Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 27.djvu/638

618 containing ten sticks. These packages were placed in a row; underneath was a second row, containing, to represent the number 30, three packages of yellow sticks, each containing ten; finally, a third row of eight units was made with green sticks in a single series. In this exercise the sticks were all of the same size; in another, later, a hundred was represented by a single long stick, usually purple, a ten by a yellow stick next in size, a unit by a stick still smaller and green. Thus the original and clumsier representation was condensed by the substitution of an expressive sign for the literal numbers, and as soon as the sticks became used as signs, and not as the objects really to be counted, the mutual relation of their respective sizes also ceased to be literally exact, and became merely schematic. Thus was gradually managed a transition to the use of pure written signs or symbols. The transition initiated and enlarged the condensation of Roman into Arabic numerals. Knowledge of the process of subtraction, especially in three and more decimals, was essentially facilitated by this device with sticks, and the terrible difficulty of borrowing ten quite overcome. Thus, if the number 288 were to be taken from 362, the larger number would be represented by three long purple sticks, six shorter yellow sticks, and two green sticks, the shortest of all. These colors were always selected because harmonizing so well with each other. Then, similarly, the 288 was represented by two purple, eight yellow, and eight green sticks. It was easily recognized by the child, that one of the yellow sticks could be removed from the ten sections of the 362, and ten green sticks substituted, bringing the entire number of units up to twelve, from which the eight of the lower figures could be taken. It was also obvious that, when one yellow stick had been taken away, only seven remained. There was no need, therefore, to employ the usual confusing statement that a ten must be borrowed from the upper figures, and later restored to a different place in the lower.

The study of abstract numbers, with Colburn's arithmetic, was begun when the child was five and a half years. At the end of a year she had thoroughly mastered the first four rules, including both "short" and "long" division, and was considerably advanced in the study of fractions, proper and improper.

The last study entered upon during this year was that of natural objects, and, for obvious reasons, plants were chosen for this purpose. I suppose that most persons seriously interested in education are acquainted with Miss Youmans's admirable little "First Lessons in Botany," and the plea she makes for this science as a typical means of training the observing powers of children. According to her plan, the first object studied is the leaf—and the pupil is taught at once, not only to draw the leaf, but to fill out a schedule of description of it. Much may be said in favor of this method, which proceeds from the simple to the complex form, but it is by no means the only possible