WILDERSPIN ON INFANT TUITION'.

AFTER an exhibition of the effects produced by Mr. WILDEnsPiN's system of Infant Tuition at Glasgow, one of the principal ministers present came up to him and said, "Sir, you are a great man:' We are very much of the Reverend Mr. WELSH'S opinion. The perseverance, enthusiasm, and ability displayed by Mr. WILDER- SPIN in a new walk of exertion, the consequences of which in their operation on the happiness of mankind are incalculable, entitle their possessor to be considered a person of distinguished facul- ties and remarkable achievements,—in other words, a great man. The business of infant tuition was, in its early stages, of the most unpromising character. The objects to be taught seemed unamenable to any discipline whatever; and public opinion or pub- lic prejudice was of a nature little likely to reward any efforts except the most successful. Mr. WILDERSPIN has fought through every thing with undying hope, with unwearying activity ; and it is no exaggeration to say, that his efforts, conjoined with those of other benevolent persons, have probably accelerated the progress of man- kind by many ages. It has long been the opinion of observing persons, that infancy, early infancy, is the most susceptible period of life—the time when the most lasting and the most numerous impressions • are made, and, in fact, when the dis- position and character are mainly formed. This knowledge had, however, remained a dead letter : the guidance of this confessedly important age was left to accident—partly by reason that the results, being distant, were less cared for, and partly that means of discipline and plans of Management were wanting for the training of shoots so tender. Practical schemes of infant education are not obvious : were the most ingenious person to take one child at the early age at which children enter the infant schools, it is probable that his best efforts would fail in communi- cating any instruction, and but feebly impress the character.- -The success of the infant schools lies in a principle which demands numbers. This principle is that of imitation ; which, in the dawn of the facilities, is immeasurably stronger than at subsequent ages, when it is controlled by individual tastes and reflection. To keep two or three little children quiet, demands all the nurse's exertions : to teach, regulate, and engross the attention of from sixty to a hundred children, is the ordinary effort of an experienced infant in- structor. By means of this principle, of imitation, children may be taught to read and write, and to commit to memory numerous pieces of instruction, in the course of singing, dancing, and play- ing, and the exhibition of what may be called. playthings ; and this at an age many years previous to the commencement of ordi- nary education. Time is, however, not the only thing gained. The age of from two to six and seven is the most neglected of all ages, and the period during which the young creature is subjected to the most capricious treatment, —that is to say, the treatment most injurious to its temper and character. In the lower ranks of life, when the child ceases to be carried in arms, he becomes an incumbrance, which the mother can and will get rid of from time to time : he is turned over to the careless care of some older and equally untaught child; he runs into danger without knowing it, and, as soon as he is extricated, he is whipped by an affectionate parent, and remains unconscious of the canse f his chastisement. Clothes are spoiled which he has never been instructed to preserve; and, when the crime is com- mitted, the offence is punished, only to be recommitted. When the creature, driven into violence by harsh treatment he does not understand, becomes turbulent, unruly, and perseveringly noisy, he is met by coaxing., soothing, and perhaps reward. This is a secret he quickly comprehends, and the influence on his temper and conduct has been felt to many a parent's misery. Thus oscil- lates the child between slaps and sugar-plums, until the reign of birch arrives : he is then handed over to a schoolmistress or master, and we wish the treatment he expt-n•i:•!•i•.• ; was one jot more en- lightened than that from which he he s,H: escaped. " lie is out of ha rill's way," is the mother's consolation :aiii we fear that all that can Le said, i., that tl:e little fidlow's my,- stupid head L.: in no danger of a cart-wl:eel,—thet he will not be let tumble in the fire, or drink out of a batinig iett••_?. In the higher ranits, the matter is not

much mend.d : i rarely take care of tile earlier years of

their children ; and if they did, it would proLahly be found that their tempers are not- unde,r much better regulation than the

