world in which he finds delight and profit. In this world he is king,
and only profane hands would dare attempt to dethrone him.

=The child's experiences.=--His experiences, whether in the real world,
or in this world of fancy, are his capital in the bank of life; and he
has every right to invest this capital so as to achieve further
increments of life. In this enterprise, the teacher is his counselor and
guide, and, in order that she may exercise this function sympathetically
and rationally, she must know the nature and extent of his capital. If
he knows a bird, he may invest this knowledge so as to gain a knowledge
of many birds, and so, in time, compass the entire realm of ornithology.
If he knows a flower, from this known he may be so directed that he may
become a master in the unknown field of botany. If he knows coal, this
experience may be made the open sesame to the realms of geology. In
short, all his experiences may be capitalized under the direction of a
skillful teacher, and made to produce large dividends as an investment
in life.

=Relation to school work.=--Thus the school becomes, for the child, a
place of and for real life, and not a place detached from life. There he
lives effectively, and joyously, because the teacher knows how to
utilize his experiences and native dispositions for the enlargement of
his life. He has no inclination to become a deserter or a tenant, for
life is agreeable there, and the school is made his chief interest. His
work is not doled out to him in the form of tasks, but is graciously
presented as a privilege, and as such he esteems it. There he learns to
live among people of differing tastes and interests without abdicating
his own individuality. There he learns that life is work and that work
is the very quintessence of life.