rough stone of human nature, or, if the teacher succeeds in so far
perverting nature as to hack and trim a human organism into the
semblance of a statue, the product of his work will stand forth a
living illustration of the difference between the genuine and the
spurious. The stone has no life. Life must be breathed into it,
and the sculptor may breathe into it such life as he chooses. The
gardener, on the other hand, must obey the laws of the life of the
plant he nurtures. He must so direct the forces of nature as to
help its inherent tendencies. A certain line of growth is written
in the structure of every species of plant. The plant may be
hindered or perverted in its development; it may be killed, but it
cannot be made to grow into the form of another plant.

The progress of the human mind can be illustrated only by that
which is vital, not by anything mechanical. Mind reacts upon
whatever is given to it according to the divine laws of its own
organism. The human mind, like the plant, must exhibit vitality in
abundance before it finds a higher and more complex manifestation.
The unskilled teacher, instead of inviting out the young pupil
along the line of his own organism, may, at the outset, paralyze
the unfolding mind by ill-advised dictation. There can be no true
teaching which does not involve growing, and growing in the way
intended by nature. The teacher must be something more than a
critic. The critic establishes criteria, protects the public, and,
in a measure, educates the public taste. When he is able to teach
others how to reach true criteria he becomes a teacher. Until he
can do this he has no place in the class room.

It will be observed that the four volumes of the "Evolution of
Expression" recognize the four general stages of man's