The great defect in the human character is selfishness, and to remove or lessen this is the great desideratum of moral culture.  How happy were mankind, if, instead of each one living for himself, they lived really for one another!  The perfection of moral excellence cannot be better described than as the attainment of that state in which we should “love our neighbour as ourselves.”  The prevalence of self-love will be very obvious to the observant master or mistress, in the conduct of the children under their care, and it is this feeling that they must be ever striving to check or eradicate.  Nor need they despair of meeting with some degree of success.  The children may be brought to feel, that to impart happiness is to receive it,—­that being kind to their little schoolfellows, they not only secure a return of kindness, but actually receive a personal gratification from so doing; and that there is more pleasure in forgiving an injury than in resenting it.  Some I know will be apt to say,—­that after all, thus is nothing but selfishness or self-love.  It is an old matter of dispute, and I leave those to quarrel over it who please.  Every one knows and feels the difference between that which we call selfishness, and that which is comprehensively termed by the lips of divine truth, the “love of our neighbour.”  If it must be called self-love, I can only say that it is the proper direction of the feeling which is to be sought.

In the work of moral culture, it will be necessary not only to observe the child’s conduct under the restraint of school observation and discipline; but at those times when it thinks itself at liberty to indulge its feelings unnoticed.  The evil propensities of our nature have all the wiliness of the serpent, and lurk in their secret places, watching for a favourable opportunity of exercise and display.  For the purpose of observation, the play-ground will afford every facility, and is on this account, as well as because it affords exercise and amusement to the children, an indispensable appendage to an Infant School.  Here the child will show its character in its true light.  Here may be seen what effects the education of children has produced; for if they are fond of fighting and quarrelling, here it will be apparent; if they are artful, here they will seek to practice their cunning; and this will give the master an opportunity of applying the proper remedy; whereas, if they are kept in school (which they must be, if there be no play-ground), these evil inclinations will not manifest themselves until they go into the street, and consequently, the antidote will not be applied.  I have seen many children behave very orderly in the school, but the moment they entered the play-ground they manifested their selfishness to such a degree, that they would wish all the rest of the children to be subservient to them; and, on their refusing to let them bear rule, they would begin to use force, in order to compel their compliance.  This is conduct that ought to be checked,—­and what time so proper as the first stages of infancy?