,,parents ,,and ,,children ---------------------------------------- ---------------------- ,,by ,,the ,,same ,,author ,,home ,,education3 ,a ,course of ,lectures to ,ladies4 ,by ,,charlotte ,m4 ,,mason4 ,second ,edition1 ,revised and ,enlarged4 ,demy #hvo1 #fs4 ,,studies ,,in ,,english ,,for ,,the ,,use ,,of ,,modern ,,schools4 ,by ,h4 ,c4 ,,bowen4 ,eleventh ,thousand4 ,small crown #hvo1 #as4 #f;d4 ,,simple ,,english ,,poems4 ,english ,literature for ,junior ,classes4 ,by ,h4 ,c4 ,,bowen4 #cs4 ,parts ,i41 ,,ii41 and ,,iii4 #f;d4 each4 ,part ,,iv4 #as4 ,,english ,,grammar ,,for ,,beginners4 ,by ,h4 ,c4 ,,bowen4 ,fcap4 #hvo1 #as4 ,,on ,,the ,,study ,,of ,,words4 ,by the late ,archbishop ,,trench4 ,revised by ,a4 ,l4 ,,mayhew4 ,twenty-fifth ,edition4 ,fcap4 #hvo1 #es4 ,,english ,,past ,,and ,,present4 ,by the late ,archbishop ,,trench4 ,revised by ,a4 ,l4 ,,mayhew4 ,fifteenth ,edition4 ,fcap4 #hvo1 #es4 ,,the ,,modern ,,french ,,reader4 ,edited by ,c4 ,,cassal1 ,,ll4,d41 and ,,theodore ,,karcher1 ,,ll4,b4 ,junior ,course4 ,nineteenth ,edition4 ,crown #hvo1 #bs4 #f;d4 ,senior ,course4 ,seventh ,edition4 ,crown #hvo1 #ds4 ,senior ,course and ,glossary1 in ,one ,vol4 ,crown #hvo1 #fs4 ,,practical ,,french ,,grammar4 ,by ,,mortimer ,,de ,,larmoyer1 ,professor of the ,french ,language and ,literature at the ,crystal ,palace ,school4 ,crown #hvo4 ,new ,edition1 in ,one ,vol41 #cs4 #f;d4 ,two ,parts1 #bs4 #f;d4 each4 ,,london3 ,,kegan ,,paul1 ,,trench1 ,,tr,,bner ,,co4 ,l ---------------------------------------- ---------------------- ,,parents ,,and ,,children ,a ,,sequel ,,to 8,,home ,,education0 ,,by ,,charlotte ,m4 ,,mason ,,london ,,kegan ,,paul1 ,,trench1 ,,tr,,bner ,,co4 ,l ,,paternoster ,,house1 ,,charing ,,cross ,,road #ahig ,the rights of translation and of reproduction are reserved4 ,printed by ,,ballantyne1 ,,hanson ,,co4 ,at the ,ballantyne ,press ,,to ,,the ,,members ,,of ,,the ,,parents' ,,national ,,educational ,,union ,,this ,,volume ,,is ,,inscribed ,,by ,,the ,,author ,,as ,,an ,,expression ,,of ,,the ,,affection ,,and ,,reverence ,,with ,,which ,,their ,,efforts ,,inspire ,,her ,,ambleside1 ,november #ahif4 ,,preface ,the following essays have appeared in the ,parents' ,review1 and were addressed1 from time to time1 to a body of parents who are making a practical study of the principles of education--the 8,parents' ,national ,educational ,union40 ,the present volume is a sequel to ,home ,education 7,kegan ,paul ,co471 a work which was the means of originating this ,union of ,parents4 ,it is not too much to say that the ,parents' ,union exists to advance1 with more or less method and with more or less steadfastness1 a definite school of educational thought of which the two main principles are--the recognition of the physical basis of habit1 i4e4 of the material side of education2 and of the inspiring and formative power of the ,idea1 i4e4 of the immaterial1 or spiritual1 side of education4 ,these two guiding principles1 covering as they do the whole field of human nature1 should enable us to deal rationally with all the complex problems of education2 and the object of the following essays is1 not to give an exhaustive application of these principles--the ,british ,museum itself would hardly contain all the volumes needful for such an undertaking--but to give an example or a suggestion1 here and there1 as to how such and such an habit may be formed1 such and such a formative idea be implanted and fostered4 ,the intention of the volume will account to the reader for what may seem a want of connected and exhaustive treatment of the subject1 and for the iteration of the same principles in various connections4 ,the author ventures to hope that the following hints and suggestions will not prove the less practically useful to busy parents1 because they rest on profound educational principles4 ,,contents ,,book ,i ,,theory ,,chapter ,i ,,page ,,the ,,family #c ,,chapter ,,ii ,,parents ,,as ,,rulers #ab ,,chapter ,,iii ,,parents ,,as ,,inspirers 7,,part ,i7 #bj ,,chapter ,,iv ,,parents ,,as ,,inspirers 7,,part ,,ii7 #bi ,,chapter ,v ,,parents ,,as ,,inspirers 7,,part ,,iii7 #ci ,,chapter ,,vi ,,parents ,,as ,,inspirers 7,,part ,,iv7 #dh ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,parent ,,as ,,schoolmaster #eh ,,chapter ,,viii ,,the ,,culture ,,of ,,character 7,,part ,i7 #ff ,,chapter ,,ix ,,the ,,culture ,,of ,,character 7,,part ,,ii7 #gi ,,chapter ,x ,,bible ,,lessons #hh ,,chapter ,,xi ,,faith ,,and ,,duty 7,,part ,i7 #if ,,chapter ,,xii ,,faith ,,and ,,duty 7,,part ,,ii7 #aaa ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,faith ,,and ,,duty 7,,part ,,iii7 #abb ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,the ,,heroic ,,impulse #acd ,,chapter ,,xv ,,is ,,it ,,possible8 #adc ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,discipline #afj ,,chapter ,,xvii ,,sensations ,,and ,,feelings 7,,part ,i7 #afi ,,chapter ,,xviii ,,sensations ,,and ,,feelings 7,,part ,,ii7 #aha ,,chapter ,,xix 8,,what ,,is ,,truth80 #aib ,,chapter ,,xx ,,show ,,cause ,,why #bja ,,chapter ,,xxi ,,herbartian ,,pedagogics #baa ,,chapter ,,xxii ,,the ,,teaching ,,of ,,the 8,,parents' ,,national ,,educational ,,union0 7,,part ,i7 #bbj ,,chapter ,,xxiii ,,the ,,teaching ,,of ,,the 8,,parents' ,,national ,,educational ,,union0 7,,part ,,ii7 #bbh ,,chapter ,,xxiv ,,whence ,,and ,,whither 7,,part ,i7 #bdb ,,chapter ,,xxv ,,whence ,,and ,,whither 7,,part ,,ii7 #bej ,,chapter ,,xxvi ,,the ,,great ,,recognition #bfj ,,chapter ,,xxvii ,,the ,,eternal ,,child #bga ,,book ,,ii ,,essays ,,in ,,practical ,,education ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,philosopher ,,at ,,home #bhc ,,chapter ,,ii 8,,attention0 #cjc ,,chapter ,,iii ,,an ,,educational ,,experiment #cab ,,chapter ,,iv ,,dorothy ,,elmore',s ,,achievement3 ,a ,,forecast #cbj ,,chapter ,v ,,consequences #cdf ,,chapter ,,vi ,,mrs4 ,,sedley',s ,,tale #cee ,,chapter ,,vii ,,ability #cfg ,,chapter ,,viii ,,poor ,,mrs4 ,,jumeau6 #cgf ,,chapter ,,ix 8,a ,,happy ,,christmas ,,to ,,you60 #chf ,,chapter ,x ,,parents ,,in ,,council 7,,part ,i7 #cie ,,chapter ,,xi ,,parents ,,in ,,council 7,,part ,,ii7 #dje ,,chapter ,,xii ,a ,,hundred ,,years ,,after #dac ,,note #dbi ,,book ,i ,,theory ,,parents ,,and ,,children ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,family 8,the family is the unit of the nation40--,f4 ,d4 ,,maurice4 ,it is probable that no other educational thinker has succeeded in affecting parents so profoundly as did ,rousseau4 ,emile is little read now1 but how many current theories of the regimen proper for children have there their unsuspected source8 ,everybody knows--and his contemporaries knew it better than we--that ,jean ,jacques ,rousseau had not enough sterling character to warrant him to pose as an authority on any subject1 least of all on that of education4 ,he sets himself down a poor thing1 and we see no cause to reject the evidence of his ,confessions4 ,we are not carried away by the charm of his style2 his 8forcible feebleness0 does not dazzle us4 ,no man can say beyond that which he is1 and there is a want of grit in his philosophic theories that removes most of them from the category of available thought4 ,but ,rousseau had the insight to perceive one of those patent truths which1 somehow1 it takes a genius to discover2 and1 because truth is indeed prized above rubies1 the perception of that truth gave him rank as a great teacher4 8,is ,jean ,jacques also among the prophets80 people asked1 and ask still2 and that he had thousands of fervent disciples amongst the educated parents of ,europe1 together with the fact that his teaching has filtered into many a secluded home of our own day1 is answer enough4 ,indeed1 no other educationalist has had a tithe of the influence exercised by ,rousseau4 ,under the spell of his teaching1 people in the fashionable world1 like that ,russian ,princess ,galitzin1 forsook society1 and went off with their children to some quiet corner where they could devote every hour of the day1 and every power they had1 to the fulfilment of the duties which devolve upon parents4 ,courtly mothers retired from the world1 sometimes even left their husbands1 to work hard at the classics1 mathematics1 sciences1 that they might with their own lips instruct their children4 8,what else am ,i for80 they asked2 and the feeling spread that the bringing up of the children was the one work of primary importance for men and women4 ,whatever extravagance he had seen fit to advance1 ,rousseau would still have found a following1 because he had chanced to touch a spring that opened many hearts4 ,he was one of the few educationalists who made his appeal to the parental instincts4 ,he did not say1 8,we have no hope of the parents1 let us work for the children60 ,such are the faint-hearted and pessimistic things we say to-day4 ,what he said was1 in effect1 8,fathers and mothers1 this is your work1 and you only can do it4 ,it rests with you1 parents of young children1 to be the saviours of society unto a thousand generations4 ,nothing else matters4 ,the avocations about which people weary themselves are as foolish child's play compared with this one serious business of bringing up our children in advance of ourselves40 ,people listened1 as we have seen2 the response to his teaching was such a letting out of the waters of parental enthusiasm as has never been known before nor since4 ,and ,rousseau1 weak and little worthy1 was a preacher of righteousness in this1 that he turned the hearts of the fathers to the children1 and so far made ready a people prepared for the ,lord4 ,but alas6 having secured the foundation1 he had little better than wood1 hay1 and stubble to offer to the builders4 ,rousseau succeeded1 as he deserved to succeed1 in awaking many parents to the binding character1 the vast range1 the profound seriousness of parental obligations4 ,he failed1 and deserved to fail1 as he offered his own crude conceits by way of an educational code4 ,but his success is very cheering4 ,he perceived that ,god placed the training of every child in the hands of two1 a father and a mother2 and the response to his teaching proved that1 as the waters answer to the drawing of the moon1 so do the hearts of parents rise to the idea of the great work committed to them4 ,though it is true1 no doubt1 that every parent is conscious of unwritten laws1 more or less definite and noble according to his own status1 yet an attempt1 however slight1 to codify these laws may be interesting to parents4 8,the family is the unit of the nation40 ,this pregnant saying suggests some aspects of the parents' calling4 ,from time to time1 in all ages of the world1 communistic societies have arisen1 sometimes for the sake of co-operation in a great work1 social or religious1 more recently by way of protest against inequalities of condition2 but1 in every case1 the fundamental rule of such societies is1 that the members shall have all things in common4 ,we are apt to think1 in our careless way1 that such attempts at communistic association are foredoomed to failure4 ,but that is not the case4 ,in the ,united ,states1 perhaps because hired labour is less easy to obtain than it is with us1 they appear to have found a congenial soil1 and there many well-regulated communistic bodies flourish4 ,there are failures1 too1 many and disastrous1 and it appears that these may usually be traced to one cause1 a government enfeebled by the attempt to combine democratic and communistic principles1 to dwell together in a common life1 while each does what is right in his own eyes4 ,a communistic body can thrive only under a vigorous and absolute rule4 ,a favourite dream of socialism is--or was until the idea of collectivism obtained--that each ,state of ,europe should be divided into an infinite number of small self-contained communes4 ,now1 it sometimes happens that the thing we desire is already realised1 had we eyes to see4 ,the family is1 practically1 a commune4 ,in the family the undivided property is enjoyed by all the members in common1 and1 in the family there is equality of social condition1 with diversity of duties4 ,in lands where patriarchal practices still obtain1 the family merges into the tribe1 and the head of the family is the chief of the tribe--a very absolute sovereign indeed4 ,in our own country1 families are usually small1 parents and their immediate offspring1 with the attendants and belongings which naturally gather to a household1 and1 let it not be forgotten1 form part of the family4 ,the smallness of the family tends to obscure its character1 and we see no force in the phrase at the head of this chapter2 we do not perceive that1 if the unit of the nation is the natural commune1 the family1 then is the family the social microcosm1 pledged to carry on within itself all the functions of the ,state1 with the delicacy1 precision1 and fulness of detail proper to work done on a small scale4 ,it by no means follows from this communistic view of the family that the domestic policy should be a policy of isolation2 on the contrary1 it is not too much to say1 that a nation is civilised in proportion as it is able to establish close and friendly relations with other nations1 and that1 not with one or two1 but with many2 and1 conversely1 that a nation is barbarous in proportion to its isolation2 and does not a family decline in intelligence and virtue when from generation to generation it 8keeps itself to itself08 ,again1 it is probable that a nation is healthy in proportion as it has its own proper outlets1 its colonies and dependencies1 which it is ever solicitous to include in the national life4 ,so of the nation in miniature1 the family2 the struggling families at #8the back1' the orphanage1 the mission1 the necessitous of our acquaintance1 are they not for the sustenance of the family in the higher life8 ,but it is not enough that the family commune maintain neighbourly relations with other such communes1 and towards the stranger within the gates4 ,the family is the unit of the nation2 and the nation is an organic whole1 a living body1 built up1 like the natural body1 of an infinite number of living organisms4 ,it is only as it contributes its quota towards the national life that the life of the family is complete4 ,public interests must be shared1 public work taken up1 the public welfare cherished--in a word1 its integrity with the nation must be preserved1 or the family ceases to be part of a living whole1 and becomes positively injurious1 as decayed tissue in the animal organism4 ,nor are the interests of the family limited to those of the nation4 ,as it is the part of the nation to maintain wider relations1 to be in touch with all the world1 to be ever in advance in the great march of human progress1 so is this the attitude which is incumbent on each unit of the nation1 each family1 as an integral part of the whole4 ,here is the simple and natural realisation of the noble dream of ,fraternity3 each individual attached to a family by ties of love where not of blood2 the families united in a federal bond to form the nation2 the nations confederate in love and emulous in virtue1 and all1 nations and their families1 playing their several parts as little children about the feet and under the smile of the ,almighty ,father4 ,here is the divine order which every family is called upon to fulfil2 a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump1 and1 therefore1 it matters infinitely that every family should realise the nature and the obligations of the family bond4 ,as water cannot rise above its source1 neither can we live at a higher level than that of the conception we form of our place and use in life4 ,let us ask the question--has this1 of regarding all education and all civil and social relations from the standpoint of the family1 any practical outcome8 ,so much so1 that perhaps there is hardly a problem of life for which it does not contain the solution4 ,for example3--,what shall we teach our children8 ,is there one subject that claims our attention more than another8 ,yes1 there is a subject or class of subjects which has an imperative moral claim upon us4 ,it is the duty of the nation to maintain relations of brotherly kindness with other nations2 therefore1 it is the duty of every family1 as an integral part of the nation1 to be able to hold brotherly speech with the families of other nations as opportunities arise2 therefore1 to acquire the speech of neighbouring nations is not only to secure an inlet of knowledge and a means of culture1 but is a duty of that higher morality 7the morality of the family7 which aims at universal brotherhood2 therefore1 every family would do well to cultivate two languages besides the mother tongue1 even in the nursery4 ,again2 a fair young ,englishwoman was staying with her mother at a ,german ,kurhaus4 ,they were the only ,english people present1 and probably forgot that the ,germans are better linguists than we4 ,the young lady sat through the long meals with her book1 hardly interrupting her reading to eat1 and addressing no more than one or two remarks to her mother1 as--8,i wonder what that mess is60 or1 8,how much longer shall we have to sit with these tiresome people80 ,had she remembered that no family can live to itself1 that she and her mother represented ,england1 were ,england for that little ,german community1 she would have imitated the courteous greetings which the ,german ladies bestowed on their neighbours4 ,but we must leave further consideration of this great subject1 and conclude with a striking passage from ,mr4 ,morley's #8,appreciation' of ,emile4 8,education slowly came to be thought of in connection with the family4 ,the improvement of ideas upon education was only one phase of the great general movement towards the restoration of the family1 which was so striking a spectacle in ,france after the middle of the century4 ,education now came to comprehend the whole system of the relations between parents and their children1 from earliest infancy to maturity4 ,the direction of such wider feeling about these relations tended strongly towards an increased closeness in them1 more intimacy1 and a more continuous suffusion of tenderness and long attachment40 ,his labours in this great cause1 8the restoration of the family10 give ,rousseau a claim upon the gratitude and respect of mankind4 ,it has proved a lasting1 solid work4 ,to this day1 family relations in ,france are more gracious1 more tender1 more close and more inclusive1 than they are with us4 ,they are more expansive too1 leading to generally benign and friendly behaviour2 and so strong and satisfying is the family bond1 that the young people find little necessity to #8fall in love4' ,the mother lays herself out for the friendship of her young daughters1 who respond with entire loyalty and devotion2 and1 ,zola notwithstanding1 ,french maidens are wonderfully pure1 simple1 and sweet1 because their affections are abundantly satisfied4 ,possibly 8the restoration of the family0 is a labour that invites us here in ,england1 each within the radius of our own hearth2 for there is little doubt that the family bond is more lax amongst us than it was two or three generations ago4 ,perhaps nowhere is family life of more idyllic loveliness than where we see it at its best in ,english homes4 ,but the wise ever find some new thing to learn4 ,though a nation1 as an individual1 must act on the lines of its own character1 and we are1 on the whole1 well content with our ,english homes1 yet we might learn something from the inclusiveness of the ,french family1 where mother-in-law and father-in-law1 aunt and cousins1 widow and spinster1 are cherished1 and a hundred small offices devised for dependants who would be in the way in an ,english home4 ,the result is that the children have a wider range for the practice of the thousand sweet attentions and self-restraints which make home life lovely4 ,no doubt the medal has its obverse2 there is probably much in ,french home life which we should shrink from2 nevertheless1 it offers object lessons which we should do well to study4 ,again1 where family life is most beauteous with us1 is not the family a little apt to become self-centred and self-sufficient1 rather than to cultivate that expansiveness towards other families which is part of the family code of our neighbours8 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,parents ,,as ,,rulers ,let us continue our consideration of the family as the nation in miniature1 with the responsibilities1 the rights1 and the requirements of the nation4 ,the parents represent the 8,government02 but1 here1 the government is ever an absolute ,monarchy1 conditioned very loosely by the law of the land1 but very closely by that law more or less of which every parent bears engraved on his conscience4 ,some attain the levels of high thinking1 and come down from the ,mount with beaming countenance and the tables of the law intact2 others fail to reach the difficult heights1 and are content with such fragments of the broken tables as they pick up below4 ,but be his knowledge of the law little or much1 no parent escapes the call to rule4 ,now1 the first thing we ask for in a ruler is1 8,is he able to rule8 ,does he know how to maintain his authority80 ,a ruler who fails to govern is like an unjust judge1 an impious priest1 an ignorant teacher1 that is1 he fails in the essential attribute of his office4 ,this is even more true in the family than in the ,state2 the king may rule by deputy2 but1 here we see the exigeant nature of the parent's functions2 he can have no deputy4 ,helpers he may have1 but the moment he makes over his functions and authority to another1 the rights of parenthood belong to that other1 and not to him4 ,who does not know of the heart-burnings that arise when ,anglo-,indian parents come home1 to find their children's affections given to others1 their duty owing to others2 and they1 the parents1 sources of pleasure like the godmother of the fairy tale1 but having no authority over their children8 ,and all this1 nobody's fault1 for the guardians at home have done their best to keep the children loyal to the parents abroad4 ,here is indicated a rock upon which the heads of families sometimes make shipwreck4 ,they regard parental authority as inherent in them1 a property which may lie dormant1 but is not to be separated from the state of parenthood4 ,they may allow their children from infancy upwards to do what is right in their own eyes2 and then1 ,lear turns and makes his plaint to the winds1 and cries-- 8,sharper than a serpent's tooth it is ,to have a thankless child60 ,but ,lear has been all the time divesting himself of the honour and authority that belong to him1 and giving his rights to the children4 ,here he tells us why2 the biting anguish is the 8thankless0 child4 ,he has been laying himself out for the thanks of his children4 ,that they should think him a fond father1 has been more to him than the duty he owes them2 and in proportion as he omits his duty are they oblivious of theirs4 ,possibly the unregulated love of approbation in devoted parents has more share in the undoing of families than any other single cause4 ,a writer of to-day represents a mother as saying-- 8,but you are not afraid of me1 ,bessie80 8,no indeed2 who could be afraid of a dear1 sweet1 soft1 little mother like you80 ,and such praise is sweet in the ears of many a fond mother hungering for the love and liking of her children1 and not perceiving that words like these in the mouth of a child are as treasonable as words of defiance4 ,authority is laid down at other shrines than that of popularity4 ,prospero describes himself as1 8all dedicate ,to study1 and the bettering of my mind40 ,and1 meantime1 the exercise of authority devolves upon ,antonio2 is it any wonder that the habit of authority fits the usurper like a glove1 and that ,prospero finds himself ousted from the office he failed to fill8 ,even so1 the busy parent1 occupied with many cares1 awakes to find the authority he has failed to wield has dropped out of his hands2 perhaps has been picked up by others less fit1 and a daughter is given over to the charge of a neighbouring family1 while father and mother hunt for rare prints4 ,in other cases1 the love of an easy life tempts parents to let things take their course2 the children are good children1 and won't go far wrong1 we are told2 and very likely it is true4 ,but however good the children be1 the parents owe it to society to make them better than they are1 and to bless the world with people1 not merely good-natured and well-disposed1 but good of set purpose and endeavour4 ,the love of ease1 the love of favour1 the claims of other work1 are only some of the causes which lead to a result disastrous to society--the abdication of parents4 ,when we come to consider the nature and uses of the parents' authority1 we shall see that such abdication is as immoral as it is mischievous4 ,meantime1 it is well worth while to notice that the causes which lead parents to resign the position of domestic rulers are resolvable into one--the office is too troublesome1 too laborious4 ,the temptation which assails parents is the same which has led many a crowned head to seek ease in the cloister-- 8,uneasy lies the head that wears a crown10 if it be the natural crown of parenthood4 ,the ,apostolic counsel of 8diligence0 in ruling throws light upon the nature and aim of authority3 it is no longer a matter of personal honour and dignity2 authority is for use and service1 and the honour that goes with it is only for the better service of those under authority4 ,the arbitrary parent1 the exacting parent1 who claims this and that of deference and duty because he is a parent1 all for his own honour and glory1 is more hopelessly in the wrong than the parent who practically abdicates2 the majesty of parenthood is hedged round with observances only because it is good for the children to 8faithfully serve1 honour1 and humbly obey0 their natural rulers4 ,only at home can children be trained in the chivalrous temper of 8proud submission and dignified obedience20 and if the parents do not inspire and foster deference1 reverence1 and loyalty1 how shall these crowning graces of character thrive in a hard and emulous world8 ,it is perhaps a little difficult to maintain an attitude of authority in these democratic days1 when even educationalists counsel that children be treated on equal terms from the very beginning2 but the children themselves come to our aid2 the sweet humility and dependence natural to them fosters the gentle dignity1 the soupon of reserve1 which is becoming in parents4 ,it is not open to parents either to lay aside or to sink under the burden of the honour laid upon them2 and1 no doubt1 we have all seen the fullest1 freest flow of confidence1 sympathy1 and love between parent and child1 where the mother sits as a queen among her children and the father is honoured as a crowned head4 ,the fact that there are two parents1 each to lend honour to the other1 yet free from restraint in each other's presence1 makes it the easier to maintain the impalpable 8state0 of parenthood4 ,and the presence of the slight1 sweet1 undefined feeling of dignity in the household is the very first condition for the bringing up of loyal1 honourable men and women1 capable of reverence and apt to win respect4 ,the foundation of parental authority lies in the fact that parents hold office as deputies2 and that1 in a twofold sense4 ,in the first place1 they are the immediate and personally appointed deputies of the ,almighty ,king1 the sole ,ruler of men2 they have not only to fulfil ,his counsels regarding the children1 but to represent ,his ,person2 his parents are as ,god to the little child1 and1 yet more constraining thought1 ,god is to him what his parents are2 he has no power to conceive a greater and lovelier personality than that of the royal heads of his own home2 he makes his first approach to the ,infinite through them2 they are his measure for the highest2 if the measure be easily within his small compass1 how shall he grow up with the reverent temper which is the condition of spiritual growth8 ,more2 parents hold their children in trust for society4 8,my own child0 can only be true in a limited sense2 the children are held as a public trust to be trained as is best for the welfare of the community2 and in this sense1 also1 the parents are persons in authority1 with the dignity of their office to support1 and are even liable to deposition4 ,the one ,state whose name has passed into a proverb1 standing for a group of virtues which we have no other word to describe1 is a ,state which practically deprived parents of the functions which they failed to fulfil to the furtherance of public virtue4 ,no doubt the ,state reserves to itself virtually the power to bring up its own children in its own way1 with the least possible co-operation of parents4 ,even to-day1 a neighbouring nation has elected to charge itself with the training of its infants4 ,so soon as they can crawl1 or sooner1 before ever they run or speak1 they are to be brought to the 8,maternal ,school10 and carefully nurtured1 as with mother's milk1 in the virtues proper for a citizen4 ,the scheme is as yet but in the experimental stage1 but will doubtless be carried through1 because the nation in question has long ago discovered--and acted consistently upon the discovery--that what you would have the man become1 that you must train the child to be4 ,perhaps such public deposition of parents is the last calamity that can befall a nation4 ,these poor little ones are to grow up in a world where the name of ,god is not to be named2 to grow up1 too1 without the training in filial duty and brotherly love and neighbourly kindness which falls to the children of all but the few unnatural parents4 ,they may be returned to their parents at certain hours or after certain years2 but once alienation has been set up1 once the strongest and sweetest tie has been loosened and the parents have been publicly delivered from their duty1 the desecration of the home is complete2 and we shall have the spectacle of a people growing up orphaned almost from their birth4 ,this is a new thing in the world's history1 for even ,lycurgus left the children to their parents for the first half-dozen years of life4 ,certain newspapers commend the example for our imitation1 but ,god forbid that we should ever lose faith in the blessedness of family life4 ,parents who hold their children as1 at the same time1 a public trust and a divine trust1 and who recognise the authority they hold as deputed authority1 not to be trifled with1 laid aside1 or abused--such parents preserve for the nation the immunities of home1 and safeguard the privileges of their order4 ,having seen that it does not rest with the parents to use1 or to forego the use of1 the authority they hold1 let us examine the limitations and the scope of this authority4 ,in the first place1 it is to be maintained and exercised solely for the advantage of the children1 whether in mind1 body1 or estate4 ,and here is room for the nice discrimination1 the delicate intuitions1 with which parents are blessed4 ,the mother1 who makes her growing-up daughter take the out-of-door exercise she needs1 is acting within her powers4 ,the father of quiet habits1 who discourages society for his young people1 is considering his own tastes1 and not their needs1 and is making unlawful use of his authority4 ,again1 the authority of parents1 though the deference it begets remain to grace the relations of parents and child1 is itself a provisional function1 and is only successful as it encourages the autonomy1 if we may call it so1 of the child4 ,a single decision made by the parents which the child is1 or should be1 capable of making for itself1 is an encroachment on the rights of the child1 and a transgression on the part of the parents4 ,once more1 the authority of parents rests on a secure foundation only as they keep well before the children that it is deputed authority2 the child who knows that he is being brought up for the service of the nation1 that his parents are acting under a ,divine commission1 will not turn out a rebellious son4 ,further1 though the emancipation of the children is gradual1 they acquiring day by day more of the art and science of self-government1 yet there comes a day when the parents' right to rule is over2 there is nothing left for the parents but to abdicate gracefully1 and leave their grown-up sons and daughters absolutely free agents1 even though these still live at home2 and although1 in the eyes of their parents1 they are not fit to be trusted with the ordering of themselves3 if they fail in such self-ordering1 whether as regards time1 occupations1 money1 friends1 most likely their parents are to blame for not having introduced them by degrees to the full liberty which is their right as men and women4 ,anyway1 it is too late now to keep them in training2 fit or unfit1 they must hold the rudder for themselves4 ,as for the employment of authority1 the highest art lies in ruling without seeming to do so4 ,the law is a terror to evil-doers1 but for the praise of them that do well2 and in the family1 as in the ,state1 the best government is that in which peace and happiness1 truth and justice1 religion and piety1 are maintained without the intervention of the law4 ,happy is the household that has few rules1 and where 8,mother does not like this10 and 8,father wishes that10 are all-constraining4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,parents ,,as ,,inspirers ,,part ,i ,m4 ,adolf ,monod claims that the child must owe to his mother a second birth--the first into the natural1 the second into the spiritual life of the intelligence and moral sense4 ,had he not been writing of women and for women1 no doubt he would have affirmed that the long travail of this second birth must be undergone equally by both parents4 ,do we ask how he arrives at this rather startling theory8 ,he observes that great men have great mothers2 mothers1 that is1 blest with an infinite capacity for taking pains with their work of bringing up children4 ,he likens this labour to a second bearing which launches the child into a higher life2 and as this higher life is a more blessed life1 he contends that every child has a right to this birth into completer being at the hands of his parents4 ,did his conclusions rest solely upon the deductive methods he pursues1 we might afford to let them pass1 and trouble ourselves very little about this second birth1 which parents may1 and ofttimes do1 withhold from their natural offspring4 ,we1 too1 could bring forward our contrary instances of good parents with bad sons1 and indifferent parents with earnest children2 and1 pat to our lips1 would come the ,cui bono8 which absolves us from endeavour4 ,be a good mother to your son because great men have good mothers1 is inspiring1 stimulating2 but is not to be received as the final word4 ,for an appeal of irresistible urgency1 we look to natural science with her inductive methods2 though we are still waiting her last word1 what she has already said is law and gospel for the believing parent4 ,the parable of ,pandora's box is true to-day2 and a woman may in her heedlessness let fly upon her offspring a thousand ills4 ,but is there not also 8a glass of blessings standing by10 into which parents may dip1 and bring forth for their children health and vigour1 justice and mercy1 truth and beauty8 8,surely10 it may be objected1 8every good and perfect gift comes from ,god above1 and the human parent sins presumptuously who thinks to bestow gifts divine40 ,now this lingering superstition has no part nor lot with true religion1 but1 on the contrary1 brings upon it the scandal of many an ill-ordered home and ill-regulated family4 ,when we perceive that ,god uses men and women1 parents above all others1 as vehicles for the transmission of ,his gifts1 and that it is in the keeping of ,his law ,he is honoured--more than in the attitude of the courtier waiting for exceptional favours--then we shall take the trouble to comprehend the law1 written not only upon tables of stone and rolls of parchment1 but upon the fleshly tablets of the living organisms of the children2 and1 understanding the law1 we shall see with thanksgiving and enlargement of heart in what natural ways ,god does indeed show mercy unto thousands of them that love ,him and keep ,his commandments4 ,but ,his commandment is exceeding broad2 becomes broader year by year with every revelation of science2 and we had need gird up the loins of our mind to keep pace with this current revelation4 ,we shall be at pains1 too1 to keep ourselves in that attitude of expectant attention wherein we shall be enabled to perceive the unity and continuity of this revelation with that of the written ,word of ,god4 ,for perhaps it is only as we are able to receive the two1 and harmonise the two in a willing and obedient heart1 that we shall enter on the heritage of glad and holy living which is the will of ,god for us4 ,let us1 for example1 consider1 in the light of current scientific thought1 the processes and the methods of this second birth1 which1 according to ,m4 ,monod1 the child claims at the hands of his parents4 8,train up a child in the way he should go1 and when he is old he will not depart from it10 is not only a pledge1 but is a statement of a result arrived at by deductive processes4 ,the writer had great opportunities for collecting data2 he had watched many children grow up1 and his experience taught him to divide them into two classes--the well-brought up1 who turned out well2 and the ill-brought up1 who turned out ill4 ,no doubt1 then1 as now1 there were startling exceptions1 and--the exception proves the rule4 ,but1 here as elsewhere1 the promises and threatenings of the ,bible will bear the searching light of inductive processes4 ,we may ask1 ,why should this be so8 and not content ourselves with a general answer1 that this is natural and right3 we may search until we discover that this result is inevitable1 and no other result conceivable 7except for alien influences71 and our obedience will be in exact proportion to our perception of the inevitableness of the law4 ,the vast sum of what we understand by heredity is not to be taken into account in the consideration of this second birth2 by the first natural birth it is1 that 8his father and mother1 his grandfather and grandmother1 are latent or declare themselves in the child2 and it is on the lines thus laid down in his nature that his development will proceed4 ,it is not by virtue of education so much as by virtue of inheritance that he is brave or timid1 generous or selfish1 prudent or reckless1 boastful or modest1 quick or placid in temper2 the ground tone of his character is original in him1 and it colours all the subsequently formed emotions and their sympathetic ideas4444 ,the influence of systematic culture upon any one is no doubt great1 but that which determines the limit1 and even in some degree the nature of the effects of culture1 that which forms the foundations upon which all the modifications of art must rest1 is the inherited nature40 ,if heredity means so much1 if1 as would seem at the first glance1 the child comes into the world with his character ready-made1 what remains for the parents to do but to enable him to work out his own salvation without let or hindrance of their making1 upon the lines of his individuality8 ,the strong naturalism1 shall we call it1 of our day1 inclines us to take this view of the objects and limitations of education2 and without doubt it is a gospel2 it is the truth2 but it is not the whole truth4 ,the child brings with him into the world1 not character1 but disposition4 ,he has tendencies which may need only to be strengthened1 or1 again1 to be diverted1 or even repressed4 ,his character--the efflorescence of the man wherein the fruit of his life is a-preparing--character is original disposition1 modified1 directed1 expanded by education1 by circumstances1 later1 by self-control and self-culture1 above all1 by the supreme agency of the ,holy ,ghost1 even where that agency is little suspected1 and as little solicited4 ,how is this great work of character-making--the single effectual labour possible to human beings--to be carried on8 ,we shall rest our inquiries on a physiological basis2 the lowest1 doubtless1 but therefore the foundation of the rest4 ,the first-floor chambers of the psychologist are pleasant places1 but who would begin to build with the first floor8 ,what would he rear it upon8 ,surely the arbitrary distinction between the grey matter of the brain and the 8mind0 7or thoughts or feelings7 which plays upon it1 even as the song upon the vocal chords of the singer1 is more truly materialistic than is the recognition of the pregnant truth that the brain is the mere organ of the spiritual part1 registering and effecting every movement of thought and feeling1 whether conscious or unconscious1 by appreciable molecular movement1 and sustaining the infinite activities of mind by corresponding enormous activity and enormous waste2 that it is the organ of mind1 which1 under present conditions1 is absolutely inseparable from1 and indispensable to1 the quickening spirit4 ,once we recognise that in the thinking of a thought there is as distinct motion set up in some tract of the brain as there is in the muscles of the hand employed in writing a sentence1 we shall see that the behaviour of the grey nerve-substance of the cerebrum should afford the one possible key to certitude and system in our attempts at education1 using the word in the most worthy sense--as its concern is the formation of character4 ,having heard ,dr4 ,maudsley on the subject of heredity1 let us hear him again on this other subject1 which practically enables us to define the possibilities of education4 8,that which has existed with any completeness in consciousness leaves behind it1 after its disappearance therefrom1 in the mind or brain1 a functional disposition to its reproduction or reappearance in consciousness at some future time4 ,of no mental act can we say that it is #8writ in water2' something remains from it1 whereby its recurrence is facilitated4 ,every impression of sense upon the brain1 every current of molecular activity from one to another part of the brain1 every cerebral action which passes into muscular movement1 leaves behind it some modification of the nerve elements concerned in its function1 some after-effect1 or1 so to speak1 memory of itself in them which renders its reproduction an easier matter1 the more easy the more often it has been repeated1 and makes it impossible to say that1 however trivial1 it shall not under some circumstances recur4 ,let the excitation take place in one of two nerve cells lying side by side1 and between which there was not any original specific difference1 there will be ever afterwards a difference between them4 ,this physiological process1 whatever be its nature1 is the physical basis of memory1 and it is the foundation of the development of all our mental functions4 8,that modification which persists1 or is retained1 in structure after functions1 has been differently described as a residuum1 or relic1 or trace1 or disposition1 or vestige2 or again as potential1 latent1 or dormant idea4 ,not only definite ideas1 but all affections of the nervous system1 feelings of pleasure and pain1 desire1 and even its outward reactions1 thus leave behind them their structural effects1 and lay the foundation of modes of thought1 feeling1 and action4 ,particular talents are sometimes formed quite1 or almost quite1 involuntarily2 and complex actions1 which were first consciously performed by dint of great application1 become automatic by repetition2 ideas which were at first consciously associated1 ultimately coalesce and call one another up without any consciousness1 as we see in the quick perception or intuition of the man of large worldly experience2 and feelings1 once active1 leave behind them their large unconscious residua1 thus affecting the generation of the character1 so that1 apart from the original or inborn nature of the individual1 contentment1 melancholy1 cowardice1 bravery1 and even moral feeling are generated as the results of particular life-experiences40 ,here we have sketched out a magnificent educational charter4 ,it is as well1 perhaps1 that we do not realise the extent of our liberties2 if we did1 it may be1 such a fervour of educational enthusiasm would seize us1 that we should behave as did those early ,christians who every day expected the coming of the ,lord4 ,how should a man have patience to buy and sell and get gain had it been revealed to him that he was able to paint the greatest picture ever painted8 ,and we1 with the enthralling vision of what our little child might become under our hands1 how should we have patience for common toils8 ,that science should have revealed the rationale of education in our day is possibly the ,divine recognition that we have become more fit for the task1 because we have come to an increasing sense of moral responsibility4 ,what would it be for an immoral people to discern fully the possibilities of education8 ,but how slow we are6 how-- 8,custom lies upon us with a weight1 ,heavy as frost1 and deep almost as life60 ,it is now more than five-and-twenty years since these words of ,dr4 ,maudsley1 and many of like force by other physiologists1 were published to the world4 ,we have purposely chosen words that have stood the test of time2 for to-day a hundred eminent scientific men1 at home and abroad1 are proclaiming the same truths4 ,every scientist believes them6 ,and we8 ,we go on after our use and wont1 as if nothing had been said2 dropping1 hour by hour1 out of careless hands1 seeds of corn and hemlock1 of bramble and rose4 ,let us run over the charter of our liberties1 as ,dr4 ,maudsley sums them up4 ,we may lay the physical basis of memory3 while the wide-eyed babe stretches his little person with aimless kickings on his rug1 he is receiving unconsciously those first impressions which form his earliest memories2 and we can order those memories for him3 we can see that the earliest sights he sees are sights of order1 neatness1 beauty2 that the sounds his ear drinks in are musical and soft1 tender and joyous2 that the baby nostrils sniff only delicate purity and sweetness4 ,these memories remain through life1 engraved on the unthinking brain4 ,as we shall see later1 memories have a certain power of accretion--where there are some others of a like kind gather1 and all the life is ordered on the lines of these first pure and tender memories4 ,we may lay the foundation of the development of all the mental functions4 ,are there children who do not wonder1 or revere1 or care for fairy tales1 or think wise child-thoughts8 ,perhaps there are not2 but if there are1 it is because the fertilising pollen grain has never been conveyed to the ovule waiting for it in the child's soul4 ,these are some of the things that--according to the citations we have given from ,dr4 ,maudsley's ,physiology of ,mind--his parents may settle for the future man1 even in his early childhood3-- ,his definite ideas upon particular subjects1 as1 for example1 his relations with other people4 ,his habits1 of neatness or disorder1 of punctuality1 of moderation4 ,his general modes of thought1 as affected by altruism or egoism4 ,his consequent modes of feeling and action4 ,his objects of thought--the small affairs of daily life1 the natural world1 the operations or the productions of the human mind1 the ways of ,god with men4 ,his distinguishing talent--music1 eloquence1 invention4 ,his disposition or tone of character1 as it shows itself in and affects his family and other close relations in life--reserved or frank1 morose or genial1 melancholy or cheerful1 cowardly or brave4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,parents ,,as ,,inspirers ,,part ,,ii 8,sow an act1 reap a habit2 sow a habit1 reap a character2 sow a character1 reap a destiny40--,,thackeray4 ,the last chapter closed with an imperfect summary of what we may call the educational functions of parents4 ,we found that it rests with the parents of the child to settle for the future man his ways of thinking1 behaving1 feeling1 acting2 his disposition1 his particular talent2 the manner of things upon which his thoughts shall run4 ,who shall fix limitations to the power of parents8 ,the destiny of the child is ruled by his parents1 because they have the virgin soil all to themselves4 ,the first sowing must be at their hands1 or at the hands of such as they choose to depute4 ,what do they sow8 ,ideas4 ,we cannot too soon recognise what is the sole educational instrument we have to work with1 and how this one instrument is to be handled4 ,but how radically wrong is all our thought upon education6 ,we cannot use the fit words because we do not think the right thing4 ,for example1 an idea is not an 8instrument10 but an agent2 is not to be 8handled10 but1 shall we say1 set in motion8 ,we have perhaps got over the educational misconception of the tabula rasa4 ,no one now looks on the child's white soul as a tablet prepared for the exercise of the educator's supreme art4 ,but the conception which has succeeded this time-honoured heresy rests on the same false bases of the august office and the infallible wisdom of the educator4 ,here it is in its cruder form3 8,pestalozzi aimed more at harmoniously developing the faculties than at making use of them for the acquirement of knowledge2 he sought to prepare the vase rather than to fill it40 ,in the hands of ,froebel the figure gains in boldness and beauty2 it is no longer a mere vase to be shaped under the potter's fingers2 but a flower1 say1 a perfect rose1 to be delicately and consciously and methodically moulded1 petal by petal1 curve and curl2 for the perfume and living glory of the flower1 why these will come2 do you your part and mould the several petals2 wait1 too1 upon sunshine and shower1 give space and place for your blossom to expand4 ,and so we go to work with a touch to 8imagination0 here1 and to 8judgment0 there2 now1 to the 8perceptive faculties10 now1 to the 8conceptive20 in this1 aiming at the moral1 and in this1 at the intellectual nature of the child2 touching into being1 petal by petal1 the flower of a perfect life under the genial influences of sunny looks and happy moods4 ,this reading of the meaning of education and of the work of the educator is very fascinating1 and it calls forth singular zeal and self-devotion on the part of those gardeners whose plants are the children4 ,perhaps1 indeed1 this of the ,kindergarten is the one vital conception of education we have had hitherto4 ,but in these days of revolutionary thought1 when all along the line--in geology and anthropology1 chemistry1 philology1 and biology--science is changing front1 it is necessary that we should reconsider our conception of ,education4 ,we are taught1 for example1 that 8heredity0 is by no means the simple and direct transmission1 from parent1 or remote ancestor1 to child of power and proclivity1 virtue and defect2 and we breathe freer1 because we had begun to suspect that if this were so1 it would mean to most of us an inheritance of exaggerated defects3 imbecility1 insanity1 congenital disease--are they utterly removed from any one of us8 ,so of education1 we begin to ask1 ,is its work so purely formative as we thought8 ,is it directly formative at all8 ,how much is there in this pleasing and easy doctrine1 that the drawing forth and strengthening and directing of the several 8faculties0 is education8 ,parents are very jealous over the individuality of their children2 they mistrust the tendency to develop all on the same plan2 and this instinctive jealousy is right2 for1 supposing that education really did consist in systematised efforts to draw out every power that is in us1 why1 we should all develop on the same lines1 be as like as 8two peas10 and 7should we not87 die of weariness of one another6 ,some of us have an uneasy sense that things are tending towards this deadly sameness4 ,but1 indeed1 the fear is groundless4 ,we may believe that the personality1 the individuality1 of each of us1 is too dear to ,god1 and too necessary to a complete humanity1 to be left at the mercy of empirics4 ,we are absolutely safe1 and the tenderest child is fortified against a battering-ram of educational forces4 ,the problem of education is more complex than it seems at first sight1 and well for us and the world that it is so4 8,education is a life20 you may stunt and starve and kill1 or you may cherish and sustain2 but the beating of the heart1 the movement of the lungs1 and the development of the faculties 7are there any 8faculties087 are only indirectly our care4 ,the poverty of our thought on the subject of education is shown by the fact that we have no word which at all implies the sustaining of a life3 education 7e1 out1 and ducere1 to lead1 to draw7 is very inadequate2 it covers no more than those occasional gymnastics of the mind which correspond with those by which the limbs are trained3 training 7trahere7 is almost synonymous1 and upon these two words rests the misconception that the development and the exercise of the 8faculties0 is the object of education 7we must needs use the word for want of a better74 ,our homely ,saxon 8bringing up0 is nearer the truth1 perhaps because of its very vagueness2 any way1 8up0 implies an aim1 and 8bringing0 an effort4 ,the happy phrase of ,mr4 ,matthew ,arnold--8,education is an atmosphere1 a discipline1 a life0--is perhaps the most complete and adequate definition of education we possess4 ,it is a great thing to have said it2 and our wiser posterity may see in that 8profound and exquisite remark0 the fruition of a lifetime of critical effort4 ,observe how it covers the question from the three conceivable points of view4 ,subjectively1 in the child1 education is a life2 objectively1 as affecting the child1 education is a discipline2 relatively1 if we may introduce a third term1 as regards the environment of the child1 education is an atmosphere4 ,we shall examine each of these postulates later2 at present we shall attempt no more than to clear the ground a little1 with a view to the subject of this paper1 8,parents as ,inspirers0--not 8modellers10 but 8inspirers40 ,it is only as we recognise our limitations that our work becomes effective3 when we see definitely what we are to do1 what we can do1 and what we cannot do1 we set to work with confidence and courage2 we have an end in view1 and we make our way intelligently towards that end1 and a way to an end is method4 ,it rests with parents not only to give their children birth into the life of intelligence and moral power1 but to sustain the higher life which they have borne4 ,now that life1 which we call education1 receives only one kind of sustenance2 it grows upon ideas4 ,you may go through years of so-called 8education0 without getting a single vital idea2 and that is why many a well-fed body carries about a feeble1 starved intelligence2 and no society for the prevention of cruelty to children cries shame on the parents4 ,only the other day we heard of a girl of fifteen who had spent two years at a school without taking part in a single lesson1 and this by the express desire of her mother1 who wished all her time and all her pains to be given to 8fancy needlework40 ,this1 no doubt1 is a survival 7not of the fittest71 but it is possible to pass even the ,universities' ,local ,examinations with credit1 without ever having experienced that vital stir which marks the inception of an idea2 and1 if we have succeeded in escaping this disturbing influence1 why we have 8finished our education0 when we leave school2 we shut up our books and our minds1 and remain pigmies in the dark forest of our own dim world of thought and feeling4 ,what is an idea8 ,a live thing of the mind1 according to the older philosophers1 from ,plato to ,bacon1 from ,bacon to ,coleridge4 ,we say of an idea that it strikes us1 impresses us1 seizes us1 takes possession of us1 rules us2 and our common speech is1 as usual1 truer to fact than the conscious thought which it expresses4 ,we do not in the least exaggerate in ascribing this sort of action and power to an idea4 ,we form an ideal--a1 so to speak1 embodied idea--and our ideal exercises the very strongest formative influence upon us4 ,why do you devote yourself to this pursuit1 that cause8 8,because twenty years ago such and such an idea struck me10 is the sort of history which might be given of every purposeful life--every life devoted to the working out of an idea4 ,now is it not marvellous that1 recognising as we do the potency of an idea1 both the word and the conception it covers enter so little into our thought of education8 ,coleridge brings the conception of an 8idea0 within the sphere of the scientific thought of to-day2 not as that thought is expressed in ,psychology--a term which he himself launched upon the world with an apology for it as an insolens verbum1#a but in that science of the correlation and interaction of mind and brain1 which is at present rather clumsily expressed in such terms as 8mental physiology0 and 8psycho-physiology40 ,in his method he gives us the following illustration of the rise and progress of an idea3-- 8,we can recall no incident of human history that impresses the imagination more deeply than the moment when ,columbus1 on an unknown ocean1 first perceived that startling fact1 the change of the magnetic needle4 ,how many such instances occur in history1 when the ideas of nature 7presented to chosen minds by a ,higher ,power than ,nature herself7 suddenly unfold1 as it were1 in prophetic succession1 systematic views destined to produce the most important revolutions in the state of man6 ,the clear spirit of ,columbus was doubtless eminently methodical4 ,he saw distinctly that great leading idea which authorised the poor pilot to become a #8promiser of kingdoms4'0 ,notice the genesis of such ideas--8presented to chosen minds by a ,higher ,power than ,nature20 notice how accurately this history of an idea fits in with what we know of the history of great inventions and discoveries1 with that of the ideas which rule our own lives2 and how well does it correspond with that key to the origin of 8practical0 ideas which we find elsewhere3-- 8,doth the plowman plow continually to 444 open and break the clods of his ground8 ,when he hath made plain the face thereof1 doth he not cast abroad the fitches1 and scatter the cummin1 and put in the wheat in rows1 and the barley in the appointed place1 and the spelt in the border thereof8 ,for his ,god doth instruct him aright1 and doth teach him4444 8,bread corn is ground2 for he will not ever be threshing it4444 ,this also cometh forth from the ,lord of hosts1 which is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom40#b ,ideas may invest as an atmosphere1 rather than strike as a weapon4 8,the idea may exist in a clear1 distinct definite form1 as that of a circle in the mind of a geometrician2 or it may be a mere instinct1 a vague appetency towards something1 444 like the impulse which fills the young poet's eyes with tears1 he knows not why40 ,to excite this 8appetency towards something0--towards things lovely1 honest1 and of good report1 is the earliest and most important ministry of the educator4 ,how shall these indefinite ideas which manifest themselves in appetency be imparted8 ,they are not to be given of set purpose1 nor taken at set times4 ,they are held in that thought-environment which surrounds the child as an atmosphere1 which he breathes as his breath of life2 and this atmosphere in which the child inspires his unconscious ideas of right living emanates from his parents4 ,every look of gentleness and tone of reverence1 every word of kindness and act of help1 passes into the thought-environment1 the very atmosphere which the child breathes2 he does not think of these things1 may never think of them1 but all his life long they excite that 8vague appetency towards something0 out of which most of his actions spring4 ,oh6 the wonderful and dreadful presence of the little child in the midst4 ,that he should take direction and inspiration from all the casual life about him1 should make our poor words and ways the starting-point from which1 and in the direction of which1 he develops--this is a thought which makes the most of us hold our breath4 ,there is no way of escape for parents2 they must needs be as 8inspirers0 to their children1 because about them hangs1 as its atmosphere about a planet1 the thought-environment of the child1 from which he derives those enduring ideas which express themselves as a life-long 8appetency0 towards things sordid or things lovely1 things earthly or divine4 ,let us now hear ,coleridge on the subject of those definite ideas which are not inhaled as air1 but conveyed as meat to the mind3--#c 8,from the first1 or initiative idea1 as from a seed1 successive ideas germinate40 8,events and images1 the lively and spirit-stirring machinery of the external world1 are like light1 and air1 and moisture to the seed of the mind1 which would else rot and perish40 8,the paths in which we may pursue a methodical course are manifold1 and at the head of each stands its peculiar and guiding idea40 8,those ideas are as regularly subordinate in dignity as the paths to which they point are various and eccentric in direction4 ,the world has suffered much1 in modern times1 from a subversion of the natural and necessary order of ,science 444 from summoning reason and faith to the bar of that limited physical experience to which1 by the true laws of method1 they owe no obedience40 8,progress follows the path of the idea from which it sets out2 requiring1 however1 a constant wakefulness of mind to keep it within the due limits of its course4 ,hence the orbits of thought1 so to speak1 must differ among themselves as the initiative ideas differ40 ,have we not here the corollary to1 and the explanation of1 that law of unconscious cerebration which results in our 8ways of thinking10 which shapes our character1 rules our destiny8 ,thoughtful minds consider that the new light which biology is throwing upon the laws of mind is bringing to the front once more the ,platonic doctrine1 that 8,an idea is a distinguishable power1 self-affirmed1 and seen in its unity with the ,eternal ,essence40 ,the whole subject is profound1 but as practical as it is profound4 ,we absolutely must disabuse our minds of the theory that the functions of education are1 in the main1 gymnastic4 ,in the early years of the child's life it makes1 perhaps1 little apparent difference whether his parents start with the notion that to educate is to fill a receptacle1 inscribe a tablet1 mould plastic matter1 or nourish a life2 but in the end we shall find that only those ideas which have fed his life are taken into the being of the child2 all the rest is thrown away1 or worse1 is like sawdust in the system1 an impediment and an injury to the vital processes4 ,this is1 perhaps1 how the educational formula should run3 ,education is a life2 that life is sustained on ideas2 ideas are of spiritual origin2 but1 8,god has made us so10 that we get them chiefly as we convey them to one another4 ,the duty of parents is to sustain a child's inner life with ideas as they sustain his body with food4 ,the child is an eclectic2 he may choose this or that2 therefore1 in the morning sow thy seed1 and in the evening withhold not thy hand1 for thou knowest not which shall prosper1 whether this or that1 or whether they both shall be alike good4 ,the child has affinities with evil as well as with good2 therefore1 hedge him about from any chance lodgment of evil suggestion4 ,the initial idea begets subsequent ideas2 therefore1 take care that children get right primary ideas on the great relations and duties of life4 ,every study1 every line of thought1 has its 8guiding idea20 therefore the study of a child makes for living education1 as it is quickened by the guiding idea 8which stands at the head40 ,in a word1 our much boasted 8infallible reason0--is it not the involuntary thought which follows the initial idea upon necessary logical lines8 ,given1 the starting idea1 and the conclusion may be predicated almost to a certainty4 ,we get into the way of thinking such and such manner of thoughts1 and of coming to such and such conclusions1 ever further and further removed from the starting-point1 but on the same lines4 ,there is structural adaptation in the brain tissue to the manner of thoughts we think--a plan and a way for them to run in4 ,thus we see how the destiny of a life is shaped in the nursery1 by the reverent naming of the ,divine ,name2 by the light scoff at holy things2 by the thought of duty the little child gets who is made to finish conscientiously his little task2 by the hardness of heart that comes to the child who hears the faults or sorrows of others spoken of lightly4 ,,footnotes3 #a 8,we beg pardon for the use of this insolens