of men, and be numerous enough to constitute the effective strength of the population.

We now pass on to the department of general education, with which Aporti's report is more especially concerned, namely, the infant schools.' Several years after the establishment of the elementary schools in Lombardy, when the system was fairly at work, it struck some observing persons that its beneficial effects were not so general as might have been expected, in consequence of many of the children, who came to the schools when they were past six years of age, having their moral or intellectual faculties already vitiated. Some had acquired bad habits, others appeared stupefied or brutalized, and it was found extremely difficult to do any good with them. Upon inquiring into the causes, this early moral corruption was traced to domestic neglect or positive bad example, and to the vicious system of infant education which had been till then carried on in the Scuole delle Maestre, which were conducted by elderly women, ignorant and otherwise ill qualified for the task. Aporti's observations on the children of his own town, Cremona, are classed under three heads: first, moral habits; second, intellectual cultivation; third, physical faculties. With regard to moral habits, he observes that the too great indulgence of parents produces obstinacy and capriciousness in the children; that a spirit of violence and revenge is often engendered in them by the silly practice of mothers and nurses, who teach the child to strike or threaten with its hand cats, dogs, or other domestic animals, or even inanimate objects, such as a chair or a table, against which the child may happen to stumble or knock himself; that shyness or moroseness are produced by the children being left too long alone at home, or being neglected or harshly used by ill-tempered and surly parents; that a want of order, cleanliness, or decency in the parents is sure to lead to similar deficiencies in the children that parents who neglect their prayers and every other practice of religion bring up their children in the same brutal ignorance of the very first elements of Christianity, &c. Concerning the intellectual cultivation, almost the only thing impressed on the infant's memory, whether at home or at the Maestre schools, was some silly or mischievous story or fable of ghosts, hobgoblins, witches, or fairies, which filled its little head with idle terrors and false ideas. If children can retain a vivid recollection of so many absurd and mischievous images, which they often do to an advanced age, why not exercise their memory in retaining the idea of something true and useful to them in after life? If they can learn

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the language of nonsense or vice, why not teach them at once the language of reason and virtue? Why not give a direction to their opening judgment, instead of allowing it to stagnate in listlessness, or to run wild among an unreal creation of unseemly objects? With regard to the physical faculties of children, Aporti justly censures the practice of keeping children for hours together fixed to their little chairs or stools, which, besides injuring their constitution, gives them the first impression of a painful and tyrannical restraint, makes them hate the school and the mistress, and look with eagerness for the time of release, when they may indulge in a wild and often mischievous excitement. There is an erroneous idea prevalent among many persons that children under five or six years are irrational beings, that they can learn nothing reasonable at that age. But children can learn as soon as they begin to talk. At this early age, a child, as soon as it sees a new object, will always ask its name. This points out the way of instructing children, by showing them either in reality or in prints new objects, and by repeatedly asking them the names of those they are already acquainted with. They thus acquire without trouble a vocabulary of the most useful terms in their native language. It has been remarked by those who have been conversant with the lower classes of people in Italy, how little they are acquainted with technical terms, either of natural or artificial objects, beyond the limited sphere of their daily occupations and wants, which deficiency makes them fall into the slovenly habit of designating an object which they know by sight but not by name, by saying quella cosa,' that thing, or, still worse because ungrammatical, quel coso,' pointing to the thing itself if in view, or resorting to a clumsy circumlocution, without ever giving themselves the trouble of inquiring the proper name. This is particularly the case in Southern Italy, in the Roman and Neapolitan States. Their common vocabulary is thus extremely limited and poor, and this too while the Italian language is most abundant in technical terms. Children are very fond of listening to tales and stories, and this furnishes another means of attracting their attention to simple and useful narrative, founded on historical facts, and especially on sacred history. When children see a painting or print, they run eagerly over it with the eye, and inquire what is that, or who is this? what is he doing, &c. Choose therefore a good print representing an historical fact impressive of some wholesome moral truth, and while the child examines it relate to him the story connected with the subject. Again, children love to hum,

chant or sing; teach them a just intonation and the first elements of modulation of the voice, and their ears will soon get accustomed to the impressions of harmony and proper cadence. This will strengthen their organs, will impart a pleasing flexibility to their voice in speaking, and will accustom them to pronounce the words loud, full-toned, and therefore correctly, instead of the mangled thick sounds which one hears often from the mouths of the people. It will, if begun at an early age, tend to correct that hoarseness or shrillness of the voice, which in persons grown up often spoils the effect of the best-constructed sentences, and it will also in most cases cure those impediments of speech which are often produced, or at least strengthened by carelessness and indolence in speaking, and which in after years lead to a confirmed habit of stammering.