nurse-maids to whom they are now committed. To the children of wealthy parents, the inilmt school system is as applicable as to those of any other class ; but to children in manufitcturing dis- tricts, and all those belonging to labouring parents, it is, in the eye of a judicious observer, of inestimable value—it is even in- dispensable. Amongst these people, unless a child gets education before seven years of age, be never gets it; for at that age his labour becomes marketable, and he is let out that the price of his little exertions may help to fill the weekly pot. And before that age he is utterly neglected ; and is either locked up, a struggling, roaring

prisoner, within the four walls of his native hovel, or he is left to scramble and roll about its precincts—probably a hotbed of crime, and

the very scene for the forcing a young and precocious ruffian. But under the new system, he goes to the infant school, where all is har- mony, fellowship, order, and instruction : his temper is disciplined, his good feelings are called into action, and objects are shown him and ideas are inculcated such as his unhappy parents have never had the fortune to have presented to their minds. At six years of age, he has more useful and daily applicable knowledge, in one of his chorus-songs, than the weaver who begot him has acquired in the whole course of his life. But let it be understood, inInfant schools

knowledge is secondary : it is the habit of acquiring knowledge— the training of the mind, the habit of order, and the control of the temper—these are the invaluable acquisitions gained at the institutions we recommend, when properly conducted.

This work of Mr. WI LDERSPI N.S, the apostle of infant tuition, is not an exposition of the system, which is contained in a prior pub-

lication, but a history of his endeavours at propagating it. It is full of curiosity and interest, both as •exhibiting the species of .character necessary in an apostle of a new faith, whether it be in imprisonment in slavery, or in education, and more especially as it develops the nature and character and progress of infant tuition itself. We have it here from its first dawnings, its slow and gradual adoption in scattered sites, until thetriumphant recognition °fits value and importance in nearly every town in the country.

Mr. W ILDERSPIN was, in the first instance, aided and supported (indeed he was chosen) by a society established for the object of promotina. Infant Education; but we believe that he had great odifficulties and disappointments to contend with at the very threshold. One of them, a very vital one,—for it shows that he was appointed to teach on a system which had no existence,—is :thus pleasantly described— Most of those who had been entered did not come at the time my labours commenced ; and we had, after much exertion, an entirely new brood. These came on the Monday morning ; and as soon as the mothers had left the premises, I attempted to engage the attention of their offspring. I shall never forget the effort. A few, who had been previously at a dame-school, sat quietly ; but the rest, missing their parents, crowded about the door. One little fellow, finding he could not open it, set up a loud cry of " Mammy ! Mammy !" and, in raising this delightfid sound, all the rest simultaneously joined. My wife, who, though reluctant at first, had determined, on my accepting the situation, to give me her utmost aid, tried with myself to calm the tumult ; but our efforts were utterly in vain. The paroxysm of sorrow increased instead of subsiding, and so intoler- able did it become that she could endure it no longer, aud left the room ; and, at length, exhausted by effort, anxiety, and noise, I was compelled to follow her example, leaving my unfortunate pupils in one dense mass, crying, yelling, and • kicking against the door ! I will not attempt to describe my feelings; but, ruminating on what I then considered egregious folly in supposing that any two persons could manage so large a number of infants, I was struck by the sight of a cap of my wife's, adorned mith coloured ribbon, lying on the table ; and observing from the win- dow a clothes-prop, it occurred that I might put the cap upon it, return to the school, and try the effect. The confusion when I entered was tremendous; but on raising the pole surmounted by the cap, all the children, to my great satisfac- tion, were instantly silent ; and when any hapless wight seemed disposed to renew the noise, a few shakes of the prop restored tranquillity, and, perhaps, produced a laugh. The same thing, however, will not do long ; the charms of this wonderful instrument therefore soon vanished ; and there would have been a sad relapse but for the marchings, gambols, and antics, I found it necessary to adopt, and which, at last, brought the hour of twelve, to my greater joy than can easily be conceived.

