Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN.

THE BODILY SENSES.

[graphic]

EW people think that the management of very young babes has anything to do with their dispositions and characters; yet I believe it has more influence than can easily be calculated.

An infant is, for awhile, totally ignorant of the use of the senses with which he is endowed.

In trying to excite an infant's attention, care should be taken not to confuse and distract him. His mind, like his body, is weak, and requires to have but little sustenance at a time, and to have it often. Gentleness, patience, and love are almost everything in education; especially to those helpless little creatures who have just entered into a world where everything is new to them.

All loud noises and violent emotions should be avoided. They pain an infant's senses, and distract his faculties. I have seen impatient nurses thrust a glaring candle before the eyes of a fretful babe, or drum violently on the table, or rock the cradle like an earthquake. These things may stop a child's cries for a short time, because the pain they occasion his senses draws his attention from the pain which first induced him to cry, but they do not comfort or soothe him. Besides the pain given to the mind, violent measures are dangerous to the bodily senses. Deafness and weakness of eyesight may no doubt often be attributed to such causes as these; and physicians are agreed that water on the brain is often occasioned by violent rocking.

Attention should be early aroused by presenting attractive objects-things of bright and beautiful colours, but not glaring, and sounds pleasant and soft to the ear. When you have succeeded in attracting a babe's attention to any object, it is well to let him examine it just as long as he chooses. Every time he turns it over, drops it, and takes it up again, he adds something to the little stock of his scanty experience. When his powers of attention are wearied, he will soon enough show it by his actions. A multitude of new playthings crowded upon him one after another, only serve to confuse him. He does not learn so much as he would do from a few toys, because he has not time to become acquainted with the properties of any one of them. Having had his little mind excited by a new object, he should be left in quiet, to toss and turn and jingle it to his heart's content. If he look up in the midst of his play, a smile should be always ready for him, that he may feel protected and happy in the atmosphere of love.

It is important that children, even when babes, should never be

witnesses of anger or any evil passion. Above all things, therefore, those who have the charge of children should keep their own spirits in tranquility and purity. A mere babe will grieve and sob at the expression of distress on the countenance; he cannot possibly know what that expression means, but he feels that it is something painful.

As the first step in education, I have recommended gentle but constant efforts to attract the attention and improve the bodily senses. I would here suggest the importance of preserving the organs of those senses in full vigour. For instance, the cradle should be so placed that the face of the infant may be in the shade. A strong light is dangerous to his delicate organs of vision; and if it be allowed to come in at one side, he may turn his eyes, in the effort to watch it.

THE AFFECTIONS.

The cultivation of the affections comes next to the development of the bodily senses; or rather, they may be said to begin together, so early does the infant heart receive impressions.

Kindness towards animals is of great importance. Children should be encouraged in pitying their distress; and if guilty of any violent treatment towards them, they should see that it gives offence, and is not approved of. But before showing any disapprobation, a very young child should be made to know when he really does hurt an animal; for young children are often cruel from the mere thoughtlessness of frolic; they strike an animal as they would strike a log of wood, without knowing that they occasion pain.

I once saw a mother laugh very heartily at the distressed face of a kitten which a child of two years old was pulling backwards by the tail. At last the kitten, in self-defence, turned and scratched the boy. He screamed, and his mother ran to him, kissed the wound, and beat the poor kitten, saying all the time, "Naughty kitten, to scratch John! I'll beat her for scratching John! There, ugly puss!" This little incident, trifling as it seems, had, no doubt, important effects upon the character of the child; especially as the mother who would do such a thing once, would be likely to do it habitually. In the first place, the child was encouraged in cruelty, by seeing that it gave his mother amusement. Had she explained to him that he was hurting the kitten, and expressed her pity by saying, "Oh, don't hurt kitten; she is a good little puss, and she loves John," what a different impression would have been made on his infant heart! In the next place, the kitten was struck for defending herself; this was injustice to the injured animal, and a lesson of tyranny to the boy. In the third place, striking the kitten because she had scratched him, was teaching him retaliation. For that reason, a chair or table, against which a child may have accidentally hurt himself, should never be struck,

or treated in an angry manner. A grown-up person knows, to be sure, that an inanimate object is not capable of feeling pain, but the infant does not know it; the impression made upon him is, that it is right to injure when we are injured.

A spirit of revenge is one of those evil passions to which our nature is most prone, and with respect to which we should most anxiously guard against the influence of habit and of example. The mind of a child is not like that of a grown person, too full and too busy to observe everything; it is a vessel always ready to receive, and always receiving.

Every look, every movement, every expression, does something towards forming the character of the little heir to immortal life.

Does a mother regard it as too much trouble thus to keep a watch over herself? Surely the indulgence of evil is no privilege; the yoke of goodness is far lighter and easier to bear than the bondage of evil. Is not the restraint which the mother imposes upon herself good for the child, and blessed, doubly blessed, to her own soul?

