the eye of a boy of ten, and yet how much more the older boy seems to see.  This is because his brain has been trained to interpret the impressions that even the baby eyes received but did not understand.  Of course, where the instrument is found to be imperfect we can assist it by means of additional lenses, or perhaps by some one of the skillful operations now performed by oculists, and, as the sight is of such increased importance to a deaf child, the greatest care and watchfulness should be given to his eyes.  Do not let him sleep, or lie, facing the sun, or any other powerful light, but throughout his life be careful that all his use of eyesight be under conditions of ample and well-directed light.  Supposing that the simple tests referred to heretofore have shown that the eyes, as optical instruments, are sufficiently perfect, our efforts need to be to train the brain to take cognizance of, and to interpret the impressions transmitted to it by the eyes.  We shall not be able to improve the working of the eye by our efforts, but we can educate the brain.

Color and form make the earliest appeal to the child’s eyes, and we can use them for our educational play.  The duplicate set of worsted balls of the seven primal colors can be increased to include easily distinguishable shades.  The child can be sent on entertaining voyages of discovery around the room with a ball of a certain color to find other objects similar in color in the rugs, books, chairs, dresses, ties, etc.

A game to develop observation of form can be made by collecting a group of objects of varying shapes in a pile on the floor or a low table; mother picks up some one of the objects, directs the attention of the little one to it, and after he has observed it somewhat she puts it back in the pile and moves all the objects about till they are well mixed up.  Ask the little fellow then to pick out the object mother held in her hand a moment before.  When he can do this by sight without difficulty, have him shut his eyes, place an object in his little hands, teach him to feel it over carefully, take it from him, and, while his eyes are still closed, place it once more in the pile.  Let him then open his eyes and see if he can indicate the object he had previously held.  When he has mastered this, give the game another turn by asking him to find by means of touch alone, while the eyes are still closed, the object that he has been feeling, after it is restored to the pile of other objects.  Still another turn can be given by first letting him see the object, without touching it, then having him close his eyes, and by touch alone select it from the pile.  A set of wooden forms, such as spheres, cubes, pyramids, cones, cylinders, and similar, but truncated, forms, can be obtained at any school supply store.  To these can be added common household objects such as small frames, vases, napkin rings, spoons, forks, and other similar things, as well as some of the forms included in a complete set of the Montessori material.