The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-19
%oUICKENIyG THE SENSES.
nm. BlREARD,s SIMPLE, EASY, IN
YITING a OF TEACHING.

vcioplpg the srpse Of Tsuch-ptiutea FER
rvrne for the Sense OF smel-A TiohinE
clock 10 Rear and Peppers Ghost 60 see.
Most persons have an idea that they know
W. 70 zee, near, smell, taste and touch. Mr..
Cbasl,n Barnard Of 2O1 West 1O1st street does
net think so. He believes that wo could Rota
ecsat deal more satisfaction out Of our scnses
than we have now. and do 1t without half try
ing, either. For this purpose Mr.. Barnard has
thought out some interesting methods. He has
employed these methods In lectures schools and
has developed many interesting facts.
tho most remarkable thing, perhaps, about
this new theory and practice OF Mr.. Barnard 10
tho extreme simplicity Of tho means he uses In
his work. In his attempt to develop the hvo
senses Of tho children with whom he works ho
makes use OF still another sense; common sense.
He uses such homcly, every day objects that
the children have none of the despair caused by
the sight OF elaborate scientific apparatus.
Furthermore, 30 accessible arc tho means he
employs that, with occasional direction from
Mr.. Barnard. the child can continue Its expert
monts by itself and 80 continually develop It's
own senses.
.Many scientists" said Mr.. Barnard the other
doy, have recorded the manifestations Of the
senses. They have collected instances Of pecu-
liar interest and have written whole volumes on
che matter. It finally occurred to mo to take
hold Of the subject at the other end, and. instead
Of recording the action Of the senses as q result.
to use these manifestations as training In devel-
opment. have experimental with myself. and
have found It quito possible to increase what
would DO called the normal power OF the senses.
II begin with the sense OF touch, n marvellous
gift which is not half appreciated. Here are
nonno sheets Of paper which I have prepared.
First / marked these dots and figures accurately,
then ] put the paper over soft cloth, so that,
when ] drew a pencil along the lines, 1t denied
the paper. Shut your eyes and draw your finger
along these lines"
There was a row Of parallel perpendicular
lines, ranging from a quarter to q sixteenth of
an inch apart.
"Can you count theml Vest Well, almost
any one can count the first ones, which are q
quarter OF an inch apart. You can count the
next ones1 BY being very careful. You can't
count the last ones. Only the most developed
sense Of touch could distinguish those. Many
persons cannot even tell where the lines change
their distance from each other. Now here are
figures beginning with q square with inchlong
sides, and decreasing. in n line, to a square with
sides a quarter of an inch long. Then, in the
same line, come a row Of circles. beginning with
one o quarter of an inch in diameter. The child,
with closed eyes, runs his finger over these fig.
ures. beginning with the largest square. He
must describe each figure, which, Of course. he
n " uCObs Suhe ~ ~ ~
how few persons can tell when the squares cease
and the circles begin.
Remember what / say about having the eyes
closed. or course, experiments with the other
senses must be carried on independently Of that
of sight. You must, il possible. close every
gate except the one you are trying to widen and
TO facilitate.
with such a simple means Of producing
these raised figures l can always have an en-.
- IIN.--,A .t - 49, - NhAN thA Ill
does not learn the old ones by heart, as # were,
depending on his memory instead Of his sense
OF touch. 1t is new work for his fingers every
time. The whole practice is marvellously inter.
esting. In a week there is a pronounced i'm.
provement in the power Of the senses. know
because ! always keep records. There Is an in
terest ng fact about the sense Of touch. and that
is that by developing the perception in the ends
Of the fingers, for instance, you increase the
constituencies of every inch of the body. You
must DO careful not to fatigue the sense.
This tracing of raised surfaces is, of course,
the same process by which the blind are taught
to read. but my idea is not to train children to
re I'd raised letters or anything OF that sort. 1t
Is to train the senses to greater power of appre-
citation and discrimination By compelling a
= sense to exert itself to recognize minute differ
ences you develop that sense. 1 use nothing
pronounced. You see I have no big objects for
them to handle. no lines standing, up half an
inch for them to count. 1t Is the minute
differences, which i want them to rocognl re
That is the way, to develop a sense. For
aesishss; 70 w sSic ,0f IS a ''n phase 81 Of 9fes souch, q 7
take this ordinary lettsr, weight and place this
fingers sealnst this rod SO that he can feel the
pressure Of the cup. Then. one. by one. l put
Ssp.l sometimes put eight or ten in before the
child says he can notice a difference. It you
continue such practice for a week you will find
That at The end Of that time he will notice "a
difference sooner. At Yale. by the way, they
SSHS1 lF tbs of d PniIr r IRIS Fl in oa Iessst voting sSsaiPs
with its cups and beans, does just as we'll for
80 develop the sense of taste I take two
Guns. Into one o; them ! put some clear water.
Into q The other E ! put PsrhMaps, & saturated K sCln,
water and have him taste il after every drop
must not know what ain going to. add.
make q record Of how many drops I add before
tell what the taste is. / have TO add a number O
drops before he can toll what i Is. An interest
iss ef FRET, ist he L Oh, child aT faste pare G MIX 4 er Fhs q
ladd sugar to the milk, and let him taste again
Then begin putting IN tea in small quaint
Then ! keep adding the tea little by little. max
ing a record OF how often he recognizes a new
in one cup. ! mean fourteen different flavor
which would have passed for tea.
must work the other way; that is, instead OF in
creasing the perfume we must diminish II. Flo
instance, with a medicine dropper l put on
drop OF this ordinary ten-cent perfume into thi
cup OF wmter. You, can smell it easily, can 80,
not . Well, now / dilute It gradually. and fnall
it'passes away. beyond the threshold Of you
perception. There Is a peculiar thing about il
however. As l put that drop into the water tn
perfume seems to spread like a spray to tn
sides OF the cup. and there 1t clings, SO that yol
would continue to smell il long after the waite
W, s diluted beyond your power to discover tn
odor of that one drop. In order, therefore, I
eyade this spray upon the sides Of tn" cup
din NM HnDRr InIn lha NUalAT will 4 DION n
perfume, then put 1t upon a blottinR paper an
smell that. ] continue this until the child cease
TO perceive any odor ut all.
Another experiment Is with sachet powder
j sprinkle several different varieties upon sepl
rate sheets of paper. Then ! let the child snI
one OF the varieties, md, nfter that, have hiI
pick out of the different specimens the, one h
has already smelled. From one point OF view
regard The development OF the sense of smell a
the most important of all. 1t has tho power {
saving life. II our sense OF smell was devc
oped to the point when the bad, air Of house
stores. trains, and other such places would /
imply uncomfortable. we might take steps
remedy the evil. As 1t is. we try TO deaden OF
AenRe. We pa into a shnn nr a "a yhpra tha a