Is the more natural form of effort short and intense or sustained but
less demanding? Does the child naturally expend himself intensively
or extensively? There seems to be no possibility of doubt on this point.
At work, as at play, children are capable of great intensity of effort so
long as they can furnish it in spontaneous spurts, but they have no
powers of endurance and their efforts must alternate with periods of
comparative repose. This is in line with the child's natural tendencies,
with putting everything he has into what he is doing, with his distaste
for monotony.
In most cases, however, teaching places emphasis not on the inten-
sity of effort but on endurance, which leads to extensive rather than
intensive work, and therefore runs counter to the natural development
of the child's faculties, since he acquires the habit of making little
effort so as to be able to hold out for a long time-an endeavour,
incidentally, in which he seldom succeeds.
Instead of this, means must be found to enable the child to begin by
making the short bursts of intense effort to which he is spontaneously
moved, and to give him after this all-out effort, an equally short rest
which, however, should be as complete as possible.
Very gradual training will later make it possible to increase the du-
ration of effort without reducing its intensity. In this way, while achiev-
ing infinitely better results, the child will avoid the fatigue resulting
from the loss of contact due to working superficially and making use
of only a part of his faculties. By following this principle, the antago-
nism generally found between education and instruction can be re-
moved.
A wonderful means of securing the repose which is to counter-
balance this effort is the systematic use of relaxation exercises, which
should play an important part in education, especially in the case of
children living in towns.
To enable the body, by a series of exercises, to achieve complete or
partial muscular relaxation at will, to make it possible for each group
of muscles to operate entirely independently and without unnecessary
effort, is not only a training for any form of artistic activity, with spe-
cial reference to instrumental music, but is also a great factor in the
development of concentration and self-control.
The part played by silence in the course of the children's studies is
very important. By silence, I mean not only external quiet but, above
all, the internal silence which is achieved by muscular relaxation. If
we can give children a taste for silence, we also give them a defence
against the all-pervasive sound of the wireless, switched on day and
singke
(singke)
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