts in history or natural history, or explanations
of familiar things taught verbally, in
some cases, twelve months ago. It was felt
to be of no use to ask anything told within a
month or two, because that probably would
not have been forgotten. I got a book and
entered every question that was asked, wording
it in my own way, but altering or prompting
nothing; and the book now lies before
me, an emphatic proof of the degree and kind
of interest that children, taught without
compulsion and allowed to remark freely upon
all that they are doing, can take in the
acquisition of hard knowledge. They began
curiously with thoughts rather than things,
and with thoughts, too, that had not been
discussed among us for a twelvemonth.
"Why does China stand still in her civilisation?"
was asked first; that being answered,
the other side returned fire with the same
kind of shot, "Why did our civilisation begin
on the shores of the Mediterranean?" That
was remembered, and there was a return
question ready, "Upon what does the advance
of civilisation depend chiefly?" That, too,
was known, and there was a shot more in
the locker, "Why is England so particularly
prosperous —why not some other island?"
Then, there was a change of theme; a demand
for the habits of the sexton-beetle was
returned again in kind by a demand for ditto
of the ant-lion, and upon the white ants there
was a retort made with the gad-fly and the
Bosphorus. Then, one side grew nautical,
and wanted a description of all the parts of
an ancient ship of war. They were remembered
—for the topic was but a few months
old —and the retort was "Describe the
spy-boats of the ancient Britons." That day's
engagement ended with the question, " Why
is it close and warm in cloudy weather?"
to which the return inquiry was, "Why is it
colder as you rise into the air, though you
get nearer to the sun?" Every question
asked that day was fairly answered. On the
next day of battle I find one side asking to
be shown the course of the chief ocean currents,
and the other demanding to be told
what causes ebb and flow of tide, spring and
neap tides, and to be shown the course of the
tide wave. I find questions in the same day
on the wars of Hannibal, the twinkling of
the stars, the theory of coral reefs, the
construction of the barometer and thermometer,
the tide in the Mediterranean, and how one
branch of a fruit tree can be made to bear
more than the rest. Farther on, I find such
questions asked as the difference between ale
and porter, between treacle and molasses,
how a rope is made, how spines are formed on
shells, when linen was first used in Europe, and
what is the use of eye-brows and eye-lashes.

After this system of mutual examination
was established, a new phase of our school life
displayed itself.  The oral teaching which had
evidently not been thrown away was cultivated
with new care; a great system of note-taking
arose; all kinds of spontaneous efforts were
made to retain things in the memory; and
the result was, that, as I read before I taught,
and could not remain always so full of
information on a topic as I was while teaching
it, the children over and over again remembered
more than I did. I soon needed all my
wits not to be nonplussed myself, when they
were labouring to nonplus one another.

Now if work of this kind can be done
merrily, stopping at the end of every hour
for five minutes of play, and throughout without
any employment of a harsh restraint; if
over work of this kind faults of character or
temper can be easily and perfectly corrected—
as with us in two or three instances they
were —a spirit of inquiry can be begotten.
That done, a boy can be made to feel the use
and enjoy the exercise of education, and in
the end will turn out eager to go on acquiring
knowledge for himself. Surely if this be so,
there must be something rotten in existing
school systems, planned upon the models set
up in the middle ages! Truly, I think there
is great room for a Luther among school-masters;
and I do marvel greatly at the
pertinacity with which society adheres, in
these days, to scholastic usages whereof
familiarity breeds in it no contempt.