But  it  is  important  that  he  be  brought  to  do  so.  He
must  be  more  anxious  to  discover  what  is  the  right
way  or  the  best  way,  or  at  least  a  better  way,  than
know  that  either  conforms  to  his  way,  and  be  ready
to  surrender  his  most  cherished  habit,  long-standing
practice,  if  it  be  found  to  contravene  clearly  discovered
pupil  conditions.  This  may  mean  a  succession  of  tests,
or  a  series  of  carefully  arranged  experiments  covering
days  or  even  months,  as  in  the  use  of  a  new  set  of
teaching  exercises,  or  a  new  order  of  tasks,  or  child
standards  of  right  behavior,  or  the  length  of  most  ef-
fective recitation  periods,  etc.  But  any  earnest  teacher
who  will  really  set  himself  to  study  patiently,  vigor-
ously, impersonally,  any  one  or  another  of  these  or
similar  school  problems,  and  be  content  to  persevere


200  Science  of  Education

to  the  attainment  of  some  perceptible  result,  will  find
that  the  power  to  do  so  has  been  appreciably  increased.
Only  so  can  the  scientific  spirit  be  acquired.  By  using
the  method  one  grows  in  power  to  use  it.