verbum1 but it is one of which our language stands in great need40--,s4 ,t4 ,,coleridge4 #b ,isaiah xxviii4 #c ,method--,s4 ,t4 ,,coleridge4 ,,chapter ,v ,,parents ,,as ,,inspirers ,,part ,,iii ,it is probable that parents as a class feel more than ever before the responsibility of their prophetic office4 ,it is as revealers of ,god to their children that parents touch their highest limitations2 perhaps it is only as they succeed in this part of their work that they fulfil the ,divine intention in giving them children to bring up--in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord4 ,how to fortify the children against the doubts of which the air is full1 is an anxious question4 ,three courses are open--to teach as we of an older generation have been taught1 and to let them bide their time and their chance2 to attempt to deal with the doubts and difficulties which have turned up1 or are likely to turn up2 or1 to give children such hold upon vital truth1 and1 at the same time1 such an outlook upon current thought1 that they shall be landed on the safe side of the controversies of their day1 open to truth1 in however new a light presented1 and safeguarded against mortal error4 ,the first course is unfair to the young3 when the attack comes1 they find themselves at a disadvantage2 they have nothing to reply2 their pride is in arms2 they jump to the conclusion that there is no defence possible of that which they have received as truth2 had there been1 would they not have been instructed to make it8 ,they resent being made out in the wrong1 being on the weaker side--so it seems to them1--being behind their times2 and they go over without a struggle to the side of the most aggressive thinkers of their day4 ,let us suppose that1 on the other hand1 they have been fortified with 8,christian ,evidences10 defended by bulwarks of sound dogmatic teaching4 ,religion without definite dogmatic teaching degenerates into sentiment1 but dogma1 as dogma1 offers no defence against the assaults of unbelief4 ,as for 8evidences10 the rle of the ,christian apologist is open to the imputation conveyed in the keen proverb1 qui s'excuse1 s'accuse2 the truth by which we live must needs be self-evidenced1 admitting of neither proof nor disproof4 ,children should be taught ,bible history with every elucidation which modern research makes possible4 ,but they should not be taught to think of the inscriptions on the ,assyrian monuments1 for example1 as proofs of the truth of the ,bible records1 but rather as illustrations1 though they are1 and cannot but be subsidiary proofs4 ,let us look at the third course2 and first1 as regards the outlook upon current thought4 ,contemporary opinion is the fetish of the young mind4 ,young people are eager to know what to think on all the serious questions of religion and life4 ,they ask what is the opinion of this and that leading thinker of their day4 ,they by no means confine themselves to such leaders of thought as their parents have elected to follow2 on the contrary1 the 8other side0 of every question is the attractive side for them1 and they do not choose to be behind the foremost in the race of thought4 ,now1 that their young people should thus take to the water need not come upon parents as a surprise4 ,the whole training from babyhood upward should be in view of this plunge4 ,when the time comes1 there is nothing to be done2 openly1 it may be1 secretly if the home rule is rigid1 the young folk think their own thoughts2 that is1 they follow the leader they have elected2 for they are truly modest and humble at heart1 and do not yet venture to think for themselves2 only they have transferred their allegiance4 ,nor is this transfer of allegiance to be resented by parents2 we all claim this kind of 8suffrage0 in our turn when we feel ourselves included in larger interests than those of the family4 ,but there is much to be done beforehand1 though nothing when the time comes4 ,the notion that any contemporary authority is infallible may be steadily undermined from infancy onwards1 though at some sacrifice of ease and glory to the parents4 8,i don't know0 must take the place of the vague wise-sounding answer1 the random shot which children's pertinacious questionings too often provoke4 ,and 8,i don't know0 should be followed by the effort to know1 the research necessary to find out4 ,even then1 the possibility of error in a 8printed book0 must occasionally be faced4 ,the results of this kind of training in the way of mental balance and repose are invaluable4 ,another safeguard is in the attitude of reservation1 shall we say8 which it may be well to preserve towards 8,science40 ,it is well that the enthusiasm of children should be kindled1 that they should see how glorious it is to devote a lifetime to patient research1 how great to find out a single secret of nature1 a key to many riddles4 ,the heroes of science should be their heroes2 the great names1 especially of those who are amongst us1 should be household words4 ,but here1 again1 nice discrimination should be exercised2 two points should be kept well to the front--the absolute silence of the oracle on all ultimate questions of origin and life1 and the fact that1 all along the line1 scientific truth comes in like the tide1 with steady advance1 but with ebb and flow of every wavelet of truth2 so much so1 that1 at the present moment1 the teaching of the last twenty years is discredited in at least half a dozen departments of science4 ,indeed1 it would seem to be the part of wisdom to wait half a century before fitting the discovery of to-day into the general scheme of things4 ,and this1 not because the latest discovery is not absolutely true1 but because we are not yet able so to adjust it--according to the 8science of the proportion of things0--that it shall be relatively true4 ,but all this is surely beyond children8 ,by no means2 every walk should quicken their enthusiasm for the things of nature1 and their reverence for the priests of that temple2 but occasion should be taken to mark the progressive advances of science1 and the fact that the teaching of to-day may be the error of to-morrow1 because new light may lead to new conclusions even from the facts already known4 8,until quite lately1 geologists thought 444 they now think 444 but they may find reason to think otherwise in the future40 ,to perceive that knowledge is progressive1 and that the next 8find0 may always alter the bearings of what went before2 that we are waiting1 and may have very long to wait1 for the last word2 that science also is 8revelation10 though we are not yet able fully to interpret what we know2 and that #8science' herself contains the promise of great impetus to the spiritual life--to perceive these things is to be able to rejoice in all truth and to wait for final certainty4 ,in another way we may endeavour to secure for the children that stability of mind which comes of self-knowledge4 ,it is well that they should know so early1 that they will seem to themselves always to have known1 some of the laws of thought which govern their own minds4 ,let them know that1 once an idea takes possession of them1 it will pursue1 so to speak1 its own course1 will establish its own place in the very substance of the brain1 will draw its own train of ideas after it4 ,one of the most fertile sources of youthful infidelity is the fact that thoughtful boys and girls are infinitely surprised when they come to notice the course of their own thoughts4 ,they read a book or listen to talk with a tendency to what is to them 8free-thought40 ,and then1 the 8fearful joy0 of finding that their own thoughts begin with the thought they have heard1 and go on and on to new and startling conclusions on the same lines6 ,the mental stir of all this gives a delightful sense of power1 and a sense of inevitableness and certainty too2 for they do not intend or try to think this or that4 ,it comes of itself2 their reason1 they believe1 is acting independently of them1 and how can they help assuming that what comes to them of itself1 with an air of absolute certainty1 must of necessity be right8 ,but what if from childhood they had been warned1 8,take care of your thoughts1 and the rest will take care of itself2 let a thought in1 and it will stay2 will come again to-morrow and the next day1 will make a place for itself in your brain1 and will bring many other thoughts like itself4 ,your business is to look at the thoughts as they come1 to keep out the wrong thoughts1 and let in the right4 ,see that ye enter not into temptation40 ,this sort of teaching is not so hard to understand as the rules for the ,english nominative1 and is of infinitively more profit in the conduct of life4 ,it is a great safeguard to know that your 8reason0 is capable of proving any theory you allow yourself to entertain4 ,we have touched here only on the negative side of the parent's work as prophet1 inspirer4 ,there are perhaps few parents to whom the innocence of the babe in its mother's arms does not appeal with pathetic force4 8,open me the gates of righteousness1 that ,i may go in unto them10 is the voice of the little unworldly child2 and a wish1 anyway1 that he may be kept unspotted from the world is breathed in every kiss of his mother1 in the light of his father's eyes4 ,but how ready we are to conclude that children cannot be expected to understand spiritual things4 ,our own grasp of the things of the ,spirit is all too lax1 and how can we expect that the child's feeble intelligence can apprehend the highest mysteries of our being8 ,but here we are altogether wrong4 ,it is with the advance of years that a materialistic temper settles upon us4 ,but the children live in the light of the morning-land4 ,the spirit-world has no mysteries for them2 that parable and travesty of the spirit-world1 the fairy-world1 where all things are possible1 is it not their favourite dwelling-place8 ,and fairy tales are so dear to children because their spirits fret against the hard and narrow limitations of time and place and substance2 they cannot breathe freely in a material world4 ,think what the vision of ,god should be to the little child already peering wistfully through the bars of his prison-house4 ,not a far-off ,god1 a cold abstraction1 but a warm1 breathing1 spiritual ,presence about his path and about his bed--a ,presence in which he recognises protection and tenderness in darkness and danger1 towards which he rushes as the timid child to hide his face in his mother's skirts4 ,a friend tells me the following story of her girlhood4 ,it so happened that extra lessons detained her at school until dark every day during the winter4 ,she was extremely timid1 but1 with the unconscious reserve of youth1 never thought of mentioning her fear of 8something40 ,her way home lay by a river-side1 a solitary path under trees--big trees1 with masses of shadow4 ,the black shadows1 in which 8something0 might lie hid--the swsh-sh1 swsh-sh of the river1 which might be whisperings or the rustle of garments--filled her night by night with unabated terror4 ,she fled along that river-side path with beating heart2 but1 quick as flying steps and beating heart1 these words beat in her brain1 over1 and over1 and over1 the whole length of the way1 evening by evening1 winter after winter3 8,thou art my hiding-place2 ,thou shalt preserve me from trouble2 ,thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance40 ,years after1 when the woman might be supposed to have outgrown girlish terrors1 she found herself again walking alone in the early darkness of a winter's evening under trees by the swsh-sh of another river4 ,the old terror returned1 and with it the old words came to her1 and kept time the whole length of the way with her hasty steps4 ,such a place to hide him in should be the thought of ,god to every child4 ,their keen sensitiveness to spiritual influences is not due to ignorance on the part of the children4 ,it is we1 not they1 who are in error4 ,the whole tendency of modern biological thought is to confirm the teaching of the ,bible3 the ideas which quicken come from above2 the mind of the little child is an open field1 surely 8good ground10 where1 morning by morning1 the sower goes forth to sow1 and the seed is the ,word4 ,all our teaching of children should be given reverently1 with the humble sense that we are invited in this matter to co-operate with the ,holy ,spirit2 but it should be given dutifully and diligently1 with the awful sense that our co-operation would appear to be made a condition of the ,divine action2 that the ,saviour of the world pleads with us to 8,suffer the little children to come unto ,me10 as if we had the power to hinder1 as we know that we have4 ,this thought of the ,saviour of the world implies another conception which we sometimes leave out of sight in dealing with children4 ,young faces are not always sunny and lovely2 even the brightest children in the happiest circumstances have their clouded hours4 ,we rightly put the cloud down to some little disorder1 or to the weather1 but these are the secondary causes which reveal a deep-seated discontent4 ,children have a sense of sin acute in proportion to their sensitiveness4 ,we are in danger of trusting too much to a rose-water treatment2 we do not take children seriously enough2 brought face to face with a child1 we find he is a very real person1 but in our educational theories we take him as 8something between a wax doll and an angel40 ,he sins2 he is guilty of greediness1 falsehood1 malice1 cruelty1 a hundred faults that would be hateful in a grown-up person2 we say he will know better by-and-by4 ,he will never know better2 he is keenly aware of his own odiousness4 ,how many of us would say about our childhood1 if we told the whole truth1 8,oh1 ,i was an odious little thing60 and that1 not because we recollect our faults1 but because we recollect our childish estimate of ourselves4 ,many a bright and merry child is odious in his own eyes2 and the 8peace1 peace1 where there is no peace10 of fond parents and friends is little comfort4 ,it is well that we 8ask for the old paths1 where is the good way20 it is not well that1 in the name of the old paths1 we lead our children into blind alleys1 nor that we let them follow the new into bewildering mazes4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,parents ,,as ,,inspirers ,,part ,,iv 8,one of the little boys gazing upon the terrible desolation of the scene1 so unlike in its savage and inhuman aspects anything he had ever seen at home1 nestled close to his mother1 and asked with bated breath1 #8,mither1 is there a ,god here8'0--,,john ,,burroughs4 ,the last chapter introduced the thought of parents in their highest function--as revealers of ,god to their children4 ,to bring the human race1 family by family1 child by child1 out of the savage and inhuman desolation where ,he is not1 into the light and warmth and comfort of the presence of ,god1 is1 no doubt1 the chief thing we have to do in the world4 ,and this individual work with each child1 being the most momentous work in the world1 is put into the hands of the wisest1 most loving1 disciplined1 and divinely instructed of human beings4 ,be ye perfect as your ,father is perfect1 is the perfection of parenthood1 perhaps to be attained only in its fulness through parenthood4 ,there are mistaken parents1 ignorant parents1 a few indifferent parents1 even1 as one in a thousand1 callous parents2 but the good that is done upon the earth is done1 under ,god1 by parents1 whether directly or indirectly4 ,parents1 who recognise that their great work is to be done by the instrumentality of the ideas they are able to introduce into the minds of their children1 will take anxious thought as to those ideas of ,god which are most fitting for children1 and as to how those ideas may best be conveyed4 ,let us consider an idea which is just now causing some stir in people's thoughts4 8,we read some of the ,old ,testament history as #8history of the ,jews1' and ,job and ,isaiah and the ,psalms as poetry--and ,i am glad to say he is very fond of them2 and parts of the ,gospels in ,greek1 as the life and character of a hero4 ,it is the greatest mistake to impose them upon children as authoritative and divine all at once4 ,it at once diminishes their interest3 we ought to work slowly up through the human side40#d ,here is a theory which commends itself to many persons because it is 8so reasonable40 ,but it goes upon the assumption that we are ruled by ,reason1 an infallible entity1 which is certain1 give it fair play1 to bring us to just conclusions4 ,now the exercise of that function of the mind which we call reasoning--we must decline to speak of 8the ,reason0--does indeed bring us to inevitable conclusions2 the process is definite1 the result convincing2 but whether that result be right or wrong depends altogether upon the initial idea which1 when we wish to discredit it1 we call a prejudice2 when we wish to exalt1 we call an intuition1 even an inspiration4 ,it would be idle to illustrate this position2 the whole history of ,error is the history of the logical outcome of what we happily call misconceptions4 ,the history of ,persecution is the tale of how the inevitable conclusions arrived at by reasoning pass themselves off for truth4 ,the ,event of ,calvary was due to no hasty mad outburst of popular feeling4 ,it was a triumph of reasoning3 the inevitable issue of more than one logical sequence2 the ,crucifixion was not criminal1 but altogether laudable1 if that is right which is reasonable4 ,and this is why the hearts of religious ,jews were hardened and their understanding darkened2 they were truly doing what was right in their own eyes4 ,it is a marvellous thing to perceive the thoughts within us driving us forward to an inevitable conclusion1 even against our will4 ,how can that conclusion which presents itself to us in spite of ourselves fail to be right8 ,let us place ourselves for one instant in the position of the logical and conscientious ,jew4 8#8,jehovah' is a name of awe1 unapproachable in thought or act except in ways ,himself has specified4 ,to attempt unlawful approach is to blaspheme4 ,as ,jehovah is infinitely great1 presumptuous offence is infinitely heinous1 is criminal1 is the last crime as committed against ,him who is the ,first4 ,the blasphemer is worthy of death4 ,this man makes himself equal with ,god1 the unapproachable4 ,he is a blasphemer1 arrogant as ,beelzebub4 ,he is doubly worthy of death4 ,to the people of the ,jews is committed in trust the honoured ,name2 upon them it is incumbent to exterminate the blasphemer4 ,the man must die40 ,here is the secret of the virulent hatred which dogged the steps of the blameless ,life4 ,these men were following the dictates of reason1 and knew1 so they would say1 that they were doing right4 ,here we have the invincible ignorance which the ,light of the world failed to illumine2 and ,he1 8,who knows us as we are1 ,yet loves us better than ,he knows10 offers for them the true plea1 8,they know not what they do40 ,the steps of the argument are incontrovertible2 the error lies in the initial idea1--such conception of ,jehovah as made the conception of ,christ inadmissible1 impossible4 ,thus reasoned the ,jew upon whom his religion had the first claim4 ,the patriotic ,jew1 to whom religion itself was subservient to the hopes of his nation1 arrived by quite another chain of spontaneous arguments at the same inevitable conclusion3--8,the ,jews are the chosen people4 ,the first duty of a ,jew is towards his nation4 ,these are critical times4 ,a great hope is before us1 but we are in the grip of the ,romans2 they may crush out the national life before our hope is realised4 ,nothing must be done to alarm their suspicions4 ,this ,man8 ,by all accounts ,he is harmless1 perhaps righteous4 ,but ,he stirs up the people4 ,it is rumoured that they call ,him ,king of the ,jews4 ,he must not be permitted to ruin the hopes of the nation4 ,he must die4 ,it is expedient that one man die for the people1 and that the whole nation perish not40 ,thus the consummate crime that has been done upon the earth was done probably without any consciousness of criminality2 on the contrary1 with the acquittal of that spurious moral sense which supports with its approval all reasonable action4 ,the ,crucifixion was the logical and necessary outcome of ideas imbibed from their cradles by the persecuting ,jews4 ,so of every persecution2 none is born of the occasion and the hour1 but comes out of the habit of thought of a lifetime4 ,it is the primal impulse to these habits of thought which children must owe to their parents2 and1 as a man's thought and action ,godward is-- 8,the very pulse of the machine10 the introduction of such primal ideas as shall impel the soul to ,god is the first duty and the highest privilege of parents4 ,whatever sin of unbelief a man is guilty of1 are his parents wholly without blame8 ,let us consider what is commonly done in the nursery in this respect4 ,no sooner can the little being lisp than he is taught to kneel up in his mother's lap1 and say 8,god bless 4440 and then follows a list of the near and dear1 and 8,god bless 444 and make him a good boy1 for ,jesus' sake4 ,amen40 ,it is very touching and beautiful4 ,i once peeped in at an open cottage door in a moorland village1 and saw a little child in its nightgown kneeling in its mother's lap and saying its evening prayer4 ,the spot has ever since remained to me a sort of shrine4 ,there is no sight more touching and tender4 ,by-and-by1 so soon as he can speak the words1 8,gentle ,jesus1 meek and mild10 is added to the little one's prayer1 and later1 8,our ,father40 ,nothing could be more suitable and more beautiful than these morning and evening approaches to ,god1 the little children brought to ,him by their mothers4 ,and most of us can 8think back0 to the hallowing influence of these early prayers4 ,but might not more be done8 ,how many times a day does a mother lift up her heart to ,god as she goes in and out amongst her children1 and they never know6 8,to-day ,i talked to them0 7a boy and girl of four and five7 8about ,rebekah at the well4 ,they were very much interested1 especially about ,eliezer praying in his heart and the answer coming at once4 ,they said1 #8,how did he pray8' ,i said1 #8,i often pray in my heart when you know nothing about it4 ,sometimes you begin to show a naughty spirit1 and ,i pray for you in my heart1 and almost directly ,i find the good ,spirit comes1 and your faces show my prayer is answered4' ,o4 stroked my hand and said1 #8,dear mother1 ,i shall think of that6' ,boy looked thoughtful1 but didn't speak2 but when they were in bed ,i knelt down to pray for them before leaving them1 and when ,i got up1 ,boy said1 #8,mother1 ,god filled my heart with goodness while you prayed for us2 and1 mother1 ,i will try to-morrow4'0 ,is it possible that the mother could1 when alone with her children1 occasionally hold this communing out loud1 so that the children might grow up in the sense of the presence of ,god8 ,it would probably be difficult for many mothers to break down the barrier of spiritual reserve in the presence of even their own children4 ,but could it be done1 would it not lead to glad and natural living in the recognised presence of ,god8 ,a mother who remembered a little penny scent-bottle as an early joy of her own1 took three such small bottles home to her three little girls4 ,they got them next morning at the family breakfast and enjoyed them all through the meal4 ,before it ended the mother was called away1 and little ,m4 was sitting rather solitary with her scent-bottle and the remains of her breakfast4 ,and out of the pure well of the little girl's heart came this1 intended for nobody's ear1 8,dear mother1 you are too good60 ,think of the joy of the mother who should overhear her little child murmuring over the first primrose of the year1 8,dear ,god1 you are too good60 ,children are so imitative1 that if they hear their parents speak out continually their joys and fears1 their thanks and wishes1 they too will have many things to say4 ,another point in this connection3 the little ,german child hears and speaks many times a day of der liebe ,gott2 to be sure he addresses ,him as 8,du10 but du is part of his everyday speech2 the circle of the very dear and intimate is hedged in by the magic du4 ,so with the little ,french child1 whose thought and word are ever of le bon ,dieu2 he also says ,tu1 but that is how he speaks to those most endeared to him4 ,but the little ,english child is thrust out in the cold by an archaic mode of address1 reverent in the ears of us older people1 but forbidding1 we may be sure1 to the child4 ,then1 for the ,lord's ,prayer1 what a boon would be a truly reverent translation of it into the ,english of to-day4 ,to us1 who have learned to spell it out1 the present form is dear1 almost sacred2 but we must not forget that it is after all only a translation2 and is1 perhaps1 the most archaic piece of ,english in modern use3 8which art10#e commonly rendered 8chart10 means nothing for a child4 8,hallowed0 is the speech of a strange tongue to him--not much more to us2 8trespasses0 is a semi-legal term1 never likely to come into his everyday talk1 and no explanations will make 8,thy0 have the same force for him as 8your40 ,to make a child utter his prayers in a strange speech is to put up a barrier between him and his 8,almighty ,lover40 ,again1 might we not venture to teach our children to say 8dear ,god08 ,a parent1 surely1 can believe that no austerely reverential style can be so sweet in the ,divine ,father's ears as the appeal to 8dear ,god0 for sympathy in joy and help in trouble1 which flows naturally from the little child who is 8used to ,god40 ,let children grow up aware of the constant1 immediate1 joy-giving1 joy-taking ,presence in the midst of them1 and you may laugh at all assaults of 8infidelity10 which is foolishness to him who knows his ,god as--only far better than--he knows father or mother1 wife or child4 ,let them grow up1 too1 with the shout of a ,king in their midst4 ,there are1 in this poor stuff we call human nature1 founts of loyalty1 worship1 passionate devotion1 glad service1 which have1 alas6 to be unsealed in the earth-laden older heart1 but only ask place to flow from the child's4 ,there is no safeguard and no joy like that of being under orders1 being possessed1 controlled1 continually in the service of ,one whom it is gladness to obey4 ,we lose sight of the fact in our modern civilisation1 but a king1 a leader1 implies warfare1 a foe1 victory--possible defeat and disgrace4 ,and this is the conception of life which cannot too soon be brought before children4 8,after thinking the matter over with some care1 ,i resolved that ,i cannot do better than give you my view of what it was that the average boy carried away from our ,rugby of half-a-century ago which stood him in the best stead--was of the highest value to him--in after life4444 ,i have been in some doubt as to what to put first1 and am by no means sure that the few who are left of my old schoolfellows would agree with me2 but1 speaking for myself1 ,i think this was our most marked characteristic1 the feeling that in school and close we were in training for a big fight--were1 in fact1 already engaged in it--a fight which would last all our lives1 and try all our powers1 physical1 intellectual1 and moral1 to the utmost4 ,i need not say that this fight was the world-old one of good with evil1 of light and truth against darkness and sin1 of ,christ against the devil40 ,so said the author of 8,tom ,brown0 in an address to ,rugby ,school delivered on a recent ,quinquagesima ,sunday4 ,this is plain speaking2 education is only worthy of the name as it teaches this lesson2 and it is a lesson which should be learnt in the home or ever the child sets foot in any other school of life4 ,it is an insult to children to say they are too young to understand this for which we are sent into the world4 ,a boy of five1 a great-grandson of ,dr4 ,arnold1 was sitting at the piano with his mother1 choosing his ,sunday hymn2 he chose 8,thy will be done10 and1 as his special favourite1 the verse beginning1 8,renew my will from day to day40 ,the choice of hymn and verse rather puzzled his mother1 who had a further glimpse into the world of child-thought when the little fellow said wistfully1 8,oh1 dear1 it's very hard to do ,god's work60 ,the difference between doing and bearing was not plain to him1 but the battle and struggle and strain of life already pressed on the spirit of the 8careless1 happy child40 ,that an evil spiritual personality can get at their thoughts1 and incite them to 8be naughty10 children learn all too soon1 and understand1 perhaps1 better than we do4 ,then1 they are cross1 8naughty10 separate1 sinful1 needing to be healed as truly as the hoary sinner1 and much more aware of their need1 because the tender soul of the child1 like an infant's skin1 is fretted by spiritual soreness4 8,it's very kind of ,god to forgive me so often2 ,i've been naughty so many times to-day10 said a sad little sinner of six1 not at all because any one else had been at the pains to convince her of naughtiness4 ,even 8,pet ,marjorie's0 buoyancy is not proof against this sad sense of shortcoming3-- 8,yesterday ,i behaved extremely ill in ,god's most holy church1 for ,i would never attend myself nor let ,isabella attend1 444 and it was the very same ,devil that tempted ,job that tempted me1 ,i am sure2 but he resisted ,satan1 though he had boils and many other misfortunes which ,i have escaped40--7,at six67 ,we must needs smile at the little 8crimes10 but we must not smile too much1 and let children be depressed with much 8naughtiness0 when they should live in the instant healing1 in the dear ,name1 of the ,saviour of the world4 ,,footnotes3 #d 8,memoirs of ,arthur ,hamilton40 ,messrs4 ,kegan ,paul ,co4 #e ,catholics say 8who art40 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,parent ,,as ,,schoolmaster 8,the schoolmaster will make him sit up60 8,sit up10 that is1 8come when he's called10 apparently1 for the remark concerned a young person who went on spinning his top with nonchalance1 ignoring an intermittent stream of objurgations from his mother1 whose view was that bedtime had arrived4 ,circumstances alter cases1 but is it unheard of in higher ranks of life to trust to the schoolmaster to make a child 8sit up10 after a good deal of mental and moral sprawling about at home8 8,oh1 he's a little fellow yet2 he will know better by-and-by40 8,my view is1 let children have a delightful childhood4 ,time enough for restraint and contradiction when they go to school40 8,we do not hold with punishing children2 love your children1 and let them alone1 is our principle40 8,they will meet with hardness enough in the world4 ,childhood shall have no harsh memories for them40 8,school will break them in4 ,let them grow like young colts till the time comes to break them4 ,all young things should be free to kick about40 8,what's bred in the bone must come out in the flesh4 ,i do not care much for all this clipping and shaping of children4 ,destroys individuality40 8,when he's older1 he will know better4 ,time cures many faults40 ,and so on2 we might fill pages with the wise things people say1 who1 for one excellent reason or another1 prefer to leave it to the schoolmaster to make a child 8sit up40 ,and does the schoolmaster live up to his reputation8 how far does he succeed with the child who comes to him with no self-management8 ,his real and proud successes are with the children who have been trained to 8sit up0 at home4 ,his pleasure in such children is unbounded2 the pains he takes with them unlimited2 the successful careers he is able to launch them upon exceed the ambition of those most wildly ambitious of human beings 7dare we say it87--parents1 quiet1 sensible1 matter-of-fact parents4 ,but the schoolmaster takes little credit to himself for these happy results4 ,schoolmasters and schoolmistresses are modest people1 though they are not always credited with their virtues4 8,you can do anything with ,so-and-so2 his parents have turned him out so well40 ,observe1 the master takes little credit to himself 7by no means so much as he deserves72 and why8 ,experience makes fools wise2 and what then of those who add experience to wisdom8 8,people send us their cubs to lick into shape1 and what can we do80 ,now the answer to this query concerns parents rather closely3 what and how much can the schoolmaster do to make the boy 8sit up0 who has not been to the manner bred8 ,no suasion will make you 8sit up0 if you are an oyster2 no1 nor even if you are a cod4 ,you must have a backbone1 and your backbone must have learned its work before sitting up is possible to you4 ,no doubt the human oyster may grow a backbone1 and the human cod may get into the way of sitting up1 and some day1 perhaps1 we shall know of the heroic endeavours made by schoolmaster and mistress to prop up1 and haul up1 and draw up1 and anyhow keep alert and sitting up1 creatures whose way it is to sprawl4 ,sometimes the result is surprising2 they sit up in a row with the rest and look all right2 even when the props are removed they keep to the trick of sitting up for awhile4 ,the schoolmaster begins to rub his hands1 and the parents say1 8,i told you so4 ,didn't ,i always say ,jack would come right in the end80 ,wait a bit4 ,the end is not yet4 ,the habits of school1 as of military life1 are more or less mechanical4 ,the early habits are vital2 reversion to these takes place1 and ,jack sprawls as a man just as he sprawled as a child1 only more so4 ,various social props keep him up2 he has the wit to seem to 8sit up02 he is lovable and his life is respectable2 and no one suspects that this easy-going ,mr4 ,john ,brown is a failure2 a man who had the elements of greatness in him1 and might have been of use in the world had he been put under discipline from his infancy4 ,sprawling is an ugly word1 but the attitude we are thinking of is by no means always inelegant4 ,scott gives a delightful illustration of one kind of mental sprawling in 8,waverley03-- 8,edward ,waverley's powers of apprehension were so quick as almost to resemble intuition1 and the chief care of his preceptor was to prevent him1 as a sportsman would phrase it1 from overrunning his game2 that is1 from acquiring his knowledge in a slight1 flimsy1 and inadequate manner4 ,and here the instructor had to combat another propensity too often united with brilliancy of fancy and vivacity of talent--the indolence1 namely1 which can only be stirred by some strong motive of gratification1 and which renounces study as soon as curiosity is gratified1 the pleasure of conquering the first difficulties exhausted1 and the novelty of pursuit at an end40 ,and the story goes on to show1 without laborious pointing of the moral1 how ,waverley by name was wavering by nature1 was ever the sport of circumstances because he had not learned in youth to direct his course4 ,he blunders into many 7most interesting7 misadventures because he had failed to get1 through his studies1 the alertness of mind and the self-restraint which should make a man of him4 ,many pleasant things befall him1 but not one of them1 unless we except ,rose ,bradwardine's love--and when did woman study justice in the bestowal of her favours8--not one did he earn by his own wit or prowess2 each advantage and success which came to him was the earnings of another man4 ,the elder ,waverley had not only fortune but force of character to make friends1 so we are not made sad for the amiable young man for whom we must needs feel affection2 he does nothing to carve out a way for himself1 and he does everything to his own hindrance out of pure want of the power of self-direction1 but his uncle has fortune and friends1 and all ends well4 ,for the sake1 no doubt1 of young persons less happily situated1 and of parents who are not able to play the part of bountiful ,providence to sons and daughters whom they have failed to fit for the conduct of their own lives1 the great novelist takes care to point out that ,edward ,waverley's personal failure in life was the fault of his education4 ,his abilities were even brilliant1 but 8,i ought0 had waited upon 8,i like0 from his earliest days1 and he had never learned to make himself do the thing he would4 ,now it is this sort of 8bringing under0 that parents are apt to leave to the schoolmaster4 ,they do not give their children the discipline which results in self-compelling power1 and by-and-by1 when they make over the task to another1 the time for training in the art of self-mastery has gone by1 and a fine character is spoiled through indolence and wilfulness4 ,but why will it not do to leave it to the schoolmaster to make a child 8sit up08 ,it is natural for a child to be left free as a bird in matters of no moral significance4 ,we would not let him tell lies1 but if he hate his lessons1 that may be ,nature's way of showing he had better let them alone4 ,we must face the facts4 ,we are not meant to grow up in a state of nature4 ,there is something simple1 conclusive1 even idyllic1 in the statement that so-and-so is 8natural40 ,what more would you have8 ,jean ,jacques ,rousseau preached the doctrine of natural education1 and no reformer has had a greater following4 8,it's human nature10 we say1 when stormy ,harry snatches his drum from ,jack2 when baby ,marjorie1 who is not two1 screams for ,susie's doll4 ,so it is1 and for that very reason it must be dealt with early4 ,even ,marjorie must be taught better4 8,i always finish teaching my children obedience before they are one year old10 said a wise mother2 and any who know the nature of children1 and the possibilities open to the educator1 will say1 ,why not8 ,obedience in the first year1 and all the virtues of the good life as the years go on2 every year with its own definite work to show in the training of character4 ,is ,edward a selfish child when his fifth birthday comes8 ,the fact is noted in his parents' year-book1 with the resolve that by his sixth birthday he shall1 please ,god1 be a generous child4 ,here1 the reader who has not realised that to exercise discipline is one of the chief functions of parenthood1 smiles and talks about 8human nature0 with all the air of an unanswerable argument4 ,but we live in a redeemed world1 and one of the meanings which that unfathomable phrase bears is1 that it is the duty of those who have the care of childhood to eradicate each vulgar and hateful trait1 to plant and foster the precious fruits of that kingdom in the children who have been delivered from the kingdom of nature into the kingdom of grace2 that is to say1 all children born into this redeemed world4 ,the parent who believes that the possibilities of virtuous training are unlimited will set to work with cheerful confidence1 will forego the twaddle about 8,nature10 whether as lovely in itself or as an irresistible force1 and will perceive that the first function of the parent is that function of discipline which is so cheerfully made over to the schoolmaster4 ,now1 to begin with1 discipline does not mean a birch-rod1 nor a corner1 nor a slipper1 nor bed1 nor any such last resort of the feeble4 ,the sooner we cease to believe in merely penal suffering as part of the ,divine plan1 the sooner will a spasmodic resort to the birch-rod die out in families4 ,we do not say the rod is never useful2 we do say it should never be necessary4 ,the fact is1 many of us do not believe in education1 except as it means the acquirement of a certain amount of knowledge2 but education which shall deal curatively and methodically with every flaw in character does not enter into our scheme of things possible4 ,now1 no less than this is what we mean when we say1 ,education is a ,discipline4 ,where parents fail1 the poor soul has one further chance in the discipline of life2 but we must remember that1 while it is the nature of the child to submit to discipline1 it is the nature of the undisciplined man to run his head in passionate wilfulness against the circumstances that are for his training2 so that the parent who wilfully chooses to leave his child to be 8broken in0 by the schoolmaster or by life leaves him to a fight in which all the odds are against him4 ,the physique1 the temper1 the disposition1 the career1 the affections1 the aspirations of a man are all1 more or less1 the outcome of the discipline his parents have brought him under1 or of the lawlessness they have allowed4 ,what is discipline8 ,look at the word2 there is no hint of punishment in it4 ,a disciple is a follower1 and discipline is the state of the follower1 the learner1 imitator4 ,mothers and fathers do not well to forget that their children are1 by the very order of ,nature1 their disciples4 ,now no man sets himself up for a following of disciples who does not wish to indoctrinate these with certain principles1 maxims1 rules of life4 ,so should the parent have at heart notions of life and duty which he labours without pause to instil into his children4 ,he who would draw disciples does not trust to force1 but to these three things--to the attraction of his doctrine1 to the persuasion of his presentation1 to the enthusiasm of his disciples2 so the parent has teachings of the perfect life which he knows how to present continually with winning force until the children are quickened with such zeal for virtue and holiness as carries them forward with leaps and bounds4 ,again1 the teacher does not indoctrinate his pupils all at once1 but here a little and there a little1 steady progress on a careful plan2 so the parent who would have his child a partaker of the ,divine nature has a scheme1 an ascending scale of virtues1 in which he is diligent to practise his young disciple4 ,he adds to the faith with which the child is so richly dowered virtue1 and to virtue1 knowledge1 and to knowledge1 self-control4 ,having practised his child in self-control1 he trains him in patience1 and to patience he adds godliness1 and to godliness1 kindness1 and to kindness1 love4 ,these1 and such as these1 wise parents cultivate as systematically and with as definite results as if they were teaching the 8three ,r's40 ,but how8 ,the answer covers so wide a field that we must leave it for another chapter4 ,only this here--every quality has its defect1 every defect has its quality4 ,examine your child2 he has qualities1 he is generous2 see to it that the lovable little fellow1 who would give away his soul1 is not also rash1 impetuous1 self-willed1 passionate1 8nobody's enemy but his own40 ,it rests with parents to make low the high places and exalt the valleys1 to make straight paths for the feet of their little son4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,the ,,culture ,,of ,,character ,,part ,i 8,what get ,i from my father8 ,lusty life and vigorous will2 ,what from my gentle mother8 ,cheerful days and poet's skill10#f says ,goethe2 for poets1 like the rest of us1 are born1 not made1 and get the most of what they are from their parents4 ,but it did not take poet or modern scientist to discover this2 people have known it time out of mind4 ,like father1 like child1 they said1 and were satisfied2 for it was not the way in earlier days to thresh out the great facts of life4 ,not so now2 we talk about it and about it2 call it heredity1 and take it into count in our notions1 at any rate1 if not in our practice4 ,nobody writes a biography now without attempting to produce progenitors and early surroundings that shall account for his man or his woman4 ,this fact of heredity is very much before the public1 and by-and-by will have its bearing on the loose notions people hold about education4 ,in this sort of way--8,harold is a bright little boy1 but he hasn't the least power of attention40 8,oh1 ,i know he hasn't2 but then1 poor child1 he can't help it6 #8,what's bred in the bone1' you know2 and we are feather-brained on both sides of the house40 ,now the practical educational question of our day is just this1 ,can he help it8 or1 ,can his parents help it8 or1 ,must the child sit down for life with whatever twist he has inherited8 ,the fact is1 many of us1 professional teachers1 have been taking aim rather beside the mark2 we talk as if the development of certain faculties were the chief object of education2 and we point to our results1 intellectual1 moral1 sthetic1 physical1 with a--8,see there1 what culture can effect60 ,but we forget that the child has inborn cravings after all we have given him4 ,just as the healthy child must have his dinner and his bed1 so too does he crave for knowledge1 perfection1 beauty1 power1 society2 and all he wants is opportunity4 ,give him opportunities of loving and learning1 and he will love and learn1 for 8'tis his nature to40 ,whoever has taken note of the sweet reasonableness1 the quick intelligence1 the bright imaginings of a child1 will think the fuss we make about the right studies for developing these is like asking1 ,how shall we get a hungry man to eat his dinner8 ,many a man got his turn for natural science because1 as a boy1 he lived in the country1 and had a chance to observe living things and their ways4 ,nobody took pains to develop his faculty2 all he had was opportunity4 ,if the boy's mind is crammed with other matters1 he has no opportunity1 and you may meet men of culture who have lived most of their lives in the country1 and don't know a thrush from a blackbird4 ,i know of a woman who has developed both a metaphysical and a literary turn1 because1 as a girl of ten1 she was allowed to browse on old volumes of the ,spectator1 the most telling part of her education1 she thinks4 ,again1 ,i watched quite lately an extraordinary educational result of opportunity4 ,a friend1 interested in a ,working ,boys' ,club1 undertook to teach a class to model in clay4 ,there was no selection made2 the boys were mill-boys1 taken as they came in1 with no qualifications1 except that1 as their teacher said1 they had not been spoilt--that is1 they had not been taught to draw in the ordinary way4 ,she gave them clay1 a model1 one or two modelling tools1 and also1 being an artist1 the feeling of the object to be copied4 ,after half-a-dozen lessons1 the things they produced cannot be called less than works of art2 and delightful it was to see the vigour and spirit they worked with1 the artistic instinct which caught the sentiment of the object1 as the creases made by a little foot which make a child's shoe a thing to kiss4 ,this lady maintains that she only let out what was in the boys2 but she did more1 her own art enthusiasm forced out artistic effort4 ,even taking into account the enthusiasm of the teacher--,i wish we might always count on that factor--this remains a fair case to prove our point1 which is1 give them opportunity and direction1 and children will do the greater part of their own education1 intellectual1 sthetic1 even moral1 by reason of the wonderfully balanced desires1 powers1 and affections which go to make up human nature4 ,a cheerful doctrine this1 which should help to swell the ranks of the unemployed4 ,outlets for their energies1 a little direction1 a little control1 and then we may sit by with folded hands and see them do it4 ,but1 in fact1 there are two things to be done3 8powers to be developed--where a little of our help goes a long way2 and character to be formed0--and here children are as clay in the hands of the potter1 absolutely dependent on their parents4 ,disposition1 intellect1 genius1 come pretty much by nature2 but character is an achievement1 the one practical achievement possible to us for ourselves and for our children2 and all real advance in family or individual is along the lines of character4 ,our great people are great simply by reason of their force of character4 ,for this1 more than for their literary successes1 ,carlyle and ,johnson are great4 ,boswell's 8,life0 is1 and perhaps deserves to be1 more of a literary success than anything of his master's2 but what figure does he make after all8 ,greatness and littleness belong to character1 and life would be dull were we all cast in one mould2 but how come we to differ8 ,surely by reason of our inherited qualities4 ,it is hereditary tendencies which result in character4 ,the man who is generous1 obstinate1 hot-tempered1 devout1 is so1 on the whole1 because that strain of character runs in his family4 ,some progenitor got a bent from his circumstances towards fault or virtue1 and that bent will go on repeating itself to the end of the chapter4 ,to save that single quality from the exaggeration which would destroy the balance of qualities we call sanity1 two counter-forces are provided3 marriage into alien families1 and education4 ,we come round now to the point we started from4 ,if the development of character rather than of faculty is the main work of education1 and if people are born1 so to speak1 ready-made1 with all the elements of their after-character in them1 certain to be developed by time and circumstances1 what is left for education to do8 ,very commonly1 the vote is1 do nothing2 though there are three or four ways of arriving at that conclusion4 ,as1 ,what's the good8 ,the fathers have eaten sour grapes2 the children's teeth must be set on edge4 ,tommy is obstinate as a little mule--but what would you have8 ,so is his father4 ,so have been all the ,joneses1 time out of mind2 and ,tommy's obstinacy is taken as a fact1 not to be helped nor hindered4 ,or1 ,mary is a butterfly of a child1 never constant for five minutes to anything she has in hand4 8,that child is just like me60 says her mother2 8but time will steady her40 ,fanny1 again1 sings herself to sleep with the ,sicilian ,vesper ,hymn 7her nurse's lullaby7 before she is able to speak4 8,it's strange how an ear for music runs in our family60 is the comment1 but no particular pains are taken to develop the talent4 ,another child asks odd questions1 is inclined to make little jokes about sacred things1 to call his father 8,tom10 and1 generally1 to show a want of reverence4 ,his parents are earnest-minded people--think with pain of the loose opinions of ,uncle ,harry1 and decide on a policy of repression4 8,do as you're bid1 and make no remarks10 becomes the child's rule of life1 until he finds outlets little suspected at home4 ,in another case1 common thought is much more on a level with the science of the day2 there is a tendency to lung-trouble3 the doctors undertake to deal with the tendency so long as the habit of delicacy is not set up4 ,the necessary precautions are taken1 and there is no reason why the child should not die at a good old age4 ,once more2--there are parents who are aware of the advance science has made in education1 but doubt the lawfulness of looking to science for aid in the making of character4 ,they see hereditary defects in their children1 but set them down as of 8the natural fault and corruption of the nature of every man which naturally is engendered of the offspring of ,adam40 ,this1 they believe1 it is not their part to remedy2 that is1 unless the boy's fault be of a disturbing kind--a violent temper1 for example--when the mother thinks no harm to whip the offending ,adam out of him4 ,but so surely as we believe the laws of the spiritual life to have been revealed to us1 so1 not less1 surely1 though without the same sanctity1 have been revealed the laws by which body1 mind1 and moral nature flourish or decay4 ,these it behoves us to make ourselves acquainted with2 and the ,christian parent who is shy of science1 and prefers to bring up his children by the light of ,nature when that of authoritative revelation fails1 does so to his children's irreparable loss4 ,if the race is advancing1 it is along the lines of character1 for each new generation inherits and adds to the best that has gone before it4 ,we should have to-day the very flower and fruit that has been a-preparing through long lines of progenitors4 ,children have always been lovely1 so far back as that day when a little child in the streets of ,jerusalem was picked up and set in the midst to show of what sort are the princes in the ,kingdom to come3-- 8,in the ,kingdom are the children-- ,you may read it in their eyes2 ,all the freedom of the ,kingdom ,in their careless humour lies40 ,and what mother has not bowed before the princely heart of innocence in her own little child8 ,but apart from this1 of their glad living in the sunshine of the ,divine ,countenance1 surely our children are 8more so0 than those of earlier days4 ,never before was a 8,jackanapes0 written1 or the 8,story of a ,short ,life40 ,shakespeare never made a child1 nor ,scott1 hardly ,dickens1 often as he tried2 either we are waking up to what is in them1 or the children are indeed advancing in the van of the times1 holding in light grasp the gains of the past1 the possibilities of the future4 ,it is the age of child-worship2 and very lovely are the well-brought-up children of ,christian and cultured parents4 ,but1 alas6 how many of us degrade the thing we love6 ,think of the multitude of the innocents to be launched on the world1 already mutilated1 spiritually and morally1 at the hands of doting parents4 ,the duteous father and mother1 on the contrary1 who discern any lovely family trait in one of their children1 set themselves to nourish and cherish it as a gardener the peaches he means to show4 ,we know how 8that kiss made me a painter10 that is1 warmed into life whatever art faculty the child had4 ,the choicer the plant1 the gardener tells us1 the greater the pains must he take with the rearing of it3 and here is the secret of the loss and waste of some of the most beauteous and lovable natures the world has seen2 they have not had the pains taken with their rearing that their delicate1 sensitive organisations demanded4 ,think how ,shelley was left to himself6 ,we live in embarrassing days4 ,it is well to cry1 8,give us light--more light and fuller20 but what if the new light discover to us a maze of obligations1 intricate and tedious8 ,it is1 at first sight1 bewildering to perceive that for whatever distinctive quality1 moral or intellectual1 we discern in the children1 special culture is demanded2 but1 after all1 our obligation towards each such quality resolves itself into providing for it these four things3 nourishment1 exercise1 change1 and rest4 ,a child has a great turn for languages 7his grandfather was the master of nine72 the little fellow 8lisps in ,latin10 learns his 8mensa0 from his nurse1 knows his declensions before he is five4 ,what line is open to the mother who sees such an endowment in her child8 ,first1 let him use it2 let him learn his declensions1 and whatever else he takes to without the least sign of effort4 ,probably the ,latin case-endings come as easily and pleasantly to his ear as does 8,see-saw1 ,margery ,daw10 to the ordinary child1 though no doubt 8,margery ,daw0 is the wholesomer kind of thing4 ,let him do just so much as he takes to of his own accord2 but never urge1 never applaud1 never show him off4 ,next1 let words convey ideas as he is able to bear them4 ,buttercup1 primrose1 dandelion1 magpie1 each tells its own tale2 daisy is day's-eye1 opening with the sun1 and closing when he sets-- 8,that well by reason it men callen may ,the dasie1 or else the eye of day40 ,let him feel that the common words we use without a thought are beautiful1 full of story and interest4 ,it is a great thing that the child should get the ideas proper to the qualities inherent in him4 ,an idea fitly put is taken in without effort1 and1 once in1 ideas behave like living creatures--they feed1 grow1 and multiply4 ,next1 provide him with some one delightful change of thought1 that is1 with work and ideas altogether apart from his bent for languages4 ,let him know1 with friendly intimacy1 every out-of-door object that comes in his way--the red-start1 the rose-chaffer1 the ways of the caddis-worm1 forest trees1 field flowers--all natural objects1 common and curious1 near his home4 ,no other knowledge is so delightful2 not natural science1 but common acquaintance with natural objects4 ,or1 again1 some one remarks that all our great inventors have in their youth handled material--clay1 wood1 iron1 brass1 pigments4 ,let him work in material4 ,to provide a child with delightful resources on lines opposed to his natural bent is the one way of keeping a quite sane mind in the presence of an absorbing pursuit4 ,at the same time1 change of occupation is not rest3 if a man ply a machine1 now with his foot1 and now with his hand1 the foot or the hand rests1 but the man does not4 ,a game of romps 7better1 so far as mere rest goes1 than games with laws and competitions71 nonsense talk1 a fairy tale1 or to lie on his back in the sunshine1 should rest the child1 and of such as these he should have his fill4 ,this1 speaking broadly1 is the rationale of the matter3--just as actually as we sew or write through the instrumentality of the hand1 so the child learns1 thinks1 feels1 by means of a material organ--the very delicate nervous tissue of the cerebrum4 ,now this tissue is constantly and rapidly wearing away4 ,the more it is used1 whether in the way of mental effort or emotional excitement1 the more it wears away4 ,happily1 rapid new growth replaces the waste1 wherefore1 work and consequent waste of tissue are necessary4 ,but let the waste get ahead of the gain1 and lasting mischief happens4 ,therefore never let the child's brain-work exceed his chances of reparation1 whether such work come in the way of too hard lessons1 or of the excitement attending childish dissipations4 ,another plea for abundant rest3--one thing at a time1 and that done well1 appears to be ,nature's rule2 and his hours of rest and play are the hours of the child's physical growth--witness the stunted appearance of children who are allowed to live in a whirl of small excitements4 ,a word more as to the necessity of change of thought for the child who has a distinct bent4 ,the brain tissue not only wastes with work1 but1 so to speak1 wastes locally4 ,we all know how done up we are after giving our minds for a few hours or days to any one subject1 whether anxious or joyous3 we are glad at last to escape from the engrossing thought1 and find it a weariness when it returns upon us4 ,it would appear that1 set up the continuous working of certain ideas1 and a certain tract of the brain substance is1 as it were1 worn out and weakened with the constant traffic in these ideas4 ,and this is of more consequence when the ideas are moral than when they are merely intellectual4 ,hamlet's thoughts play continuously round a few distressing facts2 he becomes morbid1 not entirely sane2 in a word1 he is eccentric4 ,now1 possibly1 eccentricity is a danger against which the parents of well-descended children must be on the watch4 ,these are born with strong tendencies to certain qualities and ways of thinking4 ,their bringing up tends to accentuate their qualities2 the balance between these and other qualities is lost1 and they become eccentric persons4 ,mr4 ,matthew ,arnold writes down the life and the work of a great poet as ineffectual2 and this is1 often enough1 the verdict passed upon the eccentric4 ,whatever force of genius and of character1 whatever lovely moral traits they may have1 the world will not take them as guides for good1 unless they do as others do in things lawful and expedient2 and truly there is a broad margin for originality in declining to hunt with the hounds in things neither lawful nor expedient4 ,now1 practically1 what is the mother's course who notices in her most promising child little traits of oddity8 ,he does not care much for games1 does not get on well with the rest1 has some little den of his own where he ruminates4 ,poor little fellow6 he wants a confidante badly2 most likely he has tried nurse and brothers and sisters1 to no purpose4 ,if this go on1 he will grow up with the idea that nobody wants him1 nobody understands him1 will take his slice of life and eat it 7with a snarl7 all by himself4 ,but if his mother have tact enough to get at him1 she will preserve for the world one of its saving characters4 ,depend upon it there is something at work in the child--genius1 humanity1 poetry1 ambition1 pride of family4 ,it is that he wants outlet and exercise for an inherited trait almost too big for his childish soul4 ,rosa ,bonheur was observed to be a restless child whose little shoes of life were a misfit3 lessons did not please her1 and play did not please her2 and her artist father hit on the notion of soothing the child's divine discontent by--apprenticing her to a needlewoman6 ,happily she broke her bonds1 and we have her pictures4 ,in the case of pride of birth1 it is well that the child should be brought face to face and heart to heart with the 8great humility0 of our ,pattern4 ,but that being done1 this sense of family distinction is a wonderful lever to raise the little world of the child's nature4 ,noblesse oblige4 ,he must needs add honour and not dishonour to a distinguished family4 ,i know of a little boy who bears two distinguished family names--,browning-,newton1 let us say4 ,he goes to a preparatory school1 where it is the custom to put the names of defaulters on the blackboard4 ,by-and-by1 his little brother went to school too1 and the bigger boy's exordium was3--8,we'll never let two such names as ours be stuck up on the blackboard60 ,amongst the immediate causes of eccentricity is the dreariness of daily living1 the sense of which falls upon us all at times1 and often with deadly weight upon the more finely strung and highly gifted4 8,oh1 dear6 ,i wish ,i was in ,jupiter60 sighed a small urchin who had already used up this planet4 ,it rests with the parents to see that the dreariness of a motiveless life does not settle1 sooner or later1 on any one of their children4 ,we are made with a yearning for the 8fearful joy0 of passion2 and if this do not come to us in lawful ways1 we look for it in eccentric1 or worse1 in illegitimate courses4 ,the mother1 to whom her child is as an open book1 must find a vent for the restless working of his nature--the more apt to be troubled by-- 8,the burden of the mystery1 ,the heavy and the weary weight ,of all this unintelligible world0-- the more finely he is himself organised4 ,fill him with the enthusiasm of humanity4 ,whatever gifts he has1 let them be cultivated as 8gifts for men40 8,the thing best worth living for is to be of use10 was well said lately by a thinker who has left us4 ,the child into whose notion of life that idea is fitted will not grow up to find time heavy on his hands4 ,the life blessed with an enthusiasm will not be dull2 but a weight must go into the opposite scale to balance even the noblest enthusiasm4 ,as we have said1 open for him some door of natural science1 some way of mechanical skill2 in a word1 give the child an absorbing pursuit and a fascinating hobby1 and you need not fear eccentric or unworthy developments4 ,it seems well to dwell at length on this subject of eccentricity1 because the world loses a great deal by its splendid failures1 the beautiful human beings who through one sort of eccentricity or another become ineffectual for the raising of the rest of us4 ,,footnotes3 #f 8,vom ,vater hab' ich die ,statur1 ,des ,lebens ernstes ,fhren2 ,vom ,mtterchen die ,frohnatur1 ,und ,lust zu fabuliren40 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,the ,,culture ,,of ,,character ,,part ,,ii ,suppose the parent see that the formation of character is the ultimate object of education2 see1 too1 that character is1 in the rough1 the inherited tendencies of the child1 modified by his surroundings1 but that character may be debased or ennobled by education2 that it is the parents' part to distinguish the first faint budding of family traits--to greet every fine trait as the highest sort of family possession to be nourished and tended with care2 to keep up at the same time the balance of qualities by bringing forward that which is of little account--the more so when they must deliver their child from eccentricity1 pitfall to the original and forceful nature2--suppose they have taken all this into the rle of their duties1 there yet remains much for parents to do4 ,we are open to what the ,french call the defects of our qualities2 and as ill weeds grow apace1 the defects of a fine character may well choke out the graces4 ,a little maiden loves with the passion and devotion of a woman1 but she is exacting of return1 and jealous of intrusion1 even with her mother4 ,a boy is ambitious2 he will be leader in the nursery1 and his lead is wholesome for the rest2 but there is the pugnacious little brother who will not 8follow my leader10 and the two can hardly live in the same rooms4 ,the able boy is a tyrant when his will is crossed4 ,there is the timid1 affectionate little maid who will even tell a fib to shield her sister2 and there is the high-spirited girl who never lies1 but who does1 now and then1 bully2 and so on1 without end4 ,what is the parents' part here8 ,to magnify the quality2 make the