The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1906-02-16

girl with a flower. s(Group - Tie hill
begins high and run aimlessly down.
an undetermined distance. The house,
the tree and the girl, also started well
up are strukT along the line. They do
not occupy tie space, and stop because
no more space was necessary in tho
child's mind. To the child it seemed
that it had enumerated all the facts in
tended, and that wa all that could be
desired. 1t had thought of them as SO
many separate objects. 1t had not
thought of them as a collection of OBJ
jects, for it possessed no concentration
of mental vision.
Now look at the other drawing, and
see the same story with the childish
character preserved, given with concen-
tration and regard for proportion.
There is no fact missing, but the pic
ture is seer as a whole, as a collection
OF facts stated at once, and not as a
number of separate objects told one at
a time. Show the child that this picture
loses none Of the objects it wished to
express, and that it is a more concise
statement. Perhaps it can be made TO
see that it has more beauty, but that is
questionable. 1t will slowly try to imi-
tate if you give it it's own ideas in a bet
ter way by example. The child cannot
understand such vague qualities as pro-
portion, but it can see that one picture
is better than another.
Rules for Teacher.
A word or two to the teacher on tho
placing OF objects in their space may
be OF use to him, though the child should
not be confused by such problems. The
object which by height, size, interest,
or quality is the principal object in the
picture may occupy a place near the
center-the nearness to the center being
governed by the relative Importance
of what other object disputes it's inter-
est. (Note the upper right-hand ar
rangement in the illustrations on pro-
portion as had placement and the lower
center as good.)
1t will be better to study the arrange
ments that will be given with each SET
OF picture forms than to take this rule
concerning placement as ar inVariable
one. So many considerations of color,
balance, etc., come up in each compost
ton that the rule would be of uncertain
use without the knowledge of the ex-
ceptions that govern it. 1t is given as
a general aid, as is the rule for balance,
which follows:
When one object is placed to one side
OF the center it demands another object
on the other side to preserve the sense
of pictorial equilibrium or balance.
In the three drawings included in
Group 3 the balancing point is evident.
These qualities are spoken of that the
teacher in his own efforts may have
something to which he can refer when
his W arrangements seem out of COM
position for any reason. He should not
work with them in mind so much as
he should use the rules subsequently
to correct and aid. 1t is quite important
that the child should moi be hampered
by any rules of a negative character.
To tell the child not to do this and not
to do that in it's arrangements is not
helping it. Have it accept all SUCCESS
lions and rules as positive. Let the ex-
ceptions and negatives come later. 1t
should learn it's picture expression as it
learned it's speech. The single words
first, then the combinations and long
afterward the grammar.
PIlrH APnCON