#46. Laws of the Soul.#--Everything in this world behaves in a certain way under certain conditions. All the things in God's great, good world operate in harmony with some force or power that is always present and that always does or causes to be done the same thing. When once we have discovered this power and stated in a formula how it behaves we have a law. The soul is no exception to this general statement. It behaves, under similar conditions, in the same way. When once we have discovered how the soul acts and formulate its methods of action we have a law of the soul. #47.# From these laws of the soul we may also learn how to make the soul grow in a certain desired way. We can also discover the laws in the materials which we use to cause growth in the soul. These laws become the guide to all good teaching. They are here called educational laws or principles. #48. Educational Principles.#--Thus it will be seen that educational principles rest upon the laws of the soul. They tell us in brief and clear statements what should govern us in teaching a growing soul. If one turns to any treatise on pedagogy he will find there a statement of these laws. Of course, these will be found to vary somewhat because no one is quite certain that the last facts concerning the soul are known. #49.# But the important thing is not, after all, what one finds in the books, but what one is finally led to accept as his own guiding principles. It is of the utmost importance that one should have certain general principles of education as standards by which to test his own teaching. A ship without a compass sails a no less aimless or dangerous course than does a teacher without pedagogic guidance. What the compass is to the ship, educational principles are to the teacher. Thus educational principles aid in achieving the end or purpose of the educational process; which end is, according to Spencer, "to live completely," or, as we usually say, to fit each one to live in the exercise of all the power God made it possible for him to enjoy. To realize this end teaching must proceed according to law. #50.# The first law to be noted is that #the subject matter presented to a growing soul must be adapted to the capacity of the learner#. This law is so self-evident that we unconsciously observe it. We do not give the same kind of lessons to a child in the primary grade that we should and do give to the pupil in the adult Bible class. The whole significance of graded exercises is based upon this fundamental principle. This law rests upon the generally accepted fact that the different powers of the soul change their relative activity during the years of growth.