child feel that he or she has a virtue to guard--a family possession1 and1 at the same time1 a gift from above4 ,a little simple reasonable teaching may help4 ,but let us beware of much talk4 8,have you quite finished1 mother80 said a bright little girl of five in the most polite way in the world4 ,she had listened long to her mother's sermonising1 and had many things on hand4 ,a wise word here and there may be of use1 but much more may be done by carefully hindering each 8defect of its quality0 from coming into play4 ,give the ill weeds no room to grow4 ,then1 again1 the defect may often be reclaimed and turned back to feed the quality itself4 ,the ambitious boy's love of power may be worked into a desire to win by love his restive little brother4 ,the passion of the loving girl may be made to include all whom her mother loves4 ,there is another aspect of the subject of heredity and the duties it entails4 ,as the child of long lineage may well inherit much of what was best in his ancestors--fine physique1 clear intellect1 high moral worth--so also he has his risks4 ,as some one puts it1 not all the women have been brave1 nor all the men chaste4 ,we know how the tendency to certain forms of disease runs in families4 ,temper and temperament1 moral and physical nature alike1 may come down with a taint4 ,an unhappy child may1 by some odd freak of nature1 appear to have left out the good and taken into him only the unworthy4 ,what can the parents do in such a case8 ,they may not reform him--perhaps that is beyond human skill and care1 once he has become all that is possible to his nature--but transform him1 so that the being he was calculated to become never develops at all2 but another being comes to light blest with every grace of which he had only the defect4 ,this brings us to a beneficent law of nature1 which underlies the whole subject of early training1 and especially so this case of the child whose mother must bring him forth a second time into a life of beauty and harmony4 ,to put it in an old form of words--the words of ,thomas ,kempis--what seems to me the fundamental law of education is no more than this3 8,habit is driven out by habit40 ,people have always known that 8,use is second nature10 but the reason why1 and the scope of the saying1 these are discoveries of recent days4 ,a child has an odious custom1 so constant1 that it is his quality1 will be his character if you let him alone2 he is spiteful1 he is sly1 he is sullen4 ,no one is to blame for it2 it was born in him4 ,what are you to do with such inveterate habit of nature8 ,just this2 treat it as a bad habit1 and set up the opposite good habit4 ,henry is more than mischievous2 he is a malicious little boy4 ,there are always tears in the nursery1 because1 with 8pinches1 nips1 and bobs10 he is making some child wretched4 ,even his pets are not safe2 he has done his canary to death by poking at it with a stick through the bars of its cage2 howls from his dog1 screeches from his cat1 betray him in some vicious trick4 ,he makes fearful faces at his timid little sister2 sets traps with string for the housemaid with her water-cans to fall over2 there is no end to the malicious tricks1 beyond the mere savagery of untrained boyhood1 which come to his mother's ear4 ,what is to be done8 8,oh1 he will grow out of it60 say the more hopeful who pin their faith to time4 ,but many an experienced mother will say1 8,you can't cure him2 what is in will out1 and he will be a pest to society all his life40 ,yet the child may be cured in a month if the mother will set herself to the task with both hands and set purpose2 at any rate1 the cure may be well begun1 and that is half done4 ,let the month of treatment be a deliciously happy month to him1 he living all the time in the sunshine of his mother's smile4 ,let him not be left to himself to meditate or carry out ugly pranks4 ,let him feel himself always under a watchful1 loving1 and approving eye4 ,keep him happily occupied1 well amused4 ,all this1 to break the old custom which is assuredly broken when a certain length of time goes by without its repetition4 ,but one habit drives out another4 ,lay new lines in the old place4 ,open avenues of kindness for him4 ,let him enjoy1 daily1 hourly1 the pleasure of pleasing4 ,get him into the way of making little plots for the pleasure of the rest--a plaything of his contriving1 a dish of strawberries of his gathering1 shadow rabbits to amuse the baby2 take him on kind errands to poor neighbours1 carrying and giving of his own4 ,for a whole month the child's whole heart is flowing out in deeds and schemes and thoughts of loving-kindness1 and the ingenuity which spent itself in malicious tricks becomes an acquisition to his family when his devices are benevolent4 ,yes2 but where is his mother to get time in these encroaching days to put ,henry under special treatment8 ,she has other children and other duties1 and simply cannot give herself up for a month or a week to one child4 ,if the boy were ill1 in danger1 would she find time for him then8 ,would not other duties go to the wall1 and leave her little son1 for the time1 her chief object in life8 ,now here is a point all parents are not enough awake to--that mental and moral ailments require prompt1 purposeful1 curative treatment1 to which the parents must devote themselves for a short time1 just as they would to a sick child4 ,neither punishing him nor letting him alone--the two lines of treatment most in favour--ever cured a child of any moral evil4 ,if parents recognised the efficacy and the immediate effect of treatment1 they would never allow the spread of ill weeds4 ,for let this be borne in mind1 whatever ugly quality disfigures the child1 he is but as a garden overgrown with weeds1 the more prolific the weeds1 the more fertile the soil2 he has within him every possibility of beauty of life and character4 ,get rid of the weeds and foster the flowers4 ,it is hardly too much to say that most of the failures in life or character made by man or woman are due to the happy-go-lucky philosophy of the parents4 ,they say1 8,the child is so young2 he does not know any better2 but all that will come right as he grows up40 ,now1 a fault of character left to itself can do no other than strengthen4 ,an objection may be raised to this counsel of short and determined curative treatment4 ,the good results do not last1 it is said2 a week or two of neglect1 and you lose the ground gained3 ,henry is as likely as ever to grow up of the 8tiger0 order1 a ,steerforth or a ,grandcourt4 ,here science comes to help us to cheerful certainty4 ,there is no more interesting subject of inquiry open just now than that of the interaction between the thoughts of the mind and the configuration of the brain4 ,the fair conclusion appears to be that each is greatly the cause of the other2 that the character of the persistent thoughts actually shapes the cerebrum1 while on the configuration of this organ depends in turn the manner of thoughts we think4 ,now1 thought is1 for the most part1 automatic4 ,we think1 without intention or effort1 as we have been accustomed to think1 just as we walk or write without any conscious arrangement of muscles4 ,mozart could write an overture1 laughing all the time at the little jokes his wife made to keep him awake2 to be sure he had thought it out before1 and there it was1 ready to be written2 but he did not consciously try for these musical thoughts1 they simply came to him in proper succession4 ,coleridge thought 8,kubla ,khan0 in his sleep1 and wrote it when he awoke2 and1 indeed1 he might as well have been asleep all the time for all he had to do with the production of most of his thoughts4 8,over the buttons she falls asleep1 ,and stitches them on in a dream10-- is very possible and likely4 ,for one thing which we consciously set ourselves to think about1 a thousand words and acts come from us every day of their own accord2 we don't think of them at all4 ,but all the same1 only a poet or a musician could thus give forth poetry or music1 and it is the words and acts which come from us without conscious thought which afford the true measure of what we are4 ,perhaps this is why such serious weight is attached to our every 8idle word0--words spoken without intention or volition4 ,we are getting1 by degrees1 to ,henry and his bad habits4 ,somehow or other1 the nervous tissue of the cerebrum 8grows to0 the thoughts that are allowed free course in the mind4 ,how1 ,science hardly ventures to guess as yet2 but1 for the sake of illustration1 let us imagine that certain thoughts of the mind run to and fro in the nervous substance of the cerebrum until they have made a way there3 busy traffic in the same order of thoughts will always be kept up1 for there is the easy way for them to run in4 ,now1 take the child with an inherited tendency to a resentful temper3 he has begun to think resentful thoughts3 finds them easy and gratifying2 he goes on2 evermore the ugly traffic becomes more easy and natural1 and resentfulness is rapidly becoming himself1 that trait in his character which people couple with his name4 ,but one custom overcomes another4 ,the watchful mother sets up new tracks in other directions2 and she sees to it1 that while she is leading new thoughts through the new way1 the old1 deeply worn 8way of thinking0 is quite disused4 ,now1 the cerebrum is in a state of rapid waste and rapid growth4 ,the new growth takes shape from the new thoughts3 the old is lost in the steady waste1 and the child is reformed1 physically as well as morally and mentally4 ,that the nervous tissue of the cerebrum should be thus the instrument of the mind need not surprise us when we think how the muscles and joints of the tumbler1 the vocal organs of the singer1 the finger-ends of the watchmaker1 the palate of the tea-taster1 grow to the uses they are steadily put to2 and1 much more1 both in the case of brain and of bodily organs1 grow to the uses they are earliest put to4 ,this meets in a wonderful way the case of the parent who sets himself to cure a moral failing4 ,he sets up the course of new thoughts1 and hinders those of the past1 until the new thoughts shall have become automatic and run of their own accord4 ,all the time a sort of disintegration is going on in the place that held the disused thoughts2 and here is the parent's advantage4 ,if the boy return 7as1 from inherited tendency1 he still may do7 to his old habits of thought1 behold there is no more place for them in his physical being2 to make a new place is a work of time1 and in this work the parent can overtake and hinder him without much effort4 ,here1 indeed1 more than anywhere1 8,except the ,lord build the house1 they labour but in vain that build it20 but surely intelligent co-operation in this divine work is our bounden duty and service4 ,the training of the will1 the instruction of the conscience1 and1 so far as it lies with us1 the development of the divine life in the child1 are carried on simultaneously with this training in the habits of a good life2 and these last will carry the child safely over the season of infirm will1 immature conscience1 until he is able to take1 under direction from above1 the conduct of his life1 the moulding of his character into his own hands4 ,it is a comfort to believe that there is even a material register of our educational labours being made in the very substance of the child's brain2 and1 certainly1 here we have a note of warning as to the danger of letting ill ways alone in the hope that all will come right by-and-by4 ,some parents may consider all this as heavy hearing2 that even to 8think on these things0 is enough to take the joy and spontaneousness out of their sweet relationship2 and that1 after all1 parents' love and the grace of ,god should be sufficient for the bringing up of children4 ,no one can feel on this subject more sincere humility than those who have not the honour to be parents2 the insight and love with which parents--mothers most so--are blest1 is a divine gift which fills lookers-on with reverence1 even in many a cottage home2 but we have only to observe how many fond parents make foolish children to be assured that something more is wanted4 ,there are appointed ways1 not always the old paths1 but new ones1 opened up step by step as we go4 ,the labour of the mother who sets herself to understand her work is not increased1 but infinitely lightened2 and as for life being made heavy with the thought of these things1 once make them our own1 and we act upon them as naturally as upon such knowledge--scientific also--as1 loose your hold of a cup--and it falls4 ,a little painstaking thought and effort in the first place1 and all comes easy4 ,,chapter ,x ,,bible ,,lessons 8,the history of ,england is now reduced to a game at cards1--the problems of mathematics to puzzles and riddles4444 ,there wants but one step further1 and the ,creed and ,ten ,commandments may be taught in the same manner1 without the necessity of the grave face1 deliberate tone of recital1 and devout attention hitherto exacted from the well-governed childhood of this realm40--,waverley4 ,that parents should make over the religious education of their children to a ,sunday-school is1 no doubt1 as indefensible as if they sent them for their meals to a table maintained by the public bounty4 ,we 8at home0 plead 8not guilty0 to this particular count4 ,our ,sunday-schools are used by those toil-worn and little-learned parents who are willing to accept at the hands of the more leisured classes this service of the religious teaching of their children4 ,that is1 the ,sunday-school is1 at present1 a necessary evil1 an acknowledgment that there are parents so hard pressed that they are unable for their first duty4 ,here we have the theory of the ,sunday-school--the parents who can1 teach their children at home on ,sunday1 and substitutes step in to act for those who can not4 ,it is upon this delightful theory of the ,sunday-school that a clergyman#g at the ,antipodes has taken action4 ,never does it appear to occur to him that the members of the upper and middle classes do not need to be definitely and regularly instructed in religion--8from a child40 ,his contention is1 only1 that such children should not be taught at ,sunday-school1 but at home1 and by their parents2 and the main object of his parochial 8,parents' ,union0 is to help parents in this work4 ,these are some of the rules3-- #a4 ,the object of the ,union shall be to unite1 strengthen1 and assist fathers and mothers in the discharge of their parental duties4 #b4 ,members shall be pledged1 by the fact of their joining1 to supervise the education of their own children1 and to urge the responsibility of the parental relationship upon other parents4 #c4 ,lesson sketches shall be furnished monthly to each family in connection with the ,union4 #d4 ,members shall bring their children to the monthly catechising1 and sit with them1 c41 c4 ,probably the 8lesson-sketches0 are to secure that the children do just such ,bible-lessons at home with their parents on ,sunday as they have hitherto done at the ,sunday-school with teachers4 ,it seems to be contemplated that parents of every class will undertake their proper duties in this matter1 and that the ,sunday-school may be allowed to drop1 the clergyman undertaking instead to ascertain1 by means of catechising1 that certain work is done month by month4 ,the scheme seems full of promise4 ,nothing should do more to strengthen the bonds of family life than that the children should learn religion at the lips of their parents2 and1 to grow up in a church which takes constant heed of you from baptism or infancy1 until1 we will not say confirmation1 but through manhood and womanhood1 until the end1 should give the right tone to corporate life4 ,no doubt we have parishes1 and even whole denominations1 in which the young people are taken hold of from first to last2 but then it is by clergy1 teachers1 class leaders1 and so on2 and all parents do not regard it as an unmixed blessing that the most serious part of their children's training should be undertaken by outsiders4 ,the thing that seems most worthy of imitation in this ,australian movement is1 that parents themselves are recognised as the fit instructors of their children in the best things1 and that they are led to acknowledge some responsibility to the ,church with regard to the instruction they give4 ,but do we manage these things so well 8at home0 that we have no occasion to look about us for hints8 ,it may be in the memories of some of us1 that in ,may #ahhi1 a ,committee of the ,house of ,laymen for the ,province of ,canterbury was appointed to examine into the religious education of the upper and middle classes4#h ,the committee considered that they might obtain a good basis for their investigations by examining into the religious knowledge of boys entering school4 ,they sent a paper of inquiries to sixty-two head-masters1 most of whom sent replies2 and from these replies the committee were led to conclude that1 8for the most part1 the standard of religious education attained by boys before going to school is far below what might be hoped or expected2 and that even this standard1 thus ascertained to be far too low1 is deteriorating2 and further1 that the chief cause of deterioration is considered to be the want of home-teaching and religion40 ,here is matter of grave consideration for us all--for1 though the investigation was conducted by ,churchmen1 it naturally covered boys of various denominations attending public and middle-class schools2 the distinctive character of the religious education was the subject of separate inquiry4 ,no doubt there are many beautiful exceptions--families brought up in quiet homes in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord2 but if it is1 as some of us fear1 a fact that there is a tendency among parents of the middle and upper classes to let the religious education of their children take care of itself1 it is worth while to ask1 ,what is the reason8 and1 ,what is the remedy8 ,many reasons are assigned for this alleged failure in parental duty--social claims1 the restive temper of the young people and their impatience of religious teaching1 and much else4 ,but these reasons are inadequate4 ,parents are1 on the whole1 very much alive to their responsibilities2 perhaps there has never been a generation more earnest and conscientious than the young parents of these days4 ,all the same1 these thoughtful young parents do not lay themselves out to teach their children religion1 before all things4 ,the fact is1 our religious life has suffered1 and by-and-by our national character will suffer1 for the discredit thrown upon the ,bible by adverse critics4 ,we rightly regard the ,bible as the entire collection of our ,sacred ,books4 ,we have absolutely nothing to teach but what we find written therein4 ,but we no longer go to the ,bible with the old confidence3 our religion is fading into a sentiment1 not easy to impart2 we wait until the young people shall conceive it for themselves4 ,meantime1 we give them such sthetic culture as should tend to develop those needs of the soul that find their satisfaction in worship4 ,the whole superstructure of 8liberal0 religious thought is miserably shaky1 and no wonder there is some shrinking from exposing it to the ,ithuriel's spear of the definite and searching young mind4 ,for we love this flimsy habitation we have builded4 ,it bears a shadowy resemblance to the old home of our souls1 and we cling to it with a tender sentiment which the younger generation might not understand4 ,are we then unhoused8 ,undoubtedly we are upon one assumption--that assumption which it takes a brilliant novelist to put forth in its naked asperity--8,miracles do not happen40 ,the educated mind is more essentially logical than we are apt to suppose4 ,remove the keystone of miracle and the arch tumbles about our ears4 ,the ostentatious veneration for the ,person of ,christ1 as separated from the 8mythical0 miraculous element1 is1 alas6 no more than a spurious sentiment toward a self-evolved conception4 ,eliminate the 8miraculous0 and the whole fabric of ,christianity disappears2 and not only so1 what have we to do with that older revelation of 8the ,lord1 the ,lord1 a ,god full of compassion and gracious08 ,do we say1 ,nay1 we keep this2 here is no miracle2 and1 of ,christ1 have we not the inimitable ,sermon on the ,mount--sufficient claim on our allegiance8 ,no1 we have not2 therein are we taught to pray1 to consider the lilies of the field and the fowls of the air1 and to remember that the very hairs of our head are all numbered4 ,here we have the doctrine of the personal dealing1 the particular providence of ,god1 which is of the very essence of miracle4 ,if 8miracles do not happen10 it is folly and presumption to expect in providence and invite in prayer the faintest disturbance of that course of events which is fixed by inevitable law4 ,the educated mind is severely logical1 though an effort of the will may keep us from following out our conclusions to the bitter end4 ,what have we left8 ,a ,god who1 of necessity1 can have no personal dealings with you or me1 for such dealings would be of the nature of a miracle3 a ,god1 prayer to whom1 in the face of such certainty1 becomes blasphemous4 ,how dare we approach the ,highest with requests which1 in the nature of things 7as we conceive71 it is impossible ,he should grant8 ,we cannot pray1 and we cannot trust1 may be2 yet we are not utterly godless2 we can admire1 adore1 worship1 in uttermost humility4 ,but how8 ,what shall we adore8 ,the ,divine ,being can be known to us only through ,his attributes2 ,he is a ,god of love and a ,god of justice2 full of compassion and gracious1 slow to anger1 and plenteous in mercy4 ,but these are attributes which can only be conceived of as in action1 from ,person to person4 ,how be gracious and merciful unless to a being in need of grace and mercy8 ,grant that grace and mercy may modify the slightest circumstance in a man's existence1 spiritual or temporal1 and you grant the whole question of 8miracles0--that is1 that it is possible to ,god to act otherwise than through such inevitable laws as we are able to recognise4 ,refuse to concede 8the miraculous element10 and the ,shepherd of ,israel has departed from our midst2 we are left orphaned in a world undone4 ,such and so great are the issues of that question of 8miracle0 with which we are fond of dallying1 with a smile here and a shrug there1 and a special sneer for that story of the swine that ran violently down a steep place1 because we know so much about the dim thoughts of the brute creation--living under our eyes1 indeed1 but curiously out of our ken4 ,grant the possibility of miracles1 that is1 of the voluntary action of a ,personal ,god1 and who will venture to assign limits of less or more8 ,how long halt we betwixt two opinions8--to the law and to the testimony4 ,let us boldly accept the alternative which ,hume proposes1 however superciliously4 ,let it be1 that1 8no testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle unless the testimony be of such a kind that its falsehood would be more miraculous than the fact which it endeavours to establish40 ,even so4 ,we believe that ,christ rose again the third day and ascended into heaven2 or we credit the far more miraculous hypothesis that 8there is no ,god02 or1 anyway1 the ,god of revelation1 in ,his adorable ,personality1 has ceased to be for us4 ,there is no middle way4 ,natural law1 as we understand it1 has nothing to do with these issues2 not that the ,supreme abrogates ,his laws1 but that our knowledge of 8natural law0 is so agonisingly limited and superficial1 that we are incompetent to decide whether a break in the narrow circle1 within which our knowledge is hemmed1 is or is not an opening into a wider circle1 where what appears to us as an extraordinary exception does but exemplify the general rule4 ,we would not undervalue the solid fruits of ,biblical criticism1 even the most adverse4 ,this should be a great gain in the spiritual life--that1 henceforth1 a miracle is accredited1 not merely by the fact that it is recorded in the sacred history1 but by its essential fitness with the ,divine ,character2 just as1 if we may reverently compare human things with divine1 we say of a friend1 8,oh1 he would never do that60 or1 8,that is just like him40 ,tried by this test1 how unostentatious1 simple1 meekly serviceable are the miracles of ,christ2 how utterly divine it is 8,to have all power1 and be as having none60 ,the mind which is saturated with the ,gospel story in all its sweet reasonableness1 which has absorbed the more confused and broken rays wherein the ,light of the ,world is manifested in ,old ,testament story1 will perhaps be the least tempted to the disloyalty of 8honest doubt20--for disloyalty to the most close and sacred of all relationships it is1 though we must freely concede that such doubt is the infirmity of noble minds4 ,believing that faith comes by hearing1 and hearing by the ,word of ,god1 that the man is established in the ,christian faith according as the child has been instructed1 the question of questions for us is1 how to secure that the children shall be well grounded in the ,scriptures by their parents1 and shall pursue the study with intelligence1 reverence1 and delight4 ,,footnotes3 #g ,the ,rev4 ,e4 ,jackson1 sometime of ,sydney4 #h ,see 8,report of the ,committee of the ,house of ,laymen for the ,province of ,canterbury on the ,duty of the ,church with regard to the ,religious ,education of the ,upper and ,middle ,classes40--,nat4 ,soc4 ,depository1 ,westminster4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,faith ,,and ,,duty ,,reviews ,i ,education1 properly understood1 is the science of life1 and every attempt to formulate this science is to be hailed with interest1 and with a measure of gratitude in proportion to its success4 ,thinking minds everywhere are engaged in furnishing their quota towards this great work1 in one or another of its aspects1 physical1 social1 religious4 ,we see at once the importance of every attempt to solve social problems or problems of faith1 as helping us to understand those 8laws of nature0 and 8ways of men10 the love1 and dutiful attitude of the will towards which ,mr4 ,huxley considers to be the sole practical outcome of education4 ,we have before us three important works#i on these lines4 ,one deals with the problems of 8secular0 morality from an ,american point of view2 the second with the whole problem of national education from a ,french and 8scientific0 standpoint4 ,the third is not professedly an educational work4 ,it deals with 8the ways of men10 but with the ways of men as they are concerned with the ways and will of ,god4 ,that is1 it deals with the deep-seated springs out of which are the issues of life4 ,as the true educationalist works from within outwards1 he will probably find much aid in a work whose outlook on life is from the standpoint of 8faith40 ,mr4 ,felix ,adler1 in 8,the ,moral ,instruction of ,children10 undertakes a by no means easy task in setting himself to solve the problem of unsectarian moral instruction4 ,he brings unusual qualifications to the work--a wide outlook1 philosophic training1 and that catholic love of literature and knowledge of books which is essential to the teacher of morals4 ,the work before us is one which should find a place on every educated parent's bookshelves1 not perhaps to be swallowed whole as a 8complete guide10 but to be studied with careful attention and some freedom of choice as to which counsel of perfection is worthy to be acted upon1 and which other counsel may be rejected as not fitting in with that scheme of educational thought which the parent has already made for himself4 ,mr4 ,adler is most seriously handicapped at the outset4 ,he writes for ,american schools1 in which the first condition of moral instruction is that it must be unsectarian4 ,this he1 rightly or wrongly1 interprets1 to exclude all theistic teaching whatever2 that is to say1 the child he writes for has no sanctions beyond those he finds in his own breast4 ,for example3 8,it is the business of the moral instructor in the school to deliver to his pupils the subject-matter of morality1 but not to deal with the sanctions of it4 ,he says to the pupil1 #8,thou shalt not lie4' ,he takes it for granted that the pupil feels the force of this commandment1 and acknowledges that he ought to yield obedience to it4 ,for my part1 ,i should suspect of quibbling and dishonest intention any boy or girl who would ask me1 ,why ought ,i not to lie8 ,i should hold up before such a child the ought in all its awful majesty4 ,the right to reason about these matters cannot be conceded until after the mind has attained a certain maturity40 ,where does the ought get its awful majesty8 ,that there is in the human breast an infallible sense of 8ought0 is an error prolific of much evil4 ,it is a popular idea to-day that it is right to do that which the doer holds to be right2 or1 as it is popularly expressed1 a man does all that can be expected of him when he acts according to his 8lights40 ,now1 a very slight acquaintance with history demonstrates that every persecution and most outrages1 from the ,inquisition to ,thuggee1 are the outcome of that same majesty of 8ought10 as it makes its voice heard in the breast of an individual or of a community4 ,to attempt to treat of morals without dealing with the sanctions of morality is to work from the circumference instead of from the centre4 ,moses1 ,moses und immer ,moses6 says a ,german pedagogue of the modern school1 who writes in hot disdain of the old school system1 in which ten or twelve1 and1 in some of the ,german ,states1 fifteen or sixteen hours a week were devoted to ,bible-teaching4 ,we in ,england1 and they in ,america1 also rebel against the ,bible as a class-book4 ,educationalists say there is so much else to be learned1 that this prolonged study of sacred literature is a grievous waste of time2 and many religious persons1 on the other hand1 object on the ground that it is not good to make the ,bible common as a class-book4 ,but it is singular that so few educationalists recognise that the ,bible is not a single book1 but a classic literature of wonderful beauty and interest2 that1 apart from its ,divine sanctions and religious teaching1 from all that we understand by 8,revelation10 the ,bible1 as a mere instrument of education1 is1 at the very least as valuable as the classics of ,greece or ,rome4 ,here is poetry1 the rhythm of which soothes even the jaded brain past taking pleasure in any other4 ,here is history1 based on such broad1 clear lines1 such dealing of slow and sure and even-handed justice to the nations1 such stories of national sins and national repentances1 that the student realises1 as from no other history1 the solidarity of the race1 the brotherhood--and1 if we may call it so--the individuality of the nations4 ,here is philosophy which1 of all the philosophies which have been propounded1 is alone adequate to the interpretation of human life4 ,we say not a word here of that which is the raison d'tre of the ,bible--its teaching of religion1 its revelation of ,god to man2 but1 to say only one word more1 all the literatures of the world put together utterly fail to give us a system of ethics1 in precept and example1 motive and sanction1 complete as that to which we have been born as our common inheritance in the ,bible4 ,for #agjj years1 roughly speaking1 the ,bible has been the school-book of modern ,europe2 its teaching1 conveyed directly or indirectly1 more or less pure1 has been the basis upon which the whole superstructure of not only religious but ethical and1 to some extent1 literary training rested4 ,now1 the ,bible as a lesson-book is tabooed2 and educationalists are called upon to produce what shall take its place in the origination of ideas and the formation of character4 ,this is the task to which ,mr4 ,adler sets himself2 and that he is at all successful is obviously due to the fact that his own mind is impregnated with the ,bible-lore and the sacred law which he does not feel himself at liberty to propound to his students4 ,but this prepossession of the author's makes his work very helpful and suggestive to parents who desire to take the ,bible as the groundwork and the sanction of that moral teaching which they are glad to supplement from other sources4 ,may we recommend the following suggestion to parents3-- 8,parents and teachers should endeavour to answer such questions as these3 ,when do the first stirrings of the moral sense appear in the child8 ,how do they manifest themselves8 ,what are the emotional and the intellectual equipments of the child at different periods1 and how do these correspond with its moral outfit8 ,at what time does conscience enter on the scene8 ,to what acts or omissions does the child apply the terms right or wrong8 ,if observations of this kind were made with care and duly recorded1 the science of education would have at its disposal a considerable quantity of material1 from which1 no doubt1 valuable generalisations might be deduced4 ,every mother1 especially1 should keep a diary in which to note the successive phases of her child's physical1 mental1 and moral growth1 with particular attention to the moral2 so that parents may be enabled to make a timely forecast of their children's character1 to foster in them every germ of good1 and by prompt precautions to suppress1 or at least restrain1 what is bad40 ,we are glad to find that ,mr4 ,adler reinstates fairy tales4 ,he says1 justly1 that much of the selfishness of the world is due1 not to actual hard-heartedness1 but to a lack of imaginative power2 and adds1 8,i hold that something1 nay1 much1 has been gained if a child has learned to take the wishes out of its heart1 as it were1 and to project them on the screen of fancy40 ,the ,german ,mrchen hold the first place in his regards4 ,he says3 8,they represent the childhood of mankind1 and it is for this reason that they never cease to appeal to children40 8,but how shall we handle these ,mrchen8 and what method shall we employ in putting them to account for our special purpose8 ,my first counsel is1 ,tell the story4 ,do not give it to the child to read4 ,the child1 as it listens to the ,mrchen1 looks up with wide-opened eyes to the face of the person who tells the story1 and thrills responsive to the touch of the earlier life of the race1 which thus falls upon its own40 ,that is1 our author feels1 and rightly so1 that traditions should be orally delivered4 ,this is well worth noting4 ,his second counsel is equally important4 8,do not10 he says1 8take the moral plum out of the fairy tale pudding1 but let the child enjoy it as a whole4444 ,treat the moral element as an incident1 emphasise it indeed1 but incidentally4 ,pluck it as a wayside flower40 ,mr4 ,felix ,adler's third counsel is1 to eliminate from the stories whatever is merely superstitious1 merely a relic of ancient animism1 and1 again1 whatever is objectionable on moral grounds4 ,in this connection he discusses the vexed question of how far we should acquaint children with the existence of evil in the world4 ,his conclusion is one with which we shall probably be inclined to agree4 8,my own view10 he says1 8is that we should speak in the child's hearing only of those lesser forms of evil1 physical or moral1 with which it is already acquainted40 ,on this ground he would rule out all the cruel step-mother stories1 the unnatural father stories1 and so on2 though1 probably1 most of us would make an exception in favour of ,cinderella1 and its charming ,german rendering ,aschenbrdel4 ,fables1 according to our author1 should form the basis of moral instruction at the second stage2 probably when children emerge from the nursery4 ,we have all grown up on 8sop's ,fables10 and 8,the ,dog in the ,manger10 8,king ,log10 8,the ,frog and the ,stork10 have passed into the current coinage of our thought4 ,but it is interesting to be reminded that the so-called sop's fables are infinitely older than the famous ,greek story-teller1 and are1 for the most part1 of ,asiatic origin4 ,we are reminded that it is important to keep the origin of this fable before us1 and exercise discrimination in our choice of those which we use to convey moral ideas to our children4 ,such fables as 8,the ,oak and the ,reed10 8,the ,brazen and the ,earthen ,pot10 8,the ,kite and the ,wolf10 ,mr4 ,adler would reject1 as breathing of ,eastern subserviency and fear4 ,but possibly for the very reason that the ,british backbone is little disposed to bow before man or circumstances1 the lessons of life culled by peoples of other habits and other thoughts may be quite specially useful to the ,english child4 ,anyway1 we should lose some of the most charming fables if we cut out all that savours of the wisdom of the ,east4 ,the fables ,mr4 ,felix ,adler specially commends are those which hold up virtue for our praise or evil for our censure2 such as ,cowardice1 the fable of the 8,stag and the ,fawn20 ,vanity1 8,the ,peacock and the ,crane20 ,greediness1 8,the ,dog and the ,shadow40 8,in the third part of our primary course1 we shall use selected stories from the classical literature of the ,hebrews1 and later on from that of ,greece1 particularly the #8,odyssey' and the #8,iliad4'0 ,here we begin to be at issue with our author4 ,we should not present ,bible stories as carrying only the same moral sanction as the myths of ancient ,greece2 neither should we defer their introduction until the child has gone through a moral course of fairy tales and a moral course of fables4 ,he should not be able to recall a time before the sweet stories of old filled his imagination2 he should have heard the voice of the ,lord ,god in the garden in the cool of the evening2 should have been an awed spectator where the angels ascended and descended upon ,jacob's stony pillow2 should have followed ,christ through the cornfield on the ,sabbath-day1 and sat in the rows of the hungry multitudes--so long ago that the sacred scenes form the unconscious background of his thoughts4 ,all things are possible to the little child1 and the touch of the spiritual upon our material world1 the difficult problems1 the hard sayings1 which are an offence--in the ,bible sense of the word--to his elders1 present no difficulties to the child's all-embracing faith4 ,we would not say--far otherwise--that every ,bible story is fit for children1 because it is a ,bible story2 neither would we analyse too carefully1 nor draw hard and fast lines to distinguish what we would call history from that of which it may be said1 8,without a parable spake ,he not unto them40 ,the child is not an exegetical student4 ,the moral teaching1 the spiritual revelations1 the lovely imagery of the ,bible1 are the things with which he is concerned1 and of these he cannot have too much4 ,as ,mr4 ,adler says1 8,the narrative of the ,bible is saturated with the moral spirit1 the moral issues are everywhere to the forefront4 ,duty1 guilt and its punishment1 the conflict of conscience with inclination1 are the leading themes4 ,the ,hebrew people seem to have been endowed with what may be called a moral genius1 and especially did they emphasise the filial and fraternal duties4 ,now1 it is precisely these duties that must be impressed on young children40 ,let us see how ,mr4 ,adler would use the ,bible narratives4 ,we have only space for a fragmentary sentence here and there3 8,once upon a time there were two children1 ,adam and ,eve4 ,adam was a fine and noble-looking lad40444 8,it was so warm that the children never needed to go indoors40444 8,and the snake kept on whispering1 #8,just take one bite of it2 nobody sees you4'0444 8,you1 ,adam1 must learn to labour1 and you1 ,eve1 to be patient and self-denying for others10 c4 ,we leave it to our readers to decide whether 8treatment0 improves the ,bible narrative1 or whether this is the sort of thing to lay hold of a child's imagination4 ,mr4 ,ruskin tells us that his incomparable style is due entirely to his early familiarity with the ,bible classics4 ,it is a mistake to translate ,bible stories into slipshod ,english1 even when the narrator keeps close to the facts of the narrative4 ,the rhythm and cadence of ,biblical phraseology is as charming to a child as to his elders1 if not more so4 ,read your ,bible story to the child1 bit by bit2 get him to tell you in his own words 7keeping as close as he can to the ,bible words7 what you have read1 and then1 if you like1 talk about it2 but not much4 ,above all1 do not let us attempt a 8practical commentary on every verse in ,genesis10 to quote the title of a work lately published4 ,two points it seems worth while to dwell upon here4 ,is it advisable to tell the children the stories of the ,bible miracles in an age when the possibility of miracles is so hotly discussed8 ,in the first place1 all that the most advanced scientists have to urge against 8miracles0 is that precisely such phenomena have not come under their personal notice2 but they1 before all people1 are open to admit that nothing is impossible and that no experience is final4 ,in the second place1 as for the moral and spiritual instruction which the story of the miracle affords1 it is immaterial whether1 in the particular case in question1 a historical fact is recorded1 or whether1 in this case also1 it is true that 8without a parable spake ,he not unto them40 ,it is the vital1 not the historical1 truth of the story which matters to the child4 ,as for the latter1 he is a bold critic1 and well in advance of the scientific knowledge of the day1 who ventures to say1 8,this is possible1 that other is impossible40 ,the second point worthy of our attention in regard to ,bible-teaching is1 ,is the ,bible to be taken whole and undivided1 or to be dealt out to children as they are able to bear it8 ,there are recitals in the ,bible which we certainly should not put into the hands of children in any other book4 ,we should do well to ask ourselves gravely1 if we have any warrant for supposing that our children will be shielded from the suggestions of evil which we deliberately lay before them2 or if there is any ,divine law requiring that the whole ,bible--which is not only the ,word of ,god1 but is also a collection of the legal1 literary1 historical1 poetical1 philosophical1 ethical1 and polemical writings of a nation--should be placed altogether and all at once in the hands of a curious child1 as soon as he is able to read8 ,when will our superstitious reverence for the mere letter of the ,scriptures allow us to break the ,bible up1 to be read1 as all other literature is1 in separate books2 and1 for the children anyway1 those passages 8expunged0 which are not fit for their reading2 and even those which are perfectly uninteresting1 as1 for example1 long genealogies8 ,how delightful it would be that each birthday should bring with it a gift of a new book of the ,bible1 progressing in difficulty from year to year1 beautifully bound and illustrated1 and printed in clear1 inviting type and on good paper4 ,one can imagine the ,christian child collecting his library of sacred books with great joy and interest1 and making a diligent and delighted study of the volume for the year in its appointed time4 ,the next best thing1 perhaps1 is to read bit by bit to the children1 as beautifully as may be1 requiring them to tell the story1 after listening1 as nearly in the ,bible words as they can4 ,but to return to ,mr4 ,adler4 ,here is a valuable suggestion3 8,children should be taught to observe moral pictures before any attempt is made to deduce moral principles4 ,but certain simple rules should be given to the very young--must1 indeed1 be given them--for their guidance4 ,now1 in the legislation ascribed to ,moses1 we find a number of rules fit for children1 and a collection of these rules might be made for the use of schools1 such as3 ,ye shall not lie2 ye shall not deceive one another2 ye shall take no bribe2 thou shalt not go about as a tale-bearer among thy fellows10 and so on--a very useful collection of sixteen rules by way of specimen4 ,farther on we read1 8,the story of ,david's life is replete with dramatic interest4 ,it may be arranged in a series of pictures4 ,first picture1 ,david and ,goliath--i4e41 skill pitted against brute strength1 or the deserved punishment of a bully40 ,conceive the barren1 common1 self-complete and self-complacent product of 8moral0 teaching on this level6 ,in his treatment of the 8,odyssey0 and the 8,iliad10 ,mr4 ,adler makes some good points3 8,my father1 anxious that ,i should become a good man1 made me learn all the poems of ,homer10 ,xenophon makes one of his characters say3 and here we have suggestive lines as to how the great epics may be used for example of life and instruction in manners4 ,what so inspiring as the story of ,ulysses to the boy in search of adventures8 and what greater stimulus to courage1 prudence1 presence of mind1 than in the escapes of the hero8 8,ulysses is the type of sagacity as well as of bravery2 his mind teems with inventions40 ,the ethical elements of the 8,odyssey0 are said to be conjugal affection1 filial conduct 7,telemachus71 presence of mind1 and veneration shown to grand-parents 7,laertes74 ,friendly relations with dependents might have been added1 as illustrated by the lovely story of the nurse ,eurycleia recognising ,ulysses when his wife sat by with stony face4 ,friendship1 again1 in the story of ,achilles' grief for ,patroclus4 ,mr4 ,adler treats the ,homeric stories with more grace and sympathy1 and with less ruthless violation1 than he metes out to those of the ,bible1 but here again we trace the initial weakness of 8secular0 morality4 ,the 8,odyssey0 and the 8,iliad0 are religious poems or they are nothing4 ,the whole motive is religious1 every incident is supernaturally directed4 ,the heroic inspiration is entirely wanting1 if we fail to bear in mind that the characters do and suffer with superlative courage and fortitude1 only because they willed to do and suffer1 in all things1 the will of the gods4 ,the acquiescence of the will with that which they guessed1 however darkly1 of the divine will1 is the truly inspiring quality of the ,homeric heroes2 and here1 as much as in the teaching of ,bible morality1 8secular0 ethics are at fault4 ,the third section of ,mr4 ,adler's work consists of lessons on duty4 ,here again we have excellent counsels and delightful illustrations4 8,the teacher should always take the moral habit for granted4 ,he should never give his pupils to understand that he and they are about to examine1 whether1 for instance1 it is wrong or not wrong to lie4 ,the commandment against lying is assumed1 and its obligation acknowledged at the outset40 ,this we heartily agree with1 and especially we like the apparently inadvertent use of the word 8commandment10 which concedes the whole question at issue--that is1 that the idea of duty is a relative one1 depending on an ,authority supreme and intimate1 which embraces the thoughts of the heart and the issues of the life4 ,the story of ,hillel1 as illustrating the duty of acquiring knowledge1 is very charming1 and is deeply interesting to the psychologist1 as illustrating that a naturally implanted desire for knowledge is one of the springs of action in the human breast4 ,the motives proposed for seeking knowledge are poor and inadequate2 to succeed in life1 to gain esteem1 to satisfy yourself1 and even to be able1 possibly1 to benefit others1 are by no means soul-compelling motives4 ,the child who is encouraged to learn1 because to learn is his particular duty in that state of life to which it has pleased ,god to call him1 has the strongest of conceivable motives1 in the sense that he is rendering that which is required of him by the ,supreme ,authority4 ,this one note of feebleness runs through the whole treatment of the subject4 ,the drowning man is supposed to counsel himself to 8be brave1 because as a human being you are superior to the forces of ,nature1 because there is something in you--your moral self--over which the forces of ,nature have no power1 because what happens to you in your private character is not important2 but it is important that you assert the dignity of humanity to the last breath40 ,this reads rather well2 but how much finer is the attitude of the man who struggles manfully to save the life that ,god has given him6 ,the chapter on the influence of manual training is well worthy of consideration4 ,the concluding sentence runs3 8,it is a cheering and encouraging thought that technical labour1 which is the source of our material aggrandisement1 may also become1 when employed in the education of the young1 the means of enlarging their manhood1 quickening their intellect1 and strengthening their character40 ,we have taken up ,mr4 ,adler's work so fully because it is one of the most serious and successful attempts with which we are acquainted to present a graduated course of ethics suitable for children of all ages4 ,though we are at issue with the author on the all-important point of moral sanctions1 we very earnestly commend the work to the perusal of parents4 ,the ,christian parent will assuredly present the thought of ,law in connection with a ,law-giver1 and will supplement the thousand valuable suggestions he will find here with his own strong conviction that 8,ought0 is of the ,lord ,god4 ,but even the ,christian child suffers from what may be called slipshod moral teaching4 ,the failings of the good are a source of sorrow and surprise to the moralist as well as to the much-endeavouring and often-failing ,christian soul4 ,that temptation and sin are inseparable from our present condition may be allowed2 but that an earnest and sincere ,christian should be habitually guilty of failing in candour1 frankness1 justice to the characters and opinions of others1 should be intemperate in censure1 and--dare we say it8--spiteful in criticism1 is possibly to be traced1 not to fallible human nature1 but to defective education4 ,the ethical idea has never been fairly and fully presented to the mind on these vulnerable points4 ,the man is unable to give due weight to the opinions of another1 because the child has not been instructed in the duty of candour4 ,there is little doubt that careful1 methodical1 ethical instruction1 with abundant illustration1 and--we need not add--inspired by the thought1 8,god wills it10 should1 if such instruction could be made general1 have an appreciable effect in elevating the national character4 ,therefore1 let us repeat1 we hail with gratitude such a contribution to the practical ethics of the nursery and schoolroom as ,mr4 ,adler's work on 8,the ,moral ,instruction of ,children40 ,,footnotes3 #i 8,the ,moral ,instruction of ,children40 #fs4 ,by ,felix ,adler4 ,published by ,edward ,arnold4 8,education from a ,national ,standpoint40 ,by ,alfred ,fouille4 ,translated and edited by ,w4 ,j4 ,greenstreet1 ,m4,a4 ,published by ,edward ,arnold4 8,faith40 ,eleven ,sermons1 with a ,preface1 by ,rev4 ,h4 ,c4 ,beeching4 ,published by ,percival ,co4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,faith ,,and ,,duty ,,ii ,since ,locke established a school of ,english educational thought1 based on ,english philosophy1 our tendency has been exclusively towards naturalism1 if not materialism2 to the exclusion of a vital element in education--the force of the idea4 ,madame de ,stal has a remarkable passage concerning this tendency in ,english philosophy which1 though we may not be disposed to admit her conclusions en bloc1 should certainly give us pause1 and lead us to consider whether we should not wisely modify the tendencies of our national thought by laying ourselves open to foreign influences3-- 8,hobbes prit la lettre la philosophie qui fait driver toutes nos ides des impressions des sens2 il n'en craignit point les consquences1 et il a dit hardiment que l'me tait1 soumise la ncessit comme la socit au despotisme4 ,le culte des tous les sentiments lvs et purs est tellement consolid en ,angleterre par les institutions politiques et religieuses1 que les spculations de l'esprit tournent autour de ces imposantes colonnes sans jamais les branler4 ,hobbes eut donc peu de partizans dans son pays2 mais l'influence de ,locke fut plus universelle4 ,comme son caractre tait morale et religieuse1 il ne se permit aucun des raisonnements corrupteurs qui drivaient ncessairement de sa mtaphysique2 et la plupart de ses compatriotes1 en l'adoptant1 ont eu comme lui la noble inconsquence de sparer les rsultats des principes1 tandis que ,hume et les philosophes franais1 aprs avoir admis le systme1 l'ont appliqu d'une manire beaucoup plus logique4 8,la mtaphysique de ,locke n'a eu d'autre effet sur les esprits1 en ,angleterre1 que de ternir un peu leur originalit naturelle2 quand mme elle desscherait la source des grandes penses philosophiques1 elle ne saurait dtruire le sentiment religieux1 qui sait si bien y suppler2 mais cette mtaphysique reue dans le reste de l',europe1 l',allemagne excepte1 a t l'une des principales causes de l'immoralit dont on s'est fait une thorie pour en mieux assurer la pratique40 ,it is well that we should recognise the continuity of ,english educational thought1 and perceive that we have in ,spencer and ,baine the lineal descendants of the earlier philosophers4 ,probably the chief source of weakness in our attempt to formulate a science of education is that we do not perceive that education is the outcome of philosophy4 ,we deal with the issue and ignore the source4 ,hence our efforts lack continuity and definite aim4 ,we are content to pick up a suggestion here1 a practical hint there1 without even troubling ourselves to consider what is that scheme of life of which such hints and suggestions are the output4 ,mr4 ,greenstreet's translation of ,m4 ,fouille's remarkable work#aj should not be without its effect upon the burning questions of the hour4 ,as the translator well says in his preface3 8,the spirit of reform is in the air2 the question of the retention of ,greek at the ,universities is but a ripple of the great wave that seems ready to burst upon us and to obliterate the characteristic features of our national system of education4444 ,a glance at the various forms of the educational systems obtaining in ,europe and ,america is sufficient to betray to the observant eye how near to the verge of chaos we are standing40 ,these are words of insight and wisdom1 but let us not therefore despair as though the end of all things were at hand4 ,the truth is1 we are in the throes of an educational revolution2 we are emerging from chaos rather than about to plunge into it2 we are beginning to recognise that education is the applied science of life1 and that we really have existing material in the philosophy of the ages and the science of the day to formulate an educational code whereby we may order the lives of our children and regulate our own4 ,we need not aspire to a complete and exhaustive code of educational laws4 ,this will come to us duly when humanity has1 so to speak1 fulfilled itself4 ,meantime1 we have enough to go on with if we would believe it4 ,what we have to do is to gather together and order our resources2 to put the first thing foremost and all things in sequence1 and to see that education is neither more nor less than the practical application of our philosophy4 ,hence1 if our educational thought is to be sound and effectual1 we must look to the philosophy which underlies it1 and must be in a condition to trace every counsel of perfection for the bringing up of children to one or other of the two schools of philosophy of which it must needs be the outcome4 ,is our system of education to be the issue of naturalism or of idealism1 or is there indeed a media via8 ,this is practically the question which ,m4 ,fouille sets himself to answer in the spirit of a philosophical educationalist4 ,he examines his premisses and draws his deductions with a candour1 culture1 and philosophic insight which carry the confidence of the reader4 ,no doubt he is of a mind with that umpire in a cricket-match who lays down the dictum that one must be quite fair to both sides with a little leaning to one's own4 ,m4 ,fouille takes sides with classical as opposed to scientific culture4 ,but he is not a mere partisan2 he has philosophic reasons for the faith that is in him1 and his examination of the question of national education is full of instruction and inspiration for the thoughtful parent as well as for the schoolmaster4 ,m4 ,fouille gives in his preamble a key to his treatment of the subject4 ,he says3 8,on this as on all great questions of practical philosophy ,guyau has left his mark4444 ,he has treated the question from the highest standpoint1 and has treated it in a strictly scientific form4 #8,given the hereditary merits and faults of a race1 how far can we modify existing heredity by means of education for a new heredity8' ,for the problem is nothing less than this4 ,it is not merely a matter of the instruction of individuals1 but of the preservation and improvement of the race4 ,education must therefore be based upon the physiological and moral laws of the culture of races4444 ,the ethnical is the true point of view4 ,by means of education we must create such hereditary tendencies as will be useful to the race both physically and intellectually40 ,m4 ,fouille begins at the beginning4 ,he examines the principle of selection1 and shows that it is a working principle1 not only in animal1 but in intellectual1 sthetic1 and moral life4 ,he demonstrates that there is what may be called psychological selection1 according to whose laws those ideas which are the fittest rule the world2 and it is in the light of this truth1 of the natural selection of ideas and of their enormous force1 that he would examine into the vexed question of the subjects and methods of education4 ,m4 ,fouille complains with justice that no attempt has been made to harmonise or unify education as a whole in any one civilised nation4 ,controversy rages round quite secondary questions--whether education shall be literary or scientific8 and1 again1 whether the ancient or the modern languages shall be taught8 ,but science and literature do not exhaust the field4 ,our author introduces a new candidate4 ,he says3 8,in this volume we shall inquire if the link between science and literature is not to be found in the knowledge of man1 of society1 of the great laws of the universe--i4e41 in morals and social science and sthetics1 in a word1 in philosophy40 ,now this is the gist of the teaching which we have laboured to advance in the ,parents' ,union and its various agencies4 8,the proper study of mankind is man10 is one of those 8thoughts beyond their thought0 which poets light upon2 and ,i am able to add my personal testimony to the fact that under no other study with which ,i am acquainted is it possible to trace such almost visible expansion of mind and soul in the young student as in this of philosophy4 ,a peculiarly interesting and original line of thought1 worked out very fully in this volume1 is1 that just as the child with an individual bent should have that bent encouraged and 8educated10 so of a nation3-- 8,if social science rejects every mystical interpretation of the common spirit animating a nation1 it by no means rejects the reflected consciousness or spontaneous divination1 possessed by every nation1 of the functions which have devolved upon it40 ,here is a most fruitful suggestion4 ,think of the fitness of a scheme of physical1 intellectual1 and moral training1 based upon our ideal of the ,english character and of the destiny of the ,english nation4 ,the chapter on 8,power of ,education and of ,idea-,forces--,suggestions-- ,heredity0 is very valuable1 as utilising a floating nebul of intuitions1 which are coming upon us in connection with the hundred and one hypnotic marvels of the day4 ,m4 ,fouille maintains that-- 8,the power of instruction and education1 denied by some and exaggerated by others1 being nothing but the power of ideas and sentiments1 it is impossible to be too exact in determining at the outset the extent and limits of this force4 ,this psychological problem is the foundation of pedagogy40 ,in a word1 ,m4 ,fouille returns boldly to the ,platonic philosophy2 the idea is to him all in all1 in philosophy and education4 ,but he returns empty-handed4 ,the wave of naturalism1 now perhaps on the ebb1 has left neither flotsam nor jetsam for him1 save for stranded fragments of the ,darwinian theory4 ,now1 we maintain that to this wave of thought1 naturalistic1 materialistic--what you will--we owe the discovery of the physiological basis of education4 ,while we believed that thought was purely volatile1 incapable of impact upon matter1 or of being acted upon by matter1 our theories of education were necessarily vague4 ,we could not catch our ,ariel2 how then could we school him8 ,but now1 the physiologists have taught us that our wilful sprite rests with the tips of his toes1 at any rate1 upon solid ground2 nay more1 his foothold is none so slight but that it leaves footmarks behind1 an impress on that domain of the physical in which we are somewhat at home4 ,the impalpable thoughts that we think leave their mark upon the quite palpable substance of the brain1 set up1 so the physiologists tell us1 connections between the nerve-cells of which that organ is composed2 in fact1 to make a long story short1 the cerebrum 8grows to the uses it is earliest and most constantly put to40 ,this fact opens up a function of education upon which ,m4 ,fouille hardly touches1 that most important function of the formation of habits--physical1 intellectual1 moral4 8,sow an act1 reap a habit2 sow a habit1 reap a character2 sow a character1 reap a destiny10 says ,thackeray4 ,and a great function of the educator is to secure that acts shall be so regularly1 purposefully1 and methodically sown that the child shall reap the habits of the good life in thinking and doing1 with the minimum of conscious effort4 ,we are only now beginning to discover how beneficial are the laws which govern our being4 ,educate the child in these habits and the man's life will run in them1 without the constant wear and tear of the moral effort of decision4 ,once1 twice1 three times in a day1 he will still1 no doubt1 have to choose between the highest and the less high1 the best and the less good course4 ,but all the minor moralities of life may be made habitual to him4 ,he has been brought up to be courteous1 prompt1 punctual1 neat1 considerate2 and he practises these virtues without conscious effort4 ,it is much easier to behave in the way he is used to1 than to originate a new line of conduct4 ,and this is so1 because it is graciously and mercifully ordered that there shall be a physical record and adaptation as the result of our educational efforts2 and that the enormous strain of moral endeavour shall come upon us only occasionally4 8,sow a habit1 reap a character20 that is1 the formation of habits is the chief means whereby we modify the original hereditary disposition of the child until it becomes the character of the man4 ,but even in this physiological work1 the spiritual force of the idea has its part to play4 ,for a habit is set up by following out an initial idea with a long sequence of corresponding acts4 ,you tell a child that the ,great ,duke slept in so narrow a bed that he could not turn over1 because1 said he1 8,when you want to turn over it's time to get up40 ,the boy does not wish to get up in the morning2 but he does wish to be like the hero of ,waterloo4 ,you stimulate him to act upon this idea day after day for a month or so1 until the habit is formed1 and it is just as easy as not to get up in good time4 ,the functions of education may be roughly defined as twofold2 7a7 the formation of habits2 7b7 the presentation of ideas4 ,the first depends far more largely than we recognise on physiological processes4 ,the second is purely spiritual in origin1 method1 and result4 ,is it not possible that here we have the meeting-point of the two philosophies which have divided mankind since men began to think about their thoughts and ways8 ,both are right2 both are necessary2 both have their full activity in the development of a human being at his best4 ,the crux of modern thought1 as indeed of all profound thought1 is1 ,is it conceivable that the spiritual should have any manner of impact upon the material8 ,every problem1 from the education of a little child to the ,divine ,incarnation1 turns upon this point4 ,conceive this possibility and all is plain1 from the marvels resulting from hypnotic suggestion to the miracles of our faith4 ,we can even believe what we are told1 that1 by an effort of passionate concentration of thought and feeling the devout may arrive at the figure of the stigmata upon hands and feet4 ,with this key nothing is impossible to our faith1 all we ask for is precedent4 ,and after all1 this inter-action of forces is the most common and every-day of our