From these reflections, and upon these principles, Aporti drew up his plan for an infant school in the town of Cremona. He thought of trying it first with the children of parents in easy circumstances, and he laid his plan before the government at Milan, which approved of it immediately, by an imperial decree of August 30, 1829, in which M. Aporti was requested to inform the government from time to time of the working of the new institution, it being a most important desideratum to have a collection of facts in order that, at a future time, a greater extension might be given to similar establishments, should they prove useful.' This first essay having succeeded, Aporti in the following year reverted to his original purpose, namely, that of opening infant schools for the children of the poor, to be supported by charitable contributions. This plan being likewise laid before the government was approved by a decree of the 31st August, 1830. Sufficient subscriptions were obtained to enable thirty-four little boys to be admitted in the first year. In January, 1833, Aporti opened an infant school for girls, and at the end of the same year ninety-four boys and forty-six girls were educated gratis in the infant schools of Cremona. Children of poor artizans, or of widowed mothers, from two years and a half to six years of age, are admitted at eight in the morning and remain there till sunset, and are supplied with dinner at the expense of the institution. Defendente Sacchi, a writer of some note in Italy, visited the infant schools of Cremona, in October, 1833:—

'I saw the children in each school receiving the first useful impressions on their tender minds; I saw them walking three by three in the court, the oldest teaching the step to the younger ones; I heard them sing religious hymns, not in Latin, but in the Italian

language, the words of which are adapted to their comprehension; and lastly, I was present at one o'clock when they all sat down round the tables, each with his basiu of wholesome minestra before him. I was really affected at the sight, and was comforted at the idea that these are among the purest fruits of modern civilization; and I repeated the words of the excellent Lambruschini, that these are truly revelations of the spirit of wisdom and of charity, which is thus preparing in the infant generation a race worthy of new and brighter destinies for the world.'

Aporti has published a manual for infant schools: Manuale di Educazione ed Ammaestramento per le Scuole Infantili. The book is divided into two parts. In the first he shows the many errors committed by parents in the physical, moral, and intellectual education of their children, and he suggests how to avoid similar mistakes for the future. With regard to moral education, Aporti insists especially on the importance of domestic example:

It is that which makes the deepest and the most lasting impressions on the minds of children; it is, therefore, a most sacred duty both of parents and teachers so to conduct themselves as to give them none but good examples. If those who are about children of tender years were virtuous, the great majority of children would grow virtuous likewise. Maxima debetur puero reverentia: An infant should never witness actions, or hear words from which he may derive wrong notions of conduct and morality. Parents ought to abstain in the presence of children from speaking ill of other people, as this is apt to engender contempt and antisocial feelings. Harshness towards the poor or the unfortunate, derision of the deformed, gluttony, drunkenness, pilfering, falsehood, indecency in words or actions, all these are sure to contaminate the minds of children if they see their parents indulge in such habits. Squabbles between father and mother, recriminations, hard words, tend to destroy filial respect. It is from this last fruitful source that the disorders of the lower classes are chiefly derived.'

The second part of Aporti's Manual treats of the method pursued in his infant schools. Children are made acquainted with the names of familiar objects, classed systematically,for example, the parts of the human body, articles of dress, furniture, and of food, names of various kinds of buildings, and their respective parts, domestic and agricultural implements, the names of the most common natural products, divided into animal, vegetable, and mineral. This is done either by showing to the children the actual object or a good model or print of it, making them hotice its shape, colour, and other accidents, and drawing their attention to the similarity or shades of difference between various species of the same class or genus. The prints used are chosen from

the best of their kind, so as to awaken in the child a taste for beauty. The children are taught to spell, and to pronounce each syllable distinctly. They are also made to learn by heart a certain number of words every day, increasing the number gradually; and they are afterwards taught writing and ciphering. With regard to moral and religious education, prayers are said morning, noon, and evening, in the Italian language; they are taken from the Scripture or the Liturgy, the Lord's Prayer always forming a part of them. Psalms selected from Mattei's Italian translation are sung and at the same time learnt by heart. An abridgment of the historical part of the Scriptures has been arranged in form of a dialogue between the teacher and the pupils. The discipline of the school, the subordination required from all the pupils, and the kindness shown to them at the same time, all contribute to the object of moral education. When little altercations occur between the children, the subject of them is attentively and patiently investigated by the teacher, and the true bearing and reason of the case explained to the disputants as clearly as possible, so as to make their judgment satisfied, while the opportunity is taken of impressing them with a sense of the necessity of mutual indulgence and of reciprocal justice. Three times a day the children walk out and play in the court or garden, and in the school itself they frequently walk up and down by squads, and are taught to keep the step and hold themselves upright. The essential principle of the whole system is to make the children feel an interest in all they do, so that their exercises shall be an amusement rather than a task.

Lambruschini having communicated to the Academy of the Georgofili, in July, 1833, the report of Aporti's infant school, a subscription was immediately made for the purpose of opening at Florence a school similar to those of Cremona. Piero Guicciardini, a Florentine nobleman, who like Ridolfi, Tempi, Capponi, and others, reflects honour upon his order, undertook the management of the projected institution, which was opened in April, 1834, to some of the poorer children of Florence. Other infant schools have been formed at Pisa, Prato, and Leghorn. The last contained, in 1834, about fifty children. We sincerely wish that the example may spread to other parts of Italy.

At Siena, the Cavaliere Spannocchi and some of his friends have opened at their own expense a school for young artizans, for one hour every day, where they are taught reading, writing, and arithmetic. Twice a year prizes are distributed to the most deserving. It is remarkable that the hour apAPRIL-JULY, 1835.

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