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Present interest is the grand motive power.—Rousseau.

An objection to the introduction of new subjects is that children are already overworked in school. There is, however, a precaution against overwork; it is making school work interesting to the children. To introduce new and higher subjects into the school program is not necessarily to increase the strain upon the child. If this measure increases the interest and attractiveness of the work and the sense of achievement, it will diminish weariness and the risk of hurtful strain.

Charles W. Eliot.

When I was county superintendent in Yamhill County I used to talk much of the home credit plan in local institutes. One day when I was explaining how the plan worked, and how I had given credit in algebra for home activities, a teacher arose in the audience and said he was willing to go almost any length with me, but he thought it was going too far to give credit in algebra for what was not algebra. "Is it not dishonest?" he asked, "and will it not teach dishonesty? Besides, if you give credit in this way for things not algebra, what will become of the algebra?" This is an unsettled problem: what will become of the algebra? True, Mary got more algebra! I put this unsettled question alongside of another. I was arguing for the consolidation of schools in a little district near a larger district, and had tried to show that consolidation would be much cheaper, and would bring greater advantages, when a man stood up and said that he agreed in general with the plan but that it would not work in this district, "for," said he, "this district has a cemetery deeded to it, and if the district should lose its identity, what would become of the cemetery?" As these questions are similar, I put the algebra into the cemetery.

I believe in algebra, but in order to teach algebra I believe it is first necessary to see to it that the child is in a constructive frame of mind. He should be in harmony with his surroundings. When Mary became interested in her home, she was in a mood to work problems in advance. When her home was neglected, her algebra problems were all in arrears.

Even though we omitted the consideration of the health, the morals, and the working ability of the pupils, the home credit system would be justified as a part of the school work because of its revitalizing effect on the regular school work. The teacher who succeeds in touching the hidden springs of youthful interest is doing more for humanity than the man who discovers the much-sought-for method of bringing static electricity out of space. A child, or a man either for that matter, is a dynamo of energy when interested. Many people think that children in school are overworked; in my opinion they are more often underinterested. One little lad of about five, taking a Sunday walk with grown people, told his father that he was very tired, that his legs fairly ached, and that he would have to be carried or else camp right there. A member of the party (I wish I could remember his name, for he was a good child psychologist) said to the boy, "Why, sure, you don't have to walk. I'll get you a horse." He cut a stick horse and a switch. The boy mounted at a bound, whipped his steed up and down the road, beating up the dust in circles around the crowd. By the time he reached home he had ridden the stick horse twice as far as the others had walked, and had not remembered that he was tired.

My first trial of home credits convinced me that children would do better school work because of the plan. I have letters from many teachers through the Northwest bearing me out in my opinion. I quote: "It stimulates to better work in school." "The teachers notice an improvement in school work along all lines." "It has helped to make our school, in some respects at least, as good as any in the county, according to the county superintendent's own word. A member of the board says the children have never made such progress since the school was built, and all say these children have never made so much progress before." Tardiness is reported to be much less in home credit schools.

A prominent Western dairyman remarked that arithmetic had always been a hopeless subject for him. He declared that arithmetically he was "born short." A listener inquired if he had any trouble in keeping accounts, in figuring out the profits on each dairy cow, or in doing other problems connected with his farm. He replied very quickly, "No, not at all. I don't have any trouble with anything except arithmetic." Home credits take into account the out-of-school mathematical activities. So the boy who has measured a cord of wood, laid out a garden plot, figured out the costs, income, and profits of feeding a pig for a year, or solved any problem that comes up on the farm, will be considered to have done something in arithmetic.

From Auburn, Washington, comes a story of the effect of giving school credits for garage and shop work. Joe, a boy of seventeen, who had attended high school for a year and a half, had earned only three academic credits, and his other work was below passing. The superintendent, Mr. Todd, called a conference with Joe's parents and, to use his own expression, went after Joe "with hammer and tongs." After much discussion, the superintendent finally asked the father and mother what the boy seemed most interested in outside of school. Exchanging a troubled glance with his wife, the father said that as soon as Joe got out of school he rushed straight to Meade's garage. So the superintendent went to the garage, and found that Joe could be taken into Mr. Meade's employment for the afternoons. Again he called Joe to his office, and said to him, "Now, see here. You are going on with your regular subjects here in school, and in addition you are going to do some work down in Meade's garage. Mr. Meade is going to grade your work and send in his report to me. If you make good there it will help out your record here. You will get pay for your work, too. You have got it in you to make good, and I know you will. What do you think about it?" "I think it's bully!" exclaimed Joe.