there.  The most marked development is in the growth of the idea of “taking turns”; the children have begun to master this all-important lesson of life.  The strong pugnacious habit in the little punching boy reached a point that showed he was unable to conquer it from within:  about two months after his arrival the teacher consulted his mother, who confirmed all that the teacher had experienced:  her prescription was smacking.  After a good deal of thought and many ineffectual talks and experiments with the boy, the teacher came to the conclusion that the mother was right:  she took him to the cloakroom after the next outbreak and smacked his hands:  he was surprised and a little hurt, but very soon forgot and continued his practices:  on the next occasion the teacher repeated the punishment and it was never again necessary.  For a few days he was at a loss for an occupation because punching had become a confirmed habit, but soon other interests appealed to him:  he has never changed in his trust in his teacher of whom he is noticeably very fond, and he has now realised that he must control a bad habit.  This example has been given at length to illustrate the relation of government to freedom.

If these children had been in the ordinary Baby Room, subject to a time-table, to constant plans by the teacher for their activities, few or none of these occasions would have occurred:  the incipient so-called naughtiness would have been displayed only outside, in the playground or at home:  there would have been little chance of chaos, of fighting, of punching, of trying to get the best thing and foremost place, there would have been little opportunity for choice and less real absorption, because of the time-table.  The children would have been happy enough, but they would not have been trained to live as individuals.  Outward docility is a fatal trait and very common in young children; probably it is a form of self-preservation.  But the real child only lies in wait to make opportunities out of school.  The school is therefore not preparing him for life.

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Freedom in the transition and the junior school must be differently applied:  individual life begins to merge into community life, and the children begin to learn that things right for individuals may be wrong for the community.  But the problem of freedom is not as easy as the problem of authority:  standards must be greatly altered and outward docility no longer mistaken for training in self-control.  Individual training cannot suddenly become class discipline, neither can children be switched from the Nursery School to a full-blown class system.