Revolving these circumstances, I felt that that memorable morning had not passed in vain. I had, in fact, found the clew. It \vas now evident that the senses of the children must be engaged ; that the great s..cret of training them was to descend to their level, and become a child ; and that the error had been to expect in infancy what is only the product of after years.

But the practice of the theory thus gained a glimpse of, was a. matter of no small difficulty. Objects of all descriptions, of a nature to arrest attention, were to be sought and invented, and all sorts of actions to be studied which represented the words to be taught. Every word spelt was likewise exhibited; the alphabet was set to music; the multiplication table put into metre ; and, in short, the whole machinery of an infant school set in motion. In this labour, Mr. WILDERSPIN was greatly assisted by his wife, who fella sacrifice to her exertions. The progress the children had made is illustrated. by an affecting passage, describing their behaviour on occasion of her death.

It is due to one Nilo is departed, to state, that my wife, endowed with mental powers and energy of character of no ordinary kind, had most ably seconded icy endeavours for the formation of the plan, and also constantly urged me to do whatever was practicable tla-oad, and to confide in her management at home. The burden she thus solicited was great ; and that one finuale should be able to superintend two hundred infints 1,r months together, with no aid except that of a daughter then a child, and, in addition to this, to expldu the system to visitors coming from morning till night, may seem inerethble, but all this she actually accomplished. Frequently has she been occupied from nine in the morning until five in the afternoon, without any relief or refreshment. Visitors often arrived at twelve o'clock, after a journey of ten or twenty miles ; when she would cheerfully direct the children (sometimes amounting to fifty or sixty), who dined in the school, to go through their various exercises; and thus relin- quish the only rest that could be enjoyed in the midst of her arduous labours. These, at length, undermined her constitution ; and, aware that her end was - approaching, She intimated this to her infant charge. Their replies discovered them warm affection: " We won't part with you,"—" W. can't let you go," " We love you dearly,"—was often heard. When she told them of her exhaus- tion from so much talking and singing, some entreated that she would not work so hard ; others promised to nurse her ; and when she was confined to her room, many brought oranges and all the little presents they could command. Indeed, in the whole course of my observation, I never met with ingratitude from chil- dren under six years of age ; and how much they may be acted on by love, those to whom reference is made amply proved. Many had come to us to wean, and before they could speak, and were now our bead-scholars; these, in common with others, were most kindly solicitous about their governess when she did not appear in the school as before ; and as soon as they heard she was confined to her bed, the little monitors begged permission to see her. The request was granted. On going up stairs, I heard them say, " Hush ! hush ! don't make any noise ;" at the desire of one of the leaders their shoes had been taken off, and we reached the room before the nurse was aware of our approach. I marked their anxious countenances as they gazed on their altered teacher, but did not speak; when she raised herself; and addressed them on her removal from this world, so simply and pathetically that all were in tears. On their return they told the rest of the little scholars that the governess was dying ; and when they went out to play, they might be heard saying, without this being urged upon them, "Hush! hush !"—" Think of poor governess ;"—" Don't let us count out loud in swinging, but only whisper ;"—and this was regularly done every day.

I still buoyed myself up with hopes of her recovery, but these she did not en- tertain. Almost as soon as she was confined to her room, she said—" It is now four years since you brought me to this place ; some hundreds of dear little

children have thus been preserved from the dangers and evils of this wretched neighbourhood, and great are the fruits we have been permitted to gather in consequence, not only in the respect and love of the infants themselves, but even in that of their parents universally ; but I shall never live to labour amongst them again, nor shall I ever leave this spot till my corpse is borne to its resting place." The conviction thus expressed was, alas ! too well founded; and, at length, she intimated her wish to take leave of all the children, many of whom had se-

veral times entreated that they might see her. Accordingly they were admitted a few at a time. I cannot detail what then transpired. But it mutt not be forgotten, that some of the very little ones had been omitted, as it was thought

