to amuse them.  This succeeded so well, that in the end my class became the popular class, and I became still further convinced of the desirableness of an especial plan for teaching the very young.  I, however, still thought that the alphabet should be taught first, with the usual things in their order.  At length, shortly after my marriage, which was rather early in life, an opportunity presented itself for trying an experiment on a larger scale; from having explained my views on early education to a friend, I was solicited to take the superintendence of an asylum for young children, about to be formed in a populous part of London.  Having thus an opportunity of carrying out my wishes, thoughts, and feelings, in a way that I could not have anticipated, I gave up my connexion with business, and devoted myself to the object.  Great and unforseen difficulties however had to be encountered.  The first week was dreadful.  I began with too many children, and we had six whom the mothers afterwards confessed they sent to wean.  These not only cried themselves, but set all the others crying also, and we regretted having begun the experiment.  At length, driven almost to despair, it became evident that something new must be done to still the tumult.  As an expedient, I elevated a cap on a pole, which immediately attracted their attention and occasioned silence.  Thus I obtained a clue to guide me, and my mind instantly perceived one of the most fundamental principles in infant teaching, in fact of most teaching, and which long experience has proved true, and that is, to appeal to the SENSES of the children.  After this, every day developed something new to me, the children became happy beyond my expectations, and my course onward was gradually progressive.  Children and teachers became happy together; difficulties vanished as we proceeded, and at length my wife and I made up our minds to devote our whole lives to the perfecting of our plans, and the carrying them out extensively.  The novelty of the thing drew numbers of visitors to a district, where the carriages of the nobility and gentry had not been seen before; but the labour to us was so greatly increased by this, that my wife sunk under it, and I was left with four young children, to prosecute my plans alone in the world.

From the day I caught the idea, that a great secret in teaching the young was to teach through the senses, the various implements now in such general use in infant schools, were step by step invented by me.  Objects of all kinds were introduced, and oral lessons given upon them, to teach their qualities and properties, and amongst the various visitors most frequently present at such times, was the gentleman who has acquired fame by publishing “Lessons on Objects,” which little work has elsewhere been highly commended by me, albeit it came forth into the world several years after the period I now speak of.  To give such lessons I found it requisite to have the children