experiences4 ,what is it but the impact of spirit upon matter which writes upon the face of flesh that record of character and conduct which we call countenance4 ,and not only upon the face4 ,he is a dull scholar in the lore of human nature1 who cannot read a man fairly well from a back view4 ,the sculptor knows the trick of it4 ,there is a statue of the late ,prince ,consort in ,edinburgh in which representative groups pay homage to the ,prince4 ,stand so as to get the back view of any one of them and the shoulders of scholar1 soldier1 peasant1 artisan1 tell unmistakably the tale of their several lives4 ,what is this but the impress of spirit upon matter6 ,anyway we are on the horns of a dilemma4 ,there is no middle course open to us4 ,the physiologists have made it absolutely plain that the brain is concerned with thinking4 ,nay more1 that thought may go on without any volition on the part of the thinker4 ,further1 that much of our best work in art and literature is the result of what is called unconscious cerebration4 ,now1 we must admit one of two things4 ,either thought is a process of the material brain1 one more 8mode of motion10 as the materialists contend1 or the material brain is the agent of the spiritual thought1 which acts upon it1 let us say1 as the fingers of a player upon the keys of his instrument4 ,grant this and the whole question is conceded4 ,the impact of the spiritual upon the material is an accepted fact4 ,as we have had occasion to say before1 in this great work of education parents and teachers are permitted to play only a subordinate part after all4 ,you may bring your horse to the water1 but you can't make him drink2 and you may present ideas of the fittest to the mind of the child2 but you do not know in the least which he will take1 and which he will reject4 ,and very well for us it is that this safeguard to his individuality is implanted in every child's breast4 ,our part is to see that his educational plat is constantly replenished with fit and inspiring ideas1 and then we must needs leave it to the child's own appetite to take which he will have1 and as much as he requires4 ,of one thing we must beware4 ,the least symptom of satiety1 especially when the ideas we present are moral and religious1 should be taken as a serious warning4 ,persistence on our part just then may end in the child's never willingly sitting down to that dish any more4 ,the very limitations we see to our own powers in this matter of presenting ideas should make us the more anxiously careful as to the nature of the ideas set before our children4 ,we shall not be content that they learn geography1 history1 ,latin1 what not1--we shall ask what salient ideas are presented in each such study1 and how will these ideas affect the intellectual and moral development of the child4 ,we shall be in a mood1 that is1 to go calmly and earnestly into the question of education as presented by ,m4 ,fouille4 ,we shall probably differ from him in many matters of detail1 but we shall most likely be inclined to agree with his conclusion that1 not some subject of mere utility1 but moral and social science conveyed by means of history1 literature1 or otherwise1 is the one subject which we are not at liberty to leave out from the curriculum of 8a being breathing thoughtful breath40 ,the tables of studies given in the appendix are of extreme value4 ,every subject is treated from what may be called the ideal point of view4 8,two things are necessary4 ,first1 we must introduce into the study of each science the philosophic spirit and method1 general views1 the search for the most general principles and conclusions4 ,we must then reduce the different sciences to unity by a sound training in philosophy1 which will be as obligatory to students in science as to students in literature4444 ,scientific truths1 said ,descartes1 are battles won2 describe to the young the principal and most heroic of these battles2 you will thus interest them in the results of science1 and you will develop in them a scientific spirit by means of the enthusiasm for the conquest of truth2 you will make them see the power of the reasoning which has led to discoveries in the past1 and which will do so again in the future4 ,how interesting arithmetic and geometry might be if we gave a short history of their principal theorems2 if the child were mentally present at the labours of a ,pythagoras1 a ,plato1 a ,euclid1 or in modern times of a ,vite1 a ,descartes1 a ,pascal1 or a ,leibnitz4 ,great theories1 instead of being lifeless and anonymous abstractions1 would become human1 living truths1 each with its own history1 like a statue by ,michael ,angelo1 or like a painting by ,raphael40 ,,footnotes3 #aj 8,education from a ,national ,standpoint40 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,faith ,,and ,,duty ,,iii ,there is a little involuntary resistance in our minds to any teaching which shall draw the deep things of our faith within the sphere of the laws which govern our development as human beings4 ,we prefer that the commerce between ,god and the soul1 in which is our life1 should be altogether 8supernatural10 apart from the common laws of life1 arbitrary1 inexplicable1 opposed to reason4 ,if we err in this1 it is in reverence we err4 ,our thought may be poor and crude1 but all our desire is to hallow the ,divine ,name1 and we know no other way in which to set it apart4 ,but though we err in reverence1 we do err1 and1 in the spiritual1 as in the natural world1 the motive does not atone for the act4 ,we lose through this misconception of our relations with ,god the sense of unity in our lives4 ,we become aware of an altogether unnatural and irreligious classification into things sacred and things secular4 ,we are not in all things at one with ,god4 ,there are beautiful lives in which there is no trace of this separation1 whose aims are confined to the things we call sacred4 ,but many thoughtful earnest persons feel sorely the need of a conception of the divine relation which shall embrace the whole of human life1 which shall make art1 science1 politics1 all those cares and thoughts of men which are not rebellious1 sacred also1 as being all engaged in the great evolution1 the evolution of the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,our religious thought1 as our educational thought1 is1 far more than we imagine1 the outcome of our philosophy4 ,and do not let us imagine that philosophy is not for the general run of men1 but only for the few4 ,on the contrary1 there is no living soul who does not develop his own philosophy of life--that which he appropriates of the current thoughts of his time1 modified by his own experiences4 ,it would be interesting to trace the effect upon religious thought of the two great schools of philosophy--the ,idealistic and the ,naturalistic2 but that is beyond our powers1 and beyond our purpose here2 we must confine ourselves to what is immediately practical4 ,the present day crux is1 that naturalistic philosophy being in the ascendant1 and the things of our religion being altogether idealistic1 many noble natures are in revolt1 feeling that they cannot honestly accept as truth that which is opposed to human reason4 ,others1 to whom their religious faith is the first thing1 but who are yet in touch with the thought and discovery of the day1 affect an only half-honest compromise with themselves1 and say that there are certain questions which they will not examine2 matters secular alone being open to searching scrutiny4 ,now1 it is not1 as we so often hear1 that the times are out of joint1 that ,christianity is effete1 that there is any inherent antagonism between the facts of natural and the facts of spiritual life4 ,it is our own philosophy which needs to be adjusted4 ,we have somehow managed to get life out of focus2 we have begun with false initial ideas1 and have taken the logical inferences from these for essential truth4 ,we have not perceived that the concern of the reasoning powers is not with moral or spiritual truth1 or even with what we call facts1 but is simply with the logical inferences from any premisses whatever accepted by the mind4 ,in our examination of ,m4 ,fouille's ,education from a ,national ,standpoint1 we made some attempt to show that the two schemes of philosophy which have hitherto divided the world have done so because both are right1 and neither is exclusively right4 ,matter and spirit1 force and idea1 work together in the evolution of character4 ,the brain1 somehow1 makes material record of those ideas which inspire the life4 ,but the brain does not originate those ideas4 ,they are spiritual in their nature1 and are spiritually conveyed1 whether by means of the printed page1 the glance of an eye1 the touch of a hand1 or in that holy mystery of the inbreathing of the ,divine ,spirit1 of which we cannot tell whence it comes nor whither it goes4 ,once we recognise that all thoughts that breathe and words that burn are of their nature spiritual1 and appeal to the spiritual within us--that1 in fact1 all intercourse of thought and feeling belongs to the realm of ideas1 spiritually conveyed1 the great mysteries of our religion cease to be hedged off from our common experiences4 ,if the friend who sits beside us deals with us1 spirit with spirit1 by means of quick interchange of ideas1 is it hard to believe that just so is the intercourse between the ,spirit of ,god and the spirit of man8 ,the more perfect the sympathy between human souls1 the less the need for spoken words4 ,how easy to go on from this to the thought of that most intimate and blissful of all intercourse1 the converse between the devout soul and its ,god4 ,nothing can be more obvious1 real1 natural1 necessary1 than that the ,father of ,spirits should graciously keep open such intimate access to1 and converse with1 the spirits of men4 8,i would that one would grant me1 ,o my ,lord1 ,to find ,thee only4 99 99 99 99 99 ,that ,thou alone wouldst speak to me1 and ,i to ,thee1 ,as a lover talking to his loved one1 ,a friend at table with his friend10#aa is ever the aspiration of the devout soul4 ,this continuous aspiration towards closest communion is1 spoken or unspoken1 the prayer of faith4 ,a vain and fond imagination1 says the sceptic1 begotten of the heart1 as when ,narcissus became enamoured of his reflected image6 ,what have we to say in reply8 ,nothing4 ,he who does not perceive that he loves in his brother not the material form1 but the spiritual being of which this form is one expression1 how can he understand that the ,spirit of ,god should draw with irresistible drawings the spirit of man1 which is indeed the whole man4 ,for1 after all1 what is the body but the garment which the spirit shapes to its uses8 ,to accept the outward seeming1 to ignore the spiritual reality1 is the easier way4 ,to say that prayer is flung1 as a child flings his kite1 into the air1 only to come down again2 to say that men are the creatures of circumstances1 with no power to determine their own fate2 that this belief and that are equal verities1 and that the worship of ,christ or of ,buddha is a mere affair of climate and conditions2 this easy tolerance commends itself to many minds in these days4 8,and to what does this easy and sceptical life lead a man8444 ,to what1 we say1 does this scepticism lead8 ,it leads a man to shameful loneliness and selfishness1 the more shameful because it is so good-humoured and conscienceless and serene4 ,conscience6 ,what is conscience8 ,why accept remorse8 ,what is public or private faith8 ,mythuses alike1 enveloped in enormous tradition4 ,if1 seeing and acknowledging the lies of the world1 ,arthur1 as see them you can with only too fatal a clearness1 you submit to them without any protest further than a laugh2 if1 plunged yourself in easy sensuality1 you allow the whole wretched world to go past groaning by you unmoved2 if the fight for the truth is taking place1 and all men of honour are on the ground armed on the one side or the other1 and you alone are to lie on your balcony and smoke your pipe out of the noise and the danger1 you had better have died1 or never have been at all1 than be such a sensual coward40#ab ,mr4 ,beeching's ,eleven ,sermons on ,faith are in refreshing contrast with this sort of modern ,saduceeism4 ,in his view1 faith is not mystic1 supernatural1 an exceptional development2 it is the common basis of our dealings with each other4 ,credit1 trust1 confidence--the framework of society rests upon these4 8,i cannot trust you0--what worse thing can we say to one another8 ,the law recognises every man's right to the confidence of his fellow-men1 and will have a man accounted innocent until he is proved guilty4 ,our whole commercial and banking systems1 what are they1 but enormous systems of credit1 and only one in a hundred1 or one in a thousand1 fails to sustain this credit4 ,family and social life rest upon credit of another sort2 let us call it moral credit1 and only one in a hundred or one in a thousand forfeits the trust4 ,if one here and there give occasion for jealousy1 mistrust1 suspicion1 why1 the exception proves the rule4 ,in his dealings with men1 man lives by credit2 in his dealings with ,god1 man lives by faith4 ,let us use the same word in both cases1 and say that man is a spiritual being1 and1 in all his relations1 ,godward or manward1 he lives by faith4 ,how simple and easy a thing faith becomes6 ,how especially easy to the children who trust everybody and offer a confiding hand to any guide4 ,could we only rid ourselves of the materialistic notion that spiritual things are not to be understood by us1 and that to believe in ,god is altogether a different thing from to trust a friend1 how easy we should find the questions which we allow to stagger our faith4 ,but the ,kingdom of ,god is coming upon us with power4 ,let us only break down this foolish barrier of the flesh2 let us perceive that our relations with each other are the relations of spirit with spirit1 and that spoken and written words are no more than the outward and visible signs of ideas spiritually conveyed1 and how inevitable1 incessant1 all-encompassing becomes the presence of ,god about us4 ,faith is1 then1 the simple trust of person in ,person4 ,we realise with fearful joy that ,he is about our path1 and about our bed1 and spieth out all our ways--not with the austere eye of a judge1 but with the caressing1 if critical1 glance of a parent4 ,how easy1 then1 to understand the never-ceasing1 ever-inspiring intercourse of the ,divine ,spirit with the spirit of man--how1 morning by morning1 ,he awakeneth our ear1 also2 how ,his inspiration and instruction come in the direction1 and in the degree1 in which the man is capable of receiving them4 ,it is no longer a puzzle to us that the uninstructed savage shows sweet traits of pity and generosity1 8for ,his ,god doth instruct him and doth teach him40 ,we are not confounded when we hear of a righteous man who lifts up his face to ,heaven1 and says1 8,there is no ,god10 because we know1 ,he maketh ,his sun to shine upon the evil and upon the good1 and that just that measure of moral light and leading which a man lays himself open to receive is freely given to him4 ,he may shut his eyes and say1 8,there is no sun10 but none the less is he warmed and fed and comforted by the light he denies4 ,this is the faith in which we would bring up our children1 this strong1 passionate sense of the dear nearness of our ,god2 found in this conviction1 the controversies of the day will interest but not exercise us1 for we are on the other side of all doubt once we know ,him in whom we have believed4 ,faith comes by hearing1 and hearing by the ,word of ,god4 ,we advance in this lore of the soul only in proportion as we make it our study2 and all of us who have the bringing up of children must needs be thankful for every word of help and insight which shall open our eyes to the realities which are spiritually discerned4 ,in this view parents will be glad to read and ponder the ,sermons before us4 ,profound thought is conveyed in language of very great simplicity and purity4 ,the sermons are written from the standpoint of present day thought1 are not at all emotional1 nor even hortatory1 but they are very strengthening and refreshing4 ,you read1 and go on your way rejoicing in a strong sense of the reality of things unseen4 ,perhaps this result is due to ,mr4 ,beeching's presentation of the naturalness of faith4 8,it is noticeable that while our ,lord is always demanding ,faith1 ,he offers no definition of the ,faith ,he requires2 so that there is a presumption that ,he meant by ,faith just what men ordinarily mean by it4 ,and the presumption is increased when it is remembered that ,faith in our ,lord began with being faith in human qualities before those qualities were seen to be divine4 ,the faith of the ,apostles increased under our ,lord's careful training1 both in depth and breadth2 but between the first attraction that drew 7say7 ,peter from his nets1 and the last declaration of his worship upon the shores of ,gennesaret1 there was no breach of continuity4 ,indeed1 as if to assure us that the ,apostle's human faith had not after the ,resurrection #8changed to something else1' and become an indefinite theological virtue1 we find the word used to express it which1 of all the words which labour to express faith1 is the one most deeply tinged with human feeling3 #8,simon1 son of ,jonas1 lovest thou ,me more than these8' ,we must ask1 therefore1 what1 as between man and man1 is commonly meant by ,faith1 and then we can examine whether our explanation fits the several groups of passages in the ,gospels40 ,the above extract from the very thoughtful and instructive ,preface illustrates what we mean by the naturalness of faith1 not that which comes of itself and by itself1 but that which is acceptable1 fit1 and proper to our nature whenever and whencesoever it arrive4 8,for10 as ,mr4 ,beeching says1 8as faith is itself no self-originated impulse1 but the springing up of a man's heart in response to the encircling pressure of the #8,everlasting ,arms1' so its reward is to feel more deeply and ever more deeply their divine support40 ,the eleven sermons are upon 8,the ,object of ,faith10 8,the ,worship of ,faith10 8,the ,righteousness of ,faith10 8,the ,food of ,faith10 8,national ,faith10 8,the ,eye of ,faith10 8,the ,ear of ,faith10 8,the ,activity of ,faith10 8,the ,gentleness of ,faith10 8,the ,discipline of ,faith10 8,faith in ,man40 ,in his examination of 8,the ,object of ,faith10 ,mr4 ,beeching asks3 8,what then is ,he like2 what kind of countenance is it that shines out upon us from the ,gospel pages8 ,let us turn to them and see40 ,and we read the story of how ,jesus1 being moved with compassion1 touched the eyes of the two blind men by the wayside going out from ,jericho4 ,how ,christ had compassion on other things besides bodily sickness4 8,christ has compassion also on ignorance2 on the aimless wandering of men after their own desires1 without a ,master to follow2 on the weariness of spirit that such a life brings about40 ,again1 8,christ has compassion not only on sickness and ignorance1 but on sin--on the sinner who repents40 ,and we read the story of the woman whose sins1 which were many1 were forgiven1 for she loved much4 ,again1 we see the countenance of ,christ as it is turned upon that young man1 of whom it is said1 8,then ,jesus1 looking upon him1 loved him40 8,compassion1 then1 for suffering and ignorance1 and sin that repents1 love for enthusiasm1 this we have seen in the face of ,christ40 ,one more divine regard we are invited to contemplate2 how the ,lord turned and looked upon ,peter4 8,can you imagine with what a face our ,lord looked upon ,peter1 who had thrice denied ,him1 after confidently affirming that he would go with ,him to death8 ,would that that face would shine upon us with whatever reproach when we in word or deed deny ,him1 that so we too may remember and weep40 ,how the heart rises to such teaching as this--the simple presentation of ,christ as ,he walked among men4 ,well did our ,lord say3 8,i1 if ,i be lifted up1 will draw all men unto ,me40 ,the pity of it is that ,he1 the altogether lovely1 is so seldom lifted up to our adoring gaze4 ,perhaps1 when our teachers invite us to behold the face of ,christ1 we shall learn the full interpretation of that profound word4 ,he will draw all men1 because it is not possible for any human soul to resist the divine loveliness once it is fairly and fully presented to his vision4 ,the sermon on the 8,worship of ,faith10 sets forth that 8to worship ,christ is to bow down with love and wonder and thankfulness1 before the most perfect goodness that the world has ever seen1 and to believe that that goodness was the express image of ,god the ,father40 ,all aims and all ideals1 that are not the aims and ideals of ,christ1 are distinctly opposed to such worship1 and the man who entertains these alien ideals may not call himself a ,christian4 ,after examining that attitude of the spirit towards ,christ which belongs to the worship of faith1 the rest of the sermon is very practical4 8,work is ,worship10 is the keynote3 one longs that a writer who knows so well how to touch the secret springs had taken this opportunity to move us to that 8heart's adoration10 which is dearer to ,god2 but1 indeed1 the whole volume has this tendency4 ,it is well to be reminded that 8the thorough and willing performance of any duty1 however humble or however exalted1 is like the offering of incense to ,christ1 well-pleasing and acceptable40 ,the sermon on the 8,righteousness of ,faith10 is extremely important and instructive4 ,the writer dwells on the 8deplorable cant0 with which we pronounce ourselves 8miserable sinners10 combining the 8sentiments of the ,pharisees in the parable with the expressions of the publican40 8,christ's language about man's sinfulness is altogether free from vagueness and hyperbole2 when ,he blames ,he blames for definite faults which we can appreciate1 and ,he is so far from declaring that men can do no good thing1 that ,he assumes always that man in his proper state of dependence upon ,god has the power to do righteousness4 #8,whosoever shall do the will of ,my ,father1 which is in heaven1 the same is ,my brother1 and sister1 and mother4'444 ,but the question remains1 ,how1 considering our actual shortcomings1 can any of us be spoken of by ,christ as righteous here and now8 ,this is the question in answer to which ,st4 ,paul wrote two of his greatest ,epistles4 ,his answer was1 that according to ,christ1 a man is accounted righteous1 not from a consideration of his works1 but from a consideration of his faith in ,god4 ,human righteousness is not a verdict upon the summing up of a life1 but it is reckoned to a man at any moment from a certain disposition of his spirit to the ,spirit of ,god2 a disposition of trust1 love1 reverence1 the disposition of a dutiful son to a good father4444 ,righteousness1 in the only sense in which it is possible for men1 means believing and trusting ,god40 ,we have not space to take up in detail all the teaching of this inspiring little volume4 ,we commend it to parents4 ,who1 as they1 have need to nourish the spiritual life in themselves8 ,who1 as they1 have need to examine themselves as to with how firm a grasp they hold the mysteries of our faith8 ,who1 as they1 need to have their ideas as to the supreme relationship so clear that they can be translated into baby speech8 ,besides1 we have seen that it is the duty of the educator to put the first thing foremost1 and all things in sequence2 only one thing is needful--that we 8have faith in ,god02 let us deliver our thoughts from vagueness and our ways from variableness1 if we would help the children towards this higher life4 ,to this end1 we gladly welcome teaching which is rather nourishing than stimulating1 and which should afford real help towards 8sober walking in pure ,gospel ways40 ,,footnotes3 #aa 8,the ,imitation of ,christ0 7,rhythmic translation74 #ab ,pendennis4 ,thackeray4 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,the ,,heroic ,,impulse#ac 8,to set forth1 as only art can1 the beauty and the joy of living1 the beauty and the blessedness of death1 the glory of battle and adventure1 the nobility of devotion--to a cause1 an ideal1 a passion even--the dignity of resistance1 the sacred quality of patriotism1 that is my ambition here10 says the editor of 8,lyra ,heroica0 in his preface4 ,we all feel that some such expression of the 8simpler sentiments1 more elemental emotions0 should be freely used in the education of children1 that1 in fact1 heroic poetry contains such inspiration to noble living as is hardly to be found elsewhere2 and also we are aware that it is only in the youth of peoples that these elemental emotions find free expression in song4 ,we look at our own ballad literature and find plenty of the right material1 but it is too occasional and too little connected1 and so though we would prefer that the children should imbibe patriotism and heroism at the one fountain head1 we think it cannot be done4 ,we have no truly ,english material1 we say1 for education in this kind1 and we fall back on the ,homeric myths in one or other of the graceful and spirited renderings which have been made specially for children4 ,but what if it should turn out that we have our own ,homer1 our own ,ulysses8 ,mr4 ,stopford ,brooke has made a great discovery for us who look at all things from the child standpoint4 ,possibly he would not be gratified to know that his 8,history of ,early ,english ,literature10 invaluable addition as it is to the library of the student and the man of letters1 should be appropriated as food for babes4 ,all the same1 here is what we have long wanted4 ,the elemental emotions and heroic adventures of the early ,english put into verse and tale1 strange and eerie as the wildest fairy tale1 yet breathing in every line the ,english temper and the ,english virtue that go to the making of heroes4 ,not that ,beowulf1 the hero of the great poem1 was precisely ,english1 but where the ,english came from1 there dwelt he1 and ,beowulf was early adopted as the national hero1 whose achievements were sung in every hall4 ,the poem1 says ,mr4 ,stopford ,brooke1 consisting of three thousand one hundred and eighty-three lines1 is divided into two parts by an interval of fifty years2 the first1 containing ,beowulf's great deeds against the monster ,grendel and his dam2 the second1 ,beowulf's conquest of the ,fire-drake and his death and burial4 ,we are told that we may fairly claim the poem as ,english1 that it is in our tongue and in our country alone that it is preserved4 ,the hero ,beowulf comes of brave and noble parents1 and mildness and more than mortal daring meet in him4 ,when he comes to ,hrothgar to conquer ,grendel it is of his counsel as much as of his strength that we hear4 ,the queen begs him to be friendly in council to her sons4 ,hrothgar says to him1 8,thou holdest thy faith with patience and thy might with prudence of mind4 ,thou shalt be a comfort to thy people and a help to heroes40 ,none1 it is said1 could order matters more wisely than he4 ,when he is dying he looks back on his life1 and that which he thinks of the most is not his great war deeds1 but his patience1 his prudence1 his power of holding his own well and of avoiding new enmities4 8,each of us must await the close of life10 says he2 8let him who can1 gain honour before he die4 ,that is best for a warrior when he is dead4 ,but do thou throughout this day have patience of thy woes2 ,i look for that from thee40 ,such the philosophy of this hero1 legendary or otherwise1 of some early century after ,christ1 before ,his religion had found its way among those northern tribes4 ,gentle1 like ,nelson1 he had ,nelson's iron resolution4 ,what he undertook to do he went through without a thought1 save of getting to the end of it4 ,fear is wholly unknown to him1 and he seems1 like ,nelson1 to have inspired his captains with his own courage4 8,i swore no false oaths10 he said when dying2 so also he kept his honour in faithfulness to his lord4 ,on foot1 alone1 in front1 while life lasted1 he was his king's defence4 ,he kept it in equal faithfulness when his lord was dead1 and that to his own loss1 for when the kingdom was offered to him he refused1 and trained ,heardreg1 the king's son1 to war and learning1 guarded him kindly with honour1 and avenged him when he was slain4 ,he kept it in generosity1 for he gave away all the gifts that he received2 in courtesy1 for he gave even to those who had been rude to him2 and he is always gentle and grave with women4 ,above all1 he kept it in war1 for these things are said of him1 8so shall a man do when he thinks to gain praise that shall never end1 and cares not for his life in battle40 8,let us have fame or death10 he cries1 and when ,wiglaf comes to help him against the dragon1 and ,beowulf is wrapped in the flame1 ,wiglaf recalls to him the aim of his whole life3-- 8,beowulf1 beloved1 bear thyself well4 ,thou wert wont to say in youth that thou wouldst never let honour go4 ,now1 strong in deeds1 ward thy life1 firm-souled prince1 with all thy might1 ,i will be thy helper40 8,these10 adds ,mr4 ,stopford ,brooke1 8are the qualities of the man and the hero1 and ,i have thought it worth while to dwell on them1 because they represent the ancient ,english ideal1 the manhood which pleased the ,english folk even before they came to ,britain1 and because in all our histories since ,beowulf's time1 for twelve hundred years or so1 they have been repeated in the lives of the ,english warriors by land and sea whom we chiefly honour4 ,but it is not only the idea of a hero which we have in ,beowulf1 it is also the idea of a king1 the just governor1 the wise politician1 the builder of peace1 the defender of his own folk at the price of his life1 #8the good king1 the folk king1 the beloved king1 the war ward of his land1 the winner of treasure for the need of his people1 the hero who thinks in death of those who sail the sea1 the gentle and terrible warrior1 who is buried amid the tears of his people4'0 ,we owe ,mr4 ,stopford ,brooke earnest gratitude for bringing this heroic ideal of the youth of our nation within reach of the unlearned4 ,but what have we been about to let a thousand years and more go by without ever drawing on the inspiration of this noble ideal in giving impulse to our children's lives4 ,we have many ,english heroes1 it may be objected3 we have no need of this resuscitated great one from a long buried past4 ,we have indeed heroes galore to be proud of1 but somehow they have not often been put into song in such wise as to reach the hearts of the children and the unlearned4 ,we have to thank ,tennyson for our ,arthur1 and ,shakespeare for our ,henry the ,fifth1 but we imagine that parents will find their children's souls more in touch with ,beowulf than with either of these1 because1 no doubt1 the legends of a nation's youth are the pages of history which most easily reach a child1 and ,beowulf belongs to a younger stage of civilisation than even ,arthur4 ,we hope the author of 8,early ,english ,literature0 will sometime give us the whole of the poem translated with a special view to children1 and interspersed with his own luminous teaching as we have it here4 ,the quaintness of the metre employed gives a feeling of eld which carries the reader back1 very successfully1 to the long ago of the poem4 ,we have already quoted largely from this 8,history of ,early ,english ,literature10 but perhaps a fuller extract will give a better idea of the work and of its real helpfulness to parents4 ,the cost of the two rather expensive volumes should be well repaid if a single child were to be fired with emulation of the heroic qualities therein sung3-- 8,the action of the poem now begins with the voyage of ,beowulf to the ,danish coast4 ,the hero has heard that ,hrothgar1 the chief of the ,danes1 is tormented by ,grendel1 a man-devouring monster4 ,if ,hrothgar's warriors sleep in ,heorot--the great hall he has built--they are seized1 torn to pieces1 and devoured4 #8,i will deliver the king1' thought ,beowulf1 when he heard the tale from the roving seamen4 #8,over the swan road ,i will seek ,hrothgar2 he has need of men4' ,his comrades urged him to the adventure1 and fifteen of them were willing to fight it out with him4 ,among the rest was a sea-crafty man who knew the ocean-paths4 ,their ship lay drawn up on the beach1 under the high cliff4 ,then-- 8,there the well-geared heroes ,stepped upon the stem1 while the stream of ocean ,whirled the sea against the sand4 ,to the ship1 to its breast4 ,bright and carved things of cost carried then the heroes ,and the armour well-arrayed4 ,so the men outpushed1 ,on desired adventure1 their tight ocean wood4 ,swiftly went above the waves1 with a wind well-fitted1 ,likest to a fowl1 the ,floater1 foam around its neck1 ,till about the same time1 on the second day1 ,the up-curvd prow had come on so far1 ,that at last the seamen saw the land ahead2 ,shining sea-cliffs1 soaring headlands1 ,broad sea-nesses4 ,so the ,sailor of the ,sea ,reached the sea-way's end40 ,beowulf l4 #baa4 8,this was the voyage1 ending in a fiord with two high sea-capes at its entrance4 ,the same kind of scenery belongs to the land whence they had set out4 ,when ,beowulf returns over the sea the boat groans as it is pushed forth4 ,it is heavily laden2 the hollow1 under the single mast with the single sail1 holds eight horses1 swords and treasure and rich armours4 ,the sail is hoisted1 the wind drives the foam-throated bark over the waves1 until they see the ,geats' ,cliffs--the well-known sea-nesses4 ,the keel is pressed up by the wind on the sand1 and the #8harbour-guard1 who had looked forth afar o'er the sea with longing for their return'--one of the many human touches of the poem--#8fastens the wide-bosomed ship with anchoring chains to the strand1 lest the violence of the waves should sweep away the winsome boat4'444 ,at the end of the bay into which ,beowulf sails is a low shore1 on which he drives his ship1 stem on4 ,planks are pushed out on either side of the prow2 the ,weder-folk slipped down on the shore1 tied up their sea-wood2 their battle-sarks clanged on them as they moved4 ,then they thanked the gods that the war-paths had been easy to them4444 ,on the ridge of the hill above the landing-place the ward of the coast of the ,scyldings sat on his horse1 and saw the strangers bear their bright shields over the bulwarks of the ship to the shore4 ,he rode down1 wondering1 to the sea1 and shook mightily in his hands his heavy spear1 and called to the men--0 8,who are ye of men1 having arms in hand1 ,covered with your coats of mail4 ,who your keel afoaming ,o'er the ocean street thus have urged along4 ,hither on the high sea60 99 99 99 99 99 8,never saw ,i greater ,earl upon this earth than is one of you2 ,hero in his harness4 ,he is no home-stayer1 #8,less his looks belie him1 lovely with his weapons4 ,noble is his air60 ,beowulf1 ll4 #bcg-bdg4 8,beowulf replies that he is ,hrothgar's friend1 and comes to free him from #8,grendel1 the secret foe on the dark nights4' ,he pities ,hrothgar1 old and good4 ,yet1 as he speaks1 the ,teutonic sense of the inevitable ,wyrd passes by in his mind1 and he knows not if ,hrothgar can ever escape sorrow4 #8,if ever1' he says1 #8sorrow should cease from him1 release ever come1 and the welter of care become cooler4' ,the coast-guard shows them the path1 and promises to watch over their ship4 ,the ground rises from the shore1 and they pass on to the hilly ridge1 behind which lies ,heorot40 8,the ,history of the ,early ,english ,literature0 takes us into other pleasant places4 ,here are two or three specimens of the riddles of the old bards1 and in riddle and saga we get most vivid pictures of the life and thoughts1 the ways and words of the forefathers whom we are too ready to think of as #8rude1' but who are here portrayed to us as gentle1 mild1 and large of soul2 men and women whom we1 their posterity1 may well delight to honour4 ,i4 ,here is ,cynewulf's ,riddle of the ,sword4 8,i'm a wondrous wight for warstrife shapen2 ,by my lord beloved1 lovelily adorned3 ,many coloured is my corslet1 and a clasping wire ,glitters round the gem of death which my wielder gave to me3 ,he who whiles doth urge me1 wide-wanderer that ,i am1 ,with him to conquest4 ,then ,i carry treasure1 ,cold above the garths1 through the glittering day2 ,i of smiths the handiwork6 ,often do ,i quell ,breathing men with battle edges6 ,me bedecks a king ,with his hoard and silver2 honours me in hall1 ,doth withhold no word of praise6 ,of my ways he boasts #8,fore the many heroes1 where the mead they drink4 ,in restraint he lulls me1 then he lets me loose again1 ,far and wide to rush along2 me the weary with wayfarings1 ,cursed of all weapons40 ,riddle xxi4 ,,ii4 ,the helmet speaks3-- 8,wretchedness ,i bear2 ,wheresoe'er he carries me1 he who clasps the spear6 ,on me1 still upstanding1 smite the streams 7of rain72 ,hail1 the hard grain 7helms me71 and the hoar-frost covers me2 ,and the 7flying7 snow 7in flakes7 falls all over me40 ,riddle1 lxxix4 #f-aj4 ,,iii4 ,the horn speaks3-- 8,i a weaponed warrior was6 now in pride bedecks me ,a young serving man all with silver and fine gold1 ,with the work of waving gyres6 ,warriors sometimes kiss me4 ,sometimes ,i to strife of battle1 summon with my calling ,willing war-companions2 whiles1 the horse doth carry ,me the march-paths over1 or the ocean-stallion ,fares the flood with me1 flashing in my jewels-- ,often times a bower maiden1 all bedecked with armlets1 ,filleth up my bosom2 whiles1 bereft of covers1 ,i must1 hard and headless1 7in the houses7 lie6 ,then1 again1 hang ,i1 with adornments fretted1 ,winsome on the wall where the warriors drink4 ,sometimes the folk fighters1 as a fair thing on warfaring1 ,on the back of horses bear me2 then bedecked with jewels ,shall ,i puff with wind from a warrior's breast4 ,then1 again1 to glee feasts ,i the guests invite ,haughty heroes to the wine-- other whiles shall ,i ,with my shouting1 save from foes what is stolen away1 ,make the plundering scather flee4 ,ask what is my name60 ,riddle xv4 ,we do not say a word about the literary value and importance of ,mr4 ,stopford ,brooke's great work2 that is duly appraised elsewhere4 #8,there is nothing like leather1' and to us here all things present themselves as they may tell on education4 ,here is a very treasure-trove4 ,,footnotes3 #ac 8,history of ,early ,english ,literature10 by ,stopford ,a4 ,brooke1 #b vols4 ,macmillan ,co4 ,,chapter ,,xv ,,is ,,it ,,possible8 ,the economic aspects of the great philanthropic scheme#ad which brought timely relief to the national conscience before the setting in of the hard winter of #ahia1 are1 perhaps1 outside our province1 but there are educational aspects of it which1 we are in some measure1 bound to discuss4 ,in the first place1 the children in many homes hear1 8,i do not believe that0--it is possible for the leopard to change his spots4 #8,general' ,booth's scheme brings this issue before us with startling directness1 and what the children hear said to-day at the table and by the fireside will probably influence for all their lives their attitude towards all philanthropic and all missionary endeavour4 ,not only so1 but we ourselves1 who stand in some measure in loco parentis to the distressed in mind1 body1 or estate1 are compelled to examine our own position4 ,how far do we give1 and work1 for the ease of our own conscience1 and how far do we believe in the possibility of the instant and utter restoration of the morally degraded1 are questions which1 to-day1 force themselves upon us4 ,we must be ready with a yea or a nay2 we must take sides1 for or against such possibilities as should exalt philanthropic effort into a burning passion4 ,the fact is1 this great scheme forced a sort of moral crisis upon us4 ,whether or no the scheme commends itself to us for its fitness1 seasonableness1 and promise1 one thing it has assuredly done3 it has revealed us to ourselves1 and that in an agreeable light4 ,it has been discovered to us that we1 too1 love our brother2 that we1 too1 yearn over 8the bruised0 with something of the tenderness of ,christ4 ,the brotherhood of man is no fancy bred in the brain1 and we have loved our brother all the time--the sick1 the poor1 the captive1 and the sinner1 too2 but the fearful1 and unbelieving1 and slothful amongst us--that is1 the most of us--have turned away our eyes from beholding evils for which we saw no help4 ,but now that a promise of deliverance offers1 more adequate1 conceivably1 than any heretofore proposed1 why1 the solidarity of humanity asserts itself2 our brother who is bruised is not merely near and dear2 he is our very self1 and whoso will ease and revive him is our deliverer too4 ,the first flush of enthusiasm subsides1 and we ask1 ,are we not1 after all1 led away by what ,coleridge calls the 8,idol of ,size08 ,wherein does this scheme differ from ten thousand others1 except in the colossal scale on which the experiment is to be tried8 ,and perhaps we should concede at the outset that this hope of deliverance is 8the same1 only more so10 as is being already worked out effectually in many an otherwise sunless corner of the great vineyard4 ,indeed1 the great project has its great risks--risks which the quieter work escapes4 ,all the same1 there are aspects in which the remedy1 because of its vastness and inclusiveness1 is new4 ,hitherto we have helped the wretched in impossible circumstances1 not out of them4 ,our help has been as a drop in the bucket1 reaching to hundreds or thousands only of the lost millions4 ,even so1 we cannot keep it up2 we give to-day1 and withhold to-morrow2 worse than all1 our very giving is an injury1 reducing the power and the inclination for self-help4 ,or1 do we start some small amateur industry by way of making our people independent8 ,this pet industry may sometimes be a transparent mask for almsgiving1 and an encroachment upon regular industries and the rights of other workers4 ,now and then is a gleam of hope1 now and then a soul and body snatched into safety2 but the hardest workers are glad of the noise of the wheels to keep the eternal ,cui bono8 out of their ears4 ,there is so much to be done1 and so little means of doing it4 ,but this scheme--what with the amplitude of its provisions1 what with the organisation and regimentation it promises1 the strong and righteous government1 the moral compulsion to well-doing--considering these1 and the enormous staff of workers already prepared to carry it out1 the dreariest pessimist amongst us concedes that ,general ,booth's scheme may be worth trying4 8,but10 he says1 8but---- ,,do ,,we ,,believe ,,in ,,conversion80 ,everything turns on the condition the originator wisely puts first4 ,there is the crux4 ,given money enough1 land enough1 men enough1 fully equip and officer this teeming horde of incapables1 and some sort of mechanical drill may be got through somehow4 ,but1 8when a man's own character and defects constitute the reasons for his fall1 that character must be changed and that conduct altered if any permanent beneficial results are to be obtained40 ,the drunkard must be made sober2 the criminal1 honest2 the impure1 clean4 ,can this be done8 is the crucial question4 ,is it possible that a man can emerge altogether out of his old self and become a new creature1 with new aims1 new thoughts1 even new habits8 ,that such renovation is possible is the old contention of ,christianity4 ,here1 and not on the ground of the inspiration of the sacred text1 must the battle be fought out4 ,the answer to the one urgent question of the age1 ,what think ye of ,christ8 depends upon the power of the idea of ,christ to attract and compel attention1 and of the indwelling of ,christ to vivify and elevate a single debased and torpid human soul4 ,many of us believe exultingly that the 8,all power0 which is given into the hands of our ,master includes the power of upright standing1 strength1 and beauty for every bruised human reed4 ,that this is so1 we have evidence in plenty1 beginning with ourselves4 ,but many others of us1 and those not the less noble1 consider with ,robert ,elsmere1 that 8miracles do not happen40 ,the recorded miracles serve as pegs for the discussion2 the essential miracle is the utter and immediate renovation of a human being4 ,upon this possibility the saving of the world must hang1 and this many cannot receive1 not because they are stiff-necked and perverse1 but because it is dead against natural law as they know it4 ,proofs8 ,cases without end8 ,the whole history of the ,christian ,church in evidence8 ,yes2 but the history of the ,church is a chequered one2 and1 for individual cases1 we do not doubt the veracity of the details2 only1 nobody knows the whole truth2 some preparation in the past1 some motive in the present inadvertently kept out of sight1 may alter the bearings of any such case4 ,this is1 roughly1 the position of the honest sceptic1 who would1 if he could1 believe heartily in ,general ,booth's scheme1 and1 by consequence1 in the convertibility of the entire human race4 ,to improve the circumstances1 even of millions1 is only a question of the magnitude of the measures taken1 the wisdom of the administration4 ,but human nature itself1 depraved human nature1 is1 to him1 the impossible quantity4 ,can the leopard change his spots8 ,,the ,,law ,,against ,,us--,,heredity4 ,who are they whom ,general ,booth cheerfully undertakes to re-fashion and make amenable to the conditions of godly and righteous and sober living8 ,let us hear the life history of many of them in his own words3-- 8,the rakings of the human cesspool40 8,little ones1 whose parents are habitually drunk4444 ,whose ideas of merriment are gained from the familiar spectacle of the nightly debauch40 8,the obscenity of the talk of many of the children of some of our public schools could hardly be outdone1 even in ,sodom and ,gomorrah40 ,and the childhood--save the word6--of the children of to-day reproduces the childhood of their parents1 their grand-parents1 who knows8 their great-grand-parents4 ,these are1 no doubt1 the worst2 but the worst must be reckoned with first1 for if these slip through the meshes of the remedial net1 the masses more inert than vicious slide out through the breaks4 ,in the first place1 then1 the scheme embraces the vicious by inheritance2 proposes to mix up with the rest a class whose sole heritage is an inconceivable and incalculable accumulation of vicious inclinations and propensities4 ,and this1 in the face of that conception of heredity which is quietly taking possession of the public mind1 and causing many thoughtful parents to abstain from very active efforts to mould the characters of their children4 ,those of us whose attention has been fixed upon the working of the law of heredity until it appears to us to run its course1 unmodified and unlimited by other laws1 may well be pardoned for regarding with doubtful eye a scheme which has1 for its very first condition1 the regeneration of the vicious2 of the vicious by inherited propensity4 ,,the ,,law ,,against ,,us--,,habit4 ,use is second nature1 we say4 ,habit is ten natures2 habit begins as a cobweb1 and ends as a cable4 8,oh1 you'll get used to it10 whatever it is4 ,dare we face the habits in which these people have their being8 ,it is not only the obscene speech1 the unholy acts2 that which signifies is the manner of thoughts we think2 speech1 act1 are the mere outcome2 it is the habitual thought of a man which shapes that which we call his character4 ,and these1 can we reasonably doubt that every imagination of their heart is only evil continually8 ,we say1 use is second nature1 but let us consider what we mean by the phrase2 what is the philosophy of habit so far as it has been discovered to us4 ,the seat of habit is the brain2 the actual grey nervous matter of the cerebrum4 ,and the history of a habit is shortly this3 8,the cerebrum of man grows to those modes of thought in which it is habitually exercised40 ,that #8immaterial' thought should mould the #8material' brain need not surprise nor scandalise us1 for do we not see with our eyes that immaterial thought moulds the face1 forms what we call countenance1 lovely or loathsome according to the manner of thought it registers4 ,the how of this brain growth is not yet in evidence1 nor is this the time and place to discuss it2 but1 bearing in mind this structural adaptation to confirmed habit1 what chance1 again1 we say1 has a scheme which has for its first condition the regeneration of the vicious1 vicious not only by inherited propensity1 but by unbroken inveterate habit8 ,,the ,,law ,,against ,,us--,,unconscious ,,cerebration4 ,those who are accustomed to write know what it is to sit down and 8reel off0 sheet after sheet of matter without plan or premeditation1 clear1 coherent1 ready for press1 hardly needing revision4 ,we are told of a lawyer who wrote in his sleep a lucid opinion throwing light on a most difficult case2 of a mathematician who worked out in his sleep a computation which baffled him when awake4 ,we know that ,coleridge dreamed 8,kubla ,khan0 in an after-dinner nap1 line by line1 and wrote it down when he awoke4 ,what do these cases and a thousand like them point to8 ,to no less than this3 that1 though the all important ego must1 no doubt1 8assist0 at the thinking of the initial thought on a given subject1 yet1 after that first thought or two1 #8brain' and #8mind' manage the matter between them1 and the thoughts1 so to speak1 think themselves2 not after the fashion of a pendulum which moves to and fro1 to and fro1 in the same interval of space1 but in that of a carriage rolling along the same road1 but into ever new developments of the landscape4 ,an amazing thought--but have we not abundant internal evidence of the fact8 ,we all know that there are times when we cannot get rid of the thoughts that will think themselves within us1 though they drive away sleep and peace and joy4 ,in the face of this law1 benign as it eases us of the labour of original thought and decision about the everyday affairs of life1 terrible when it gets beyond our power of control and diversion1 what hope for those in whose debauched brain vile thoughts1 involuntary1 automatic1 are for ever running with frightful rapidity in the one well-worn track8 ,truly1 the in-look is appalling4 ,what hope for these8 ,and what of a scheme whose first condition is the regeneration of the vicious--vicious1 not only by inherited propensity1 and by unbroken inveterate habit1 but reduced to that state of1 shall we say1 inevitable viciousness--when 8unconscious cerebration10 with untiring activity1 goes to the emanation of vicious imaginations8 ,all these things are against us4 ,,the ,,law ,,for ,,us--,,limitations ,,to ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,heredity4 ,but the last word of ,science1 and she has more and better words in store1 is full of hope4 ,the fathers have eaten sour grapes1 but it is not inevitable that the children's teeth be set on edge4 ,the soul that sinneth it shall die1 said the prophet of old1 and ,science is hurrying up with her1 8,even so40 ,the necessary corollary to the latest modification of the theory of evolution is--acquired modifications of structure are not transmitted4 ,all hail to the good news2 to realise it1 is like waking up from a hideous nightmare4 ,this is1 definitely1 our gain2 the man who by the continuous thinking of criminal thoughts has modified the structure of his brain so as to adapt it to the current of such thoughts1 does not necessarily pass on this modification to his child4 ,there is no necessary adaptation in the cerebrum of the new-born child to make place for evil thoughts4 ,in a word1 the child of the vicious may be born as fit and able for good living as the child of the righteous4 ,inherent modifications are1 it is true1 transmitted1 and the line between inherent and acquired modifications may not be easy to define4 ,but1 anyway1 there is hope to go on with4 ,the child of the wicked may have as good a start in life1 so far as his birthright goes1 as the child of the just4 ,the child's future depends not upon his lineage so much as upon his bringing up1 for education is stronger than nature1 and no human being need be given over to despair4 ,we need not abate our hope of the regeneration of the vicious for the bugbear of an inheritance of irresistible propensity to evil4 ,,the ,,law ,,for ,,us--8,,one ,,custom ,,overcometh ,,another40 ,but habit6 ,it is bad enough to know that use is second nature1 and that man is a bundle of habits2 but how much more hopeless to look into the rationale of habit1 and perceive that the enormous strength of the habit that binds us connotes a structural modification1 a shaping of the brain tissues to the thought of which the habit is the outward and visible sign and expression4 ,once such growth has taken place1 is not the thing done1 so that it can't be undone--has not the man taken shape for life when his ways of thinking are registered in the substance of his brain8 ,not so2 because one habit has been formed and registered in the brain is no reason at all why another and contrary habit should not be formed and registered in its turn4 ,to-day is the day of salvation1 physically speaking1 because a habit is a thing of now2 it may be begun in a moment1 formed in a month1 confirmed in three months1 become the character1 the very man1 in a year4 ,there is growth to the new thoughts in a new tract of the brain1 and 8,one custom overcometh another40 ,here is the natural preparation for salvation4 ,the words are very old1 the words of ,thomas ,kempis1 but the perception that they have a literal physical meaning has been reserved for us to-day4 ,only one train of ideas can be active at one time2 the old cell connections are broken1 and benign nature is busy building up the waste places1 even be they the waste places of many generations4 ,,no ,,road is set up in the track where the unholy thoughts carried on their busy traffic4 ,new tissue is formed2 the wound is healed1 and1 save1 perhaps1 for a scar1 some little tenderness1 that place is whole and sound as the rest4 ,this is how one custom overcometh another3 there is no conflict1 no contention1 no persuasion4 ,secure for the new idea a weighty introduction1 and it will accomplish all the rest for itself4 ,it will feed and grow2 it will increase and multiply2 it will run its course of its own accord2 will issue in that current of automatic unconscious involuntary thought of the man which shapes his character4 ,behold1 a new man6 ,ye must be born again1 we are told2 and we say1 with a sense of superior knowledge of the laws of nature1 ,how can a man be born again8 ,can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born8 ,this would be a miracle1 and we have satisfied ourselves that 8miracles do not happen40 ,and now1 at last1 the miracle of conversion is made plain to our dull understanding4 ,we perceive that conversion1 however sudden1 is no miracle at all--using the word miracle to describe that which takes place in opposition to natural law4 ,on the contrary1 we find that every man carries in his physical substance the gospel of perpetual1 or of always possible1 renovation2 and we find how1 from the beginning1 ,nature was prepared with her response to the demand of ,grace4 ,is conversion possible8 we ask2 and the answer is1 that it is1 so to speak1 a function for which there is latent provision in our physical constitution1 to be called forth by the touch of a potent idea4 ,truly1 ,his commandment is exceeding broad1 and grows broader day by day with each new revelation of ,science4 ,a man may1 most men do1 undergo this process of renovation many times in their lives2 whenever an idea strong enough to divert his thoughts 7as we most correctly say7 from all that went before is introduced1 the man becomes a new creature2 when he is 8in love10 for example2 when the fascinations of art or of nature take hold of him2 an access of responsibility may bring about a sudden and complete conversion3-- ,the breath no sooner left his father's body ,but that his wildness1 mortified in him1 ,seem'd to die too2 yea1 at that very moment1 ,consideration1 like an angel1 came ,and whipp'd the offending ,adam out of him2 ,leaving his body as a paradise ,to envelop and contain celestial spirits4 ,here is a picture--psychologically true1 anyway1 ,shakespeare makes no mistakes in psychology--of an immediate absolute conversion4 ,the conversion may be to the worse1 alas1 and not to the better1 and the value of the conversion must depend upon the intrinsic worthiness of the idea by whose instrumentality it is brought about4 ,the point worth securing is1 that man carries in his physical structure the conditions of renovation2 conditions1 so far as we can conceive1 always in working order1 always ready to be put in force4 ,wherefore 8conversion0 in the ,biblical sense1 in the sense in which the promoters of this scheme depend upon its efficacy1 though a miracle of divine grace in so far as it is a sign and a marvel1 is no miracle in the popular sense of that which is outside of and opposed to the workings of 8natural law40 ,conversion is entirely within the divine scheme of things1 even if we choose to limit our vision of that scheme to the 8few1 faint1 and feeble0 flashes which ,science is as yet able to throw upon the mysteries of being4 ,but is this all8 ,ah1 no2 this is no more than the dim vestibule of nature to the temple of grace2 we are not concerned1 however1 to say one word here of how 8great is the mystery of godliness20 of the cherishing of the ,father1 the saving and the indwelling of the ,son1 the sanctifying of the ,spirit2 neither need we speak of 8spiritual wickedness in high places40 ,the aim of this slight essay is to examine the assertion that what we call conversion is contrary to natural law2 and we do this with a view1 not to ,general ,booth's scheme only1 but to all efforts of help4 ,hope shows an ever stronger case for the regeneration of the vicious4 ,not only need we be no more oppressed by the fear of an inheritance of invincible propensities to evil1 but the strength of life-long habit may be vanquished by the power of an idea1 new habits of thought may be set up on the instant1 and these may be fostered and encouraged until that habit which is ten natures is the habit of the new life1 and the thoughts which1 so to speak1 think themselves all day long are thoughts of purity and goodness4 ,,the ,,law ,,for ,,us--,,potency ,,of ,,an ,,idea4 8,hath not a ,jew eyes8 hath not a ,jew hands1 organs1 dimensions1 senses1 affections1 passions80 ,in effecting the renovation of a man the external agent is ever an idea1 of such potency as to be seized upon with avidity by the mind1 and1 therefore1 to make an impression upon the nervous substance of the cerebrum4 ,the potency of an idea depends upon the fact of its being complementary to some desire or affection within the man4 ,man wants knowledge1 for example1 and power1 and esteem1 and love1 and company2 also1 he has within him capacities for love1 esteem1 gratitude1 reverence1 kindness4 ,he has an unrecognised craving for an object on which to spend the good that is in him4 ,the idea which makes a strong appeal to any one of his primal desires and affections must needs meet with a response4 ,such idea and such capacity are made for one another2 apart1 they are meaningless as ball and socket2 together1 they are a joint1 effective in a thousand ways4 ,but the man who is utterly depraved has no capacity for gratitude1 for example8 ,yes1 he has2 depravity is a disease1 a morbid condition2 beneath is the man1 capable of recovery4 ,this is hardly the place to consider them1 but think for a moment of the fitness of the ideas which are summed up in the thought of ,christ to be presented to the poor degraded soul3 divine aid and compassion for his neglected body2 divine love for his loneliness2 divine forgiveness in lieu of the shame of his sin2 divine esteem for his self-contempt2 divine goodness and beauty to call forth the passion of love and loyalty that is in him2 the ,story of the ,cross1 the lifting up1 which perhaps no human soul is able to resist if it be fitly put4 ,and the divine idea once received1 the divine life is imparted also1 grows1 is fostered and cherished by the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the man is a new creature1 with other aims1 and other thoughts1 and a life out of himself4 ,the old things have passed away1 and all things have become new--the physical being embodying1 so to speak1 the new life of the spirit4 ,we may well believe1 indeed1 that 8conversion0 is so proper to the physical and spiritual constitution of man that it is inevitable to all of us if only the ideas summed up in ,christ be fitly introduced to the soul4 ,the question then turns1 not upon the possibility of converting the most depraved1 nor upon the potency of the ideas to be presented1 but altogether upon the power of putting these ideas so that a man shall recognise and seize upon the fulness of ,christ as the necessary complement to the emptiness of which he is aware4 ,,the ,,habits ,,of ,,the ,,good ,,life4 ,but1 the man converted1 the work is not done4 ,these sinners exceedingly are not only sinful1 but diseased2 morbid conditions of brain have been set up1 and every one of them needs individual treatment1 like any other sick man1 for disease slow of cure4 ,for a month1 three months1 six months1 it will not do to let one of them alone4 ,curative treatment is an absolute condition of success1 and here is where human co-operation is invited in what is primarily and ultimately the work of ,god4 ,there are diseased places in the brain1 where ill thoughts have of old run their course2 and these sore places must have time1 blessed time1 wherein to heal4 ,that is to say1 all traffic in the old thoughts must be absolutely stopped1 at whatever cost4 ,think of the ,army of ,vigilance which must be ever on the alert to turn away the eyes of the patients from beholding evil2 for1 a single suggestion1 of drink1 of uncleanness1 and1 presto1 the old thoughts run riot1 and the work of healing must be begun anew4 ,and1 how to keep out the old1 but by administering the thoughts of the new life watchfully1 one by one1 as they are needed1 and can be taken2 offering them with engaging freshness1 with comforting fitness1 until at last the period of anxious nursing is over1 the habits of the good life are set up1 and the patient is able to stand on his own feet and labour for his own meat4 ,this is no work to be undertaken wholesale4 ,the spiritual care of a multitude diseased1 even physically diseased1 of sin1 is no light thing4 ,and if it be not undertaken systematically1 and carried out efficiently1 the whole scheme must of necessity fall through4 ,who is sufficient for these things8 ,no one1 perhaps2 but a following of a great corps of nurses trained to minister to minds diseased1 and with the experience and the method belonging to a professional calling1 is surely1 a fitting qualification for the ,herculean task4 ,,the ,,ease ,,of ,,discipline4 ,how readily we can understand how1 in the days when monarchs were more despotic than they are now1 one and another would take refuge in a convent for the ease of doing the will of another rather than his own6 ,is not this the attraction of conventual life to-day1 and is not this why the idea of the ,salvation ,army is powerfully attractive to some of us who know1 all the same1 that we 7individually7 should be wrong to lay down our proper function of ordering and acting out our own lives4 ,but for these1 strong of impulse and weak of will1 who have no power at all to do the good they vaguely and feebly desire1 oh1 the ease of being taken up into a strong and beneficent organisation1 of having their comings and goings1 their doings and havings1 ordered for them6 ,organisation1 regimentation1 we are reminded1 make a hero of ,tommy ,atkins4 ,and these all have it in them to be heroes1 because1 restlessness1 rebellion1 once subdued1 they will rejoice more than any others in the ease of simply doing as they are bidden4 ,here is a great secret of power1 to treat these1 lapsed and restored1 like children2 for what is the object of family discipline1 of that obedience which has been described as 8the whole duty of a child08 ,is it not to ease the way of the child1 while will is weak and conscience immature1 by setting it on the habits of the good life where it is as easy to go right as for a locomotive to run on its lines8 ,just such present relief from responsibility1 such an interval for development1 do these poor children of larger growth demand for their needs2 and any existing possibility of ordering and disciplining this mixed multitude must needs appear to us a surpassing adaptation of 8supply0 to 8demand40 ,the saving grace of work1 and the healing power of the fresh air1 again1 should