Eager as he was in his advocacy of methodical instruction, yet he did not overlook the greater importance of the pupil’s interest in the content of subject-matter taught. After calling cursory reading the worst method of beginning the study of languages, he adds: “Even cursory reading, however, produces good results under one condition, namely, the existence of a lively interest in the contents” (8: p. 132). As Herbart’s desire and attempt to bring about sequence and order in instruction became schematized by some of his followers, the most prominent of whom are Ziller and Rein, into “formal steps,” so his endeavor to introduce unity and harmony into education was attenuated by them into the doctrines of “culture stages” and “concentration center.” The doctrine of “culture stages” is stated by Ziller as follows: “The mental development of the child corresponds, in general, to the chief phases in the development of mankind. It therefore cannot be better furthered than when he receives his mental nourishment from the general development of culture as it is found in literature and history. Every pupil should accordingly pass successively through each of the chief epochs of the general mental development of mankind suitable to his stage of development. The material of instruction, therefore, should be drawn from the thought material of that stage of historical development in culture which runs parallel with the present mental state of the pupil” (6: p. 122). In accordance with this theory, Ziller selected the following topics which, he thought, would fit respectively the developmental stages of children in the eight years of the school course: (1) Epic fairy tales, (2) Robinson Crusoe, (3) History of the Patriarchs, (4) Judges in Israel, (5) Kings in Israel, (6) Life of Christ, (7) History of the Apostles, (8) History of the Reformation. And parallel to the history of the Israelites, literature taken from German history was to be taught. Not being satisfied with this artificial matching and grading, Ziller wanted further to make the above-mentioned materials the center of all instruction, connecting with them the teaching not only of language, but of arithmetic, drawing, geography, and science. With Professor Rein this idea was more reasonably modified. He also uses these historical-humanistic studies as the “concentration-center,” but other materials are only to be coördinated with them so far as possible, not entirely absorbed into them.