The rule, then, for developing good affections in a very young child is, that he never be allowed to see or feel the influence of bad passions, even in the most trifling things; and in order to effect this, those who have the management of children should endeavour to drive evil passions out of their own hearts. Nothing can be real that has not its home within us. The only sure way, as well as the easiest, to appear good, is to be good.

A MOTHER'S PRAYERS.

URING the last illness of a pious mother, when she was near death, her only remaining child, the subject of many agonizing and believing prayers, who had been roving on the sea, returned to pay his parent a visit.

[graphic]
[ocr errors]

After a very affecting meeting, "You are near port, mother," said the hardy-looking sailor, and I hope you will have an abundant entrance. "Yes, my child; the fair haven is in sight, and

soon, very soon, I shall be landed

"On that peaceful shore

Where pilgrims meet to part no more."

[ocr errors]

"You have weathered many a storm in your passage, mother; but now God is dealing very graciously with you, by causing the winds to cease, and by giving you a calm at the end of your voyage."

"God has always dealt graciously with me, my son; but this last expression of His kindness in permitting me to see you

witnesses of anger or any evil passion. Above all things, therefore, those who have the charge of children should keep their own spirits in tranquility and purity. A mere babe will grieve and sob at the expression of distress on the countenance; he cannot possibly know what that expression means, but he feels that it is something painful.

As the first step in education, I have recommended gentle but constant efforts to attract the attention and improve the bodily senses. I would here suggest the importance of preserving the organs of those senses in full vigour. For instance, the cradle should be so placed that the face of the infant may be in the shade. A strong light is dangerous to his delicate organs of vision; and if it be allowed to come in at one side, he may turn his eyes, in the effort to watch it.

THE AFFECTIONS.

The cultivation of the affections comes next to the development of the bodily senses; or rather, they may be said to begin together, so early does the infant heart receive impressions.

Kindness towards animals is of great importance. Children should be encouraged in pitying their distress; and if guilty of any violent treatment towards them, they should see that it gives offence, and is not approved of. But before showing any disapprobation, a very young child should be made to know when he really does hurt an animal; for young children are often cruel from the mere thoughtlessness of frolic; they strike an animal as they would strike a log of wood, without knowing that they occasion pain.

I once saw a mother laugh very heartily at the distressed face of a kitten which a child of two years old was pulling backwards by the tail. At last the kitten, in self-defence, turned and scratched the boy. He screamed, and his mother ran to him, kissed the wound, and beat the poor kitten, saying all the time, "Naughty kitten, to scratch John! I'll beat her for scratching John! There, ugly puss!" This little incident, trifling as it seems, had, no doubt, important effects upon the character of the child; especially as the mother who would do such a thing once, would be likely to do it habitually. In the first place, the child was encouraged in cruelty, by seeing that it gave his mother amusement. Had she explained to him that he was hurting the kitten, and expressed her pity by saying, "Oh, don't hurt kitten; she is a good little puss, and she loves John," what a different impression would have been made on his infant heart! In the next place, the kitten was struck for defending herself; this was injustice to the injured animal, and a lesson of tyranny to the boy. In the third place, striking the kitten because she had scratched him, was teaching him retaliation. For that reason, a chair or table, against which a child may have accidentally hurt himself, should never be struck,

or treated in an angry manner. A grown-up person knows, to be sure, that an inanimate object is not capable of feeling pain, but the infant does not know it; the impression made upon him is, that it is right to injure when we are injured.

A spirit of revenge is one of those evil passions to which our nature is most prone, and with respect to which we should most anxiously guard against the influence of habit and of example. The mind of a child is not like that of a grown person, too full and too busy to observe everything; it is a vessel always ready to receive, and always receiving.

Every look, every movement, every expression, does something towards forming the character of the little heir to immortal life.

Does a mother regard it as too much trouble thus to keep a watch over herself? Surely the indulgence of evil is no privilege; the yoke of goodness is far lighter and easier to bear than the bondage of evil. Is not the restraint which the mother imposes upon herself good for the child, and blessed, doubly blessed, to her own soul?

The rule, then, for developing good affections in a very young child is, that he never be allowed to see or feel the influence of bad passions, even in the most trifling things; and in order to effect this, those who have the management of children should endeavour to drive evil passions out of their own hearts. Nothing can be real that has not its home within us. The only sure way, as well as the easiest, to appear good, is to be good.

soon, very soon,

A MOTHER'S PRAYERS.

URING the last illness of a pious mother, when she was near death, her only remaining child, the subject of many agonizing and believing prayers, who had been roving on the sea, returned to pay his parent a visit.

[graphic]
[ocr errors]

After a very affecting meeting, "You are near port, mother," said the hardy-looking sailor, "and I hope you will have an abundant entrance.' "Yes, my child; the fair haven is in sight, and I shall be landed

"On that peaceful shore

Where pilgrims meet to part no more."

"You have weathered many a storm in your passage, mother; but now God is dealing very graciously with you, by causing the winds to cease, and by giving you a calm at the end of your voyage.

[ocr errors]

"God has always dealt graciously with me, my son; but this last expression of His kindness in permitting me to see you

« AnteriorContinua »