do their part in the restoration of the 8submerged40 ,but it is not our part to examine the methods proposed by ,general ,booth1 or to adumbrate his chances of success4 ,our concern is solely with the children4 ,no doubt this great social scheme has been discussed1 more or less1 in every family1 and the attitude of thought towards all good work which the children will henceforth take may depend very much upon how far the underlying principles are made clear to them in one such typical instance4 ,whatever the agency1 let the children be assured that the work is the work of ,god1 to be accomplished in the strength of ,god1 according to the laws of ,god2 that it is our part to make ourselves acquainted with the laws we would work out1 and that1 having done all1 we wait for the inspiration of the divine life1 even as the diligent farmer waits upon sunshine and shower4 ,,footnotes3 #ad ,issue of ,darkest ,england4 ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,discipline ,what part does ,discipline play in your system of education8 ,we should hail the query as manifesting a cheering degree of interest if we were not quite sure that our interlocutor uses discipline as a euphuism for punishment4 ,that conviction puts one's mind into the attitude of protest4 ,in the first place1 we have no system of education4 ,we hold that great things1 such as nature1 life1 education are 8cabined1 cribbed1 confined0 in proportion as they are systematised4 ,we have a method of education1 it is true1 but method is no more than a way to an end and is free1 yielding1 adaptive as ,nature herself4 ,method has a few comprehensive laws according to which details shape themselves1 as one naturally shapes one's behaviour to the acknowledged law that fire burns4 ,system1 on the contrary1 has an infinity of rules and instructions as to what you are to do and how you are to do it4 ,method in education follows ,nature humbly1 stands aside and gives her fair play4 ,system leads ,nature3 assists1 supplements1 rushes in to undertake those very tasks which ,nature has made her own since the world was4 ,does ,nature endow every young thing1 child or kitten1 with a wonderful capacity for inventive play8 ,nay1 but1 says ,system1 ,i can help here2 ,i will invent games for the child and help his plays1 and make more use of this power of his than unaided ,nature knows how4 ,so ,dame ,system teaches the child to play1 and he enjoys it2 but1 alas1 there is no play in him1 no initiative1 when he is left to himself2 and so on all along the lines4 ,system is fussy and zealous and produces enormous results--in the teacher6 ,method pursues a 8wise passiveness40 ,you watch the teacher and are hardly aware that he is doing anything4 ,the children take the initiative1 but1 somehow1 the result here is in these and not in the teacher4 ,they develop1 become daily more and more of persons1 with 8,the reason firm1 the temperate will1 ,endurance1 foresight1 strength1 and skill40 ,such as these are the golden fruits which ripen under the eyes of the parent who is wise to discriminate between the rle of nature and that of the educator1 who follows sympathetically and dutifully the lead of the great mother4 8,oh1 then you have no discipline4 ,i thought not4 ,i daresay it would answer very well to leave children to themselves and make them happy4 ,children are always good when they are happy1 are they not80 ,not so fast1 dear reader4 ,he who would follow a great leader must needs endeavour himself1 ,ohne ,hast ohne ,rast1 and the divine lead which we call ,nature is infinitely blessed in the following1 but steep to tread and hard to find and by no means to be confounded with leisurely strolling in ways of our own devising4 ,the parent who would educate his children1 in any large sense of the word1 must lay himself out for high thinking and lowly living2 the highest thinking indeed possible to the human mind and the simplest1 directest living4 ,this thought of discipline1 for example1 is one of the large comprehensive ideas which must inform and direct the life1 rather than be gathered up into a rule1 easy to remember and easy to apply1 when1 now and then1 comes the occasion for it4 ,if ,tommy is naughty1 whip him and send him to bed--is a ready-reckoner kind of rule1 handy to have about one1 and is the sort of thing which many people mean by discipline4 ,now we would not say that punishment is never to be used1 very much otherwise4 ,neither would we say that physic is never to be taken4 ,but punishment1 like physic1 is a casualty only of occasional occurrence at the worst1 and punishment and physic alike are reduced to a minimum in proportion as we secure healthy conditions of body and mind4 ,we are not anxious to lay down canons for punishment4 ,mr4 ,herbert ,spencer has not perhaps said the last word1 but he has given us a quite convenient rule to go on with4 ,a child should be punished by the natural consequences of his offence4 ,to carry this suggestion out au pied de la lettre would often enough mean lasting1 even fatal injury to the child1 bodily and mental4 ,you cannot let the indolent child be punished by ignorance1 or the wilful and adventurous child break his limb2 but1 so far as punishments have been allowed to become necessary1 the nature of the offence gives one a clue to a suitable punishment4 ,the child who does not eat his porridge goes without his plum4 ,this is1 anyway1 a punishment in kind1 perhaps the nearest approach to natural consequences which it is advisable to try4 ,but parents should face the fact that children rather enjoy punishments4 ,in these they find the opportunities1 so frequent is story-books1 so rare in real life1 for showing a fine pluck4 ,the child who is in punishment is very commonly enjoying himself immensely1 because he is respecting himself intensely4 ,there is a bit of heroism in the bearing of the penalty which is very apt to do away with any sense of contrition for the offence1 and the plucky little fellow1 who takes his punishment with an air1 is by no means a bad and hardened young offender1 but is an economist of opportunities1 making the best of what comes to hand for his own real education4 ,his mother's distress1 his father's disapproval1 these are quite different matters1 and carry no compensating sense of hardihood4 ,reflections like these lead one to spare the rod1 not at all out of over sensibility to the child's physical suffering1 for we would have him endure hardness if we mean to make a man of him1 but purely because it is not easy to find a punishment that does not defeat its own end4 ,the light smart slap1 with which the mother visits the little child when he is naughty1 is often both effective and educative4 ,it changes the current of baby's thoughts1 and he no longer wishes to pull his sister's hair4 ,but should not the slap be a last resort when no other way is left of changing his thoughts8 ,with the older child a theory of punishments rests less upon the necessity to change the culprit's thoughts than upon the hope of forming a new association of ideas1 that is1 of certain pains and penalties inevitably attached to certain forms of wrong-doing4 ,this1 we know too well1 is a teaching of life1 and is not to be overlooked in education4 ,the experience of each of us goes to prove that every breach of law1 in thought or deed1 is attended by its own penalties1 immediate or remote1 and the child who is not brought up to know that 8due follows deed in course10 is sent out to his first campaign undrilled and untrained1 a raw recruit4 ,our contention is 7a71 that the need for punishment is mostly preventable1 and 7b71 that the fear of punishment is hardly ever so strong a motive as the delight of the particular wrong-doing in view4 ,if punishment were necessarily reformative and able to cure us all of those 8sins we have a mind to10 why1 the world would be a very good world1 for no manner of sin escapes its present punishment4 ,the fact is1 not that punishment is unnecessary or that it is useless1 but that it is inadequate and barely touches our aim2 which is1 not the visitation of the offence1 but the correction of that fault of character of which the offence is the outcome4 ,jemmy tells lies and we punish him1 and by so doing we mark our sense of the offence2 but1 probably1 no punishment could be invented drastic enough to cure ,jemmy of telling lies in the future1 and this is the thing to be aimed at4 ,no1 we must look deeper2 we must find out what weak place in character1 what false habit of thinking1 leads ,jemmy to tell lies1 and we must deal with this false habit in the only possible way1 by forming the contrary habit of true thinking1 which will make ,jemmy grow up a true man4 8,i think ,i have never told a lie since10 said a lady1 describing the single conversation in which her father cured her of lying by setting up an altogether new train of thought4 ,not mere spurts of occasional punishment1 but the incessant watchfulness and endeavour which go to the forming and preserving of the habits of the good life1 is what we mean by discipline1 and from this point of view never were there such disciplinarians as the parents who labour on the lines we indicate4 ,every habit of courtesy1 consideration1 order1 neatness1 punctuality1 truthfulness1 is itself a schoolmaster1 and orders life with the most unfailing diligence4 ,a habit is so easily formed1 so strong to compel4 ,there are few parents who would not labour diligently if for every month's labour they were able to endow one of their children with #ajjj4 ,but1 in a month1 a parent may form a habit in his child of such infinite value that your thousand pounds is a mere bagatelle by comparison4 ,we have often urged that the great discovery which modern science has brought to the aid of the educator is1 that every habit of the life sets up1 as it were1 a material record in the brain tissues4 ,we all know that we think as we are used to think and act as we are used to act4 ,ever since man began to notice the ways of his own mind this law of habit has been matter of common knowledge1 and has been more or less acted upon by parents and other trainers of children4 ,the well brought-up child has always been a child carefully trained in good habits4 ,but it is only within our own day that it has been possible to lay down definite laws for the formation of habits4 ,until now1 the mother who wished to train her children in such and such a good habit has found herself hindered by a certain sense of casualty4 8,i am sure ,i am always telling her0--to keep her drawers neat1 or to hold up her head and speak nicely1 or to be quick and careful about an errand1--says the poor mother1 with tears in her eyes2 and indeed this1 of 8always telling0 him or her is a weary process for the mother2 dull1 because hopeless4 ,she goes on 8telling0 to deliver her own soul1 for she has long since ceased to expect any result2 and we know how dreary is work without hope4 ,but1 perhaps even his mother does not know how unutterably dreary is this 8always telling10 which produces nothing1 to the child4 ,at first he is fretful and impatient under the patter of idle words2 then he puts up with the inevitable1 but comes at last hardly to be aware that the thing is being said4 ,as for any impression on his character1 any habit really formed1 all this labour is without result2 the child does the thing when he cannot help it and evades as often as he can4 ,and the poor disappointed mother says1 8,i'm sure ,i've tried as much as any mother to train my children in good habits1 but ,i have failed40 ,she is not altogether dispirited1 however4 ,the children have not the habits she wished to train them in1 but they grow up warm-hearted1 good-natured1 bright young people1 by no means children to be ashamed of4 ,all the same1 the mother's sense of failure is a monition to be trusted4 ,our failures in life are1 perhaps1 due1 for the most part1 to the defects of our qualities1 and1 therefore1 it is not enough to send children into the world with just the inheritance of character they get from their parents4 ,let us offer a few definite practical counsels to a parent who wishes to deal seriously with a bad habit4 ,first4--,let us remember that this bad habit has made its record in the brain4 ,second4--,there is one way only of obliterating such record2 the absolute cessation of the habit for a considerable space of time1 say1 some six or eight weeks4 ,third4--,during this interval new growth1 new cell connections1 are somehow or other taking place1 and the physical seat of the evil is undergoing a natural healing4 ,fourth4--,but the only way to secure this pause is to introduce some new habit as attractive to the child as is the wrong habit you set yourself to cure4 ,fifth4--,as the bad habit usually arises from the defect of some quality in the child it should not be difficult for the parent who knows his child's character to introduce the contrary good habit4 ,sixth4--,take a moment of happy confidence between parent and child2 introduce1 by tale or example1 the stimulating idea2 get the child's will with you4 ,seventh4--,do not tell him to do the new thing1 but quietly and cheerfully see that he does it on all possible occasions1 for weeks if need be1 all the time stimulating the new idea1 until it takes great hold of the child's imagination4 ,eighth4--,watch most carefully against any recurrence of the bad habit4 ,ninth4--,should the old fault recur1 do not condone it4 ,let the punishment1 chiefly the sense of your estrangement1 be acutely felt4 ,let the child feel the shame of not only having done wrong1 but of having done the wrong when it was perfectly easy to avoid the wrong and do the right4 ,above all 8watch unto prayer0 and teach your child dependence upon divine aid in this warfare of the spirit2 but also1 the absolute necessity for his own efforts4 ,susie is an inquisitive little girl4 ,her mother is surprised and not always delighted to find that the little maid is constantly on voyages of discovery1 which the servants speak of to each other as prying and poking4 ,is her mother engaged in talk with a visitor or the nurse--behold1 ,susie is at her side1 sprung from nobody knows where4 ,is a confidential letter being read aloud--,susie is within earshot4 ,does the mother think she has put away a certain book where the children cannot find it--,susie volunteers to produce it4 ,does she tell her husband that cook has asked for two days leave of absence--up jumps ,susie1 with all the ins and outs of the case4 8,i really don't know what to do with the child4 ,it is difficult to put down one's foot and say you ought not to know this or that or the other4 ,each thing in itself is harmless enough1 but it is a little distressing to have a child who is always peering about for gossipy information40 ,yes1 it is tiresome1 but is not a case for despair1 nor for thinking hard things of ,susie1 certainly not for accepting the inevitable4 ,regarding this tiresome curiosity as the defect of its quality1 the mother casts about for the quality1 and1 behold1 ,susie is reinstated4 ,what ails the child is an inordinate desire for knowledge1 run to seed1 and allowed to spend itself on unworthy objects4 ,when the right moment comes1 introduce ,susie to some delightful study1 of ,nature1 for example1 which will employ all her prying proclivities4 ,once the new idea has taken possession of the little girl1 a little talk should follow about the unworthiness of filling one's thoughts with trifling matters so that nothing really interesting can get in4 ,for weeks together see that ,susie's mind is too full of large matters to entertain the small ones2 and1 once the inquisitive habit has been checked1 encourage the child's active mind to definite progressive work on things worth while4 ,susie's unworthy curiosity will soon cease to be a trial to her parents4 ,,chapter ,,xvii ,,sensations ,,and ,,feelings ,,part ,i ,children whose parents have little theoretic knowledge of the values of the various food-stuffs are often thoroughly nourished2 their parents rely on what they call common-sense2 and the result is1 on the whole1 better than if scientific consideration were given to the family dietary4 ,but this common-sense has usually scientific opinion for its basis1 though the fact may be forgotten1 and when scientific opinion has become the groundwork of habit it is of more value1 and works in a more simple way1 than while it is still in the stage of experiment4 ,in the same way it is a good thing to have such an acquaintance with the functions of human nature that we act on our knowledge unconsciously1 and do not even know that we possess it4 ,but if we have no such floating capital of cognisance we must study the subject1 even if we have to make experiments4 ,most people suppose that the sensations1 feelings1 and emotions of a child are matters that take care of themselves4 ,indeed1 we are apt to use the three terms indiscriminately1 without attaching very clear ideas to them4 ,but they cover1 collectively1 a very important educational field2 and though common sense1 that is to say judgments formed upon inherited knowledge1 often helps us to act wisely without knowing why1 we shall probably act more wisely if we act reasonably4 ,let us consider1 first1 the subject of sensations4 ,we speak of sensations of cold1 and sensations of heat1 and sensations of pain1 and we are quite right4 ,we also speak of sensations of fear and sensations of pleasure1 and we are commonly wrong4 ,the sensations have their origin in impressions received by the several organs of sense--eye1 tongue1 nostrils1 ear1 the surface of the external skin--and are conveyed by the sensory nerves1 some to the spinal cord and some to the lower region of the brain4 ,many sensations we know nothing about2 when we become aware of our sensations it is because communications are sent by nerve fibres1 acting as telegraph wires1 from the sensorium to the thinking brain1 and this happens when we give our attention to any one of the multitudinous messages carried by the sensory nerves4 ,the physiology of the senses is too complicated a subject for us to touch upon here1 but it is deeply interesting1 and perhaps no better introduction exists than ,professor ,clifford's little book1 8,seeing and ,thinking0 7,macmillan74 ,now the senses are 8,the ,five ,gateways of ,knowledge10 to quote the title of a little book which many of us have used in early days2 and an intelligent person should be aware of1 and capable of forming judgments upon1 the sensations he receives4 ,we all recognise that the training of the senses is an important part of education4 ,one caution is necessary3 from the very first a child's sensations should be treated as matters of objective and not of subjective interest4 ,marmalade1 for example1 is interesting1 not because it is 8nice0--a fact not to be dwelt upon at all--but because one can discern in it different flavours and the modifying effect of the oil secreted in the rind of the orange4 ,we shall have occasion to speak more of this subject later2 but a useful piece of education is this of centering a child's interest in the objects which produce his sensations and not in himself as the receiver of these sensations4 ,the purpose of so-called object lessons is1 to assist a child1 by careful examination of a given object1 to find out all he can about it through the use of his several senses4 ,general information about the object is thrown in and lodges only because the child's senses have been exercised1 and his interest aroused4 ,object lessons are a little in disfavour1 just now1 for two reasons4 ,in the first place1 miserable fragments are presented to the children which have little of the character of the object in situ1 and are apt to convey inadequate1 if not wrong1 ideas4 ,in the next place1 object lessons are commonly used as a means to introduce children to hard words1 such as opaque and translucent1 which never become part of their living thought until they pick them up for themselves incidentally as they have need of them4 ,but the abuse of this kind of teaching should not cause us to overlook its use4 ,no child can grow up without daily object teaching1 whether casual or of set purpose1 and the more thorough this is the more intelligent and observant will he become4 ,it is singular how few people are capable of developing an intelligent curiosity about the most attractive objects1 except as their interest is stimulated from without4 ,the baby is a wonderful teacher in this matter of object lessons4 ,to be sure his single pupil is his own small self1 but his progress is amazing4 ,at first he does not see any difference between a picture of a cow and the living animal2 big and little1 far and near1 hard and soft1 hot and cold1 are all alike to him2 he wishes to hold the moon in his pinafore1 to sit on the pond1 to poke his finger into the candle1 not because he is a foolish little person1 but because he is profoundly ignorant of the nature of the contents of this unintelligible world4 ,but how he works6 he bangs his spoon to try if it produces sound2 he sucks it to try its flavour2 he fumbles it all over and no doubt finds out whether it is hard or soft1 hot or cold1 rough or smooth2 he gazes at it with the long gaze of infancy1 so that he may learn the look of it2 it is an old friend and an object of desire when he sees it again1 for he has found out that there is much joy in a spoon4 ,this goes on with great diligence for a couple of years1 at the end of which time baby has acquired enough knowledge of the world to conduct himself in a very dignified and rational way4 ,this is what happens under ,nature's teaching2 and for the first five or six years of his life everything1 especially everything in action1 is an object of intelligent curiosity to the child--the street or the field is a panorama of delight1 the shepherd's dog1 the baker's cart1 the man with the barrow1 are full of vivid interest4 ,he has a thousand questions to ask1 he wants to know about everything2 he has1 in fact1 an inordinate appetite for knowledge4 ,we soon cure all that3 we occupy him with books instead of things2 we evoke other desires in place of the desire to know2 and we succeed in bringing up the unobservant man 7and more unobservant woman71 who discerns no difference between an elm1 a poplar and a lime tree1 and misses very much of the joy of living4 ,by the way1 why is it that the baby does not exercise with purpose his organ of smell8 ,he screws up a funny little nose when he is taught to sniff at a flower1 but this is a mere trick2 he does not naturally make experiments as to whether things are odorous1 while each of his other senses affords him keen joy4 ,no doubt the little nose is involuntarily very active1 but can his inertness in this matter be an hereditary failing8 ,it may be that we all allow ourselves to go about with obtuse nostrils4 ,if so1 this is a matter for the attention of mothers1 who should bring up their children not only to receive1 which is involuntary and vague1 but to perceive odours from the first4 ,two points call for our attention in this education of the senses2 we must assist the child to educate himself on ,nature's lines1 and we must take care not to supplant and crowd out ,nature and her methods with that which we call education4 ,object lessons should be incidental2 and this is where the family enjoys so great an advantage over the school4 ,it is almost impossible that the school should give any but set lessons1 but this sort of teaching in the family falls in with the occurrence of the object4 ,the child who finds that wonderful and beautiful object1 a 8paper0 wasp's nest1 attached to a larch-twig1 has his object lesson on the spot from father or mother4 ,the grey colour1 the round symmetrical shape1 the sort of cup and ball arrangement1 the papery texture1 the comparative size1 the comparative smoothness1 the odour or lack of odour1 the extreme lightness1 the fact that it is not cold to the touch4 ,these and fifty other particulars the child finds out unaided1 or with no more than a word1 here and there1 to direct his observation4 ,one does not every day find a wasp's nest1 but much can be got out of every common object1 and the commoner the better1 which falls naturally under the child's observation1 a piece of bread1 a lump of coal1 a sponge4 ,in the first place it is unnecessary in the family to give an exhaustive examination to every object2 one quality might be discussed in this1 another quality in that4 ,we eat our bread and milk and notice that bread is absorbent1 and we overhaul our experience to discover other things which we know to be absorbent also1 and we do what we can to compare these things as to whether they are less absorbent or more absorbent than bread4 ,this is exceedingly important3 the unobservant person states that an object is light and considers that he has stated an ultimate fact3 the observant person makes the same statement1 but has in his mind a relative scale1 and his judgment is of the more value because he compares it silently with a series of substances to which this is relatively light4 ,it is important that children should learn to recognise that high1 low1 sweet1 bitter1 long1 short1 agreeable1 c41 c41 are comparative terms1 while square1 round1 black1 white1 are positive terms1 the application of which is not affected by comparison with other objects4 ,care in this matter makes for higher moral1 as well as intellectual development3 half the dissensions in the world arise from an indiscriminate use of epithets4 8,would you say your bread 7at dinner7 was light or heavy80 ,the child would probably answer1 8rather light40 8,yes1 we can only say that a thing is light by comparing it with others2 what is bread light compared with80 8,a stone1 a piece of coal1 of cheese1 of butter of the same size40 8,but it is heavy compared with80 8,a piece of sponge cake1 a piece of sponge1 of cork1 of pumice10 and so on4 8,what do you think it weighs80 8,an ounce1 an ounce and a half40 8,we'll try after dinner2 you had better have another piece and save it10 and the weighing after dinner is a delightful operation4 ,the power of judging of weight is worth cultivating4 ,we heard the other day of a gentleman who was required at a bazaar to guess the weight of a monster cake2 he said it weighed twenty-eight pounds fourteen ounces1 and it did1 exactly4 ,cteris paribus1 one has a greater respect for the man who made this accurate judgment than for the well-intentioned but vague person1 who suggested that the cake might weigh ten pounds4 ,letters1 book parcels1 an apple1 an orange1 a vegetable marrow1 fifty things in the course of the day give opportunities for this kind of object teaching1 i4e41 the power of forming accurate judgments as to the relative and absolute weight of objects by their resistance1 which is perceived by our sense of touch1 though opposed to our muscular force4 ,by degrees the children are trained to perceive that the relative weights of objects depend upon their relative density1 and are introduced to the fact that we have a standard of weight4 ,in the same way children should be taught to measure objects by the eye4 ,how high is that candlestick8 ,how long and broad that picture-frame8 and so on--verifying their statements4 ,what is the circumference of that bowl8 of the clock-face8 of that flower-bed8 ,how tall is so-and-so1 and so-and-so8 ,how many hands high are the horses of their acquaintance8 ,divide a slip of wood1 a sheet of paper into halves1 thirds1 quarters by the eye2 lay a walking-stick at right angles with another2 detect when a picture1 curtain1 c41 hangs out of the perpendicular4 ,this sort of practice will secure for children what is called a correct or true eye4 ,a quick and true ear is another possession that does not come by ,nature1 or anyway1 if it does1 it is too often lost4 ,how many sounds can you distinguish in a sudden silence out of doors8 ,let these be named in order from the less to the more acute4 ,let the notes of the birds be distinguished1 both call-notes and song-notes2 the four or five distinct sounds to be heard in the flow of a brook4 ,cultivate accuracy in distinguishing footfalls and voices2 in discerning1 with their eyes shut1 the direction from which a sound proceeds1 in which footsteps are moving4 ,distinguish passing vehicles by their sounds2 as lorry1 brougham1 dog-cart4 ,music is1 no doubt1 the instrument par excellence for this kind of ear culture4 ,mrs4 ,curwen's 8,child ,pianist0 puts carefully graduated means for this kind of culture into the hands of parents2 and1 if a child never become a performer1 to have acquired a cultivated and correct ear is no small part of a musical education4 ,we do not attach enough importance to the discrimination of odours1 whether as a safeguard to health1 or as a source of pleasure4 ,half the people one knows have nostrils which register no difference between the atmosphere of a large1 and so-called 8airy10 room1 whose windows are never opened1 and that of a room in which a through current of air is arranged for at frequent intervals3 and yet health depends largely on a delicate perception as to the purity of the atmosphere4 ,the odours which result in diphtheria or typhoid are perceptible1 however faint1 and a nose trained to detect the faintest malodorous particles in food1 clothing1 or dwelling1 is a panoply against disease to the possessor4 ,then1 odours enter more readily than other sense perceptions into those-- 8,sensations sweet1 ,felt in the blood1 and felt along the heart10 which add so much to the sum of our happiness1 because they unite themselves so readily with our purely incorporeal joys by links of association4 8,i never smell woodruff without being reminded----0 is the sort of thing we hear and say continually1 but we do not trouble ourselves to realise that we owe a double joy to the odour of the woodruff 7or it may be1 alas6 a reflected sorrow7--the joy of the pleasant influences about us when we pluck the flower1 and the possibly more personal joy of that other time with which we associate it4 ,every new odour perceived is a source1 if not of warning1 of recurrent satisfaction or interest4 ,we are acquainted with too few of the odours which the spring-time offers4 ,only this spring the present writer learned two peculiarly delightful odours quite new to her1 that of young larch twigs1 which have much the same kind and degree of fragrance as the flower of the syringa1 and the pleasant musky aroma of a box-hedge4 ,children should be trained1 for example1 to shut their eyes when they come into the drawing-room and discover by their nostrils what odorous flowers are present1 should discriminate the garden odours let loose by a shower of rain3-- 8,houses and rooms are full of perfumes1 the shelves are crowded with perfumes1 ,i breathe the fragrance myself and know it and like it4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the atmosphere is not a perfume1 it has no taste of the distillation1 it is odourless1 ,it is for my mouth for ever1 ,i am in love with it4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the sniff of green leaves1 and dry leaves1 and of the shore1 and dark-coloured sea-rocks1 and of hay in the barn40 --,the ,american poet has1 perhaps1 done more than any other to express the pleasure to be found in odours4 ,this is one direction in which much remains to be done2 we have not yet arrived even at a scale of odours1 as of sound and of colour4 ,flavour1 again1 offers a wide range for delicate discrimination4 ,at first sight it would appear difficult to cultivate the sense of flavour without making a child more or less of a gourmand1 but the fact is1 that the strong flavours which titillate the palate destroy the power of perception4 ,the young child who lives upon milk-foods has1 probably1 more pleasure in flavour than the diner-out who is au fait with the confections of a cordon bleu4 ,at the same time1 one would prefer to make flavour a source of interest rather than of sensuous pleasure to children3 it is better that they should try to discern a flavour with their eyes shut1 for example1 than that they should be allowed to think or say that things are 8nice0 or 8nasty40 ,this sort of fastidiousness should be cried down4 ,it is not well to make a child eat what he does not like1 as that would only make him dislike that particular dish always2 but to let him feel that he shows a want of self-control and manliness when he expresses distaste for wholesome food is likely to have a lasting effect4 ,we have barely touched on the sorts of object lessons1 appealing now to one sense and now to another1 which should come incidentally every day in the family4 ,we are apt to regard an ,american ,indian as a quite uneducated person2 he is1 on the contrary1 highly educated in so far as that he is able to discriminate sensory impressions1 and to take action upon these in a way which is bewildering to the book-learned ,european4 ,it would be well for parents to educate a child1 for the first half-dozen years of his life at any rate1 on 8,red ,indian0 lines4 ,besides the few points we have mentioned1 he should be able to discriminate colours and shades of colour2 relative degrees of heat in woollen1 wood1 iron1 marble1 ice2 should learn the use of the thermometer2 should discriminate objects according to their degrees of hardness2 should have a cultivated eye and touch for texture2 should1 in fact1 be able to get as much information about an object from a few minutes' study1 as to its form1 colour1 texture1 size1 weight1 qualities1 parts1 characteristics1 as he could learn out of many pages of a printed book4 ,we approach the subject by the avenue of the child's senses rather than by that of the objects to be studied1 because just now we have in view the occasional test exercises1 the purpose of which is to give thorough culture to the several senses4 ,an acquaintance with nature and natural objects is another thing1 and is to be approached in a slightly different way4 ,a boy who is observing a beetle does not consciously apply his several senses to the beetle1 but lets the beetle take the initiative1 which the boy reverently follows3 but the boy who is in the habit of doing daily sensory gymnastics will learn a great deal more about the beetle than he who is not so trained4 ,definite object lessons differ from these incidental exercises in that an object is in a manner exhausted by each of the senses in turn and every atom of information it will yield got out of it4 ,a good plan is to make this sort of a lesson a game1 pass your object round--piece of bread1 for example--and let each child tell some fact that he discovers by touch1 another round by smell1 again by taste1 and again by sight4 ,children are most ingenious in this kind of game1 and it affords opportunities to give them new words1 as friable1 elastic1 when they really ask to be helped to express some discovery they have made4 ,the children learn to think with exactitude too1 to distinguish between friable and brittle1 for example1 and any common information that is offered to them in the course of these exercises becomes a possession for ever4 ,a good game in the nature of an object lesson1 suitable for a birthday party1 is to have a hundred small objects arranged on a table1 unknown to the children1 then lead the little party into the room1 allow them three minutes to walk round the table1 and then1 when they have left the room1 let them write1 or tell in a corner1 the names of all the objects they recollect4 ,some children will easily get fifty or sixty4 ,no doubt the best and happiest exercise of the senses springs out of a loving familiarity with the world of nature1 but the sorts of gymnastics we have indicated render the perceptions more acute and are greatly enjoyed by children4 ,that the sensations should not be permitted to minister unduly to the subjective consciousness of the child is the great point to be borne in mind4 ,,chapter ,,xviii ,,sensations ,,and ,,feelings ,,part ,,ii 8,these beauteous forms1 ,through a long absence1 have not been to me ,as is a landscape to a blind man's eye2 ,but oft1 in lonely rooms1 and 'mid the din ,of towns and cities1 ,i have owed to them1 ,in hours of weariness1 sensations sweet1 ,felt in the blood1 and felt along the heart2 ,and passing even into my purer mind1 ,with tranquil restoration3--feelings1 too1 ,of unremembered pleasure3 such1 perhaps1 ,as have no slight or trivial influence ,on that best portion of a good man's life1 ,his little1 nameless1 unremembered acts ,of kindness and of love40 --,w4 ,,wordsworth1 ,tintern ,abbey4 ,insight--the so to speak scientific grip of a great poet--is amongst those 8more things0 in heaven and earth than our philosophy has dreamed of4 ,wordsworth tells us that after the lapse of years1 these beauteous forms 7of ,tintern ,abbey7 gave him sensations4 ,now we are apt to think that sensations can only be immediate1 perceived on the instant that the object is present to the senses2 but the poet is1 as usual1 absolutely right3 we may have1 so to speak1 reflected sensations1 as well as those that are immediate1 because a conscious sensation depends upon the recognition of an impression in the sensory centres1 and this recognition may be evoked1 not only by a repeated sensation1 but by an association which recalls the image once permanently impressed by the original sensation4 ,wordsworth is exquisitely right when he speaks of the repeated enjoyment of sensations sweet4 8,in lonely rooms and 'mid the din of towns and cities0 some sudden touch of the cords of association has brought to him the soothing joy of a picture--8,forms0 with every grace of symmetry1 harmony1 venerable antiquity1 in the ever fresh and gracious setting of a beautiful landscape4 ,the eye of his mind is infinitely gladdened2 the ear of his mind1 no longer conscious of the din of cities1 hears the chord struck by the ,wye in its flow1 and the notes of the birds and the lowing of the cattle and the acuter notes of the insect world4 ,again he perceives the odour of the meadow-sweet1 he touches the coolness of the grass1 and all these are as absolutely sensations as when they were for the first time conveyed to his consciousness by the sensory organs4 ,we have in these few lines a volume of reasons why we should fill the storehouse of memory for the children with many open-air images1 capable of giving them reflected sensations of extreme delight4 ,our care all the time must be to secure that they do look1 and listen1 touch1 and smell1 and the way to this is by sympathetic action on our part3 what we look at they will look at2 the odours we perceive they too will get4 ,we heard1 the other day1 of a little girl who travelled in ,italy with her parents1 in the days of dignified family travelling-carriages4 ,the child's parents were conscientious1 and time was precious1 not by any means to be wasted on the mere idleness of travelling1 so the governess and the little girl had the coup to themselves1 and in it were packed all the paraphernalia of the schoolroom1 and she did her sums1 learned her geography1 probably the counties of ,england1 and all the rest of it1 with the least possible waste of time in idle curiosity as to what the 8faire londes10 through which she was passing1 might be like4 ,a story like this shows that we are making advances1 but we are still far from fully recognising that our part in the education of children should be thoughtfully subordinated to that played by ,nature herself4 ,to continue our study of this amazingly accurate1 as well as exquisitely beautiful1 psychological record3--the poet goes on to tell us that these sensations sweet are 8felt in the blood and felt along the heart10 a statement curiously true to fact1 for a pleasurable sensation causes the relaxation of the infinitesimal nerve fibres netted around the capillaries1 the blood flows freely1 the heart beats quicker1 the sense of well-being is increased2 gaiety1 gladness supervene2 and the gloom of the dull day1 and the din of the busy city1 exist for us no more2 that is to say1 memories of delight are1 as it were1 an elixir of life capable1 when they present themselves1 of restoring us at any moment to a condition of physical well-being4 ,but even this is not the whole4 ,wordsworth speaks of these memories as 8passing into my purer mind with tranquil restoration0--purer because less corporeal1 less affected by physical conditions1 but all the same so intimately related to the physical brain1 that the condition of the one must rule the other4 ,mind and brain perhaps have been alike fagged by the insistent recurrence of some one line of thought1 when suddenly there flashes into the 8purer mind0 the cognition of images of delight1 represented in consequence of a touch to some spring of association3 the current of thought is diverted into new and delightful channels1 and weariness and brain fag give place to 8tranquil restoration40 ,if mere sensations are capable of doing so much for our happiness1 our mental refreshment1 and our physical well-being1 both at the time of their reception and for an indefinite number of times afterwards1 it follows that it is no small part of our work as educators to preserve the acuteness of the children's perceptions1 and to store their memories with images of delight4 ,the poet pursues the investigation and makes a pointed distinction2 he not only recovers 8sensations sweet10 but 8feelings1 too1 of unremembered pleasure40 ,very few persons are capable of discriminating between the sensations and the feelings produced by an image recovered by some train of association4 ,wordsworth's psychology is not only delicately nice1 but very just1 and the distinction he draws is important to the educator4 ,the truth is 8the feelings0 are out of fashion at present2 ,the ,man of ,feeling is a person of no account2 if he still exists he keeps in the shade1 being aware1 through a certain quickness of perception which belongs to him1 that any little efflorescence proper to his character would be promptly reduced to pulp by the application of a sledge hammer4 ,the ,man of ,feeling has himself to thank for this2 he allowed his feelings to become fantastic2 his sweet sensibilities ran away with him2 he meant pathos and talked bathos2 he became an exaggerated type1 and in self-preservation ,society always cut off the offending limb1 so ,the ,man of ,feeling is no more4 ,nor is this the only charge that 8the feelings0 have to sustain4 ,so long as the feelings remain objective they are1 like the bloom to the peach1 the last perfection of a beautiful character2 but when they become subjective1 when every feeling concerns itself with the ego1 we have1 as in the case of sensations1 morbid conditions set up2 the person begins by being 8over sensitive10 hysteria supervenes1 perhaps melancholia1 an utterly spoilt life4 ,george ,eliot has a fine figure which aptly illustrates this subjective condition of the feelings4 ,she tells us that a philosophic friend had pointed out to her that whereas the surface of a mirror or of a steel plate may be covered with minute scratches going in every direction1 if you hold a lighted candle to the surface all these random scratches appear to arrange themselves and radiate from the central flame3 just so with the person whose feelings have been permitted to minister to his egoistic consciousness3 all things in heaven and earth are 8felt0 as they affect his own personality4 ,what are the feelings8 ,perhaps they are best expressed in ,coleridge's phrase of 8a vague appetency of the mind02 and we may do something to clear our thoughts by a negative examination4 ,the feelings are not sensations1 because they have no necessary connection with the senses2 they are to be distinguished from the two great affections 7of love and justice7 because they are not actively exercised upon any objects2 they are distinct from the desires because they demand no gratification2 and they are distinguishable from the intellectual operations which we call thought1 because while thought proceeds from an idea1 is active1 and arrives at a result1 the feelings arise from perceptions1 are passive1 and not definitely progressive4 ,every feeling has its positive and its negative1 and these in almost infinitely varying degrees3 pleasure1 displeasure2 appreciation1 depreciation2 anticipation1 foreboding2 admiration1 contempt2 assurance1 hesitancy2 diffidence1 complacency2 and so on through many more delicate nuances of feeling that are nameable1 and yet more so delicate that language is too rough an instrument for their expression4 ,it will be observed that all these feelings have certain conditions in common2 none are distinctly moral or immoral2 they have not arrived at the stage of definite thought2 they exist vaguely in what would appear to be a semi-conscious intellectual region4 ,why then need we concern ourselves about this little known tract of that terra incognita which we call human nature8 ,this 8why0 is the question of the prose-philosopher--our poet sees deeper4 ,in one of the most exquisitely discriminating passages in the whole field of poetry1 he speaks of feelings of unremembered pleasure as having no slight or trivial influence on a good man's life1 as the source of 8little nameless unremembered acts of kindness and of love40 ,even the feeling of 8unremembered pleasure0--for it is possible to have the spring of association touched so lightly that one recovers the feeling of former pleasure without recovering the sensation1 or the image which produced the sensation1 but merely just the vague feeling of the pleasure1 as when one hears the word #8,lohengrin' and does not wait1 as it were1 to recover the sensation of musical delight1 but just catches a waft of the pleasure which the sensation brought--intangible1 indefinite as they are1 produce that glow of the heart which warms a good man to 8acts of kindness and of love10 as little1 as nameless1 and as unremembered as the feelings out of which they spring4 ,nameless as they are1 our poet does not hesitate to rank these trifling acts as the 8best portion of a good man's life40 ,but it is only out of the good man's heart that these good issues come1 because1 as we have said1 the feelings are not in themselves moral1 they act upon that which is there1 and the point brought before us is1 that the influence of the feelings is equally powerful and indirect4 ,why should the recollection of ,tintern ,abbey cause a good man to do some little kind thing8 ,we can only give the ultimate answer that 8,god has made us so10 that a feeling of even unremembered pleasure prompts the good man to give forth out of the good treasure of his heart in kindness and in love4 ,we have but to think of the outcome of feelings at the negative pole to convince us of the nice exactitude of the poet's psychology4 ,we are not exactly displeased1 but unpleased1 dull1 not quickened by any feeling of pleasure3 let us ask ourselves if1 in this condition of our feelings1 we are prompted to any outpouring of love and kindness upon our neighbours4 ,here is another aspect of the feelings of very great importance to us who have the education of children4 8,i do not like you1 ,doctor ,fell1 ,the reason why ,i cannot tell10 is a feeling we all know well enough1 and is1 in fact1 that intuitive perception of character--one of our finest feelings and best guides in life--which is too apt to be hammered out of us by the constant effort to beat down our sensibilities to the explicit and definite4 ,one wonders why people complain of faithless friends1 untrustworthy servants1 and disappointed affections4 ,if the feelings were retained in truth and simplicity1 there is little doubt that they would afford for each of us such a touchstone of character in the persons we come in contact with1 that we should be saved from making exigeant demands on the one hand1 and from suffering disappointment on the other4 ,the public orator plays1 by preference1 upon the gamut of the feelings4 ,he throws in arguments by the way2 brightens his discourse with graphic word-picture1 metaphor1 simile2 but for his final effect he relies upon the impression he has been able to make upon the feelings of his audience1 and the event proves him to be right4 ,not only our little nameless acts but the great purposes of our lives arise out of our feelings4 ,enthusiasm itself is not thought1 though it arises when we are 8,stung with the rapture of a sudden thought20 it is a glowing1 malleable condition of the forces of our nature1 during which all things are possible to us1 and we only wait for a lead4 ,enthusiasm in its earliest stage is inconsequent1 incoherent1 devoid of purpose1 and yet is the state out of which all the great purposes of life shape themselves4 ,we feel1 we think1 we say1 we do2 this is the genesis of most of our activities4 ,but our feelings1 as our thoughts1 depend upon what we are2 we feel in all things as 8'tis our nature to10 and the point to be noticed is that our feelings are educable1 and that in educating the feelings we modify the character4 ,a pressing danger of our day is that the delicate task of educating shall be exchanged for the much simpler one of blunting the feelings4 ,this is the almost inevitable result of a system where training is given en masse2 but not the necessary result1 because the tone of feeling of a head-master or mistress is almost with certainty conveyed1 more or less1 to a whole school4 ,still1 perhaps1 the perfect bloom of the feelings can only be preserved under quite judicious individual culture1 and1 therefore1 necessarily devolves upon parents4 ,the instrument to be employed in this culture is always the same--the blessed sixth sense of ,tact4 ,it is possible to call up the feeling one desires by a look1 a gesture2 to dissipate it entirely by the rudeness of a spoken word4 ,our silence1 our sympathy1 our perception give place and play to fit feelings1 and equally discourage1 and cause to slink away ashamed the feeling which should not have place4 ,but let us beware of words2 let us use our eyes and our imagination in dealing with the young2 let us see what they are feeling and help them by the flow of our responsive feeling4 ,but words1 even words of praise and tenderness1 touch this delicate bloom of nature as with a hot finger1 and behold6 it is gone4 ,let us consider carefully what feelings we wish to stimulate1 and what feelings we wish to repress in our children1 and then1 having made up our minds1 let us say nothing4 ,we all know the shrinking1 as of a sore place1 with which children receive some well-meant word from a tactless friend4 ,the sense of spiritual touch is our only guide in this region of the feelings1 but with this alone we may tune the spirits of the children to great issues1 believing that they are capable of all things great4 ,we wish them to revere4 ,now reverence is a feeling before it becomes a thought or an act1 and it is a communicable feeling1 but communicable like the light of a torch only by contact4 ,the sentiment of reverence fills our own souls when we see a bird on its nest1 an old man at his cottage door1 a church in which have centred the aspirations of a village for many an age2 we feel and the children feel our feeling1 and they feel too3 a feeling is communicated by sympathy1 but perhaps in no other way4 ,the ignoble habit of depreciation is in the first place a feeling4 ,it is quite easy to put the children into that other attitude of feeling called forth by the fitness and goodness of the thing regarded1 and we all know that it is easy to appreciate or depreciate the same thing4 ,these two feelings alone illustrate the importance of the delicate culture we have in view1 for among the minor notes of character none tend more to differentiate persons than this of perceiving cause of satisfaction in an object or a person1 or of perceiving cause of dissatisfaction in the same object or person4 ,an appreciative habit of feeling is a cause of tranquil joy to its possessor1 and of ease and contentment to the people connected with him4 ,a depreciative habit1 on the contrary1 though it affords a little pleasurable excitement because it ministers to the vanity of the ego 7,i dislike this person or this thing1 therefore ,i know better or am better than others71 disturbs tranquillity and puts the person out of harmony with himself and with his surroundings2 no stable joy comes of depreciation4 ,but even in dealing with feelings of this class we must remember that tact1 sympathy and communicable feeling are our only implements2 the feelings are not thoughts to be reasoned down2 they are neither moral nor immoral to challenge our praise or our blame2 we cannot be too reticent in our dealings with them in children1 nor too watchfully aware that the least inadvertence may bruise some tender blossom of feeling4 ,this is the risk which attends the habit of persiflage and banter in family talk2 a little is thoroughly good and wholesome1 but this kind of play should be used with very great tact1 especially by the elders4 ,children understand each other so well that there is far less risk of hurt feelings from the tormenting schoolboy than from the more considerate elder4 ,there is only one case in which the feelings may not have free play1 and that is when they reflect the consciousness of the ego4 ,what are commonly called sensitive feelings--that is1 susceptibility for oneself and about oneself1 readiness to perceive neglect or slight1 condemnation or approbation--though belonging to a fine and delicate character1 are in themselves of less worthy order1 and require very careful direction lest morbid conditions should be set up4 ,to ignore wisely is an art1 and the girl who craves to know what you thought of her when she said this or did the other1 need not be told brutally that you did not think of her at all2 it is quite enough for her to perceive that your regard is fixed upon something impersonal both to her and you2 she takes the hint and looks away from herself1 and nothing is said to cause her pain4 ,it appears to be an immutable law that our feelings1 as our sensations1 must find their occupation in things without2 the moment they are turned in upon themselves harm is done4 ,the task of dealing with the susceptibilities of young people is one of the most delicate that falls to us elders1 whether we be parents or friends4 ,undiscriminating sympathy is very perilous1 and bluntness of perception is very damaging2 we are between ,scylla and ,charybdis1 and must needs walk humbly and warily in this delicate work of dealing with the feelings of children and young people4 ,our only safeguard is to cherish in ourselves 8the soft1 meek1 tender soul10 sensitive to the touch of ,god1 and able to deal in soft1 meek1 tender ways with children1 beings of fine and delicate mould as they are4 ,,chapter ,,xix 8,,what ,,is ,,truth80 ,it is said that we ,english are no longer to be characterised as a truth-speaking people4 ,this is a distressing charge1 and yet we cannot put it away from us with a high hand4 ,possibly we are in a stage of civilisation which does not tend to produce the fine courage of absolute truthfulness4 ,he who is without fear is commonly without falsehood2 and a nation brought up amid the chivalries of war dares to be true4 ,but we live in times of peace3 we are no longer called on to defend the truth of our word by the strength of our hand4 ,we speak with very little sense of responsibility1 because no one calls us to account2 and1 so far as we are truth-tellers1 we are so out of pure truth of heart and uprightness of life4 ,that is1 we may be1 as a nation1 losing the habit of truth to which the nation's childhood was trained1 in ways however rough and ready2 but we are growing up1 and the truth that is among us is perhaps of a higher quality than the more general truthfulness of earlier days4 ,now1 truth is indeed the white flower of a blameless life1 and not the mere result of a fearless habit4 ,the work before us is to bring up our children to this higher manner of truth4 ,we no longer treat this or that particular lie or bit of deceit as a local ailment1 for which we have only to apply the proper lotion or plaster2 we treat it as symptomatic1 as denoting a radical defect of character which we set ourselves to correct4 ,opinion without knowledge1 says ,darwin1 has no value1 and to treat the tendency to untruthfulness that children often show1 one should have a good deal of knowledge of a special kind4 ,to treat a child de novo1 place him under a moral microscope1 record our observations1 and formulate opinions based upon that child1 and as many more as we can get into focus1 is1 no doubt1 useful and important work4 ,but it is work for which we must qualify ourselves4 ,the child is a human being1 immature1 but yet1 perhaps1 a human being at his best4 ,who amongst us has such gifts of seeing1 knowing1 comprehending1 imagining1 such capacities for loving1 giving1 believing1 as the little child in the midst6 ,we have no higher praise for our wisest and best than that they are fresh and keen as little children in their interests and loves4 ,now1 we maintain that it is not sufficient to bring unaided common sense and good intentions to this most delicate art of child-study4 ,we cannot afford to discard the wisdom of the past and begin anew with the effort to collect and systematise1 hoping to accomplish as much and more in our short span than the centuries have brought us4 ,in this matter of lying1 for example1 unaided common sense is likely to start upon one of two theses3 either the child is born true1 and you must keep him so2 or1 the child is born false1 and you must cure him of it4 ,popular opinion leans strongly to the first theory in these days2 and1 as we perceive only that which we believe1 the tendency is1 perhaps1 to take the absolute truthfulness and honour of children a little too much for granted4 ,if you would have children true1 you must1 of course1 treat them as if they were true1 and believe them to be true4 ,but1 all the same1 wisdom may not play the ostrich4 ,in the last generation1 people accepted their children as born false1 and1 what more likely to make them so than this foregone conclusion8 ,possibly some falling off in truthfulness in our day is traceable to the dogmatic teaching upon which our forbears were brought up4 ,the wisdom of the ages--i4e41 philosophy1 and the science of the present1 especially physiology1 and more particularly what we may call psycho-physiology--show us that both these positions are wrong1 and that all theories founded upon either position1 or upon any midway point between the two1 must needs be wrong too4 ,a child is born neither true nor false4 ,he is absolutely without either virtue or vice when he comes into the world4 ,he has tendencies1 indeed1 but these are no more either virtuous or vicious than is the colour of his eyes4 ,even the child of a liar is not necessarily born a liar1 because1 we are assured1 acquired tendencies are not transmitted4 ,but there is this to be said4 ,the child born of a family which has from generation to generation been in a subject position may have less predisposition to truthfulness than the child of a family which has belonged for generations to the ruling class4 ,as in the natural world all substances must be reduced to their elements before they can be chemically dealt with1 so in the moral world1 if we wish to treat an offence1 it is best to trace it to that elemental property of human nature of which it is the probable outcome4 ,now1 lying1 even in its worst forms1 is by no means elemental4 ,ambition is elemental1 avarice1 vanity1 gratitude1 love and hate4 ,but lying arises from secondary causes4 ,the treatment is all the more difficult4 ,it is no longer a case of--the child has lied1 punish him2 but1 where is the weak place in his character1 or what is the defect in his education1 which has induced this lying habit1 if it be a habit8 ,how shall we1 not punish the lie1 but treat the failing of which it is symptomatic4 ,from this point of view let us consider the extremely interesting classification of lies presented to us by an ,american educationalist4#ae ,i4 ,pseudophobia4 ,janet thinks she may have glanced at ,mary's slate1 and seen the answer to her sum4 ,a comparison of the two slates shows that she has not done so1 and that ,janet1 in the effort to save herself from a lie1 has actually told one4 ,this sort of morbid conscientiousness is ,argus-eyed for other forms of sin4 ,we knew a sick girl of fourteen1 who was terribly unhappy because she was not able to kneel up in bed when she said her prayers4 ,was this the 8unpardonable sin08 she asked1 in unaffected terror4 ,we agree with the writer in question1 as to the frequent occurrence of this form of distress1 and also in tracing it1 not to moral1 but to physical causes4 ,we should say1 too1 it is more common in girls than in boys1 and in the home-taught than in the school-taught child4 ,healthy interests1 out-of-door life1 engrossing and delightful handiworks1 general occupation with things rather than with thoughts1 and avoidance of any word or hint that may lead to self-consciousness or the habit of introspection1 will probably do much to carry the young sufferer through a difficult stage of life4 ,,ii4 ,the ,lie ,heroic4 ,the lie heroic is1 par excellence1 the schoolboy's lie1 and has its rise1 not in any love for lying1 but in a want of moral balance2 that is to say1 the boy has been left to form his own code of ethics4 ,who spilled the ink8 little ,tom ,brown is asked4 8,i did10 he says2 because ,jack ,spender1 the real culprit1 is his particular hero at the moment4 ,faithfulness to a friend is a far higher virtue in ,tom's eyes than mere barren truthfulness4 ,and how is ,tom to know1 if he has not been taught1 that it is unlawful to cherish one virtue at the expense of another4 ,considering how little clear1 definite1 authoritative teaching children receive on ethical questions1 the wonder is that most persons do elaborate some kind of moral code1 or code of honour1 for themselves4 ,,iii4 ,truth for friends1 lies for enemies4 ,a lie under this head differs from the lie heroic chiefly in that it need not bring any risk to the speaker4 ,this class of lies again points to the moral ignorance which we are slow to recognise in children because we confound innocence with virtue4 ,it is quite natural for a child to believe that truth is relative1 and not absolute1 and that whether a lie is a lie or not depends on whom you are speaking to4 ,the children are in the position of 8jesting ,pilate40 ,what is truth8 they unconsciously ask4 ,,iv4 ,lies inspired by selfishness4 ,this is a form of lying for which superficial treatment is quite idle4 ,the lie and the vice of which it is the instrument are so allied that those two cannot be put asunder4 ,professor ,stanley ,hall well points out that school is a fertile field for this kind of lying4 ,but it is the selfishness and not the lying that must be dealt with4 ,cure the first1 and the second disappears1 having no further raison d'tre4 ,how8 ,this is a hard question4 ,nothing but a strong impulse to the heroism of unselfishness1 initiated and sustained by the grace of ,god1 will deliver boy or girl from the vice of selfishness of which lying is the ready handmaid4 ,but let us not despair2 every boy and girl is open to such impulse1 is capable of heroic effort4 ,prayer and patience1 and watchfulness for opportunities to convey the stimulating suggestion--these will not be in vain4 ,every boy and girl is a hero in posse4 ,there is no worse infidelity than that which gives up the hope of mending any flaw of character1 however bad1 in a young creature4 ,all the same1 happy those parents who have not allowed selfishness and virtue 7whether in the form of truthfulness1 or under some other name71 to come to hand to hand conflict4 ,it is easy to give direction to the tendencies of a child2 it is agonisingly difficult to alter the set of character in a man4 ,v4 ,the ,deception of imagination and play4 ,i passed little ,muriel in the park one day2 the child was not looking2 her companion was unknown to me4 ,i was engaged with my companion1 and believed that ,muriel had not noticed me4 ,the little girl went home and told her mother that ,i had kissed her and asked various questions about the family health4 ,what could be the child's motive8 ,she had none4 ,her active imagination rehearsed the little dialogue which most naturally would have taken place2 and this was so real to her that it obscured the fact4 ,the reality1 the truth1 to ,muriel1 was what she imagined had taken place4 ,she had probably no recollection whatever of the actual facts4 ,this sort of failure in verbal truthfulness is excessively common in imaginative children1 and calls for prompt attention and treatment2 but not on the lines a hasty and righteous parent might be inclined to adopt4 ,here is no call for moral indignation4 ,the parents and not the child are in fault4 ,the probability is that the child's ravenous imagination is not duly and daily supplied