On the whole it shall be _ten_ minutes. And this shall
be the plan of your studies for the morning. At nine o'clock, I shall
give you instruction for half an hour. Then you may study arithmetic
for one hour; then write half an hour; then have a recess for ten
minutes: then read for the rest of the last hour. That will bring it
to twelve o'clock."
"But I can't study arithmetic, alone," said Marco.
"Yes," said Forester, "I shall show you how, in the first half-hour
when I am giving you my instructions. Now, are you willing really to
try to carry this system into effect, pleasantly and prosperously?"
"Yes," said Marco, "I'll try."
"We shall find some inconveniences and troubles at first, I have no
doubt," said Forester; "but if we are patient and persevering, we
shall soon make the system go smoothly."
Forester then said, that as Marco might forget what he had to do each
hour, he would make a sort of map of the hours, with the name of
the study which he was to pursue marked in each. This he called a
schedule. The schedule, when it was completed, was as follows:
IX. X. XI. XII.
| Instruction. | Arithmetic. | Writing. | Recess. | Reading. |
This schedule was drawn neatly on a piece of paper, and fastened with
wafers to the under side of the lid of Marco's desk, so that he could
look at it at any time, by opening his desk.
It was in the afternoon that this conversation was held, and these
preparations made. The next morning, at nine o'clock, Marco and
Forester went into the little study, and Forester gave him his
instructions. He took his arithmetic, and explained to him how to
perform some examples, under one of the rules. Forester performed one
or two of them himself, explaining very particularly all the steps.
He then rubbed out his work, and directed Marco to perform them by
himself in the same manner. "If you succeed in doing these right,"
said he, "you may set yourself some others of the same kind, with
different numbers, and perform those too. If you get into any
difficulty, you must not ask me, but you may set yourself sums in
addition, and spend the rest of the hour in doing them. That, you can
certainly do without help."
"Yes," said Marco, "I can do that."
"The next half-hour is for writing," said Forester. "I will set you
some copies."
So Forester took a writing-book, which he had prepared, and wrote
Marco some copies, one on the top of each page. Marco looked over
him while he wrote. It is very important that a child should see his
teacher write his copies, for thus he will see how the letters should
be formed. Forester wrote four or five copies for Marco, and while he
was writing them he gave him particular instructions about the manner
of holding his pen, and shaping the letters.
"Now," said Forester, "you can not possibly have occasion to come to
me about your writing; for here are pages enough for you to write upon
for several days, and you have plenty of pens."
"But I should think you would want to see whether I write it well,"
said Marco.
"I shall examine it carefully to-morrow morning," said Forester.
"Very well," said Marco; "after the writing will come the recess."
"Yes," said Forester, "and then the reading."
"What shall I read?" asked Marco.
Forester then rose and went to one of the book-shelves, where there
was a set of books, entitled the American Encyclopedia. There were
thirteen octavo volumes in the set. It was rather too high for Marco
to reach it, and so Forester took all the volumes down and placed them
on a lower shelf, not far from the window, in a place where Marco
could get easy access to them.
"There," said Forester; "there is your library. The American
Encyclopedia is a sort of a dictionary. When your reading hour comes,
you may take down any volume of this Encyclopedia, and turn to any
article you please. Or you may think of any subject that you would
like to read about, as for instance, _boat, cannon, camel, eagle,
trout, horse_, or any other subject, and take down the proper
volume and find the article. You can find it by the letters which are
printed on the backs of the volumes."
"Let us look now," said Marco, "and see what it says about trouts."
"No, not now," replied Forester; "when your reading hour comes, you
may read what you choose. Only you must have a piece of paper at hand,
and write upon it the title of every article which you read, and show
it to me the next morning, because I shall wish to know what you have
been reading, and perhaps to question you about it. Now you understand
your work, do you not?"
"Yes," said Marco; "and what are you going to do?"
"O, I'm going to study my law-books."
"Shall you stay here and study?"
"Yes," replied Forester, "I shall be here most of the time. Sometimes
I shall be called into the other room, perhaps, on business with my
lather; but that need not make any difference with you."
"Only, then there will be nobody to watch me," said Marco.
"O, I shall not watch you any, even when I am here. I shall pay no
attention to you at all. I can judge to-morrow morning, when I come to
look at your work and give you new instructions, whether you have been
industrious or not.
"Even if I accidentally see you doing any thing wrong, I shall not
probably say any thing about it. I shall remember it, and speak to you
about it to-morrow morning, in my half-hour.
