This is the field in which the teacher is to study human nature, for here it shows itself without disguise.

It is through this class, too, that a very powerful moral influence is to be exerted upon the rest of the school.

The manner in which such individuals are managed, the tone the teacher assumes toward them, the gentleness with which he speaks of their faults, and the unbending decision with which he restrains them from wrong, will have a most powerful effect upon the rest of the school.

That he may occupy this field, therefore, to the best advantage, it is necessary that he should first thoroughly explore it.
By understanding the dispositions and characters of such a class of pupils as I have described, I do not mean merely watching them with vigilance in school, so that none of their transgressions shall go unobserved and unpunished.

I intend a far deeper and more thorough examination of character.