with its proper meat1 of fairy tale in early days1 of romance1 later4 ,let us believe of the children that 8trailing clouds of glory do they come0 from the place where all things are possible1 where any delightful thing may happen4 ,let us believe that our miserable limitations of time and space and the laws of matter irk them inconceivably1 imprison the free soul as a wild bird in a cage4 ,if we refuse to give the child outlets into the realms of fancy1 where everything is possible1 the delicate ,ariel of his imagination will still work within our narrow limits upon our poor tasks1 and every bit of our narrow living is played over with a thousand variations1 apt to be more vivid and interesting than the poor facts1 and1 therefore1 more likely to remain with the child as the facts which he will produce when required to speak the truth4 ,what is the cure8 ,give the child free entrance into1 abundant joyous living in1 the kingdom of make-believe4 ,let him people every glen with fairies1 every island with ,crusoes4 ,let him gift every bird and beast with human interests1 which he will share when the dear fairy godmother arrives with an introduction4 ,let us be glad and rejoice that all things are possible to the children1 recognising in this condition of theirs their fitness to receive and believe and understand1 as1 alas6 we cannot do1 the things of the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,the age of faith is a great sowing time1 doubtless designed1 in the ,divine scheme of things1 especially that parents may make their children at home in the things of the ,spirit before contact with the world shall have materialised them4 ,at the same time the more imaginative the child1 the more essential is it that the boundaries of the kingdom of make-believe should be clearly defined1 and exact truthfulness insisted upon in all that concerns the narrower world where the grown-ups live4 ,it is simply a matter of careful education2 daily lessons in exact statement1 without any horror or righteous indignation about misstatements1 but warm1 loving encouragement to the child who gives a long message quite accurately1 who tells you just what ,miss ,brown said and no more1 just what happened at ,harry's party1 without any garnish4 ,every day affords scope for a dozen little lessons at least1 and1 gradually1 the more severe beauty of truth will dawn upon the child whose soul is already possessed by the grace of fiction4 ,,vi4 ,pseudomania4 ,we have little to say on this score1 except to counsel parents to keep watch at the place of the letting out of waters4 ,no doubt the condition is pathological1 and calls for curative treatment rather than punishment4 ,but we believe it is a condition which never need be set up4 ,the girl who has been able to win esteem for what she really is and really does1 is not tempted to 8pose10 and the boy who has found full outlet for his energies1 physical and mental1 has no part of himself left to spend upon 8humbugging40 ,this is one of the cases which show how important it is for parents to acquaint themselves with that delicate borderland of human nature which touches the material and the spiritual4 ,how spiritual thought and material brain interact2 how brain and nerves are inter-dependent2 how fresh air and wholesome food affect the condition of the blood which nourishes the nerves2 how the nerves again may bear tyrannous sway over all that we include under 8bodily health20 these are matters that the parent should know who would avoid the possibility of the degradation described as ,pseudomania from being set up in any one of his children4 ,it is as well that those who have to do with young people should be familiar with one or two marked signs of this mentally diseased condition2 as1 the furtive glance from under half-closed lids1 shot up to see how you are taking it all2 the flowing recital1 accompanied by a slightly absent pre-occupied look1 which denotes that the speaker is in the act of inventing the facts he relates4 ,we have not space to enlarge upon palliatives1 lies of terror1 or one or two more classes of lies1 which seem to us of frequent occurrence1 as lies of display 7boasting71 lies of carelessness 7inaccuracy71 and1 worst of all1 lies of malice 7false witness74 ,we would only commend the subject to the attention of parents2 for1 though one child may have more aptitude than another1 neither truthfulness nor the multiplication table come by nature4 ,the child who appears to be perfectly truthful is so because he has been carefully trained to truthfulness1 however indirectly and unconsciously4 ,it is more important to cultivate the habit of truth than to deal with the accident of lying4 ,moral teaching must be as simple1 direct and definite as the teaching which appeals to the intellect2 presented with religious sanctions1 quickened by religious impulses1 but not limited to the prohibitions of the law nor to the penalties which overtake the transgressor4 ,,footnotes3 #ae ,professor ,g4 ,stanley ,hall1 in an article which appeared in the ,american ,journal of ,psychology1 ,jan4 #ahia4 ,,chapter ,,xx ,,show ,,cause ,,why ,we have been asking1 ,,why8 like ,mr4 ,ward ,fowler's ,wagtail1 for a long time4 ,we asked1 ,why8 about linen underclothing1 and behold it is discarded4 ,we asked ,why8 about numberless petticoats1 and they are going4 ,we are asking ,why8 about carpets and easy chairs1 and all manner of luxurious living2 and probably the year #aijj will see of these things only the survivals4 ,it is well we should go about with this practical ,why8 rather than with the 8,why does a wagtail wag its tail80 manner of problem4 ,the latter issues in vain guesses1 and the pseudo-knowledge which puffeth up4 ,but if1 ,why8 leads us to--8,because we should not2 then1 let us do the thing we should40--,this manner of ,why8 is like a poker to a dying fire4 ,why is ,tom ,jones sent to school8 ,that he may be educated1 of course1 say his parents4 ,and ,tom is dismissed with the fervent hope that he may take a good place4 ,but never a word about the delights of learning1 or of the glorious worlds of nature and of thought to which his school studies will presumably prove an open sesame4 8,mind you be a good boy and get a good place in your class10 is ,tom's valediction2 and his little soul quickens with purpose4 ,he won't disappoint father1 and mother shall be proud of him4 ,he'll be the top boy in his class4 ,why1 he'll be the top boy in the whole school1 and get prizes and things1 and won't that be jolly6 ,tommy says nothing of this1 but his mother sees it in his eyes and blesses the manly little fellow4 ,so ,tommy goes to school1 happy boy1 freighted with his father's hopes and his mother's blessings4 ,by-and-by comes a report1 the main delight of which is1 that ,tommy has gained six places2 more places gained1 prizes1 removes--by-and-by scholarships4 ,before he is twelve1 ,tommy is able to earn the whole of his future schooling by his skill in that industry of the young popularly known as ,exams4 ,now he aims at larger game2 8exams0 still1 but 8exams0 big with possibilities1 8exams0 which will carry him through his ,university career4 ,his success is pretty certain1 because you get into the trick of 8exams0 as of other crafts4 ,his parents are congratulated1 ,tom is more or less of a hero in his own eyes and in those of his compeers4 ,examinations for ever6 ,hip1 hip6 ,never was a more facile way for a youth to distinguish himself1 that is1 if his parents have sent him into the world blessed with any inheritance of brains4 ,for the boy not so blessed--why1 he may go to the ,colonies and that will make a man of him4 ,the girls come in a close second4 ,the 8,junior10 the 8,senior10 the 8,higher10 the 8,intermediate10 the 8,b4,a410 and what else you will1 mark the epochs in most girls' lives4 ,better1 say you1 than having no epochs at all4 ,unquestionably1 yes4 ,but the fact that a successful examination of one sort or another is the goal towards which most of our young people are labouring1 with feverish haste and with undue anxiety1 is one which possibly calls for the scrutiny of the investigating ,why8 ,in the first place1 people rarely accomplish beyond their own aims4 ,the aim is a pass1 not knowledge1 8they cram to pass and not to know2 they do pass and they don't know10 says ,mr4 ,ruskin2 and most of us who know the 8candidate0 will admit that there is some truth in the epigram4 ,there are1 doubtless1 people who pass and who also know1 but1 even so1 it is open to question1 whether passing is the most direct1 simple1 natural and efficacious way of securing knowledge1 or whether the persons who pass and know are not those keen and original minds which would get blood out of stone1--anyway1 sap out of sawdust4 ,again--except for the fine power of resistance possessed by the human mind1 which secures that most persons who go through examination grind come out as they went in1 absolutely unbiassed towards any intellectual pursuits whatever--except for this1 the tendency of the grind is to imperil that individuality which is the one incomparably precious birthright of each of us4 ,the very fact of a public examination compels that all who go in for it must study on the same lines4 ,it will be urged that there is no necessary limitation to studies outside the examination syllabus1 nor any restrictions whatever as to the direction of study even upon the syllabus2 but this is a mistake4 ,whatever public examinations a given school takes1 the whole momentum of pupils and staff urges towards the great issue4 ,as to the manner of study1 this is ruled by the style of questions set in a given subject2 and ,dry-as-dust wins the day because it is easier and fairer to give marks upon definite facts than upon mere ebullitions of fancy or genius4 ,so it comes to pass that there is absolutely no choice as to the matter or manner of their studies for most boys and girls who go to school1 nor1 for many of those who work at home4 ,for1 so great is the convenience of a set syllabus that parents and teachers are glad to avail themselves of it4 ,it appears then that the boy is in bondage to the schoolmaster1 and the schoolmaster to the examiner1 and the parents do no more than acquiesce4 ,would parents be astounded if they found themselves in this matter a little like the man who had talked prose all his life without knowing it8 ,the tyranny of the competitive examination is supported for the most part by parents4 ,we do not say altogether4 ,teachers do their part manfully2 but1 in the first place1 teachers unsupported by parents have no power at all in the matter2 not a single candidate could they present beyond their own sons and daughters2 in the next place1 we do not hesitate to say that the whole system is forced upon teachers 7though1 perhaps1 by no means against their will7 by certain ugly qualities of human nature as manifested in parents4 ,ignorance1 idleness1 vanity1 avarice1 do not carry a pleasant sound2 and if we1 who believe in parents1 have the temerity to suggest such shadows to the father basking in the sunshine of his boy's success1 we would add that the rest of us who are not parents are still more to blame2 that it is terribly hard to run counter to the current of the hour2 and that1 8harm is wrought through want of thought40 ,ignorance is excusable1 but wilful ignorance is culpable1 and the time has come for the thoughtful parent to examine himself and see whether or no it be his duty to make a stand against the competitive examination system4 ,observe1 the evil lies in the competition1 not in the examination4 ,if the old axiom be true1 that the mind can know nothing but what it can produce in the form of an answer to a question put by the mind itself1 it is relatively true that knowledge conveyed from without must needs be tested from without4 ,probably1 work on a given syllabus tested by a final examination is the condition of definite knowledge and steady progress4 ,all we contend for is that the examination shall not be competitive4 ,it will be urged that it is unfair to rank such public examinations as the ,universities' ,local--which have done infinitely much to raise the standard of middle-class education1 especially amongst girls1 and upon which neither prize nor place depends--as competitive examinations4 ,they are rarely competitive1 it is true1 in the sense of any extraneous reward to the fortunate candidate2 but1 happily1 we are not so far gone from original righteousness but that ,distinction is its own reward4 ,the pupil is willing to labour1 and rightly so1 for the honour of a pass which distinguishes him among the lite of his school4 ,the schools themselves compete 7con petere to seek with7 as to which shall send in the greatest number of candidates and come out with the greatest number of ,honours1 ,scholarships1 and what not4 ,these distinctions are well advertised1 and the parent who is on the look-out for a school for his boy is all too ready to send him where the chances of distinction are greatest4 ,examinations which include the whole school1 and where every boy has his place on the list1 higher or lower1 are another thing2 though these also appeal to the emulous principle1 they do not do so in excess1 the point to be noted4 ,but1 why should so useful an incentive to work as a competitive examination be called in question8 ,there are certain facts which may be predicated of every human being who is not1 as the country folk say1 8wanting40 ,every one wants to get on2 whatever place we occupy we aim at the next above it4 ,every one wants to get rich1 or1 anyway1 richer2 whether the wealth he chooses to acquire be money or autographs4 ,every one wants the society of his fellows2 if he does not1 we call him a misanthrope and say1 to use another popular and telling phrase1 8,he's not quite right40 ,we all want to excel1 to do better than the rest1 whether in a tennis-match or an examination4 ,we all want to know1 though some of us are content to know our neighbours' affairs1 while others would fain know about the stars in their courses4 ,we all1 from the sergeant in his stripes to the much decorated commanding officer1 want people to think well of us4 ,now these several desires1 of power1 of wealth1 of society1 of excelling1 of knowledge1 of esteem1 are primary springs of action in every human being4 ,touch any one of them1 in savage or in savant1 and you cannot fail of a response4 ,the ,russian ,moujik besieges a passing traveller with questions about the lands he has seen1 because he wants to know4 ,the small boy gambles with his marbles because he wants to get4 ,the dairymaid dons a new bow because she wants to be admired1 the only form of esteem to which she is awake4 ,tom drives when the children play horses because he wants to rule4 ,maud works herself into a fever for her examination because she wants to excel1 and 8to pass0 is the hallmark of excellence1 that is1 of those who excel4 ,now these primary desires are neither virtuous nor vicious4 ,they are common to us all and necessary to us all1 and appear to play the same part towards our spiritual being that the appetites do to our material existence2 that is1 they stimulate us to the constant effort which is the condition of progress1 and at the same time the condition of health4 ,we know how that soul stagnates which thinks nothing worth an effort4 ,he is a poor thing who is content to be beaten on all hands4 ,we do not quarrel with the principle of emulation1 any more than we do with that of respiration4 ,the one is as natural and as necessary as the other1 and as little to be brought before a moral tribunal4 ,but it is the part of the educator to recognise that a child does not come into the world a harp with one string2 and that the perpetual play upon this one chord through all the years of adolescence is an evil1 not because emulation is a vicious principle1 but because the balance of character is destroyed by the constant stimulation of this one desire at the expense of the rest4 ,equally strong1 equally natural1 equally sure of awakening a responsive stir in the young soul1 is the divinely implanted principle of curiosity4 ,the child wants to know3 wants to know incessantly1 desperately2 asks all manner of questions about everything he comes across1 plagues his elders and betters1 and is told not to bother1 and to be a good boy and not ask questions4 ,but this only sometimes4 ,for the most part we lay ourselves out to answer ,tommy's questions so far as we are able1 and are sadly ashamed that we are so soon floored by his insatiable curiosity about natural objects and phenomena4 ,tommy has his reward4 ,the most surprising educational feat accomplished amongst us is the amount of knowledge1 about everything within his range1 which ,tommy has acquired by the end of his sixth year4 8,why1 he knows as much as ,i do1 about0--this1 and that1 and the other1 says his astonished and admiring father4 ,take him to the seaside1 and in a week he will tell you all about trawling and mackerel fishing2 the ways of the fisher-folk1 and all that his inquisitive mind can find out unaided4 ,he would tell all about sand1 and shells1 and tides1 and waves1 only1 poor little boy1 he must have help towards this manner of knowledge1 and there is no one to give it to him4 ,however1 he finds out all that he can about all that he sees and hears1 and does amass a surprising amount of exact knowledge about things and their properties4 ,when ,tommy goes to school1 his parents find themselves relieved of the inconvenience of his incessant ,why8 ,they are probably so well pleased to be let off that it does not occur to them to ask themselves ,why ,tommy no longer wonders ,why8 ,up to this period nature has been active4 ,she has been allowed to stimulate that one of his desires most proper to minister to his mental growth1 just as1 if let alone1 she would give him that hearty appetite which should promote his physical growth4 ,she has it all her own way4 ,the desire of knowledge is that spring of action most operative in ,tommy's childhood4 ,but he goes to school4 ,knowledge is a pure delight to ,tommy4 ,let his lessons approach him on the lines of his nature--not on the lines proper for certain subjects of instruction--and the little boy has no choice4 ,he cannot help learning and loving to learn1 8#8cos 'tis his nature to40 ,this1 of presenting knowledge to ,tommy on the lines of his nature1 is1 however1 a difficult and delicate task4 ,not every schoolmaster1 any more than every parent1 is keen to give ,tommy what he wants in this matter of needful knowledge4 ,so1 once upon a time1 let us suppose1 there arose a pedagogue to whom was discovered a new and easier way4 ,the morning had seen the poor man badly baffled by the queries of boys who wanted to know4 ,how was a man1 who had pretty well done with fresh studies for his own part1 to keep up with these eager intelligences4 ,in a vision of the night it is disclosed to ,cognitus that there is another and an easier way4 ,the desire of knowledge is not the only desire active in the young bosom4 ,just as much as he wants to know1 he wants to excel1 to do better than the rest4 8,every soul of them wants to be first in one way or another--first in games1 if not in class40 ,now1 ,cognitus was a philosopher2 he knew that1 as a rule1 but one desire is supremely active at one time in the breast of boy or man4 ,kindle their emulation1 and all must needs do the same thing in the same way to see who can do it best4 ,the boys will no longer want to know2 they will get their due share of learning in regular ways1 and really get on better than if they were moved by the restless spirit of inquiry4 ,eureka6 ,a discovery2 honour and renown for master and boys1--no need for cane or imposition1 for emulation is the best of all disciplinarians1--and steady-going1 quiet work1 without any of the fatiguing excursions into new fields to which the craving for knowledge leads4 8,how pleased the parents will be1 too10 says ,cognitus1 for he knows that paternal love1 now and then1 looks for a little sustenance from paternal vanity1 that the child who does well is dear4 ,nay1 who knows but the far-seeing ,cognitus beheld1 as in a vision1 the scholarships and money awards which should help to fill the pocket of ,paternus1 or should1 any way1 lessen the drain thereupon4 ,here1 indeed1 is a better way1 upon which ,paternus and ,cognitus may well consent to walk together4 ,every one is happy1 every one content1 nobody worried1 a great deal of learning got in4 ,what would you have more8 ,just one thing1 honoured ,cognitus1 that keen desire for knowledge1 that same incessant ,why8 with which ,tommy went to school1 and which should have kept him inquisitive about all things good and great and wise throughout the years given to him wherein to lay the groundwork of character1 the years of his youth4 ,we cannot put our finger upon ,cognitus1 and are pretty sure that he arrived by a consensus of opinion1 and through considerable urgency on the part of parents4 ,no one is to blame for a condition of things which is an enormous advance upon much of what went before4 ,only1 knowledge is advancing1 and it is full time that we reconsider our educational principles and recast our methods4 ,we absolutely must get rid of the competitive examination system if we would not be reduced to the appalling mediocrity which we see in ,china1 for example1 to have befallen an examination-ridden empire4 ,probably the world has never seen a finer body of educationalists than those who at the present moment man our schools1 both ,boys' and ,girls'4 ,but the originality1 the fine initiative1 of these most able men and women is practically lost4 ,the schools are examination-ridden1 and the heads can strike out no important new lines4 ,let us begin our efforts by believing in one another1 parents in teachers and teachers in parents4 ,both parents and teachers have the one desire1 the advance of the child along the lines of character4 ,both groan equally under the limitations of the present system4 ,let us have courage1 and united and concerted action will overthrow this ,juggernaut that we have made4 ,,chapter ,,xxi ,,herbartian ,,pedagogics ,we in ,england require1 every now and then1 to pull ourselves together1 and to ask what they are doing on the continent in the way of education4 ,we still hark back to the older ,german educational reformers4 ,we may not know much of ,comenius1 ,basedow1 ,ratich2 we do know something of the reformers next in descent1 ,pestalozzi and ,froebel2 but how much do we know of the thought of ,johann ,friedrich ,herbart1 the lineal successor of these1 who has largely displaced his predecessors in the field of ,pedagogics4 ,how entirely ,german educators work upon ,herbart1 and ,herbart only1 is proved by the existence of a ,herbartian educational literature greatly more extensive than the whole of our ,english educational literature put together4 ,a little volume on the 8,outlines of ,pedagogics10#af by ,professor ,w4 ,rein1 of the ,university of ,jena1 is offered to us by the translators1 ,c4 ,c4 and ,ida ,j4 ,van ,liew1 as a brief introduction to the study of ,herbart and his school1 the author making due allowance for the advances that have been made in the fifty years that have elapsed since ,herbart's death4 ,as ,herbart and his interpreters represent the most advanced school of educational thought on the continent1 it will1 perhaps1 be interesting to our readers to make a slight comparison between what we call ,p4,n4,e4,u4 ,philosophy and the school of thought which exercises such immense influence in ,germany4 ,one of the most characteristic features of ,herbart's thinking1 and that feature of it which constitutes a new school of educational thought1 is1 that he rejects the notion of separate mental faculties4 ,the earlier reformers1 notably ,pestalozzi and ,froebel1 divide the faculties up with something of the precision of a phrenologist1 and a chief business of education is1 according to them1 8to develop the faculties40 ,there is a certain pleasing neatness in this idea which is very attractive4 ,we want to know1 definitely1 what we have to do4 ,why develop the perceptive faculties here1 the conceptive there1 the judgment in this lesson1 the affections in the other1 until you have covered the whole ground1 giving each so-called faculty its due share of developmental exercise6 ,but1 says ,herbart1 we have changed all that4 ,the mind1 like ,wordsworth's cloud1 moves altogether when it moves at all4 ,now this appears to be but a slight fundamental difference1 but it is one upon the recognition of which education changes front4 ,the whole system of beautifully organised lessons1 whose object is to develop this or that1 is called into question4 ,for the raison d'tre of specialised intellectual gymnastics is gone when we no longer recognise particular 8muscles0 of the mind to be developed4 ,the aim of education must be something quite other1 and1 if the aim is other1 the methods must be altered1 for what is method but a way to an end4 ,so far we are entirely with ,herbart2 we do not believe in the 8faculties20 therefore we do not believe in the 8development of the faculties20 therefore we do not regard lessons as instruments for this 8development03 in fact1 our whole method of procedure is altered4 ,again1 we are with the philosopher in his recognition of the force of an idea1 and especially of those ideas which are1 as we phrase it1 in the air at any given moment4 8,both the circle of the family and that of social intercourse are subjected to forces that are active in the entire social body1 and that penetrate the entire atmosphere of human life in invisible channels4 ,no one knows whence these currents1 these ideas arise2 but they are there4 ,they influence the moods1 the aspirations1 and the inclinations of humanity1 and no one however powerful can withdraw himself from their effects2 no sovereign's command makes its way into their depths4 ,they are often born of a genius to be seized upon by the multitude that soon forgets their author2 then the power of the thought that has thus become active in the masses again impels the individual to energetic resolutions3 in this manner it is constantly describing a remarkable circle4 ,originating with those that are highly gifted1 these thoughts permeate all society1 reaching1 in fact1 not only its adult members1 but also through these its youth1 and appearing again in other highly gifted individuals in whom they will perhaps have been elevated to a definite form4 8,whether the power of these dominant ideas is greater in the individual1 or in the body of individuals as a whole1 is a matter of indifference here4 ,be that as it may1 it cannot be denied that their effect upon the one is manifested in a reciprocal action upon the other1 and that their influence upon the younger generation is indisputable40 ,we entirely agree that no one can escape the influence of this ,zeitgeist1 and that the ,zeitgeist is1 in fact1 one of the most powerful of the occult educational influences1 and one which parents and all who have the training of children will do well to reckon with in the adjustment of their work4 ,nature1 family1 social intercourse1 this ,zeitgeist1 the ,church and the ,state1 thus ,professor ,rein1 as interpreting ,herbart1 sums up the schoolmasters under whose influences every child grows up2 a suggestive enumeration we should do well to consider4 8,erziehung ist ,sache der ,familien2 von da geht sie aus und dahin kehrt sie grssenteils zurck10 says ,herbart4 ,he considers1 as do we1 that by far the most valuable part of education is carried on in the family1 because of the union of all the members under a common parentage1 of the feeling of dependence upon a head1 of the very intimate knowledge to be gained of the younger members4 8,the members of the family look confidently to the head2 and this sense of dependence favours1 at the same time1 the proper reception of that which is dearest to mankind1 namely1 the religious feeling4 ,if the life of the family is permeated by a noble piety1 a sincere religious faith will take root in the hearts of the children4 ,faithful devotion to the guide of the youth also calls forth faithful devotion to ,him who controls human destinies--a thought which ,herbart expresses so beautifully in the words--#8,to the child1 the family should be the symbol of the order in the world2 from the parents one should derive by idealisation the characteristics of the deity4'0 ,this idea of all education springing from and resting upon our relation to ,almighty ,god is one which we of the ,p4,n4,e4,u4 have ever laboured to enforce4 ,we take a very distinct stand upon this point4 ,we do not merely give a religious education1 because that would seem to imply the possibility of some other education1 a secular education1 for example4 ,but we hold that all education is divine1 that every good gift of knowledge and insight comes from above1 that the ,lord the ,holy ,spirit is the supreme educator of mankind1 and that the culmination of all education 7which may1 at the same time1 be reached by a little child7 is that personal knowledge of and intimacy with the ,supreme1 in which our being finds its fullest perfection4 ,we hold1 in fact1 that noble conception of education held by the medival church1 as pictured upon the walls of the ,spanish chapel in ,florence4 ,here we have represented the descent of the ,holy ,ghost upon the ,twelve1 and directly under them1 fully under the illuminating rays1 are the noble figures of the seven liberal arts1 ,grammar1 ,rhetoric1 ,logic1 ,music1 ,astronomy1 ,geometry1 ,arithmetic1 and under these again the men who received and expressed1 so far as we know1 the initial idea in each of these subjects2 such men as ,pythagoras1 ,zoroaster1 ,euclid1 whom we might call pagans1 but whom the earlier ,church recognised as divinely taught and illuminated4 ,here follows a passage which we do more than endorse1 for it contains the very raison d'tre of our society4 8,the education of the children will always remain the holiest and highest of all family duties4 ,the welfare1 civilisation1 and culture of a people depend essentially upon the degree of success that attends the education in the homes4 ,the family principle is the point at which both the religious and educational life of a people centres1 and about which it revolves4 ,it is a force in comparison with which every sovereign's command appears powerless40 ,by the way1 we are inclined to think that ,dr4 ,rein's mention of ,rousseau is a little misleading4 ,it is true that in 8,emil0 the parents are supplanted1 but1 notwithstanding that fact1 perhaps no other educationalist has done so much to awaken parents to their great work as educators4 ,after investigating the conditions of home training1 ,dr4 ,rein proceeds to a discussion of schools 7a7 as they exist in ,germany--7b7 as they exist in his own ideal1 a discussion which should be most interesting to parents4 ,teleology1 i4e41 the theory of the purpose of education1 falls next under discussion in an extremely instructive chapter4 ,it is well we should know the vast uncertainty which exists on this fundamental point4 ,as a matter of fact1 few of us know definitely what we propose to ourselves in the education of our children4 ,we do not know what it is possible to effect1 and1 as a man does not usually compass more than he aims at1 the results of our education are very inadequate and unsatisfactory4 8,shall the educator follow ,rousseau and educate a man of nature in the midst of civilised men8 ,in so doing1 as ,herbart has shown1 we should simply repeat from the beginning the entire series of evils that have already been surmounted4 ,or shall we turn to ,locke and prepare the pupil for the world which is customarily in league with worldlings8 ,we should then arrive at the standpoint of ,basedow1 and aim to educate the pupil so that he would become a truly useful member of human society4 ,of course we should always be harassed with the secret doubt as to whether this is the ideal purpose after all1 and whether we are not at times directly enjoined to place the pupil at variance with the usage and customary dealings of the world4 ,if we reflect that an endless career is open to man for his improvement1 we realise that only that education1 whose aims are always the highest1 can hope to reach the lofty goals that mark this career4 8,therefore an ideal aim must be present in the mind of the educator4 ,possibly he can obtain information and help from ,pestalozzi1 whose nature evinced such ideal tendencies4 ,pestalozzi wished the welfare of mankind to be sought in the harmonious cultivation of all powers4 ,if one only knew what is to be understood by a multiplicity of mental powers1 and what is meant by the harmony of various powers4 ,these phrases sound very attractive1 but give little satisfaction4 ,the purely formal aims of education will appeal just as little to the educator3 #8,educate the pupil to independence2' or1 #8educate the pupil to be his own educator2' or1 #8educate the pupil so that it will become better than its educator4' 7,hermann and ,dorothea1 ,hector and ,astyanax in the ,iliad74 ,such and similar attempts to fix the purpose of education are abundant in the history of pedagogy2 but they do not bring us nearer the goal4 ,in their formal character they do not say1 for example1 of what kind the independence shall be1 what content it shall have1 what aims it shall have in view1 or in what directions its course shall lie4 ,for the pupil that has become independent can use his freedom rightly for good just as well as misuse it for evil40 ,herbart's own theory of education1 so far as we may venture to formulate it1 is strictly ethical as opposed to intellectual1 that is1 the development and sustenance of the intellect is of secondary importance to the educator for two reasons3 character building is the matter of first importance to human beings2 and this because1 7a7 train character and intellectual 8development0 largely takes care of itself1 and 7b7 the lessons designed for intellectual culture have high ethical value1 whether stimulating or disciplinary4 ,this is familiar ground to us3 we too have taught1 in season and out of season1 that the formation of character is the aim of the educator4 ,so far1 we are at one with the philosopher2 but1 may we venture to say it1 we have arrived1 through the study of ,physiology1 at the definiteness of aim which he desires but does not reach4 ,we must appeal1 he says1 to ,psychology1 but then1 he adds1 8of course we cannot expect a concordant answer from all psychologists2 and in view of the obscurity which still prevails in this sphere1 the different views as to the nature of the human soul and the extraordinary difficulty with which the empirical method of investigation meets1 an absolutely indubitable explanation can hardly be expected40 ,this is doubtless true of ,psychology alone1 but of ,psychology illuminated by ,physiology we have another tale to tell4 ,it is the study of that border-land betwixt mind and matter1 the brain1 which yields the richest results to the educator4 ,for the brain is the seat of habit3 the culture of habit is1 to a certain extent1 physical culture3 the discipline of habit is at least a third part of the great whole which we call education1 and here we feel that the physical science of to-day has placed us far in advance of the great philosopher of fifty years ago4 ,we hold with him entirely as to the importance of great formative ideas in the education of children1 but1 we add to our ideas1 habits1 and we labour to form habits upon a physical basis4 ,character is the result not merely of the great ideas which are given to us1 but of the habits which we labour to form upon those ideas4 ,we recognise both principles and the result is a wide range of possibilities in education1 practical methods1 and a definite aim4 ,we labour to produce a human being at his best physically1 mentally1 morally1 and spiritually1 with the enthusiasms of religion1 the good life1 of nature1 of knowledge1 of art and of manual work2 and we do not labour in the dark4 ,,footnotes3 #af ,sonnenschein ,co41 #cs4 ,,chapter ,,xxii ,,the ,,teaching ,,of ,,the 8,,parents' ,,national ,,educational ,,union0 ,,part ,i ,one of ,mr4 ,matthew ,arnold's discriminating utterances may help us in the effort to define anew the scope and the methods of education4 ,in 8,a ,french ,eton0 7page #fa7 he says3--8,the education of each class in society has1 or ought to have1 its ideal1 determined by the wants of that class1 and by its destination4 ,society may be imagined so uniform that one education shall be suitable for all its members2 we have not a society of that kind1 nor has any ,european country4444 ,looking at ,english society at this moment1 one may say that the ideal for the education of each of its classes to follow1 the aim which the education of each should particularly endeavour to reach1 is different40 ,this remark helps us to define our position4 ,we lay no claim to original ideas or methods4 ,we cannot choose but profit by the work of the great educators4 ,such men as ,locke and ,rousseau1 ,pestalozzi1 and ,froebel1 have left us an inheritance of educational thought which we must needs enter upon4 ,our work is selective1 but not merely so4 ,we are progressive4 ,we take what former thinkers have left us1 and go on from there4 ,for example1 in this matter of class differentiation1 we believe we have scientific grounds for a line of our own4 ,the ,fathers 7why should we not have ,fathers in education as well as in theology87 worked out1 for the most part1 their educational thought with an immediate view to the children of the poor4 ,because the children that he had to deal with had a limited vocabulary1 and untrained observing powers1 ,pestalozzi taught them to see and then to say3 8,i see a hole in the carpet4 ,i see a small hole in the carpet4 ,i see a small round hole in the carpet4 ,i see a small round hole with a black edge in the carpet10 and so on2 and it is very easy to see how good such training would be for such children4 ,but what is the case with the children we have to deal with8 ,we believe to-day on scientific grounds in the doctrine of heredity1 and certainly in this matter experience supports our faith4 ,punch has hit off the state of the case3 8,come and see the puff-puff1 dear40 8,do you mean the locomotive1 grandmamma80 ,as a matter of fact1 the child of four and five has a wider1 more exact vocabulary in everyday use1 than that employed by his elders and betters1 and is constantly adding to this vocabulary with surprising quickness2 ergo1 to give a child of this class a vocabulary is no part of direct education4 ,again1 we know that nothing escapes the keen scrutiny of the little people4 ,it is not their perceptive powers we have to train1 but the habit of methodical observation and accurate record4 ,generations of physical toil do not tend to foster imagination4 ,how good1 then1 for the children of the working classes to have games initiated for them1 to be carried through little dramatic plays until1 perhaps1 in the end they will be able to invent such little dramas for themselves6 ,but the children of the cultured classes--why1 surely their danger is rather to live too much in realms of fancy4 ,a single sentence in lesson or talk1 the slightest sketch of an historical character1 and they will play at it for a week1 inventing endless incidents4 ,like ,tennyson1 when he was a child1 they will carry on the story of the siege and defence of a castle 7represented by a mound1 with sticks for its garrison7 for weeks together1 and a child engrossed with these larger interests feels a sensible loss of dignity when he flaps his wings as a pigeon or skips about as a lamb1 though1 no doubt1 he will do these things with pleasure for the teacher he loves4 ,imagination is ravenous for food1 not pining for culture1 in the children of educated parents1 and education need not concern herself directly1 for them1 with the development of the conceptive powers4 ,then with regard to the cultivated child's reasoning powers1 most parents have had experiences of this kind--,tommy is five4 ,his mother had occasion to talk to him about the ,atlantic ,cable1 and said she did not know how it was insulated2 ,tommy remarked next morning that he had been thinking about it1 and perhaps the water itself was an insulator4 ,so far from needing to develop their children's reasoning powers1 most parents say--8,oh1 wad the gods the giftie gie us0--to answer the everlasting #8why' of the intelligent child4 ,in a word1 to develop the child's so-called faculties is the main work of education when ignorant or otherwise deficient children are concerned2 but the children of educated people are never ignorant in this sense4 ,they awake to the world all agog for knowledge1 and with keen-edged faculties2 therefore the principle of heredity causes us to recast our idea of the office of education1 and to recognise that the child of intelligent parents is born with an inheritance of self-developing faculties4 ,thus education naturally divides itself into education for the children of lettered1 and education for the children of unlettered parents4 ,in fact1 this class question1 which we are all anxious to evade in common life1 comes practically into force in education4 ,it is absolutely necessary to individualise and say1 this part of education is the most important for this child1 or this class1 but may be relegated into a lower place for another child or another class4 ,if science limits our range of work as regards the development of so-called faculties1 it extends it in equal measure with regard to habit4 ,here we have no new doctrine to proclaim4 8,one custom overcometh another10 said ,thomas ,kempis1 and that is all we have to say2 only physiologists have made clear to us the rationale of this law of habit4 ,we know that to form in his child right habits of thinking and behaving is a parent's chief duty1 and that this can be done for every child definitely and within given limits of time4 ,but this question has been already dealt with1 and we need do no more than remind parents of what they already know4 ,to nourish a child daily with loving1 right1 and noble ideas we believe to be the parent's next duty4 ,the child having once received the ,idea will assimilate it in his own way1 and work it into the fabric of his life2 and a single sentence from his mother's lips may give him a bent that will make him1 or may tend to make him1 painter or poet1 statesman or philanthropist4 ,the object of lessons should be in the main twofold3 to train a child in certain mental habits1 as attention1 accuracy1 promptness1 c41 and to nourish him with ideas which may bear fruit in his life4 ,there are other educational principles which we bear in mind and work out1 but for the moment it is worth while for us to concentrate our thought upon the fact that one of our objects is to accentuate the importance of education under the two heads of the formation of habits and the presentation of ideas1 and as a corollary to recognise that the development of faculties is not a supreme object with the cultivated classes1 because this is work which has been done for their children in a former generation4 ,but how does all this work8 ,is it practical8 ,is it the question of to-day8 ,it must needs be practical because it gives the fullest recognition to the two principles of human nature1 the material1 and the spiritual4 ,we are ready to concede all that the most advanced biologist would ask of us4 ,does he say1 8,thought is only a mode of motion80 if so1 we are not dismayed4 ,we know that ninety-nine out of a hundred thoughts that pass through our minds are involuntary1 the inevitable result of those modifications of the brain tissue which habit has set up4 ,the mean man thinks mean thoughts1 the magnanimous man great thoughts1 because we all think as we are accustomed to think1 and ,physiology shows us why4 ,on the other hand1 we recognise that greater is the spirit within us than the matter which it governs4 ,every habit has its beginning4 ,the beginning is the idea which comes with a stir and takes possession of us4 ,the idea is the motive power of life1 and it is because we recognise the spiritual potency of the idea that we are able to bow reverently before the fact that ,god the ,holy ,spirit is ,himself the ,supreme ,educator1 dealing with each of us severally in the things we call sacred and those we call secular4 ,we lay ourselves open to the spiritual impact of ideas whether these be conveyed by the printed page1 the human voice1 or whether they reach us without visible sign4 ,but ideas may be evil or may be good2 and to choose between the ideas that present themselves is1 as we have been taught1 the one responsible work of a human being4 ,it is the power of choice that we would give our children4 ,we ask ourselves 8,is there any fruitful idea underlying this or that study that the children are engaged in80 ,we divest ourselves of the notion that to develop the faculties is the chief thing1 and a 8subject0 which does not rise out of some great thought of life we usually reject as not nourishing1 not fruitful2 while we usually1 but not invariably1 retain those studies which give exercise in habits of clear and orderly thinking4 ,we have some gymnastics of the mind whose object is to exercise what we call faculties as well as to train in the habit of clear and ordered thinking4 ,mathematics1 grammar1 logic1 c41 are not purely disciplinary2 they do develop1 if a bull may be allowed us1 intellectual muscle4 ,we by no means reject the familiar staples of education1 in the school sense1 but we prize them even more for the record of intellectual habits they leave in the brain tissue than for their distinct value in developing certain 8faculties40 ,thus our first thought with regard to ,nature-knowledge is that the child should have a living personal acquaintance with the things he sees4 ,it concerns us more that he should know bistort from persicaria1 hawkweed from dandelion1 and where to find this and that1 and how it looks1 living and growing1 than that he should talk learnedly about epigynous and hypogynous4 ,all this is well in its place1 but should come quite late1 after the child has seen and studied the living growing thing in situ1 and has copied colour and gesture as best he can4 ,so of object lessons1 we are not anxious to develop his observing powers on little bits of everything which he shall describe as opaque1 brittle1 malleable1 and so on4 ,we would prefer not to take the edge off his curiosity in this way2 we should rather leave him receptive and respectful for one of those opportunities for asking questions and engaging in talk with his parents about the lock in the river1 the mowing machine1 the ploughed field1 which offer real seed to the mind of a child1 and never make him a priggish little person able to tell all about it4 ,once more1 we know that there is a storehouse of thought wherein we may find all the great ideas that have moved the world4 ,we are above all things anxious to give the child the key to this storehouse4 ,the education of the day1 it is said1 does not produce reading people4 ,we are determined that the children shall love books1 therefore we do not interpose ourselves between the book and the child4 ,we read him his ,tanglewood ,tales1 and when he is a little older his ,plutarch1 not trying too much to break up or water down1 but leaving the child's mind to deal with the matter as it can4 ,we endeavour that all our teaching and treatment of children shall be on the lines of nature1 their nature and ours1 for we do not recognise what is called 8,child-nature40 ,we believe that children are human beings at their best and sweetest but also at their weakest and least wise4 ,we are careful not to water down life for them but to present such portions to them in such quantities as they can readily receive4 ,in a word we are very tenacious of the dignity and individuality of our children4 ,we recognise steady1 regular growth with no transition stage4 ,this teaching is up to date1 but it is as old as common sense4 ,our claim is that our common sense rests on a basis of ,physiology1 that we show a reason for all that we do1 and that we recognise 8the science of the proportion of things10 put the first thing foremost1 do not take too much upon ourselves1 but leave time and scope for the workings of nature and of a higher ,power than nature herself4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii ,,the ,,teaching ,,of ,,the ,,parents' ,,national ,,educational ,,union ,,part ,,ii ,as the philosophy which underlies any educational or social scheme is really the vital part of that scheme1 it may be well to set forth1 however meagrely1 some fragments of ,p4,n4,e4,u4 ,philosophy4 ,we believe-- ,that disposition1 intellect1 genius1 come pretty much by nature4 ,that character is an achievement1 the one practical achievement possible to us for ourselves and for our children4 ,that all real advance1 in family or individual1 or nation1 is along the lines of character4 ,that1 therefore1 to direct and assist the evolution of character is the chief office of education4 ,but perhaps we shall clear the ground better by throwing a little of the teaching of the ,union into categorical form3-- ,what is character8 ,the resultant or residuum of conduct4 ,that is to say1 a man is what he has made himself by the thoughts in which he has allowed himself1 the words he has spoken1 the deeds he has done4 ,how does conduct itself originate8 ,commonly1 in our habitual modes of thought4 ,we think as we are accustomed to think1 and1 therefore1 act as we are accustomed to act4 ,what1 again1 is the origin of these habits of thought and act8 ,commonly1 inherited disposition4 ,the man who is generous1 obstinate1 hot-tempered1 devout1 is so1 on the whole1 because that strain of character runs in his family4 ,are there any means of modifying inherited dispositions8 ,yes2 marriage1 for the race2 education1 for the individual4 ,how may a bad habit which has its rise in an inherited disposition be corrected8 ,by the contrary good habit3 as ,thomas ,kempis has said1 8,one custom overcometh another40 ,trace the genesis of a habit4 ,every act proceeds from a thought4 ,every thought modifies somewhat the material structure of the brain4 ,that is1 the nerve substance of the brain forms itself to the manner of thoughts we think4 ,the habit of act arises from the habit of thought4 ,the person who thinks1 8,oh1 it will do20 8,oh1 it doesn't matter10 forms a habit of negligent and imperfect work4 ,how may such habit be corrected8 ,by introducing the contrary line of thought1 which will lead to contrary action4 8,this must be done well1 because----0 ,is it enough to think such thought once8 ,no2 the stimulus of the new idea must be applied until it is1 so to speak1 at home in the brain1 and arises involuntarily4 ,what do you mean by involuntary thought8 ,the brain is at work unceasingly1 is always thinking1 or rather is always being acted upon by thought1 as the keys of an instrument by the fingers of a player4 ,is the person aware of all the thoughts that the brain elaborates8 ,no2 only of those which are new and 8striking40 ,the old familiar 8way of thinking0 beats in the brain without the consciousness of the thinker4 ,what name is given to this unconscious thought8 ,unconscious 7or involuntary7 cerebration4 ,why is it important to the educator8 ,because most of our actions spring from thoughts of which we are not conscious1 or1 anyway1 which are involuntary4 ,is there any means of altering the trend of unconscious cerebration8 ,yes2 by diverting it into a new channel4 ,the 8unconscious cerebration0 of the greedy child runs upon cakes and sweetmeats3 how may this be corrected8 ,by introducing a new idea--the pleasure of giving pleasure with these good things1 for example4 ,is the greedy child capable of receiving such new idea8 ,most certainly2 because benevolence1 the desire of benefiting others1 is one of those springs of action in every human being that need only to be touched to make them act4 ,give an example of this fact4 ,mungo ,park1 dying of thirst1 hunger1 and weariness in an ,african desert1 found himself in the vicinity of a cannibal tribe4 ,he gave himself up for lost1 but a woman of the tribe found him1 took compassion on him1 brought him milk1 hid him1 and nourished him until he was restored and could take care of himself4 ,are there any other springs of action which may be touched with effect in every human being8 ,yes1 such as the desire of knowledge1 of society1 of distinction1 of wealth2 friendship1 gratitude1 and many more4 ,indeed1 it is not possible to incite a human being to any sort of good and noble conduct but you touch a responsive spring4 ,how1 then1 can human beings do amiss8 ,because the good feelings have their opposite bad feelings1 springs which also await a touch4 ,malevolence is opposed to benevolence4 ,it is easy to imagine that the unstable savage woman might have been amongst the first to devour the man she cherished1 had one of her tribe given an impulse to the springs of hatred within her4 ,in view of these internal impulses1 what is the duty of the educator8 ,to make himself acquainted with the springs of action in a human being1 and to touch them with such wisdom1 tenderness and moderation that the child is insensibly led into the habits of the good life4 ,name some of these habits4 ,diligence1 reverence1 gentleness1 truthfulness1 promptness1 neatness1 courtesy2 in fact1 the virtues and graces which belong to persons who have been 8well brought up40 ,is it enough to stimulate a spring of action--say1 curiosity1 or the desire of knowledge1 once in order to secure a habit8 ,no2 the stimulus must be repeated1 and action upon it secured over and over many times before a habit is formed4 ,what common error do people make about the formation of habits8 ,they allow lapses2 they train a child to 8shut the door after him0 twenty times1 and allow him to leave it open the twenty-first4 ,with what result8 ,that the work has to be done over again1 because the growth of brain tissue to the new habit 7the forming of cell-connections7 has been disturbed4 ,the result would appear to be much the same as when the flesh-forming process which knits up a wound is disturbed4 ,then the educator should 8time0 himself in forming habits8 ,how long may it take to cure a bad habit1 and form the contrary good one8 ,perhaps a month or six weeks of careful incessant treatment may be enough4 ,but such treatment requires an impossible amount of care and watchfulness on the part of the educator8 ,yes2 but not more than is given to the cure of any bodily disease--measles1 or scarlet fever1 for example4 ,then the thoughts and actions of a human being may be regulated mechanically1 so to speak1 by setting up the right nerve currents in the brain8 ,this is true only so far as it is true to say that the keys of a piano produce music4 ,but the thoughts1 which may be represented by the fingers of the player1 do they not also run their course without the consciousness of the thinker8 ,they do2 not merely vague1 inconsequent musings1 but thoughts which follow each other with more or less logical sequence1 according to the previous training of the thinker4 ,would you illustrate this8 ,mathematicians have been known to think out abstruse problems in their sleep2 the bard improvises1 authors 8reel off0 without premeditation1 without any deliberate intention to write such and such things4 ,the thoughts follow each other according to the habit of thinking previously set up in the brain of the thinker4 ,is it that the thoughts go round and round a subject like a horse in a mill8 ,no2 the horse is rather drawing a carriage along the same high road1 but into ever new developments of the landscape4 ,in this light1 the important thing is how you begin to think on any subject8 ,precisely so2 the initial thought or suggestion touches as it were the spring which sets in motion a possibly endless succession or train of ideas2 thoughts which are1 so to speak1 elaborated in the brain almost without the consciousness of the thinker4 ,are these thoughts1 or successive ideas1 random1 or do they make for any conclusion8 ,they make for the logical conclusion which should follow the initial idea4 ,then the reasoning power may be set to work involuntarily8 ,yes2 the sole concern of this power is1 apparently1 to work out the rational conclusion from any idea presented to it4 ,but surely this power of arriving at logical rational conclusions almost unconsciously is the result of education1 most likely of generations of culture8 ,it exists in greater or less degree according as it is disciplined and exercised2 but it is by no means the result of education as the word is commonly understood3 witness the following anecdote3#ag 8,when ,captain ,head was travelling across the ,pampas of ,south ,america1 his guide one day suddenly stopped him1 and1 pointing high into the air1 cried out1 #8,a lion6' ,surprised at such an exclamation1 accompanied with such an act1 he turned up his eyes1 and with difficulty perceived1 at an immeasurable height1 a flight of condors soaring in circles in a particular spot4 ,beneath this spot1 far out of sight of himself or guide1 lay the carcass of a horse1 and over this carcass stood1 as the guide well knew1 a lion1 whom the condors were eyeing with envy from their airy height4 ,the sight of the birds was to him what the sight of the lion alone would have been to the traveller1 a full assurance of its existence4 ,here was an act of thought which cost the thinker no trouble1 which was as easy to him as to cast his eyes upward1 yet which from us1 unaccustomed to the subject1 would require many steps and some labour40 ,then is what is called 8the reason0 innate in human beings8 ,yes1 it is innate1 and is exercised without volition by all1 but gains in power and precision1 according as it is cultivated4 ,if the reason1 especially the trained reason1 arrives at the right conclusion without any effort of volition on the part of the thinker1 it is practically an infallible guide to conduct8 ,on the contrary1 the reason is pledged to pursue a suggestion to its logical conclusion only4 ,much of the history of religious persecutions and of family and international feuds turns on the confusion which exists in most minds between that which is logically inevitable and that which is morally right4 ,but according to this doctrine any theory whatever may be shown to be logically inevitable8 ,exactly so2 the initial idea once received1 the difficulty is1 not to prove that it is tenable1 but to restrain the mind from proving that it is so4 ,can you illustrate this point8 ,the child who lets himself be jealous of his brother is almost startled by the flood of convincing proofs that he does well to be angry1 which rush in upon him4 ,beginning with a mere flash of suspicion in the morning1 the little ,cain finds himself in the evening possessed of irrefragable proofs that his brother is unjustly preferred to him3 and 8,all seems infected that the infected spy ,as all looks yellow to the jaundiced eye40 ,but supposing it is true that the child has cause for jealousy8 ,given1 the starting idea1 and his reason is equally capable of proving a logical certainty1 whether it is true or whether it is not true4 ,is there any historical proof of this startling theory8 ,perhaps every failure in conduct1 in individuals1 and in nations1 is due to the confusion which exists as to that which is logically right1 as established by the reason1 and that which is morally right1 as established by external law4 ,is any such distinction recognised in the ,bible8 ,distinctly so2 the transgressors of the ,bible are those who do that which is right in their own eyes--that is1 that of which their reason approves4 ,modern thought considers1 on the contrary1 that all men are justified in doing that which is right in their own eyes1 acting 8up to their lights10 8obeying the dictates of their reason40 ,for example8 ,a mother whose cruel usage had caused the death of her child was morally exonerated lately in a court of justice because she acted 8from a mistaken sense of duty40 ,but it is not possible to err from a mistaken sense of duty8 ,not only possible1 but inevitable1 if a man accept his 8own reason0 as his lawgiver and judge4 ,take a test case1 the case of the superlative crime that has been done upon the earth4 ,there can be no doubt that the persons who caused the death of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ acted under a mistaken sense of duty4 8,it is expedient that one man die for the people1 and that the whole nation perish not10 said1 most reasonably1 those patriotic leaders of the ,jews2 and they relentlessly hunted to death this ,man whose ascendency over the common people and whose whispered claims to kingship were full of elements of danger to the subject race4 8,they know not what they do10 ,he said1 ,who is the ,truth4 ,all this may be of importance to philosophers2 but what has it to do with the bringing up of children8 ,it is time we reverted to the teaching of ,socrates4 8,know thyself10 exhorted the wise man1 in season and out of season2 and it will be well with us when we understand that to acquaint a child with himself--what he is as a human being--is a great part of education4 ,it is difficult to see why2 surely much harm comes of morbid introspection8 ,introspection is morbid or diseased when the person imagines that all which he finds within him is peculiar to him as an individual4 ,to know what is common to all men is a sound cure for unhealthy self-contemplation4 ,how does it work8 ,to recognise the limitations of the reason is a safeguard in all the duties and relations of life4 ,the man who knows that loyalty is his first duty in every relation1 and that if he admit doubting1 grudging1 unlovely thoughts1 he cannot possibly be loyal1 because such thoughts once admitted will prove themselves to be right and fill the whole field of thought1 why1 he is on his guard1 and writes up 8no admittance0 to every manner of mistrustful fancy4 ,that rule of life should affect the ,supreme relationship8 ,truly1 yes2 if a man will admit no beginning of mistrustful surmise concerning his father and mother1 his child and his wife1 shall he do so of ,him who is more than they1 and more than all1 the 8,lord of his heart08 8,loyalty forbids0 is the answer to every questioning of ,his truth that would intrude4 ,but when others1 whom you must needs revere1 question and tell you of their 8honest doubt08 ,you know the history of their doubt1 and can take it for what it is worth--its origin in the suggestion1 which1 once admitted1 must needs reach a logical conclusion even to the bitter end4 8,take heed that ye enter not into temptation10 ,he said1 ,who needed not that any should tell ,him1 for ,he knew what was in men4 ,if man is the creature of those habits he forms with care or allows in negligence1 if his very thoughts are involuntary and his conclusions inevitable1 he ceases to be a free agent4 ,one might as well concede at once that 8thought is a mode of motion10 and cease to regard man as a spiritual being capable of self-regulation6 ,it is hardly possible to concede too wide a field to biological research1 if we keep well to the front the fact1 that man is a spiritual being whose material organs act in obedience to spiritual suggestion2 that1 for example1 as the hand writes1 so the brain thinks1 in obedience to suggestions4 ,is the suggestion self originated8 ,probably not2 it would appear that1 as the material life is sustained upon its appropriate food from without1 so the immaterial life is sustained upon its food1--ideas or suggestions spiritually conveyed4 ,may the words 8idea0 and 8suggestion0 be used as synonymous terms8 ,only in so far as that ideas convey suggestions to be effected in acts4 ,what part does the man himself play in the reception of this immaterial food8 ,it is as though one stood on the threshold to admit or reject the viands which should sustain the family4 ,is this free-will in the reception or rejection of ideas the limit of man's responsibility in the conduct of his life8 ,probably it is2 for an idea once received must run its course1 unless it be superseded by another idea1 in the reception of which volition is again exercised4 ,how do ideas originate8 ,they appear to be spiritual emanations from spiritual beings2 thus1 one man conveys to another the idea which is a very part of himself4 ,is the intervention of a bodily presence necessary for the transmission of an idea8 ,by no means2 ideas may be conveyed through picture or printed page2 absent friends would appear to communicate ideas without the intervention of means2 natural objects convey ideas1 but1 perhaps1 the initial idea in this case may always be traced to another mind4 ,then the spiritual sustenance of ideas is derived directly or indirectly from other human beings8 ,no2 