they were too young to notice any thing of the kind ; yet no sooner did they hear from others that they were not to go, than they came with tears in their eyes, and broken sentences, which too powerfully expressed the desires of their hearts to allow either of misunderstanding or refusal. The kisses that were asked could not be given ; but a hand was held out, and thiswas not only kissed, but bathed in tears as affectionate and grateful as ever trickled down human cheeks. Soon after this, "the time of her departure" arrived, and she expired in peace. No sooner was the fact known than the children of the school exhibited the • deepest sympathy and concern. They grieved, clung round- me, kissed me, brought flowers, did all they could to soothe and comfort me, and had they been my own they could not have done more. It was the express wism of the deceased, that every thing obtrusive should be •

avoided at the funeral; but all the children asked to be allowed • to sing a hytatt

at the grave. As, however, this would have been too much for my own feel- inp, and likely to attract a great multitude of persons, I refused the request. The respect manifested by the poor neighbours exceeded all lever saw. Almost every house in the street was shut up ; numbers of those who lived near were waiting to see the last remains of "the Infants' Friend," as they most appro- priately and gratefully styled the departed, deposited in "the dark and narrow house :" at least a thousand persons assembled; many poor women had pieces of funeral ribbon in their caps and bonnets; not a few of the children had black frocks and nosegays; in a word, nothing was omitted which could demonstrate regard for thedeceased, and sympathy with the survivor. .What a change had been produced ! Only four years before, we were strangers in that neighbourhood ; and many of these very people had loaded us, at first, with the greatest insult and derision, and even pelted us with filth. After the lapse of a year, however, the feeling changed ; from that period we were treated with the greatest respect even by the most abandoned characters, and the sympathy and regard some manifested could not possibly be surpassed.

Mr. WILDERSPIN'S exertions were now interrupted by a severe illness : they were not, however, repressed ; he rose again from the bed of sickness with renewed ardour, and more sanguine hopes, sanctified and refined by a bitter experience.

The anecdotes related of schools under Mr. WILDERSPIN'S guid- ance, are in many instances truly surprising, and in all contribute to a knowledge of human nature. We have seen how the teacher was perplexed by a little army of ragged martyrs, kicking and sprawling, and roaring "Mammy !" in one inharmonious chorus. He learnt afterwards bow to deal with this natural expression of infant feeling. If he had to receive sixty new pupils, he introduced them promiscuously among a collection of veteran infants. As soon as their mothers had left them, and the doors were closed, the urchins set up their natural shout. On one occasion, when this scheme was' exhibited (in Scotland, we believe), Mr. WILDERSPIN exclaimed—" Now for an experiment that never failed me yet !" and he gave the signal for a general clapping of hands. The ancients, who understood it, immediately gave three rounds ; which so astonished their youthful neighbours scattered among them, that when they ceased, three alone were found crying ; at the end of the next evolution—a hymn or table set to music—but one alone was found unappeased. Another clapping took place, and

• many of the new comers were seen to join their little hands, in imita- tion of their neighbours. The fact is, that when placed in crowds in this manner, and so arranged that all are visible to each, the apti- tude to imitate is so strong that a few leaders soon put a whole school in order.

As a proof of the power of unconscious imitation in children, it may be mentioned, that Mr. WILDERSPIN was obliged to dismiss a meritorious assistant, who bad been a soldier, and had lost a part of one arm. At the words "Clap hands" he used to clap one hand to the stump of the other; and each child unconsciously clapped one hand upon the elbow of the other arm, and grew into the habit of so doing. When, on examination, the author found this to be the case, he tried to correct the practice, but in vain. The teacher had himself previously tried, for it greatly distressed him; but imitation was strong, and the power of speech on their infant minds small; and the habit could only be corrected by the dismissal of the un- lucky veteran. Mr. WILDERSPIN further bears testimony to the fact, that if the teacher limps, the whole school will limp; or if he squints, he turns out a little nation of squinters ; facts which, while they show the necessity of having sound instructors, exhibit the secret of the efficacy of infant tuition.