Page:An Encyclopædia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture.djvu/784

 760 COTTAGE, FARM, AND VILLA ARCHITECTURE. floor by a groove filled with black putty, or by brass studs driven into the floor, in the exact position of each child. 1612. 'Hie Fittings-tip and Fixtures for the Parochial Schools in the Country, where some of the children may have to come a considerable distance, and, of course, usually bring their dinners with them, should include cupboards for holding these dinners till the children are ready to eat them. In such cases, there should also be glasses, or mugs, and other articles, for the use of the children. The shelves in the cupboards should be of sufiicient height to adniit of a common corked bottle standing upright ; a bottle of milk generally forining the liquid part of a country boy's dinner, at least in the agricultural districts. 1613. Tlie Furniture o^ Schoolrooms depends chiefly on the number of subjects taught in them ; and on these we shall make some observations in a succeeding paragraph. As the schools of Britain are at present arranged, the greatest variety of portable articles are required for the infant school ; and of these we shall briefly enumerate the chief. It may be premised, that the great object. In an infant school, is, to keep alive the attention of the infants ; for which purpose the founder of these schools, Mr, Wilderspin, proposes no particular limits to the mode of teaching, or the furniture, or other means of carrying on the business of the school. He admits of every description of innocent amusement, of musical instruments, models, pictures, games, experiments, fire and water works : in short, of every harmless contrivance which may prove conducive to his grand object ; viz., that of keeping alive the attention of the little creatures committed to his care. This latitude is one of the most remarkable features in Sir. Wilderspin's system, and one altogether worthy of the present age. Hitherto, when any system has been laid down, it has been assumed by its authors to be perfect, and therefore absolute ; but the infant school system, and also that of Mr. Lancaster, contain in themselves, like the constitution of the United States of North America, the seeds of regeneration and perpetual improve- ment. As a proof of what is to be effected by genius and comprehensive views in the conduct of the education of youth, without reference to any preceding system, we may mention the Hazlewood school near Birmingham, and the Academic Institution at Han well, near London, founded by • Morgan, Esq., the celebrated author of the Revolt of the Bees, &c. Both are admirably conducted ; and, in both, the business of teaching, and that of being taught, are converted into matters of recreation, rather than considered as tasks. For the beau ideal of a school for universal instruction, we may refer to our own tract, Des Establissemens, &c., mentioned § 1573 and to A Plan of Universal Education, by William Freund, Esq. 1614. For the Furniture of Infant Schools, we have examined two at Westminster, two at Chelsea, one in Bishopsgate Street, and one in Baldwin's Gardens ; and the principal portable articles which we have observed in them are the following : fig. 1406 is a frame on castors, containing a slate or black board for showing letters, figures, pictures, or other