and here is the great recognition which the educator is called upon to make4 ,god1 the ,holy ,spirit1 is ,himself the supreme ,educator of mankind4 ,how8 ,he openeth man's ear morning by morning1 to hear so much of the best as the man is able to bear4 ,are the ideas suggested by the ,holy ,spirit confined to the sphere of the religious life8 ,no2 ,coleridge1 speaking of ,columbus and the discovery of ,america1 ascribes the origin of great inventions and discoveries to the fact that 8certain ideas of the natural world are presented to minds1 already prepared to receive them1 by a higher ,power than ,nature herself40 ,is there any teaching in the ,bible to support this view8 ,yes2 very much4 ,isaiah1 for example1 says that the ploughman knows how to carry on the successive operations of husbandry1 8for his ,god doth instruct him and doth teach him40 ,are all ideas which have a purely spiritual origin ideas of good8 ,unhappily1 no2 it is the sad experience of mankind that suggestions of evil also are spiritually conveyed4 ,what is the part of the man8 ,to choose the good and refuse the evil4 ,does this doctrine of ideas as the spiritual food needful to sustain the immaterial life throw any light on the doctrines of the ,christian religion8 ,yes2 the ,bread of ,life1 the ,water of ,life1 the ,word by which man lives1 the 8meat to eat which ye know not of10 and much more1 cease to be figurative expressions1 except that we must use the same words to name the corporeal and the incorporeal sustenance of man4 ,we understand1 moreover1 how suggestions emanating from our ,lord and ,saviour1 which are of ,his essence1 are the spiritual meat and drink of ,his believing people4 ,we find it no longer a 8hard saying10 nor a dark saying1 that we must sustain our spiritual selves upon ,him1 even as our bodies upon bread4 ,what practical bearing upon the educator has this doctrine of ideas8 ,he knows that it is his part to place before the child daily nourishment of ideas2 that he may give the child the right initial idea in every study1 and respecting each relation and duty of life2 above all1 he recognises the divine co-operation in the direction1 teaching1 and training of the child4 ,how would you summarise the functions of education8 ,education is a discipline--that is1 the discipline of the good habits in which the child is trained4 ,education is a life1 nourished upon ideas2 and education is an atmosphere--that is1 the child breathes the atmosphere emanating from his parents2 that of the ideas which rule their own lives4 ,what part do lessons and the general work of the schoolroom play in education thus regarded8 ,they should afford opportunity for the discipline of many good habits1 and should convey to the child such initial ideas of interest in his various studies as to make the pursuit of knowledge on those lines an object in life and a delight to him4 ,what duty lies upon parents and others who regard education thus seriously1 as a lever by means of which character may be elevated1 almost indefinitely8 ,perhaps it is incumbent upon them to make conscientious endeavours to further all means used to spread the views they hold2 believing that there is such 8progress in character and virtue0 possible to the redeemed human race as has not yet been realised1 or even imagined4 8,education is an atmosphere1 a discipline1 a life40#ah ,,footnotes3 #ag ,from ,archbishop ,thompson's ,laws of ,thought4 #ah ,matthew ,arnold4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv ,,whence ,,and ,,whither ,,part ,i 8,the ,p4,n4,e4,u4 goes on10 an observer writes1 8without puff or fuss1 by its own inherent force20 and it is making singularly rapid progress4 ,at the present moment not less than ten thousand children of thinking1 educated parents1 are being brought up1 more or less consciously and definitely1 upon the line of the ,union4 ,parents who read the ,parents' ,review1 or other literature of the ,society1 parents who belong to our various branches1 or our other agencies1 parents who are influenced by these parents1 are becoming multitudinous2 and all have one note in common1--the ardour of persons working out inspiring ideas4 ,it is hardly possible to over-estimate the force of this league of educated parents4 ,when we think of the part that the children being brought up under these influences will one day play in the leading and ruling of the land1 we are solemnised with the sense of a great responsibility1 and it behoves us to put to ourselves1 once again1 the two searching queries by which every movement should1 from time to time1 be adjudged1--,whence8 and ,whither8 ,whence8 ,the man who is satisfied with his dwelling-place has no wish to move1 and the mere fact of a 8movement0 is a declaration that we are not satisfied1 and that we are definitely on our way to some other ends than those commonly accepted4 ,in one respect only we venture boldly to hark back4 ,exceedingly fine men and women were brought up by our grandfathers and grandmothers1 even by our mothers and fathers1 and the wise and old amongst us1 though they look on with great sympathy1 yet have an unexpressed feeling that men and women were made on the old lines of a stamp which we shall find it hard to improve upon4 ,this was no mere chance result1 nor did it come out of the spelling-book or the ,pinnock's ,catechisms which we have long ago consigned to the limbo they deserve4 ,the teaching of the old days was as bad as it could be1 the training was haphazard work1 reckless alike of physiology and psychology2 but our grandfathers and grandmothers had one saving principle1 which1 for the last two or three decades1 we have been1 of set purpose1 labouring to lose4 ,they1 of the older generation1 recognised children as reasonable beings1 persons of mind and conscience like themselves1 but needing their guidance and control1 as having neither knowledge nor experience4 ,witness the queer old children's books which have come down to us2 before all things1 these addressed children as reasonable1 intelligent and responsible 7terribly responsible67 persons4 ,this fairly represents the note of home-life in the last generation4 ,so soon as the baby realised his surroundings1 he found himself a morally and intellectually responsible person4 ,now one of the secrets of power in dealing with our fellow beings is1 to understand that human nature does that which it is expected to do and is that which it is expected to be4 ,we do not mean1 believed to do and to be1 with the fond and foolish faith which ,mrs4 ,hardcastle bestowed on her dear ,tony ,lumpkin4 ,expectation strikes another chord1 the chord of 8,i am1 ,i can1 ,i ought10 which must vibrate in every human breast1 for1 8'tis our nature to40 ,the capable1 dependable men and women whom we all know were reared upon this principle4 ,but now8 ,now1 many children in many homes are still brought up on the old lines1 but not with quite the unfaltering certitude of the old times4 ,other thoughts are in the air4 ,a baby is a huge oyster 7says one eminent psychologist7 whose business is to feed1 and to sleep1 and to grow4 ,even ,professor ,sully1 in his most delightful book1#ai is torn in two4 ,the children have conquered him1 have convinced him beyond doubt that they are as ourselves1 only more so4 ,but then he is an evolutionist1 and feels himself pledged to accommodate the child to the principles of evolution4 ,therefore1 the little person is supposed to go through a thousand stages of moral and intellectual development1 leading him from the condition of the savage or ape to that of the intelligent and cultivated human being4 ,if children will not accommodate themselves pleasantly to this theory1 why1 that is their fault1 and ,professor ,sully is too true a child-lover not to give us the children as they are1 with little interludes of the theory upon which they ought to evolve4 ,now we have absolutely no theory to advance1 and are1 on scientific grounds1 disposed to accept the theories of the evolutionary psychologists4 ,but facts are too strong for us4 ,when we consider the enormous intellectual labour the infant goes through during his first year in accommodating himself to the conditions of a new world1 in learning to discern between far and near1 solid and flat1 large and small1 and a thousand other qualifications and limitations of this perplexing world1 why1 we are not surprised that ,john ,stuart ,mill should be well on in his ,greek at five2 that ,arnold at three should know all the ,kings and ,queens of ,england by their portraits2 or that a musical baby should have an extensive repertoire of the musical classics4 ,we were once emphasising the fact that every child could learn to speak two languages at once with equal facility1 when a gentleman in the audience stated that he had a son who was a missionary in ,bagdad1 married to a ,german lady1 and their little son of three expressed all he had to say with equal fluency in three languages--,german1 ,english1 and ,arabic1 using each in speaking to those persons whose language it was4 8,nana1 which does ,god love best1 little girls or little boys80 said a meditative little girl of four4 8,oh1 little girls1 to be sure10 said ,nana1 with a good-natured wish to please4 8,then if ,god loves little girls best1 why was not ,god ,himself a little girl80 ,which of us who have reached the later stages of evolution would have hit upon a more conclusive argument8 ,if the same little girl asked on another occasion1 watching the blackbirds at the cherries3 8,nana1 if the bees make honey1 do the birds make jam80 it was by no means an inane question1 and only proves that we older persons are dull and inappreciative of such mysteries of nature as that bees should make honey4 ,this is how we find children--with intelligence more acute1 logic more keen1 observing powers more alert1 moral sensibilities more quick1 love and faith and hope more abounding2 in fact1 in all points like as we are1 only much more so1 but absolutely ignorant of the world and its belongings1 of us and our ways1 and1 above all1 of how to control and direct and manifest the infinite possibilities with which they are born4 ,our conception of a child rules our relations towards him4 ,pour s'amuser is the rule of child-life proper for the 8oyster0 theory1 and most of our children's books and many of our theories of child-education are based upon this rule4 8,oh6 he's so happy10 we say1 and are content1 believing that if he is happy he will be good2 and it is so to a great extent2 but in the older days the theory was1 if you are good you will be happy2 and this is a principle which strikes the keynote of endeavour1 and holds good1 not only through the childish 8stage of evolution10 but for the whole of life1 here and hereafter4 ,the child who has learned to 8endeavour himself0 7as the ,prayer ,book has it7 has learned to live4 ,if our conception of ,whence8 as regards the child1 as of-- 8,a ,being1 breathing thoughtful breath1 ,a traveller betwixt life and death10-- is old1 that of our grandfathers2 our conception of the aims and methods of education1 is new1 only made possible within the very last decades of the century2 because it rests one foot upon the latest advances in the science of ,biology and the other upon the potent secret of these latter days1 that matter is the all-serviceable agent of spirit1 and that spirit forms1 moulds1 is absolute lord1 over matter1 as capable of affecting the material convolutions of the brain as of influencing what used to be called the heart4 ,knowing that the brain is the physical seat of habit1 and that conduct and character1 alike1 are the outcome of the habits we allow3 knowing1 too1 that an inspiring idea initiates a new habit of thought1 and1 hence1 a new habit of life2 we perceive that the great work of education is to inspire children with vitalising ideas as to the relations of life1 departments of knowledge1 subjects of thought3 and to give deliberate care to the formation of those habits of the good life which are the outcome of vitalising ideas4 ,in this great work we seek and assuredly find the co-operation of the ,divine ,spirit1 whom we recognise1 in a sense rather new to modern thought1 as the ,supreme ,educator of mankind in things that have been called secular1 fully as much as in those that have been called sacred4 ,we are free to give our whole force to these two great educational labours1 of the inspiration of ideas and the formation of habits1 because1 except in the case of children somewhat mentally deficient1 we do not consider that the 8development of faculties0 is any part of our work2 seeing that the children's so-called faculties are already greatly more acute than our own4 ,we have1 too1 in our possession1 a test for systems that are brought under our notice1 and can pronounce upon their educational value4 ,for example1 a little while ago1 the ,london ,board ,schools held an exhibition of work2 and great interest was excited by an exhibit which came from ,new ,york representing a week's work in a school4 ,the children worked for a week upon 8an apple40 ,they modelled it in clay1 they painted it in brushwork1 they stitched the outline on cardboard1 they pricked it1 they laid it in sticks 7the pentagonal form of the seed vessel74 ,older boys and girls modelled an apple-tree and made a little ladder on which to run up the apple-tree and gather the apples1 and a wheel-barrow to carry the apples away1 and a great deal more of the same kind4 ,everybody said1 8,how pretty1 how ingenious1 what a good idea60 and went away with the notion that here1 at last1 was education4 ,but we ask1 8,what was the informing idea80 ,the external shape1 the internal contents of an apple1--matters with which the children were already exceedingly well acquainted4 ,what mental habitudes were gained by this week's work8 ,they certainly learned to look at the apple1 but think how many things they might have got familiar acquaintance with in the time4 ,probably the children were not consciously bored1 because the impulse of the teachers enthusiasm carried them on4 ,but1 think of it-- 8,rabbits hot and rabbits cold1 ,rabbits young and rabbits old1 ,rabbits tender and rabbits tough10-- no doubt those children had enough--of apples anyway4 ,this 8apple0 course is most instructive to us as emphasising the tendency in the human mind to accept and rejoice in any neat system which will produce immediate results1 rather than to bring every such little course to the test of whether it does or does not further either or both of our great educational principles4 ,whither8 ,our 8whence0 opens to us a 8whither0 of infinitely delightful possibilities4 ,seeing that each of us is labouring for the advance of the human race through the individual child we are educating1 we consider carefully in what directions this advance is due1 and indicated1 and we proceed of set purpose and1 endeavour to educate our children so that they shall advance with the tide4 8,can ye not discern the signs of the times80 ,a new ,renaissance is coming upon us1 of unspeakably higher import than the last2 and we are bringing up our children to lead and guide1 and1 by every means help in the progress--progress by leaps and bounds--which the world is about to make4 ,but 8whither0 is too large a question for the close of a chapter4 ,,footnotes3 #ai 8,studies of ,childhood10 by ,professor ,sully 7,longmans1 #ajs4 #f;d474 ,,chapter ,,xxv ,,whence ,,and ,,whither ,,part ,,ii ,the morphologist1 the biologist1 leave many without hesitation in following the great bouleversement of thought1 summed up in the term evolution4 ,they are no longer able to believe otherwise than that man is the issue of processes1 ages long in their development2 and what is more1 and even more curious1 that each individual child1 from the moment of his conception to that of his birth1 appears in his own person to mark an incredible number of the stages of this evolutionary process4 ,the realisation of this truth has made a great impression on the minds of men4 ,we feel ourselves to be part of a process1 and to be called upon1 at the same time1 to assist in the process1 not for ourselves exactly1 but for any part of the world upon which our influence bears2 especially for the children who are so peculiarly given over to us4 ,but there comes1 as we have seen1 a point where we must arise and make our protest4 ,the physical evolution of man may admit of no doubt2 the psychical evolution1 on the other hand1 is not only1 not proven1 but the whole weight of existing evidence appears to go into the opposite scale4 ,the age of materialism has run its course3 we recognise matter as force1 but as altogether subject force1 and that it is the spirit of a man which shapes and uses his material substance1 in its own ways to its own ends4 ,who can tell the way of the spirit8 ,perhaps this is one of the ultimate questions upon which man has not yet been able to speculate to any purpose2 but when we consider the almost unlimited powers of loving and of trusting1 of discriminating and of apprehending1 of perceiving and of knowing1 which a child possesses1 and compare these with the blunted sensibilities and slower apprehension of the grown man or woman of the same calibre1 we are certainly not inclined to think that growth from less to more1 and from small to great1 is the condition of the spiritual life3 that is1 of that part of us which loves and worships1 reasons and thinks1 learns and applies knowledge4 ,rather would it seem to be true of every child in his degree1 as of the divine and typical ,child1 that ,he giveth not the ,spirit by measure to him4 ,it is curious how the philosophy of the ,bible is always well in advance of our latest thought4 8,he grew in wisdom and in stature10 we are told4 ,now what is wisdom--philosophy8 ,is it not the recognition of relations8 ,first1 we have to understand relations of time and space and matter1 the natural philosophy which made up so much of the wisdom of ,solomon2 then1 by slow degrees1 and more and more1 we learn that moral philosophy which determines our relations of love and justice and duty to each other3 later1 perhaps1 we investigate the profound and puzzling subject of the inter-relations of our own most composite being1--mental philosophy4 ,and in all these and beyond all these we apprehend slowly and feebly the highest relation of all1 the relation to ,god1 which we call religion4 ,in this science of the relations of things consists what we call wisdom1 and wisdom is not born in any man1--apparently not even in the ,son of man ,himself4 ,he grew in wisdom1 in the sweet gradual apprehension of all the relations of life3 but the power of apprehending1 the strong1 subtle1 discerning spirit1 whose function it is to grasp and understand1 appropriate and use1 all the relations which bind all things to all other things--this was not given to ,him by measure2 nor1 we may reverently believe1 is it so given to us4 ,that there are differences in the measures of men1 in their intellectual and moral stature1 is evident enough2 but it is well that we should realise the nature of these differences1 that they are differences in kind and not in degree2 depending upon what we glibly call the laws of heredity1 which bring it to pass that man in his various aspects shall make up that conceivably perfect whole possible to mankind4 ,this is a quite different thing from the notion of a small and feeble measure of heart and intellect in the child1 to grow by degrees into the robust and noble spiritual development which1 according to the psychical evolutionist1 should distinguish the adult human being4 ,these are quite practical and simple considerations for every one entrusted with the bringing up of a child1 and are not to be set aside as abstract principles1 the discussion of which should serve little purpose beyond that of sharpening the wits of the schoolmen4 ,as a matter of fact1 we do not realise children1 we under-estimate them2 in the divine words1 we 8despise0 them1 with the best intentions in the world1 because we confound the immaturity of their frames1 and their absolute ignorance as to the relations of things1 with spiritual impotence3 whereas the fact probably is1 that never is intellectual power so keen1 the moral sense so strong1 spiritual perception so piercing1 as in those days of childhood which we regard with a supercilious1 if kindly1 smile4 ,a child is a person in whom all possibilities are present--present now at this very moment--not to be educed after years and efforts manifold on the part of the educator3 but indeed it is a greater thing to direct and use this wealth of spiritual power than to develop the so-called faculties of the child4 ,it cannot be too strongly urged that our education of children will depend1 nolens volens1 upon the conception we form of them4 ,if we regard them as instruments fit and capable for the carrying out of the ,divine purpose in the progress of the world1 we shall endeavour to discern the signs of the times1 perceive in what directions we are being led1 and prepare the children to carry forward the work of the world1 by giving them vitalising ideas concerning1 at any rate1 some departments of that work4 ,having settled it with ourselves that we and the children alike live for the advancement of the race1 that our work is immediately with them1 and1 through them1 mediately for all1 and that they are perfectly fitted to receive those ideas which are for the inspiration of life1 we must next settle it with ourselves in what directions we shall set up spiritual activities in the children4 ,we have sought to establish our whence in the potency of the child1 we will look for our whither in the living thought of the day1 which probably indicates the directions in which the race is making progress4 ,we find that all men everywhere are keenly interested in science1 that the world waits and watches for great discoveries2 we1 too1 wait and watch1 believing that1 as ,coleridge said long ago1 great ideas of ,nature are imparted to minds already prepared to receive them by a higher ,power than ,nature herself4 ,at a late meeting of the ,british ,association1 the ,president lamented that the progress of science was greatly hindered by the fact that we no longer have field naturalists--close observers of ,nature as she is4 ,a literary journal made a lamentable remark thereupon4 ,it is all written in books1 said this journal1 so we have no longer any need to go to ,nature herself4 ,now the knowledge of ,nature which we get out of books is not real knowledge2 the use of books is1 to help the young student to verify facts he has already seen for himself4 ,we1 of the ,p4,n4,e4,u41 are before all things1 ,nature-lovers2 we conceive that intimate acquaintance with every natural object within his reach is the first1 and possibly1 the best part of a child's education4 ,for himself1 all his life long1 he will be soothed by-- 8,the breathing balm1 ,the silence and the calm1 ,of mute insensate things40 ,and for science1 he is in a position to do just the work which is most needed2 he will be a close loving observer of ,nature at first hand1 storing facts1 and free from all impatient greed for inferences4 ,looking out on the realm of ,art again1 we think we discern the signs of the times4 ,some of us begin to learn the lesson which a prophet has been raised up to deliver to this generation4 ,we begin to understand that mere technique1 however perfect--whether in the rendering of flesh tints1 or marbles1 or of a musical composition of extreme difficulty--is not necessarily high ,art4 ,it is beginning to dawn upon us that ,art is great only in proportion to the greatness of the idea that it expresses2 while1 what we ask of the execution1 the technique1 is that it shall be adequate to the inspiring idea4 ,but surely these high themes have nothing to do with the bringing up of children8 ,yes1 they have2 everything4 ,in the first place1 we shall permit no pseudo ,art to live in the same house with our children2 next1 we shall bring our own facile tastes and opinions to some such searching test as we have indicated1 knowing that the children imbibe the thoughts that are in us1 whether we will or no2 and1 lastly1 we shall inspire our children with those great ideas which shall create a demand1 anyway1 for great ,art4 ,in literature1 we have definite ends in view1 both for our own children1 and for the world through them4 ,we wish the children to grow up to find joy and refreshment in the taste1 the flavour of a book4 ,we do not mean by a book any printed matter in a binding1 but a work possessing certain literary qualities able to bring that sensible delight to the reader which belongs to a literary word fitly spoken4 ,it is a sad fact that we are losing our joy in literary form4 ,we are in such haste to be instructed by facts or titillated by theories1 that we have no leisure to linger over the mere putting of a thought4 ,but this is our error1 for words are mighty both to delight and to inspire4 ,if we were not as blind as bats1 we should long ago have discovered a truth very fully indicated in the ,bible--that that which is once said with perfect fitness can never be said again1 and becomes ever thereafter a living power in the world4 ,but in literature1 as in art1 we require more than mere form4 ,great ideas are brooding over the chaos of our thought2 and it is he who shall say the things we are all dumbly thinking1 who shall be to us as a teacher sent from ,god4 ,for the children8 ,they must grow up upon the best4 ,there must never be a period in their lives when they are allowed to read or listen to twaddle or reading-made-easy4 ,there is never a time when they are unequal to worthy thoughts1 well put2 inspiring tales1 well told4 ,let ,blake's 8,songs of ,innocence0 represent their standard in poetry2 ,defoe and ,stevenson1 in prose2 and we shall train a race of readers who will demand literature1 that is1 the fit and beautiful expression of inspiring ideas and pictures of life4 ,perhaps a printed form to the effect that gifts of books to the children will not be welcome in such and such a family1 would greatly assist in this endeavour6 ,to instance one more point--there is a reaching out in all directions after the conception expressed in the words 8solidarity of the race40 ,we have probably never before felt as now in absolute relation with all men everywhere2 everything human is precious to us1 the past belongs to us as the present1 and we linger tenderly over evidences of the personality of men and women who lived ages ago4 ,an ,american poet expresses this feeling with western intensity1 but he does not exaggerate when he tells us that he is the soldier wounded in battle1 he is the galley slave1 and he is the hero come to the rescue1 that every human pulse is his pulse1 every fall his fall1 and every moral victory his triumph4 ,the present writer recollects the moment when the conviction of the common sisterhood of women was brought home to her in a way never to be forgotten4 ,she was driving from station to station in ,london1 and saw a drunken woman carried on a door4 ,she knew by the shock of pain and the tears the sight brought that the woman was not outside of her1 but was in some mysterious way part of her--her very self4 ,this was a new perception to the girl1 and one never again to be lost sight of4 ,such shocks of recognition probably come to most of us1 and when they come to the ,greathearts of the world we get our ,elizabeth ,frys1 our ,wilberforces1 our ,florence ,nightingales4 ,deeds of pity have been done through all the ,christian ages1 and1 indeed1 wherever the human heart has had free play1 but to feel pity for another and to be aware1 however dimly1 that that other is1 part and lot1 indissolubly bound up with ourselves--these are two things4 ,we venture to believe that this is the stage which the education of mankind1 as divinely conducted1 has reached in our day4 ,in other days men did good for the love of ,god1 or to save their own souls2 they acted uprightly because it behoved themselves to be just in all their dealings2 but the motives which stir us in our relation to each other now are more intimate1 tender1 indefinable1 soul-compelling4 ,what the issues will be when we have learned to con understandingly this new page in the ,book of ,life we cannot foretell1 but we may hope that the ,kingdom of ,god is coming upon us4 ,studying reverently these signs of the times1 what indications do we find for our guidance in the bringing up of children8 ,the tender sympathy of the child must be allowed to flow in ways of help and kindness towards all life that anyway touches his4 ,i once knew a little girl of five1 who came in from her walk under an obvious cloud of distress4 8,what is the matter1 ,h----80 she was asked4 ,a quick little 8,nothing10 with the reticence of her family1 was all that could be got out of her for some minutes2 but a caress broke her down1 and1 in a passion of pity1 she sobbed out1 8,a poor man1 no home1 no food1 no bed to lie upon60 ,young as she was1 the revelation of the common life in humanity had come upon her2 she was one with the beggar and suffered with him4 ,children must1 of course1 be shielded from such intense suffering1 but woe to mother or nurse who would shield1 by systematically hardening1 the child's heart4 ,this little girl should have had the relief of helping1 and then the pain of sympathy would not have been too much for her4 ,whatever our own opinion of the world and of human nature1 let us be careful how we breathe the word 8impostor0 into the ear of a child1 until he is old enough to understand that if the man is an impostor that does but make him the object of a deeper pity and a wiser help--a help whose object is not to relieve but to reform4 ,again1 children are open to vanity as to all other evil dispositions possible to human nature4 ,they must be educated to give and to help without any notion that to do so is goodness on their part4 ,it is very easy to keep them in the attitude of mind natural to a child1 that to serve is promotion to the person who serves1 for indeed he has no absolute claim to be in a position to pour benefits upon another4 ,the child's range of sympathy must be widened1 his love must go out to far and near1 rich and poor2 distress abroad and distress at home should appeal to him equally2 and always he should give some manner of help at real cost to himself4 ,when he is old enough1 the object lessons of the newspapers should be brought before him4 ,he should know that atrocities in ,armenia1 for instance1 are the cause of real heart-trouble in ,english homes2 that there are cases of abstract right and wrong for nations as for individuals1 which admit of no considerations of expediency2 that to succour our neighbour in mortal distress is such an occasion1 and that he who has fallen among thieves is therefore our neighbour1 whether as a nation or as an individual4 ,do not let us bring up our children in glass houses1 for fear of the ravages of pity upon their tender hearts4 ,let them know of any distress which would naturally come before them1 and let them ease their own pain by alleviating in some way the sufferings they sorrow for4 ,children were not given to us with infinite possibilities of love and pity that we might choke the springs of pity and train them into hardness of heart4 ,it is our part1 on the contrary1 to prepare these little ministers of grace for the larger and fuller revelation of the kingdom of heaven that is coming upon us4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi ,,the ,,great ,,recognition ,mr4 ,ruskin has done a great service to modern thought in interpreting for us the harmonious and ennobling scheme of education and philosophy recorded upon one quarter of what he calls the 8,vaulted ,book10 that is1 the ,spanish ,chapel attached to the ,church of ,sta4 ,maria ,novella1 in ,florence4 ,many of our readers have probably studied under ,mr4 ,ruskin's guidance the illuminating teaching of the frescoes which cover roof and walls2 but all will like to be reminded of the lessons they have pondered with reverence and wonder4 8,the descent of the ,holy ,ghost is on the left hand 7of the roof7 as you enter4 ,the ,madonna and ,disciples are gathered in an upper chamber3 underneath are the ,parthians1 ,medes1 ,elamites1 c41 who hear them speak in their own tongues4 ,three dogs are in the foreground--their mythic purpose1 to mark the share of the lower animals in the gentleness given by the outpouring of the ,spirit of ,christ4444 ,on this and the opposite side of the ,chapel are represented by ,simon ,memmi's hand1 the teaching power of the ,spirit of ,god and the saving power of the ,christ of ,god in the world1 according to the understanding of ,florence in his time4 8,we will take the side of intellect first4 ,beneath the pouring forth of the ,holy ,spirit in the point of the arch beneath are the three ,evangelical ,virtues4 ,without these1 says ,florence1 you can have no science4 ,without ,love1 ,faith1 and ,hope--no intelligence4 ,under these are the four ,cardinal ,virtues 444 ,temperance1 ,prudence1 ,justice1 ,fortitude4 ,under these are the great ,prophets and ,apostles4444 ,under the line of ,prophets1 as powers summoned by their voices are the mythic figures of the seven theological or spiritual and the seven geological or natural sciences2 and under the feet of each of them the figure of its ,captain-teacher to the world40 ,we hope our readers will continue to study ,mr4 ,ruskin's exposition of the 8,vaulted ,book0 in ,mornings in ,florence3 it is wonderfully full of teaching and suggestion4 ,our immediate concern is with the seven mythic figures representing the natural sciences1 and with the figure of the ,captain-teacher of each4 ,first we have ,grammar1 a gracious figure teaching three ,florentine children2 and1 beneath1 ,priscian4 ,next1 ,rhetoric1 strong1 calm1 and cool2 and below1 the figure of ,cicero with a quite beautiful face4 ,next1 ,logic1 with perfect pose of figure and lovely countenance2 and beneath her1 ,aristotle--intense keenness of search in his half-closed eyes4 ,next1 ,music1 with head inclined in intent listening to the sweet and solemn strains she is producing from her antique instrument2 and underneath1 ,tubal ,cain1 not ,jubal1 as the inventor of harmony--perhaps the most marvellous record that ,art has produced of the impact of a great idea upon the soul of a man but semi-civilised4 ,astronomy succeeds1 with majestic brow and upraised hand1 and below her1 ,zoroaster1 exceedingly beautiful--8the delicate ,persian head made softer still by the elaborately wreathed silken hair40 ,next1 ,geometry1 looking down1 considering some practical problem1 with her carpenter's square in her hand1 and below her1 ,euclid4 ,and lastly1 ,arithmetic1 holding two fingers up in the act of calculating1 and under her1 ,pythagoras wrapped in the science of number4 8,the thoughts of ,god are broader than the measures of man's mind40 ,but here we have the breadth of minds so wide in the sweep of their intelligence1 so profound in their insight1 that we are almost startled with the perception that1 pictured on these walls1 we have indeed a true measure of the thoughts of ,god4 ,let us glance for a moment at our nineteenth century conception of education4 ,in the first place1 we divide education into religious and secular4 ,the more devout among us insist upon religious education as well as secular4 ,many of us are content to do without religious education altogether1 and are satisfied with what we not only call secular but make secular1 in the sense in which we understand the word1 i4e41 entirely limited to the uses of this visible world4 ,many ,christian people rise a little higher2 they conceive that even grammar and arithmetic may in some1 not very clear1 way be used for ,god2 but the ,great ,recognition1 that ,god the ,holy ,spirit is ,himself1 personally1 the ,imparter of knowledge1 the ,instructor of youth1 the ,inspirer of genius1 is a conception so far lost to us that we should think it distinctly irreverent to conceive of the divine teaching as co-operating with ours in a child's arithmetic lesson1 for example4 ,but the ,florentine mind of the ,middle ,ages went further than this3 it believed1 not only that the seven ,liberal ,arts were fully under the direct outpouring of the ,holy ,ghost1 but that every fruitful idea1 every original conception1 whether in ,euclid1 or grammar1 or music1 was a direct inspiration from the ,holy ,spirit1 without any thought at all as to whether the person so inspired named himself by the name of ,god1 or recognised whence his inspiration came4 ,all of these seven figures are those of persons whom we should roughly class as ,pagans1 and whom we might be lightly inclined to consider as outside the pale of the divine inspiration4 ,it is truly difficult to grasp the amazing boldness of this scheme of the education of the world which ,florence accepted in simple faith4 ,but we must not accept even an inspiring idea blindly4 ,were these people of the ,middle ,ages right in this plan and conception of theirs8 ,plato hints at some such thought in his contention that knowledge and virtue are fundamentally identical1 and that if virtue be divine in its origin1 so must knowledge be also4 ,ancient ,egypt1 too1 was not in the dark in this matter4 8,pharaoh said unto his servants1 can we find such a one as this1 a man in whom the ,spirit of ,god is40 ,practical discernment and knowledge of every-day matters1 and of how to deal with emergencies1 were not held by this king of ,egypt to be teachings unworthy of the ,spirit of ,god4 8,the ,spirit of ,god came upon him and he prophesied among them10 we are told of ,saul1 and we may believe that this is the history of every great invention and every great discovery of the secrets of nature4 8,then ,david gave to ,solomon his son 444 the pattern of all that he had by the spirit1 of the courts of the house of the ,lord40 ,we have here a suggestion of the source of every conception of beauty to be expressed in forms of art4 ,but it is not only with high themes of science and art that the divine ,spirit concerns ,himself4 ,it sometimes occurs to one to wonder who invented1 in the first place1 the way of using the most elemental necessaries of life4 ,who first discovered the means of producing fire1 of joining wood1 of smelting ores1 of sowing seed1 of grinding corn8 ,we cannot think of ourselves as living without knowing these things2 and yet each one must have been a great idea when it first made a stir in the mind of the man who conceived it4 ,where did he get his first idea8 ,happily1 we are told1 in a case so typical that it is a key to all the rest3-- 8,doth the plowman plow all day to sow8 ,doth he open and break the clods of his ground8 ,when he hath made plain the face thereof1 doth he not cast abroad the fitches and scatter the cummin1 and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place8 ,for his ,god doth instruct him to discretion1 and doth teach him4 ,for the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument1 neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin2 but the fitches are beaten out with a staff1 and the cummin with a rod4 ,bread corn is bruised2 because he will not ever be threshing it1 nor break it with the wheel of his cart1 nor bruise it with his horsemen4 ,this also cometh forth from the ,lord of ,hosts1 which is wonderful in counsel1 and excellent in working40--,isa4 xxviii4 #bd1 c4 ,in the things of science1 in the things of art1 in the things of practical every-day life1 his ,god doth instruct him and doth teach him1 her ,god doth instruct her and doth teach her4 ,let this be the mother's key to the whole of the education of each boy and each girl2 not of her children2 the divine ,spirit does not work with nouns of multitude1 but with each single child4 ,because ,he is infinite1 the whole world is not too great a school for this indefatigable ,teacher1 and because ,he is infinite1 ,he is able to give the whole of ,his infinite attention for the whole time to each one of ,his multitudinous pupils4 ,we do not sufficiently rejoice in the wealth that the infinite nature of our ,god brings to each of us4 ,and what subjects are under the direction of this ,divine ,teacher8 ,the child's faith and hope and charity--that we already knew2 his temperance1 justice1 prudence1 and fortitude--that we might have guessed2 his grammar1 rhetoric1 logic1 music1 astronomy1 geometry1 arithmetic--this we might have forgotten1 if these ,florentine teachers had not reminded us2 his practical skill in the use of tools and instruments1 from a knife and fork to a microscope1 and in the sensible management of all the affairs of life--these also come from the ,lord1 which is wonderful in counsel1 and excellent in working4 ,his ,god doth instruct him and doth teach him4 ,let the mother visualise the thought as an illuminated scroll about her new-born child1 and let her never contemplate any kind of instruction for her child1 except under the sense of the divine co-operation4 ,but we must remember that here as everywhere the infinite and almighty ,spirit of ,god works under limitations4 ,our co-operation appears to be the indispensable condition of all the divine workings4 ,we recognise this in what we call spiritual things1 meaning the things that have to do more especially with our approaches to ,god2 but the new thing to us is1 that grammar1 for example1 may be taught in such a way as to invite and obtain the co-operation of the ,divine ,teacher1 or in such a way as to exclude ,his illuminating presence from the schoolroom4 ,we do not mean that spiritual virtues may be exhibited by the teacher and encouraged in the child in the course of a grammar lesson2 this is no doubt true1 and is a point to be remembered2 but perhaps the immediate point is that the teaching of grammar by its guiding ideas and simple principles1 the true1 direct1 and humble teaching of grammar1 without pedantry and without verbiage1 is1 we may venture to believe1 accompanied by the illuminating power of the ,holy ,spirit1 of whom is all knowledge4 ,the contrary is equally true4 ,such teaching as enwraps a child's mind in folds of many words1 which his thought is unable to penetrate1 which gives him rules1 and definitions1 and tables1 in lieu of ideas--this is teaching which excludes and renders impossible the divine co-operation4 ,this great recognition resolves that discord in our lives of which most of us are1 more or less1 aware4 ,the things of sense we are willing to subordinate to the things of spirit2 at any rate1 we are willing to endeavour ourselves in this direction4 ,we mourn over our failures and try again1 and recognise that here lies the ,armageddon for every soul of man4 ,but there is a debateable land4 ,is it not a fact that the spiritual life is exigeant1 demands our sole interest and concentrated energies8 ,yet the claims of intellect--mind1 of the sthetic sense--taste1 press upon us urgently4 ,we must think1 we must know1 we must rejoice in and create the beautiful4 ,and if all the burning thoughts that stir in the minds of men1 all the beautiful conceptions they give birth to1 are things apart from ,god1 then we1 too1 must have a separate life1 a life apart from ,god1 a division of ourselves into secular and religious--discord and unrest4 ,we believe that this is the fertile source of the unfaith of the day1 especially in young and ardent minds4 ,the claims of intellect are urgent2 the intellectual life is a necessity not to be foregone at any hazard4 ,it is impossible for these to recognise in themselves a dual nature2 a dual spirituality1 so to speak2 and1 if there are claims which definitely oppose themselves to the claims of intellect1 these other claims must go to the wall2 and the young man or woman1 full of promise and power1 becomes a free-thinker1 an agnostic1 what you will4 ,but once the intimate relation1 the relation of ,teacher and taught in all things of the mind and spirit1 be fully recognised1 our feet are set in a large room2 there is space for free development in all directions2 and this free and joyous development1 whether of intellect or heart1 is recognised as a ,godward movement4 ,various activities1 with unity of aim1 bring harmony and peace into our lives2 more1 this perception of the intimate dealings of the divine ,spirit with our spirit in the things of the intellect1 as well as in those of the moral nature1 makes us as keenly alive in the one case as in the other to the insidious promptings of the spirit of evil2 we become aware of the possibility of intellectual sin as of moral sin2 we perceive that in the region of pure reason1 also1 it behoves us to see that we enter not into temptation4 ,we rejoice in the expansion of intellect and the expansion of heart and the ease and freedom of him who is always in touch with the inspiring ,teacher1 with ,whom are infinite stores of learning1 wisdom1 and virtue1 graciously placed at our disposal4 ,such a recognition of the work of the ,holy ,spirit as the ,educator of mankind1 in things intellectual as well as in things moral and spiritual1 gives us 8new thoughts of ,god1 new hopes of ,heaven10 a sense of harmony in our efforts and of acceptance of all that we are4 ,what stands between us and the realisation of this more blessed life8 ,this2 that we do not realise ourselves as spiritual beings invested with bodies1--living1 emotional1 a snare to us and a joy to us1--but which are1 after all1 the mere organs and interpreters of our spiritual intention4 ,once we see that we are dealing spirit with spirit with the friend at whose side we are sitting1 with the people who attend to our needs1 we shall be able to realise how incessant is the commerce between the divine ,spirit and our human spirit4 ,it will be to us as when one stops one's talk and one's thoughts in the spring-time1 to find the world full of bird-music unheard the instant before4 ,in like manner1 we shall learn to make pause in our thoughts1 and shall hear in our intellectual perplexities1 as well as in our moral1 the clear1 sweet1 cheering and inspiring tones of our spiritual ,guide4 ,we are not speaking here of what is commonly called the religious life1 or of our definite approaches to ,god in prayer and praise2 these things all ,christian people comprehend more or less fully2 we are speaking only of the intellectual life1 the development of which in children is the aim of our subjects and methods of instruction4 ,supposing we are willing to make this great recognition1 to engage ourselves to accept and invite the daily1 hourly1 incessant co-operation of the divine ,spirit1 in1 to put it definitely and plainly1 the schoolroom work of our children1 how must we shape our own conduct to make this co-operation active1 or even possible8 ,we are told that the ,spirit is life2 therefore1 that which is dead1 dry as dust1 mere bare bones1 can have no affinity with ,him1 can do no other than smother and deaden ,his vitalising influences4 ,a first condition of this vitalising teaching is that all the thought we offer to our children shall be living thought2 no mere dry summaries of facts will do2 given1 the vitalising idea1 children will readily hang the mere facts upon the idea as upon a peg capable of sustaining all that it is needful to retain4 ,we begin by believing in the children as spiritual beings of unmeasured powers--intellectual1 moral1 spiritual--capable of receiving and constantly enjoying intuitions from1 the intimate converse of1 the divine ,spirit4 ,with this thought of a child to begin with1 we shall perceive that whatever is stale and flat and dull to us must needs be stale and flat and dull to him1 and also that there is no subject which has not a fresh and living way of approach4 ,are we teaching geography8 ,the child discovers with the explorer1 journeys with the traveller1 receives impressions new and vivid from some other mind which is immediately receiving these impressions2 not after they have been made stale and dull by a process of filtering through many intermediate minds1 and1 have found at last their way into a little text-book4 ,is he learning history8 his concern is not with strings of names and of dates1 nor with nice little reading-made-easy stories1 brought down1 as we mistakenly say1 to the level of his comprehension2 we recognise that his comprehension is at least equal to our own1 and that it is only his ignorance of the attendant circumstances we have to deal with as luminously as we can4 ,we recognise that history for him is1 to live in the lives of those strong personalities which at any given time impress themselves most upon their age and country4 ,this is not the sort of thing to be got out of nice little history books for children1 whether 8,little ,arthur's10 or somebody's 8,outlines40 ,we take the child to the living sources of history--a child of seven is fully able to comprehend ,plutarch1 in ,plutarch's own words 7translated71 without any diluting and with little explanation4 ,give him living thought in this kind1 and you make possible the co-operation of the living ,teacher4 ,the child's progress is by leaps and bounds1 and you wonder why4 ,in teaching music1 again1 let him once perceive the beautiful laws of harmony1 the personality1 so to speak1 of ,music1 looking out upon him from among the queer little black notes1 and the piano lesson has ceased to be drudgery4 ,it is unnecessary to go further into details2 every subject has its living way1 with what ,coleridge calls 8its guiding idea0 at the head1 and it is only as we discover this living way in each case that a subject of instruction makes for the education of a child4 ,no neat system is of any use2 it is the very nature of a system to grow stale in the using2 every subject1 every division of a subject1 every lesson1 in fact1 must be brought up for examination before it is offered to the child as to whether it is living1 vital1 of a nature to invite the living ,intellect of the universe4 ,one more thing is of vital importance2 children must have books1 living books2 the best are not too good for them2 anything less than the best is not good enough2 and if it is needful to exercise economy1 let go everything that belongs to soft and luxurious living before letting go the duty of supplying the books1 and the frequent changes of books1 which are necessary for the constant stimulation of the child's intellectual life4 ,we need not say one word about the necessity for living thought in the teacher2 it is only so far as he is intellectually alive that he can be effective in the wonderful process which we glibly call 8education40 ,,chapter ,,xxvii ,,the ,,eternal ,,child 8,the ,waits6 ,slowly they play1 poor careful souls1 ,with wistful thoughts of ,christmas cheer1 ,unwitting how their music rolls ,away the burden of the year4 ,and with the charm1 the homely rune1 ,our thoughts like childhood's thoughts are given1 ,when all our pulses beat in tune ,with all the stars of heaven40 --,,john ,,davidson4 ,in these levelling days we like to think that everybody has quite equal opportunities in some direction2 but ,christmas joy1 for example1 is not for every one in like measure4 ,it is not only that those who are in need1 sorrow1 or any other adversity do not sit down to the ,christmas feast of joy and thanksgiving2 for1 indeed1 a ,benjamin's portion is often served to the sorrowful4 ,but it takes the presence of children to help us to realise the idea of the ,eternal ,child4 ,the ,dayspring is with the children1 and we think their thoughts and are glad in their joy2 and every mother knows out of her own heart's fulness what the ,birth at ,bethlehem means4 ,those of us who have not children catch echoes4 ,we hear the wondrous story read in church1 the waits chant the tale1 the church-bells echo it1 and the years that are no more come back to us1 and our hearts are meek and mild1 glad and gay1 loving and tender1 as those of little children2 but1 alas1 only for the little while occupied by the passing thought4 ,too soon the dreariness of daily living settles down upon us again1 and we become a little impatient1 do we not1 of the ,christmas demand of joyousness4 ,but it is not so where there are children4 ,the old1 old story has all its first freshness as we tell it to the eager listeners2 as we listen to it ourselves with their vivid interest it becomes as real and fresh to us as it is to them4 ,hard thoughts drop away like scales from our eyes2 we are young once more with the children's young life1 which1 we are mysteriously made aware1 is the life eternal4 ,what a mystery it is6 ,does not every mother1 made wise unto salvation1 who holds a babe in her arms1 feel with tremulous awe that that deep saying is true for her also1 8,the same is my mother60 ,for the little child is the true ,st4 ,christopher1 in him is the light and life of ,christ2 and every birth is a message of salvation1 and a reminder that we1 too1 must humble ourselves and become as little children4 ,this is1 perhaps1 the real secret of the world's progress--that every babe comes into the world with an evangel1 which witnesses of necessity to his parents' hearts4 ,that we1 too1 are children1 the children of ,god1 that ,he would have us be as children1 is the message that the new-born child never fails to bear1 however little we heed1 or however soon we forget4 ,it is well that parents should ponder these things1 for the child's estate is a holy one1 and it is given to his parents to safeguard the little heir of blessedness4 ,it is not possible to enter fully into so large a subject1 but it may be worth while to characterise two or three of the landmarks of this child's estate2 for how shall we safeguard that which we do not recognise1 and how recognise that to which we have failed to give deliberate attention4 ,the note of childhood is1 before all things1 humility4 ,what we call innocence is probably resolvable into this grace--repellent to the nature of man until he shall embrace it1 and then disclosing itself to him as divine4 ,an old and saintly writer has a luminous thought on this subject of humility4 8,there never was1 nor ever will be1 but one humility in the whole world1 and that is the one humility of ,christ1 which never any man1 since the fall of ,adam1 had the least degree of but from ,christ4 ,humility is one1 in the same sense and truth as ,christ is one1 the ,mediator is one1 ,redemption is one4 ,there are not two ,lambs of ,god that take away the sins of the world4 ,but if there was any humility besides that of ,christ1 there would be something else besides ,him that could take away the sins of the world40#bj ,now1 if there be but one humility in the whole world1 and that humility be the humility of ,christ1 and if our ,lord pronounces the little child also to be humble1 is it not because of the indwelling divinity1 the glory in the child1 which we call innocence8 ,our common notion of humility is inaccurate4 ,we regard it as a relative quality4 ,we humble ourselves to this one and that1 bow to the prince and lord it over the peasant4 ,this is why the grace of humility does not commend itself to us even in our most sincere moods4 ,we feel that this relative humility is hardly consistent with self-respect and due independence of character4 ,we have been taught to recognise humility as a ,christian grace1 and therefore do not utter our protest2 but this misconception confuses our thought on an important subject4 ,for humility is absolute1 not relative4 ,it is by no means a taking of our place among our fellows according to a given scale1 some being above us by many grades and others as far below4 ,there is no reference to above or below in the humble soul1 which is equally humble before an infant1 a primrose1 a worm1 a beggar1 a prince4 ,this1 if we think of it1 is the state natural to children4 ,every person and thing commands their interest2 but the person or thing in action is deeply interesting4 8,may ,i go and make mud-pies with the boy in the gutter80 prays the little prince1 discerning no difference at all2 and the little boy in the gutter would meet him with equal frankness4 ,what is the secret of this absolute humility1 humble alike towards higher or lower1 and unaware of distinctions8 ,our notion of a humble person is one who thinks rather slightingly of himself1 who says1 deprecatingly1 8,oh1 ,i can't do this or that1 you know1 ,i'm not clever20 8,i'm not cut out for public work of any sort1 ,i've no power or influence20 8,ah6 well1 ,i hope he'll be a better man than his father1 ,i don't think much of myself anyway20 8,your children have great advantages1 ,i wish mine had such a mother1 but ,i'm not a bit wise40 ,such things are often said1 in all sincerity1 without the least soupon of the 8,uriah ,heap0 sentiment4 ,the thing we quarrel with is1 that the speakers are apt to feel that they have1 anyway1 the saving grace of humility4 ,it is worth while to reflect that there are no such deprecatory utterances ascribed to the ,example of that 8great humility0 which we are bound to follow2 and if there is not the slightest evidence of humility in this kind in the divine life1 which was all humility1 we must re-cast our notions4 ,children1 too1 never make deprecatory remarks2 that is because they are humble1 and with the divine ,example before us1 and the example of our children1 we may receive it that humility does not consist in thinking little of ourselves4 ,it is a higher principle1 a blessed state1 only now and then attained by us elders1 but in which the children perpetually dwell1 and in which it is the will of ,god that we should keep them4 ,humility does not think much or little of itself2 it does not think of itself at all4 ,it is a negative rather than a positive quality1 being an absence of self-consciousness rather than the presence of any distinctive virtue4 ,the person who is unaware of himself is capable of all lowly service1 of all suffering for others1 of bright cheerfulness under all the small crosses and worries of everyday life4 ,this is the quality that makes heroes1 and this is the quality that makes saints4 ,we are able to pray1 but we are hardly able to worship or to praise1 to say1 8,my soul doth magnify the ,lord10 so long as in the innermost chamber of our hearts we are self-occupied4 ,the ,christian religion is1 in its very nature1 objective4 ,it offers for our worship1 reverence1 service1 adoration and delight1 a ,divine ,person1 the ,desire of the world4 ,simplicity1 happiness and expansion come from the outpouring of a human heart upon that which is altogether worthy4 ,but we mistake our own needs1 are occupied with our own falls and our own repentances1 our manifold states of consciousness4 ,our religion is subjective first1 and after that1 so far as we are able1 objective4 ,the order should rather be objective first1 and after that1 so far as we have any time or care to think about ourselves1 subjective4 ,now the tendency of children is to be altogether objective1 not at all subjective1 and perhaps that is why they are said to be first in the kingdom of heaven4 ,this philosophic distinction is not one which we can put aside as having no bearing on everyday life4 ,it strikes the keynote for the training of children4 ,in proportion as our training tends to develop the subjective principle1 it tends to place our children on a lower level of purpose1 character1 and usefulness throughout their lives3 while so far as we develop the objective principle1 with which the children are born1 we make them capable of love1 service1 heroism1 worship4 ,it is curious to observe how every function of our most complex nature may have its subjective or its objective development4 ,the child may eat and drink and rest with the most absolute disregard of what he is about1 his parents taking care that these things are happily arranged for him1 but taking equal care that his attention shall not be turned to the pleasures of appetite4 ,but this is a point that we hardly need to dwell upon1 as thoughtful parents are agreed that children's meals should be so regularly pleasant and various that the child naturally eats with satisfaction and thinks little or nothing of what he is eating2 that is1 parents are careful that1 in the matter of food1 children shall not be self-regardful4 ,perhaps parents are less fully awake to the importance of regulating a child's sensations4 ,we still kiss the place to make it well1 make an obvious fuss if a string is uncomfortable or a crumpled rose-leaf is irritating the child's tender skin4 ,we have forgotten the seven ,christian virtues and the seven deadly sins of earlier ages1 and do not much consider in the bringing up of our children whether the grace of fortitude is developing under our training4 ,now fortitude has its higher and its lower offices4 ,it concerns itself with things of the mind and with things of the body1 and1 perhaps1 it is safe to argue that fortitude on the higher plane is only possible when it has become the habit of the nature on the lower plane4 ,a baby may be trained in fortitude1 and is much the happier for such training4 ,a child should be taught that it is beneath him to take any notice of cold or heat1 pain or discomfort4 ,we do not perceive the sensations to which we do not attend1 and it is quite possible to forget even a bad toothache in some new and vivid interest4 ,health and happiness depend largely upon the disregard of sensations1 and the child who is encouraged to say1 8,i'm so cold10 8,i'm so tired10 8,my vest pricks me10 and so on1 is likely to develop into the hysterical girl or the hypochondriac man2 for it is an immutable law that1 as with our appetites1 so with our sensations1 in proportion as we attend to them will they dominate us1 until a single sensation of slight pain or discomfort may occupy our whole field of vision1 making us unaware that there is any joy in living1 any beauty in the earth4 ,but these are the least of the reasons why a child should be trained to put up with little discomforts and take no notice4 ,the child1 who has been allowed to become self-regardful in the matter of sensations1 as of appetites1 has lost his child's estate1 he is no longer humble2 he is in the condition of thinking about himself1 instead of that infinitely blessed condition of not being aware of himself at all4 ,nor must we permit ourselves to make an exception to this rule in the case of the poor little invalid4 ,for him1 far more than for the healthy child1 it is important that he should be trained to take no account of his sensations2 and many a brave little hero suffers anguish without conscious thought1 and therefore1 of course1 suffers infinitely less than if he had been induced to dwell upon his pains4 ,we say1 induced1 because though a child may cry with sudden distress1 he does not really think about his aches and pains unless his thoughts be turned to his ailments by those about him4 ,we are not advising any ,spartan regimen4 ,it is not permitted to us to inflict hardness in order that the children may learn to endure4 ,our care is simply to direct their consciousness from their own sensations4 ,the well-known anecdote of the man1 who1 before the days of chloroform1 had his leg cut off without any conscious sensations of pain1 because he determinately kept his mind occupied with other things1 is an extreme but instructive instance of what may be done in this direction4 ,at the same time1 though the child himself be taught to disregard them1 his sensations should be carefully watched by his elders1 for they must consider and act upon the danger signals which the child himself must be taught to disregard4 ,but it is usually possible to attend to a child's sensations without letting him know they have been observed4 ,this1 of the sensations1 is only one example of the altruistic or egoistic direction which the various operations of a child's complex nature may receive4 ,his affections1 again1 are capable of receiving a subjective or objective direction1 according to the suggestions which reach him from without4 ,every child comes into the world richly endowed with a well of love1 a fountain of justice2 but whether the stream of love shall flow to the right or the left1 whether it shall be egoistic or altruistic1 depends on the child's earliest training4 ,a child who is taught from the first the delights of giving and sharing1 of loving and bearing1 will always spend himself freely on others1 will love and serve1 seeking for nothing again2 but the child who recognises that he is the object of constant attention1 consideration1 love and service1 becomes self-regardful1 self-seeking1 selfish1 almost without his fault1 so strongly is he influenced by the direction his thoughts receive from those about him4 ,so1 too1 of that other fountain1 of justice1 with which every child is born4 ,there again1 the stream may flow forth in either1 but not in both1 of the channels1 the egoistic or the altruistic4 ,the child's demand for justice may be all for himself1 or1 from the very first1 the rights of others may be kept before his eyes4 ,he may be taught to occupy himself with his own rights and other people's duties1 and1 if he is1 his state of mind is easily discernible by the catch-words often on his lips1 8,it's a shame60 8,it's not fair60 or he may1 on the other hand1 be so filled with the notion of his own duties and other people's rights1 that the claims of self slip quietly into the background4 ,this kind cometh forth only by prayer1 but it is well to clear our thoughts and know definitely what we desire for our children1 because only so can we work intelligently towards the fulfilment of our desire4 ,it is sad to pray1 and frustrate the answer by our own action2 but this is1 alas1 too possible4 ,during each coming festival of the ,eternal ,child1 may parents ponder how best to keep their own children in the blessed child-estate1 recollecting that the humility which ,christ commends in the children is what may be described1 philosophically1 as the objective principle as opposed to the subjective1 and that1 in proportion as a child becomes self-regardful in any function of his being1 he loses the grace of humility4 ,this is the broad principle2 the practical application will need constant watchfulness1 and constant efforts1 especially in holiday seasons1 to keep friends and visitors from showing their love for the children in any way that shall tend to develop self-consciousness4 ,this1 of humility1 is not only a counsel of perfection1 but is1 perhaps1 the highest counsel of perfection2 and when we put it to parents1 we offer it to those for whom no endeavour is too difficult1 no aim too lofty2 to those who are doing the most to advance the ,kingdom of ,christ4 ,,footnotes3 #bj ,william ,law4 ,,book ,,ii ,,essays ,,in ,,practical ,,education ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,philosopher ,,at ,,home 8,he has such a temper1 ma'am60 ,and there1 hot1 flurried1 and1 generally at her wits' end1 stood the poor nurse at the door of her mistress's room4 ,the terrific bellowing which filled the house was enough to account for the maid's distress4 ,mrs4 ,belmont looked worried4 ,she went up wearily to what she well knew was a weary task4 ,a quarter of an hour ago life had looked very bright--the sun shining1 sparrows chirping1 lilac and laburnum making a gay show in the suburban gardens about2 she thought of her three nestlings in the nursery1 and her heart was like a singing-bird giving out chirps of thanks and praise4 ,but that was all changed4 ,the outside world was as bright as ever1 but she was under a cloud4 ,she knew too well how those screams from the nursery would spoil her day4 ,there the boy lay1 beating the ground with fists and feet2 emitting one prodigious roar after another1 features convulsed1 eyes protruding1 in the unrestrained rage of a wild creature1 so transfigured by passion that even his mother doubted if the noble countenance and lovely smile of her son had any existence beyond her fond imagination4 ,he eyed his mother askance through his tumbled1 yellow hair1 but her presence seemed only to aggravate the demon in possession4 ,the screams were more violent2 the beating of the ground more than ever like a maniac's rage4 8,get up1 ,guy40 ,renewed screams2 more violent action of the limbs6 8,did you hear me1 ,guy80 in tones of enforced calmness4 ,the uproar subsided a little1 but when ,mrs4 ,belmont laid her hand on his shoulder to raise him1 the boy sprang to his feet1 ran into her1 head-foremost1 like a young bull1 kicked her1 beat her with his fists1 tore her dress with his teeth1 and would no doubt have ended by overthrowing his delicate mother1 but that ,mr4 ,belmont1 no longer able to endure the disturbance1 came up in time to disengage the raging child and carry him off to his mother's room4 ,once in1 the key was turned upon him1 and ,guy was left to 8subside at his leisure10 said his father4 ,breakfast was not a cheerful meal1 either upstairs or down4 ,nurse was put out2 snapped up little ,flo1 shook baby for being tiresome1 until she had them both in tears4 ,in the dining-room1 ,mr4 ,belmont read the ,times with a frown which last night's debate did not warrant2 sharp words were at his tongue's end1 but1 in turning the paper1 he caught sight of his wife's pale face and untasted breakfast4 ,he said nothing1 but she knew and suffered under his thoughts fully as much as if they had been uttered4 ,meantime1 two closed doors and the wide space between the rooms hardly served to dull the ear-torturing sounds that came from the prisoner4 ,all at once there was a lull1 a sudden and complete cessation of sound4 ,was the child in a fit8 8,excuse me a minute1 ,edward20 and ,mrs4 ,belmont flew upstairs1 followed shortly by her husband4 ,what was her surprise to see ,guy with composed features contemplating himself in the glass6 ,he held in his hand a proof of his own photograph which had just come from the photographer's4 ,the boy had been greatly interested in the process2 and here was the picture arrived1 and ,guy was solemnly comparing it with that image of himself which the looking-glass presented4 ,nothing more was said on the subject2 ,mr4 ,belmont went to the ,city1 and his wife went about her household affairs with a lighter heart than she had expected to carry that day4 ,guy was released1 and allowed to return to the nursery for his breakfast1 which his mother found him eating in much content and with the sweetest face in the world2 no more trace of passion than a ,june day bears when the sun comes out after a thunderstorm4 ,guy was1 indeed1 delicious2 attentive and obedient to ,harriet1 full of charming play to amuse the two little ones1 and very docile and sweet with his mother1 saying from time to time the quaintest things4 ,you would have thought he had been trying to make up for the morning's fracas1 had he not looked quite unconscious of wrong-doing4 ,this sort of thing had gone on since the child's infancy4 ,now1 a frantic outburst of passion1 to be so instantly followed by a sweet ,april-day face and a sunshiny temper that the resolutions his parents made about punishing or endeavouring to reform him passed away like hoar-frost before the child's genial mood4 ,a sunshiny day followed this stormy morning2 the next day passed in peace and gladness1 but1 the next1 some hair astray1 some crumpled rose-leaf under him1 brought on another of ,guy's furious outbursts4 ,once again the same dreary routine was gone through2 and1 once again1 the tempestuous morning was forgotten in the sunshine of the child's day4 ,not by the father1 though3 at last1 ,mr4 ,belmont was roused to give his full attention to the mischief which had been going on under his eyes for nearly the five years of ,guy's short life4 ,it dawned upon him--other people had seen it for years--that his wife's nervous headaches and general want of tone might well be due to this constantly recurring distress4 ,he was a man of reading and intelligence1 in touch with the scientific thought of the day1 and especially interested in what may be called the physical basis of character1--the interaction which is ever taking place between the material brain and the immaterial thought and feeling of which it is the organ4 ,he had even made little observations and experiments1 declared to be valuable by his friend and ally1 ,dr4 ,steinbach1 the head physician of the county hospital4 ,for a whole month he spread crumbs on the window-sill every morning at five minutes to eight2 the birds gathered as punctually1 and by eight o'clock the 8table0 was cleared and not a crumb remained4 ,so far1 the experiment was a great delight to the children1 ,guy and ,flo1 who were all agog to know how the birds knew the time4 ,after a month of free breakfasts3 8,you shall see now whether or no the birds come because they see the crumbs40 ,the prospect was delightful1 but1 alas6 this stage of the experiment was very much otherwise to the pitiful childish hearts4 8,oh1 father1 please let us put out crumbs for the poor little birds1 they are so hungry60 a prayer seconded by ,mrs4 ,belmont1 met with very ready acceptance4 ,the best of us have our moments of weakness4 8,very interesting10 said the two savants4 8,nothing could show more clearly the readiness with which a habit is formed in even the less intelligent of the creatures40 8,yes1 and more than that1 it shows the automatic nature of the action once the habit is formed4 ,observe1 the birds came punctually and regularly when there were no longer crumbs for them4 ,they did not come1 look for their breakfast1 and take sudden flight when it was not there1 but they settled as before1 stayed as long as before1 and then flew off without any sign of disappointment4 ,that is1 they came1 as we set one foot before another in walking1 just out of habit1 without any looking for crumbs1 or conscious intention of any sort1 a mere automatic or machine-like action with which conscious thought has nothing to do40 ,of another little experiment ,mr4 ,belmont was especially proud1 because it brought down1 as it were1 two quarries at a stroke2 touched heredity and automatic action in one little series of observations4 ,rover1 the family dog1 appeared in the first place as a miserable puppy saved from drowning4 ,he was of no breed to speak of1 but care and good living agreed with him4 ,he developed a handsome shaggy white coat1 a quiet1 well-featured face1 and betrayed his low origin only by one inveterate habit2 carts he took no notice of1 but never a carriage1 small or great1 appeared in sight but he ran yelping at the heels of the horses in an intolerable way1 contriving at the same time to dodge the whip like any street ,arab4 ,oddly enough1 it came out through the milkman that ,rover came of a mother who met with her death through this very peccadillo4 ,here was an opportunity4 ,the point was1 to prove not only that the barking was automatic1 but that the most inveterate habit1 even an inherited habit1 is open to cure4 ,mr4 ,belmont devoted himself to the experiment3 he gave orders that1 for a month1 ,rover should go out with no one but himself4 ,two pairs of ears were on the alert for wheels2 two1 distinguished between carriage and cart4 ,now ,rover was the master of an accomplishment of which he and the family were proud3 he could carry a newspaper in his mouth4 ,wheels in the distance1 then1 8,hi6 ,rover60 and ,rover trotted along1 the proud bearer of the ,times4 ,this went on daily for a month1 until at last the association between wheels and newspaper was established1 and a distant rumble would bring him up--a demand in his eyes4 ,rover was cured4 ,by-and-by the paper was unnecessary1 and 8,to heel6 good dog60 was enough when an ominous falling of the jaw threatened a return of the old habit4 ,it is extraordinary how wide is the gap between theory and practice in most of our lives4 8,the man who knows the power of habit has a key wherewith to regulate his own life and the lives of his household1 down to that of the cat sitting at his hearth40 7,applause47 ,thus1 ,mr4 ,belmont at a scientific gathering4 ,but only this morning did it dawn upon him that1 with this key between his fingers1 he was letting his wife's health1 his child's life1 be ruined by a habit fatal alike to present peace1 and to the hope of manly self-possession in the future4 ,poor man6 he had a bad half-hour that morning on his way ,citywards4 ,he was not given to introspection1 but1 when it was forced upon him1 he dealt honestly4 8,i must see ,steinbach to-night1 and talk the whole thing out with him40 99 99 99 99 99 8,ah1 so2 the dear ,guy6 ,and how long is it1 do you say1 since the boy has thus out-broken80 8,all his life1 for anything ,i know--certainly it began in his infancy40 8,and do you think1 my good friend0--here the ,doctor laid a hand on his friend's arm1 and peered at him with twinkling eyes and gravely set mouth--8do you think it possible that he has--a--inherited this little weakness8 ,a grandfather1 perhaps80 8,you mean me1 ,i know2 yes1 it's a fact4 ,and ,i got it from my father1 and he1 from his4 ,we're not a good stock4 ,i know ,i'm an irascible fellow1 and it has stood in my way all through life40 8,fair and softly1 my dear fellow6 go not so fast4 ,i cannot let you say bad things of my best friend4 ,but this ,i allow2 there are thorns1 bristles all over2 and they come out at a touch4 ,how much better for you and for ,science had the father cured all that60 8,as ,i must for ,guy6 ,yes1 and how much happier for wife1 children1 and servants2 how much pleasanter for friends4 ,well1 ,guy is the question now4 ,what do you advise80 ,the two sat far into the night discussing a problem on the solution of which depended the future of a noble boy1 the happiness of a family4 ,no wonder they found the subject so profoundly interesting that two by the church clock startled them into a hasty separation4 ,both ladies resented this dereliction on the part of their several lords4 ,they would have been meeker than ,sarah herself had they known that1 not science1 not politics1 but the bringing up of the children1 was the engrossing topic4 ,breakfast-time three days later4 ,scene1 the dining-room4 ,,nurse in presence of ,,master and ,,mistress4 8,you have been a faithful servant and good friend1 both to us and the children1 ,harriet1 but we blame you a little for ,guy's passionate outbreaks4 ,do not be offended1 we blame ourselves more4 ,your share of blame is that you have worshipped him from his babyhood1 and have allowed him to have his own way in everything4 ,now1 your part of the cure is1 to do exactly as we desire4 ,at present1 ,i shall only ask you to remember that1 ,prevention is better than cure4 ,the thing for all of us is to take precautions against even one more of these outbreaks4 8,keep your eye upon ,guy2 if you notice--no matter what the cause--flushed cheeks1 pouting lips1 flashing eye1 frowning forehead1 with two little upright lines between the eyebrows1 limbs held stiffly1 hands1 perhaps1 closed1 head thrown slightly back2 if you notice any or all of these signs1 the boy is on the verge of an outbreak4 ,do not stop to ask questions1 or soothe him1 or make peace1 or threaten4 ,change his thoughts4 ,that is the one hope4 ,say quite naturally and pleasantly1 as if you saw nothing1 #8,your father wants you to garden with him1' or1 #8for a game of dominoes2' or1 #8your mother wants you to help her in the store-room1' or1 #8to tidy her work-box4' ,be ruled by the time of the day1 and how you know we are employed4 ,and be quite sure we do want the boy40 8,but1 sir1 please excuse me1 is it any good to save him from breaking out when the passion is there in his heart80 8,yes1 ,harriet1 all the good in the world4 ,your master thinks that ,guy's passions have become a habit1 and that the way to cure him is to keep him a long time1 a month or two1 without a single outbreak2 if we can manage that1 the trouble will be over4 ,as for the passion in his heart1 that comes with the outer signs1 and both will be cured together4 ,do1 ,harriet1 like a good woman1 help us in this matter1 and your master and ,i will always be grateful to you60 8,i'm sure1 ma'am10 with a sob 7,harriet was a soft-hearted woman1 and was very much touched to be taken thus into the confidence of her master and mistress74 8,i'm sure ,i'll do my best1 especially as ,i've had a hand in it2 but ,i'm sure ,i never meant to1 and1 if ,i forget1 ,i hope you'll kindly forgive me40 8,no1 ,harriet1 you must not forget1 any more than you'd forget to snatch a sharp knife from the baby4 ,this is almost a matter of life and death40 8,very well1 sir2 ,i'll remember1 and thank you for telling me40 99 99 99 99 99 ,breakfast-time was unlucky2 the very morning after the above talk1 ,nurse had her opportunity4 ,flo1 for some inscrutable reason1 preferred to eat her porridge with her brother's spoon4 ,behold1 quick as a flash1 flushed cheeks1 puckered brow1 rigid frame6 8,master ,guy1 dear10 in a quite easy1 friendly tone 7,harriet had mastered her lesson71 8run down to your father2 he wants you to help him in the garden40 ,instantly the flash in the eye became a sparkle of delight1 the rigid limbs were all active and eager2 out of his chair1 out of the room1 downstairs1 by his father's side in less time than it takes to tell4 ,and the face--joyous1 sparkling1 full of eager expectation--surely ,nurse had been mistaken this time8 ,but no2 both parents knew how quickly ,guy emerged from the shadow of a cloud1 and they trusted ,harriet's discretion4 8,well1 boy1 so you've come to help me garden8 ,but ,i've not done breakfast4 ,have you finished yours80 8,no1 father10 with a dropping lip4 8,well1 ,i'll tell you what4 ,you run up and eat your porridge and come down as soon as you're ready2 ,i shall make haste1 too1 and we shall get a good half-hour in the garden before ,i go out40 ,up again went ,guy with hasty1 willing feet4 8,nurse0 7breathless hurry and importance71 8,i must make haste with my porridge4 ,father wants me directly to help him in the garden40 ,nurse winked hard at the fact that the porridge was gobbled4 ,the happy little boy trotted off to one of the greatest treats he knew1 and that day passed without calamity4 99 99 99 99 99 8,i can see it will answer1 and life will be another thing without ,guy's passions2 but do you think1 ,edward1 it's right to give the child pleasures when he's naughty--in fact1 to put a premium upon naughtiness1 for it amounts to that80 8,you're not quite right there4 ,the child does not know he is naughty2 the emotions of #8naughtiness' are there2 he is in a physical tumult1 but wilfulness has not set in2 he does not yet mean to be naughty1 and all is gained if we avert the set of the will towards wrong doing4 ,he has not had time to recognise that he is naughty1 and his thoughts are changed so suddenly that he is not in the least aware of what was going on in him before4 ,the new thing comes to him as naturally and graciously as do all the joys of the childish day4 ,the question of desert does not occur40 99 99 99 99 99 ,for a week all went well4 ,nurse was on the alert1 was quick to note the ruddy storm-signal in the fair little face2 never failed to despatch him instantly1 and with a quiet unconscious manner1 on some errand to father or mother2 nay1 she improved on her instructions2 when father and mother were out of the way1 she herself invented some pleasant errand to cook about the pudding for dinner2 to get fresh water for ,dickie1 or to see if ,rover had had his breakfast4 ,nurse was really clever in inventing expedients1 in hitting instantly on something to be done novel and amusing enough to fill the child's fancy4 ,a mistake in this direction would1 experience told her1 be fatal2 propose what was stale1 and not only would ,guy decline to give up the immediate gratification of a passionate outbreak--for it is a gratification1 that must be borne in mind--but he would begin to look suspiciously on the 8something else0 which so often came in the way of this gratification4 ,security has its own risks4 ,a morning came when ,nurse was not on the alert4 ,baby was teething and fractious1 ,nurse was overdone1 and the nursery was not a cheerful place4 ,guy1 very sensitive to the moral atmosphere about him1 got1 in ,nurse's phrase1 out of sorts4 ,he relieved himself by drumming on the table with a couple of ninepins1 just as ,nurse was getting baby off after a wakeful night4 8,stop that noise this minute1 you naughty boy6 ,don't you see your poor little brother is going to sleep80 in a loud whisper4 ,the noise was redoubled1 and assisted by kicks on chair-rungs and table-legs4 ,sleep vanished and baby broke into a piteous wail4 ,this was too much2 the ,nurse laid down the child1 seized the young culprit1 chair and all1 carried him to the furthest corner1 and1 desiring him not to move till she gave him leave1 set him down with a vigorous shaking4 ,there were days when ,guy would stand this style of treatment cheerfully1 but this was not one4 ,before ,harriet had even noted the danger signals1 the storm had broken out4 ,for half-an-hour the nursery was a scene of frantic uproar1 baby assisting1 and even little ,flo4 ,half-an-hour is nothing to speak of2 in pleasant chat1 over an amusing book1 the thirty minutes fly like five2 but half-an-hour in struggle with a raging child is a day and a night in length4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,belmont were out1 so ,harriet had it all to herself1 and it was contrary to orders that she should attempt to place the child in confinement2 solitude and locked doors involved risks that the parents would1 rightly1 allow no one but themselves to run4 ,at last the tempest subsided1 spent1 apparently1 by its own force4 ,a child cannot bear estrangement1 disapproval2 he must needs live in the light of a countenance smiling upon him4 ,his passion over1 ,guy set himself laboriously to be good1 keeping watch out of the corner of his eye to see how ,nurse took it4 ,she was too much vexed to respond in any way1 even by a smile4 ,but her heart was touched2 and though1 by-and-by1 when ,mrs4 ,belmont came in1 she did say--8,master ,guy has been in one of his worst tempers again1 ma'am3 screaming for better than half-an-hour0--yet she did not tell her tale with the empressement necessary to show what a very bad half-hour they had had4 ,his mother looked with grave reproof at the delinquent1 but she was not proof against his coaxing ways4 ,after dinner she remarked to her husband1 8,you will be sorry to hear that ,guy has had one of his worst bouts again4 ,nurse said he screamed steadily for more than half-an-hour40 8,what did you do80 8,i was out at the time1 doing some shopping4 ,but when ,i came back1 after letting him know how grieved ,i was1 ,i did as you say1 changed his thoughts and did my best to give him a happy day40 8,how did you let him know you were grieved80 8,i looked at him in a way he quite understood1 and you should have seen the deliciously coaxing1 half-ashamed look he shot up at me4 ,what eyes he has60 8,yes1 the little monkey6 and no doubt he measured their effect on his mother2 you must allow me to say that my theory certainly is not to give him a happy day after an outbreak of this sort40 8,why1 ,i thought your whole plan was to change his thoughts1 to keep him so well occupied with pleasant things that he does not dwell on what agitated him40 8,yes1 but did you not tell me the passion was over when you found him80 8,quite over1 he was as good as gold40 8,well1 the thing we settled on was to avert a threatened outbreak by a pleasant change of thought2 and to do so in order that1 at last1 the habit of these outbreaks may be broken4 ,don't you see1 that is a very different thing from pampering him with a pleasant day when he has already pampered himself with the full indulgence of his passion80 8,pampered himself6 ,why1 you surely don't think those terrible scenes give the poor child any pleasure4 ,i always thought he was a deal more to be pitied than we40 8,indeed ,i do4 ,pleasure is perhaps hardly the word2 but that the display of temper is a form of self indulgence1 there is no doubt at all4 ,you1 my dear1 are too amiable to know what a relief it is to us irritable people to have a good storm and clear the air40 8,nonsense1 ,edward6 ,but what should ,i have done8 ,what is the best course after the child has given way80 8,i think we must1 as you suggested before1 consider how we ourselves are governed4 ,estrangement1 isolation1 are the immediate consequences of sin1 even of what may seem a small sin of harshness and selfishness40 8,oh1 but don't you think that is our delusion8 that ,god is loving us all the time1 and it is we who estrange ourselves80 8,without doubt2 and we are aware of the love all the time1 but1 also1 we are aware of a cloud between us and it2 we know we are out of favour4 ,we know1 too1 there is only one way back1 through the fire4 ,it is common to speak of repentance as a light thing1 rather pleasant than otherwise2 but it is searching and bitter3 so much so1 that the ,christian soul dreads to sin1 even the sin of coldness1 from an almost cowardly dread of the anguish of repentance1 purging fire though it is40 ,mrs4 ,belmont could not clear her throat to answer for a minute4 ,she had never before had such a glimpse into her husband's soul4 ,here were deeper things in the spiritual life than any of which she yet knew4 8,well then1 dear1 about ,guy2 must he feel this estrangement1 go through this fire80 8,i think so1 in his small degree2 but he must never doubt our love4 ,he must see and feel that it is always there1 though under a cloud of sorrow which he only can break through40 99 99 99 99 99 ,guy's lapse prepared the way for further lapses4 ,not two days passed before he was again hors de combat4 ,the boy1 his outbreak over1 was ready at once to emerge into the sunshine4 ,not so his mother4 ,his most bewitching arts met only with sad looks and silence4 ,he told his small scraps of nursery news1 looking in vain for the customary answering smile and merry words4 ,he sidled up to his mother1 and stroked her cheek2 that did not do1 so he stroked her hand2 then her gown2 no answering touch1 no smile1 no word2 nothing but sorrowful eyes when he ventured to raise his own4 ,poor little fellow6 ,the iron was beginning to enter2 he moved a step or two away from his mother1 and raised to hers eyes full of piteous doubt and pleading4 ,he saw love1 which could not reach him1 and sorrow1 which he was just beginning to comprehend4 ,but his mother could bear it no longer3 she got up hastily and left the room4 ,then the little boy1 keeping close to the wall1 as if even that were something to interpose between him and this new sense of desolation1 edged off to the furthest corner of the room1 and sinking on the floor with a sad1 new quietness1 sobbed out lonely sobs2 ,nurse had had her lesson1 and although she1 too1 was crying for her boy1 nobody went near him but ,flo4 ,a little arm was passed round his neck2 a hot little cheek pressed against his curls3 8,don't cry1 ,guy60 two or three times1 and when the sobs came all the thicker1 there was nothing for it but that ,flo must cry too2 poor little outcasts6 ,at last bedtime came1 and his mother2 but her face had still that sad1 far-away look1 and ,guy could see she had been crying4 ,how he longed to spring up and hug her and kiss her as he would have done yesterday4 ,but somehow he dared not2 and she never smiled nor spoke1 and yet never before had ,guy known how his mother loved him4 ,she sat in her accustomed chair by the little white bed1 and beckoned the little boy in his nightgown to come and say his prayers4 ,he knelt at his mother's knee as usual1 and then she laid her hands upon him4 8#8,our ,father'--oh1 mother1 mo--o--ther1 mother60 and a torrent of tears drowned the rest1 and ,guy was again in his mother's arms1 and she was raining kisses upon him1 and crying softly with him4 ,next morning his father received him with open arms4 8,so my poor little boy had a bad day yesterday60 ,guy hung his head and said nothing4 8,would you like me to tell you how you may help ever having quite such another bad day80 8,oh yes1 please1 father2 ,i thought ,i couldn't help40 8,can you tell when the #8,cross-man' is coming80 ,guy hesitated4 8,sometimes1 ,i think4 ,i get all hot40 8,well1 the minute you find he's coming1 even if you have begun to cry1 say1 #8,please excuse me1 ,nurse1' and run downstairs1 and then four times round the garden as fast as you can1 without stopping to take breath60 8,what a good way6 ,shall ,i try it now80 8,why1 the #8,cross-man' isn't there now4 ,but ,i'll tell you a secret3 he always goes away if you begin to do something else as hard as you can2 and if you can remember to run away from him round the garden1 you'll find he won't run after you2 at the very worst1 he won't run after you more than once round60 8,oh1 father1 ,i'll try6 ,what fun6 ,see if ,i don't beat him6 ,won't ,i just give ,mr4 #8,cross-man' a race6 ,he shall be quite out of breath before we get round the fourth time40 ,the vivid imagination of the boy personified the foe1 and the father jumped with his humour4 ,guy was eager for the fray2 the parents had found an ally in their boy2 the final victory was surely within appreciable distance4 99 99 99 99 99 8,this is glorious1 ,edward2 and it's as interesting as painting a picture or writing a book6 ,what a capital device the race with ,mr4 #8,cross-man' is6 ,it's like #8,sintram4' ,he'll be so much on the qui vive for #8,cross-man' that he'll forget to be cross4 ,the only danger ,i see is that of many false alarms4 ,he'll try the race1 in all good faith1 when there is no foe in pursuit40 8,that's very likely2 but it will do no harm4 ,he is getting the habit of running away from the evil1 and may for that be the more ready to run when 'tis at his heels2 this1 of running away from temptation1 is the right principle1 and may be useful to him in a thousand ways40 8,indeed1 it may be a safeguard to him through life4 ,how did you get the idea80 8,do you remember how ,rover was cured of barking after carriages8 ,there were two stages to the cure2 the habit of barking was stopped1 and a new habit was put in its place2 ,i worked upon the recognised law of association of ideas1 and got ,rover to associate the rumble of wheels with a newspaper in his mouth4 ,i tried at the time to explain how it was possible to act thus on the #8mind' of a dog40 8,i recollect quite well1 you said that the stuff--nervous tissue1 you called it--of which the brain is made is shaped in the same sort of way--at least so ,i understood--by the thoughts that are in it1 as the cover of a tart is shaped by the plums below4 ,and then1 when there's a place ready for them in the brain1 the same sort of thoughts always come to fill it40 8,i did not intend to say precisely that10 said ,mr4 ,belmont1 laughing1 8especially the plum part4 ,however1 it will do4 ,pray go on with your metaphor4 ,it is decided that plums are not wholesome eating4 ,you put in your thumb1 and pick out a plum2 and that the place may be filled1 and well filled1 you pop in a--a--figures fail me--a peach60 8,i see6 ,i see6 ,guy's screaming fits are the unwholesome plum which we are picking out1 and the running away from ,cross-man the peach to be got in instead4 7,i don't see why it should be a peach though1 unpractical man67 ,his brain is to grow to the shape of the peach1 and behold1 the place is filled4 ,no more room for the plum40#ba 8,you have it2 you have put1 in a light way1 a most interesting law1 and ,i take much blame to myself that ,i never thought1 until now1 of applying it to ,guy's case4 ,but now ,i think we are making way2 we have made provision for dislodging the old habit and setting a new one in its place40 8,don't you think the child will be a hero in a very small way1 when he makes himself run away from his temper80 8,not in a small way at all2 the child will be a hero4 ,but we cannot be heroes all the time4 ,in sudden gusts of temptation1 ,god grant him grace to play the hero1 if only through hasty flight2 but in what are called besetting sins1 there is nothing safe but the contrary besetting good habit4 ,and here is where parents have such infinite power over the future of their children40 8,don't think me superstitious and stupid2 but somehow this scientific training1 good as ,i see it is1 seems to me to undervalue the help we get from above in times of difficulty and temptation40 8,let me say that it is you who undervalue the virtue1 and limit the scope of the ,divine action4 ,whose are the laws ,science labours to reveal8 ,whose are the works1 body or brain1 or what you like1 upon which these laws act80 8,how foolish of me6 ,how one gets into a way of thinking that ,god cares only for what we call spiritual things4 ,let me ask you one more question4 ,i do see that all this watchful training is necessary1 and do not wish to be idle or cowardly about it4 ,but don't you think ,guy would grow out of these violent tempers naturally1 as he gets older80 8,well1 he would not1 as youth or man1 fling himself on the ground and roar2 but no doubt he would grow up touchy1 fiery1 open at any minute to a sudden storm of rage4 ,the man who has too much self-respect for an open exhibition may1 as you know well enough1 poor wife1 indulge in continual irritability1 suffer himself to be annoyed by trifling matters4 ,no1 there is nothing for it but to look upon an irate habit as one to be displaced by a contrary habit4 ,who knows what cheerful days we may yet have1 and whether in curing ,guy ,i may not cure myself8 ,the thing can be done2 only one is so lazy about one's own habits4 ,suppose you take me in hand80 8,oh1 ,i couldn't6 and yet it's your only fault1 dear40 8,only fault6 well1 we'll see4 ,in the meantime there's another thing ,i wish we could do for ,guy--stop him in the midst of an outbreak4 ,do you remember the morning we found him admiring himself in the glass80 8,yes1 with the photograph in his hand40 8,that was it2 perhaps the ,cross-man race will answer even in the middle of a tempest4 ,if not1 we must try something else40 8,it won't work40 8,why not80 8,guy will have no more rages2 how then can he be stopped in mid-tempest80 8,most hopeful of women6 ,but don't deceive yourself4 ,our work is only well begun1 but that1 let us hope1 is half done40 99 99 99 99 99 ,his father was right4 ,opportunities to check him in mid-career occurred2 and ,guy answered to the rein4 ,mr4 ,cross-man worked wonders4 ,a record of outbreaks was kept2 now a month intervened2 two months2 a year2 two years2 and at last his parents forgot their early troubles with their sweet-tempered1 frank-natured boy4 ,,footnotes3 #ba ,to state the case more accurately1 certain cell connections appear to be established by habitual traffic in certain thoughts2 but there is so much danger of over-stating or of localising mental operations1 that perhaps it is safe to convey the practical outcome of this line of research in a more or less figurative way--as1 the wearing of a field-path2 the making of a bridge2 a railway1 c4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,attention4 8,but now for the real object of this letter 7does it take your breath away to get four sheets87 ,we want you to help us about ,kitty4 ,my husband and ,i are at our wits' end1 and should most thankfully take your wise head and kind heart into counsel4 ,i fear we have been laying up trouble for ourselves and for our little girl4 ,the ways of nature are1 there is no denying it1 very attractive in all young creatures1 and it is so delightful to see a child do as #8'tis its nature to1' that you forget that ,nature1 left to herself1 produces a waste1 be it never so lovely4 ,our little ,kitty's might so easily become a wasted life4 8,but not to prose any more1 let me tell you the history of ,kitty's yesterday--one of her days is like the rest1 and you will be able to see where we want your help4 8,figure to yourself the three little heads bent over #8copy-books' in our cheery schoolroom4 ,before a line is done1 up starts ,kitty4 8#8,oh1 mother1 may ,i write the next copy--shell8 8,shell0 is so much nicer than--know1 and ,i'm so tired of it4' 8#8,how much have you done8' 8#8,i have written it three whole times1 mother1 and ,i really can't do it any more6 ,i think ,i could do--shell4 8,shell0 is so pretty6' 8,by-and-by we read2 but ,kitty cannot read--can't even spell the words 7don't scold us1 we know it is quite wrong to spell in a reading lesson71 because all the time her eyes are on a smutty sparrow on the topmost twig of the poplar2 so she reads1 #8,with1 birdie6' ,we do sums2 a short line of addition is to poor ,kitty a hopeless and an endless task4 #8,five and three make--nineteen1' is her last effort1 though she knows quite well how to add up figures4 ,half a scale on the piano1 and then--eyes and ears for everybody's business but her own4 ,three stitches of hemming1 and idle fingers plait up the hem or fold the duster in a dozen shapes4 ,i am in the midst of a thrilling history talk3 #8,so the ,black ,prince----' #8,oh1 mother1 do you think we shall go to the sea this year8 ,my pail is quite ready1 all but the handle1 but ,i can't find my spade anywhere6' 8,and thus we go on1 pulling ,kitty through her lessons somehow2 but it is a weariness to herself and all of us1 and ,i doubt if the child learns anything except by bright flashes4 ,but you have no notion how quick the little monkey is4 ,after idling through a lesson she will overtake us at a bound at the last moment1 and thus escape the wholesome shame of being shown up as the dunce of our little party4 8,kitty's dawdling ways1 her restless desire for change of occupation1 her always wandering thoughts1 lead to a good deal of friction1 and spoil our schoolroom party1 which is a pity1 for ,i want the children to enjoy their lessons from the very first4 ,what do you think the child said to me yesterday in the most coaxing pretty way8 #8,there are so many things nicer than lessons6 ,don't you think so1 mother8' ,yes1 dear aunt1 ,i see you put your finger on those unlucky words #8coaxing1 pretty way1' and you look1 if you do not say1 that awful sentence of yours about sin being bred of allowance4 ,isn't that it8 ,it is quite true2 we are in fault4 ,those butterfly ways of ,kitty's were delicious to behold until we thought it time to set her to work1 and then we found that we should have been training her from her babyhood4 ,well1 #8,if you break your plaything yourself1 dear1 ,don't you cry for it all the same8 ,i don't think it is such a comfort ,to have only oneself to blame4' 8,so1 like a dear1 kind aunt1 don't scold us1 but help us to do better4 ,is ,kitty constant to anything8 you ask4 ,does she stick to any of the #8many things so much nicer than lessons'8 ,i am afraid that here1 too1 our little girl is #8unstable as water4' ,and the worst of it is1 she is all agog to be at a thing1 and then1 when you think her settled to half-an-hour's pleasant play1 off she is like any butterfly4 ,she says her1 #8,how doth the little busy bee1' dutifully1 but when ,i tell her she is not a bit like a busy bee1 but rather like a foolish1 flitting butterfly1 ,i'm afraid she rather likes it1 and makes up to the butterflies as if they were akin to her1 and were having just the good time she would prefer4 ,but you must come and see the child to understand how volatile she is4 8#8,oh1 mother1 please let me have a good doll's wash this afternoon2 ,i'm quite unhappy about poor ,peggy6 ,i really think she likes to be dirty6' 8,great preparations follow in the way of little tub1 and soap1 and big apron2 the little laundress sits down1 greatly pleased with herself1 to undress her dirty ,peggy2 but hardly is the second arm out of its sleeve1 than1 presto6 a new idea2 off goes ,kitty to clean out her doll's-house1 deaf to all nurse's remonstrances about #8nice hot water1' and #8poor dirty ,peggy4' 8,i'm afraid the child is no more constant to her loves than to her play2 she is a loving little soul1 as you know1 and is always adoring somebody4 ,now it's her father1 now ,juno1 now me1 now ,hugh2 and the rain of warm kisses1 the soft clasping arms1 the nestling head1 are delicious1 whether to dog or man4 ,but1 alas6 ,kitty's blandishments are a whistle you must pay for2 to-morrow it is somebody else's turn1 and the bad part is that she has only room for one at a time4 ,if we could get a little visit from you1 now1 ,kitty would be in your pocket all day long2 and we1 even ,peggy1 would be left out in the cold4 ,but do not flatter yourself it would last2 ,i think none of ,kitty's attachments has been known to last longer than two days4 8,if the chief business of parents is to train character in their children1 we have done nothing for ,kitty2 at six years old the child has no more power of application1 no more habit of attention1 is no more able to make herself do the thing she ought to do1 indeed1 has no more desire to do the right thing1 than she had at six months old4 ,we are getting very unhappy about it4 ,my husband feels strongly that parents should labour at character as the ,hindoo gold-beater labours at his vase2 that character is the one thing we are called upon to effect4 ,and what have we done for ,kitty8 ,we have turned out a #8fine animal1' and are glad and thankful for that2 but that is all2 the child is as wayward1 as unsteady1 as a young colt4 ,do help us1 dear aunt4 ,think our little girl's case over2 if you can1 get at the source of the mischief1 and send us a few hints for our guidance1 and we shall be yours gratefully evermore40 99 99 99 99 99 8,and now for my poor little great-niece6 ,her mother piles up charges against her1 but how interesting and amusing and like the free world of fairy-land it would all be were it not for the tendencies which1 in these days1 we talk much about and watch little against4 ,we bring up our children in the easiest1 happy-go-lucky way1 and all the time talk solemnly in big words about the momentous importance of every influence brought to bear upon them4 ,but it is true2 these naughty1 winsome ways of ,kitty's will end in her growing up like half the #8girls'--that is1 young women--one meets4 ,they talk glibly on many subjects2 but test them1 and they know nothing of any2 they are ready to undertake anything1 but they carry nothing through4 ,this week1 ,so-and-so is their most particular friend1 next week such another2 even their amusements1 their one real interest1 fail and flag2 but then1 there is some useful thing to be learnt--how to set tiles or play the banjo6 ,and1 all the time1 there is no denying1 as you say1 that this very fickleness has a charm1 so long as the glamour of youth lasts1 and the wayward girl has bright smiles and winning1 graceful ways to disarm you with4 ,but youth does not last2 and the poor girl1 who began as a butterfly1 ends as a grub1 tied to the earth by the duties she never learnt how to fulfil2 that is1 supposing she is a girl with a conscience2 wanting that1 she dances through life whatever befalls2 children1 husband1 home1 must take their chance4 #8,what a giddy old grandmother the ,peterfields have6' remarked a pert young man of my acquaintance4 ,but1 indeed1 the #8giddy old grandmother' is not an unknown quantity4 8,are you saying to yourself1 a prosy old #8great-aunt' is as bad as a #8giddy old grandmother'8 ,i really have prosed abominably1 but ,kitty has been on my mind all the time1 and it is quite true1 you must take her in hand4 8,first1 as to her lessons3 you must help her to gain the power of attention2 that should have been done long ago1 but better late than never1 and an aunt who has given her mind to these matters takes blame to herself for not having seen the want sooner4 #8,but1' ,i fancy you are saying1 #8if the child has no faculty of attention1 how can we give it to her8 ,it's just a natural defect4' ,not a bit of it6 ,attention is not a faculty at all1 though ,i believe it is worth more than all the so-called faculties put together2 this1 at any rate1 is true1 that no talent1 no genius1 is worth much without the power of attention2 and this is the power which makes men or women successful in life4 8,attention is no more than this--the power of giving your mind to what you are about--the bigger the better so far as the mind goes1 and great minds do great things2 but have you never known a person with a great mind1 #8real genius1' his friends say1 who goes through life without accomplishing anything8 ,it is just because he wants the power to #8turn on1' so to speak1 the whole of his great mind2 he is unable to bring the whole of his power to bear on the subject in hand4 #8,but ,kitty8' ,yes1 ,kitty must get this power of #8turning on4' ,she must be taught to give her mind to sums and reading1 and even to dusters4 ,go slowly2 a little to-day and a little more to-morrow4 ,in the first place1 her lessons must be made interesting4 ,do not let her scramble through a page of #8reading1' for instance1 spelling every third word and then waiting to be told what it spells1 but see that every day she learns a certain number of new words--six1 twelve1 twenty1 as she is able to hear them2 not #8spellings'--terrible invention6--but words that occur in a few lines of some book of stories or rhymes2 and these she should know1 not by spelling1 but by sight4 ,it does not matter whether the new words be long or short1 in one syllable or in four1 but let them be interesting words4 ,for instance1 suppose her task for to-day be #8,little ,jack ,horner1' she should learn to know1 by sight1 thumb1 plum1 ,christmas1 corner1 c41 before she begins to read the rhyme2 make #8plum' with her loose letters1 print it on her slate1 let her find it elsewhere in her book1 any device you can think of1 so that #8plum' is brought before her eyes half-a-dozen times1 and each time recognised and named4 ,then1 when it comes in the reading lesson1 it is an old friend1 read off with delight4 ,let every day bring the complete mastery of a few new words1 as well as the keeping up of the old ones4 ,at the rate of only six a day she will learn1 say1 fifteen hundred in a year2 in other words1 she will have learned to read6 ,and if it do not prove to be reading without tears and reading with attention1 ,i shall not presume to make another suggestion about the dear little girl's education4 8,but do not let the lesson last more than ten minutes1 and insist1 with brisk1 bright determination1 on the child's full concentrated attention of eye and mind for the whole ten minutes4 ,do not allow a moment's dawdling at lessons4 8,i would not give her rows of figures to add yet2 use dominoes or the domino cards prepared for the purpose1 the point being to add or subtract the dots on the two halves in a twinkling4 ,you will find that the three can work together at this as at the reading1 and the children will find it as exciting and delightful as #8old soldier4' ,kitty will be all alive here1 and will take her share of work merrily2 and this is a point gained4 ,do not1 if you can help it1 single the little maid out from the rest and throw her on her own responsibility4 ',tis a #8heavy and a weary weight' for the bravest of us1 and the little back will get a trick of bending under life if you do not train her to carry it lightly1 as an ,eastern woman her pitcher4 8,then1 vary the lessons2 now head1 and now hands2 now tripping feet and tuneful tongue2 but in every lesson let ,kitty and the other two carry away the joyous sense of-- #8,something attempted1 something done4' 8,allow of no droning wearily over the old stale work1--which must be kept up all the time1 it is true1 but rather by way of an exciting game than as the lesson of the day1 which should always be a distinct step that the children can recognise4 8,you have no notion1 until you try1 how the #8now-or-never' feeling about a lesson quickens the attention of even the most volatile child2 what you can drone through all day1 you will2 what must be done1 is done4 ,then1 there is a by-the-way gain besides that of quickened attention4 ,i once heard a wise man say that1 if he must choose between the two1 he would rather his child should learn the meaning of #8must' than inherit a fortune4 ,and here you will be able to bring moral force to bear on wayward ,kitty4 ,every lesson must have its own time1 and no other time in this world is there for it4 ,the sense of the preciousness of time1 of the irreparable loss when a ten minutes' lesson is thrown away1 must be brought home4 8,let your own unaffected distress at the loss of #8golden minutes' be felt by the children1 and also be visited upon them by the loss of some small childish pleasure which the day should have held4 ,it is a sad thing to let a child dawdle through a day and be let off scot-free4 ,you see1 ,i am talking of the children1 and not of ,kitty alone1 because it is so much easier to be good in company2 and what is good for her will be good for the trio4 8,but there are other charges3 poor ,kitty is neither steady in play nor steadfast in love6 ,may not the habit of attending to her lessons help her to stick to her play8 ,then1 encourage her4 #8,what6 ,the doll's tea-party over6 ,that's not the way grown-up ladies have tea2 they sit and talk for a long time4 ,see if you can make your tea-party last twenty minutes by my watch6' ,this failing of ,kitty's is just a case where a little gentle ridicule might do a great deal of good4 ,it is a weapon to be handled warily1 for one child may resent1 and another take pleasure in being laughed at2 but managed with tact ,i do believe it's good for children and grown-ups to see the comic side of their doings4 8,i think we err in not enough holding up certain virtues for our children's admiration4 ,put a premium of praise on every finished thing1 if it is only a house of cards4 ,steadiness in work is a step on the way towards steadfastness in love4 ,here1 too1 the praise of constancy might very well go with good-humoured family #8chaff1' not about the new loves1 which are lawful1 whether of kitten or playmate1 but about the discarded old loves4 ,let ,kitty and all of them grow up to glory in their constancy to every friend4 8,there1 ,i am sending you a notable preachment instead of the few delicate hints ,i meant to offer2 but never mount a woman on her hobby--who knows when she will get off again80 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,an ,,educational ,,experiment ,you wish me to tell you the story of my little girl8 ,well1 to begin at the beginning4 ,in looking back through the pages of my journal ,i find many scattered notices of ,agnes1 and ,i always write of her1 ,i find1 as 8poor ,agnes40 ,now1 ,i wonder why8 ,the child is certainly neither unhealthy nor unhappy--at least1 not with any reason2 but again and again ,i find this sort of entry3-- 8,agnes displeased with her porridge2 says nothing1 but looks black all day40 8,harry upset his sister's work-basket1 by accident1 ,i truly believe1 but she can't get over it2 speaks to no one1 and looks as if under a cloud40 ,i need not go on2 the fact is1 the child is sensible of many injuries heaped upon her2 ,i think there is no ground for the feeling1 for she is really very sweet when she has not1 as the children say1 the black dog on her back4 ,it is quite plain to me1 and to others also1 ,i think1 that we have let this sort of thing go on too long without dealing with it4 ,we must take the matter in hand4 ,please ,god1 our little ,agnes must not grow up in this sullen habit1 for all our sakes1 but chiefly for her own1 poor child2 ,i felt that in this matter ,i might be of more use than ,edward1 who simply does not understand a temper less sunny and open than his own4 ,i pondered and pondered1 and1 at last1 some light broke in upon me4 ,i thought ,i should get hold of one principle at a time1 work that out thoroughly1 and then take up the next1 and so on1 until all the springs of sullenness were exhausted1 and all supplies from without stopped4 ,i was beginning to suspect that the laws of habit worked here as elsewhere1 and that1 if ,i could get our dear child to pass1 say1 six weeks without a 8fallen countenance10 she might lose this distressing failing for life4 ,i meant to take most of the trouble of this experiment upon myself1 but somehow ,i never can do anything without consulting my husband4 ,i think men have clearer heads than we women2 that is1 they can see both sides of a question and are not carried off their feet by the one side presented to them4 8,well1 ,edward1 our little ,agnes does not get over her sulky fits2 in fact1 they last longer1 and are harder to get out of than ever60 8,poor little girl6 ,it is unhappy for her and for all of us4 ,but don't you think it is a sort of childish malaise she will soon grow out of80 8,now1 have you not said1 again and again1 that a childish fault1 left to itself1 can do no other than strengthen80 8,true2 ,i suppose the fact is ,i am slow to realise the fault4 ,but you are right4 ,from the point of view of habit we are pledged to deal with it4 ,have you made any plans80 8,yes2 ,i have been trying to work the thing out on your lines4 ,we must watch the rise of the sullen cloud1 and change her thoughts before she has time to realise that the black fit is coming40 8,you are right2 if we can keep the child for only a week without this settling of the cloud1 the mere habit would be somewhat broken40 ,we had not to wait for our opportunity4 ,at breakfast next day--whether ,harry's porridge looked more inviting than her own1 or whether he should not have been helped first1 or whether the child had a little pain of which she was hardly aware--suddenly1 her eyes fell1 brows dropped1 lips pouted1 the whole face became slightly paler than before1 the figure limp1 limbs lax1 hands nerveless--and our gentle child was transformed1 become entirely unlovable4 ,so far1 her feelings were in the emotional stage2 her injury1 whatever it was1 had not yet taken shape in her thoughts2 she could not have told you what was the matter1 because she did not know2 but very soon the thinking brain would come to the aid of the quick emotions1 and then she would be sulky of fixed purpose4 ,her father saw the symptoms rise and knew what that would lead to1 and1 with the promptness which has often saved us1 he cried out-- 8,agnes1 come here1 and hold up your pinafore60 and ,agnes trotted up to his side1 her pinafore held up very much to receive the morning dole of crumbs for the birds2 presently1 she came back radiant with the joy of having given the birds a good breakfast1 and we had no more sulky fits that day4 ,this went on for a fortnight or so1 with fair but not perfect success4 ,whenever her father or ,i was present1 we caught the emotion before the child was conscious of it1 and succeeded in turning her thoughts into some pleasant channel4 ,but poor nurse has had bad hours with ,agnes2 there would sit the child1 pale and silent1 for hours together1 doing nothing because she liked to do it1 but only because she was made4 ,and1 once the fit had settled down1 thick and steady as a ,london fog1 neither her father nor ,i could help in the least4 ,oh1 the inconceivable settled cloudiness and irresponsiveness of that sweet child face6 ,our tactics were at fault4 ,no doubt they helped so far as they went4 ,we managed to secure bright days that might otherwise have been cloudy when we happened to be present at the first rise of the sullen mood4 ,but it seemed impossible to bring about so long an abstinence from sullen fits as would eradicate the habit4 ,we pictured to ourselves the dreary life that lay before our pretty little girl2 the sort of insulation1 the distrust of her sweetness1 to which even one such sullen fit would give rise2 worse1 the isolation which accompanies this sort of temper1 and the anguish of repentance to follow4 ,and then1 ,i know1 madness is often bred of this strong sense of injured personality4 ,it is not a pleasant thing to look an evil in the face4 ,whether or no 8a little knowledge is a dangerous10 certainly1 it is a trying thing4 ,if we could only have contented ourselves with1 8,oh1 she'll grow out of it by-and-by10 we could have put up with even a daily cloud4 ,but these forecasts of our little girl's future made the saving of the child at any cost our most anxious care4 8,i'll tell you what1 ,mary2 we must strike out a new line4 ,in a general way1 ,i do believe it's best to deal with a child's faults without making him aware that he has them4 ,it fills the little beings with a ridiculous sense of importance to have anything belonging to them1 even a fault4 ,but in this case1 ,i think1 we shall have to strike home and deal with the cause at least as much as with the effects1 and that1 chiefly1 because we have not effects entirely under our control40 8,but1 ,edward1 what if there is no cure8 ,what if this odious temper were hereditary--our precious child's inheritance from those who should have brought her only good80 8,poor little wife6 so this is how it looks to you4 ,you women are sensitive creatures4 ,why1 do you know1 it never occurred to me that it might be all my fault4 ,well1 ,i will not laugh at the fancy4 ,let us take it seriously1 even if1 as it seems to me1 a little morbid4 ,let us suppose that this sad sullenness of which ,i hear so much and see so little1 is1 indeed1 ,agnes's inheritance from her mother--may she only inherit all the rest1 and happy the man whose life she blesses6 ,the question is not #8,how has it come8' but #8,how are we to deal with it8'--equally1 you and ,i4 ,poor things6 ,it's but a very half-and-half kind of matrimony if each is to pick out his or her own particular bundle of failings1 and deal with it single-handed4 ,this poor man finds the prospect too much for him6 ,as a matter of fact1 though1 ,i believe that every failing of mind1 body1 temper1 and what not1 is a matter of inheritance1 and that each parent's particular business in life is to pass his family forward freed from that particular vicious tendency which has been his own bane--or hers1 if you prefer it40 8,well1 dear1 do as you will2 ,i feel that you know best4 ,what it would be in these days of greater insight to be married to a man who would say1 #8,there1 that boy may thank his mother' for this or the other failure4 ,of course1 the thing is done now1 but more often than not as a random guess40 8,to return to ,agnes4 ,i think we shall have to show her to herself in this matter1 to rake up the ugly feeling1 however involuntary1 and let her see how hateful it is4 ,yes1 ,i do not wonder you shrink from this4 ,so do ,i4 ,it will destroy the child's unconsciousness40 8,oh1 ,edward1 how ,i dread to poke into the poor little wounded heart1 and bring up worse things to startle her60 8,i am sorry for you1 dear1 but ,i think it must be done2 and don't you think you are the person to do it8 ,while they have a mother ,i don't think ,i could presume to poke too much into the secrets of the children's hearts40 8,i'll try2 but if ,i get into a mess you must help me through40 ,the opportunity came soon enough4 ,it was pears this time4 ,harry would never have known whether he had the biggest or the least4 ,but we had told nurse to be especially careful in this matter4 8,each of the children must have the biggest or best as often as one another1 but there must be no fuss1 no taking turns1 about such trifles4 ,therefore1 very rightly1 you gave ,harry the bigger and ,agnes the smaller pear40 ,agnes's pear was not touched2 there the child sat1 without word or sob1 but all gathered into herself1 like a sea anemone whose tentacles have been touched4 ,the stillness1 whiteness1 and brooding sullenness of the face1 the limp figure and desolate attitude1 would have made me take the little being to my heart if ,i had not too often failed to reach her in this way4 ,this went on all day1 all of us suffering2 and in the evening1 when ,i went to hear the children's prayers before bed1 ,i meant to have it out4 ,we were both frozen up with sadness1 and the weary little one was ready to creep into her mother's heart again4 ,but ,i must not let her yet4 8,so my poor ,agnes has had a very sad day80 8,yes1 mother10 with a little quivering sob4 8,and do you know we have all had a very sad day1--father1 mother1 your little brother1 nurse--every one of us has felt as if a black curtain had been hung up to shut out the sunshine80 ,the child was sympathetic1 and shivered at the sight of the black curtain and the warm sunshine shut out4 8,and do you know who has put us all out in the dark and the cold8 ,our little girl drew the curtain1 because she would not speak to any of us1 or be kind to any of us1 or love any of us all the day long2 so we could not get into the sunshine1 and have been shivering and sad in the cold40 8,mother1 mother60 with gasping sobs2 8not you and father80 8,ah6 ,i thought my little girl would be sorry4 ,now let us try to find out how it all happened4 ,is it possible that ,agnes noticed that her brother's pear was larger than her own80 8,oh1 mother1 how could ,i80 ,and the poor little face was hidden in her mother's breast1 and the outbreak of sobs that followed was too painful4 ,i feared it might mean actual illness for the sensitive little soul4 ,i think it was the right thing to do2 but ,i had barely courage enough to leave the results in more loving hands4 8,never mind2 don't cry any more1 darling1 and we will ask our ,father above to forgive and forget all about it4 ,mother knows that her dear little ,agnes will try not to love herself best any more4 ,and then the black curtain will never fall1 and we shall never again be a whole long day standing sadly out in the cold4 ,good-night from mother1 and another sweet good-night from father40 ,the treatment seems to answer4 ,on the slightest return of the old sullen symptoms we show our little girl what they mean4 ,but the grief that follows is so painful that ,i'm afraid we could not go on with it for the sake of the child's health4 ,but1 happily1 we very rarely see a sulky face now2 and when we do we turn and look upon our child1 and the look melts her1 until she is all gentleness1 penitence1 and love4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,dorothy ,,elmore',s ,,achievement3 ,a ,,forecast ,,part ,i ,i know of no happier moment for parents than that when their eldest daughter returns from school to take her place finally by her mother's side4 ,it was two years that very day since we had seen ,dorothy when her father set out for ,lausanne to bring her home2 and how the children and ,i got through the few days of his absence1 ,i don't know4 ,the last touches had been put1 many times over1 to her rooms--not the plain little room she had left1 but a dainty bower for our young maiden1 a little sitting-room opening into a pure nest of a bedroom4 ,our eyes met1 her father's and mine1 and moistened as we conjured up ,i don't know what visions of pure young life to be lived there1 the virginal prayers to be offered at the little prayer table1 the gaiety of heart that should1 from this nook1 bubble over the house1 and1 who knows1 by-and-by1 the dreams of young love which should come to glorify the two little rooms4 ,two or three times already had the children put fresh flowers into everything that would hold a flower4 ,pretty frocks and sweet faces1 bright hair and bright eyes1 had been ready this long time to meet sister ,dorothy4 ,at last1 a telegram from ,dover--8,home by five0--and our restlessness subsided into a hush of expectation4 ,the sound of wheels on the gravel1 and we flew to the hall door and stood in two files1 children and maids1 ,rover and ,floss1 waiting to welcome the child of the house4 ,then1 a lovely face1 glad to tears1 looking out of a nest of furs2 then1 a light leap1 almost before the carriage drew up1 and ,i had her in my arms1 my ,dorothy1 the child of my heart6 ,the order of the day was 8high tea10 to which every one1 down to baby ,may1 sat up4 ,we two1 her father and ,i1 gave her up to the children1 only exchanging notes by the species of telegraphy married folk understand4 8,indubitably lovely60 said her father's eyes2 8,and what grace--what an elegant girl she is60 answered mine2 8,and do but see what tact she shows with the little ones20 8,and notice the way she has with us1 as if her heart were brimming with reverence and affection40 ,thus1 we two with our eyes4 ,for a week or more we could not settle down4 ,as it was the ,christmas holidays1 we had not ,miss ,grimshaw to keep us in order1 and so it happened that wherever ,dorothy ran1--no1 she went with a quick noiseless step1 but never ran1--about the house to find out the old dear nooks1 we all followed2 a troop of children with their mother in the rear2 their father too1 if he happened to be in4 ,truly we were a ridiculous family1 and did our best to turn the child's head4 ,every much has its more-so4 ,dorothy's two special partisans were ,elsie1 our fifteen years old girl1 fast treading in her sister's steps1 and ,herbert1 our eldest son1 soon to go to college4 ,elsie would come to my room and discourse by the hour1 her text being ever1 8,dorothy says40 ,and as for ,herbs1 it was pleasant to see his budding manhood express itself in all sorts of little attentions to his lovely sister4 ,for lovely she was2 there could not be two opinions on that point4 ,a lilymaid1 tall and graceful1 without a trace of awkwardness or self consciousness2 the exquisite complexion of the ,elmores 7they are a ,devonshire family71 warm1 lovely rose on pearly white1 no hint of brunette colouring2 a smile which meant spring and love and other good things2 and deep blue eyes reflecting the light of her smile4 ,never1 not even during the raptures of early married life1 have ,i known a month of such joyous exhilaration as that which followed ,dorothy's return1 and ,i think her father would own as much4 ,what a month it was6 ,there was the pleasant earthly joy of going to town to get frocks for ,dorothy2 then the bewilderment of not being able to find out what suited her best4 8,anything becomes her60 exclaims ,mdme4 la ,modiste2 8that figure1 that complexion1 may wear anything40 ,and then1 the pleasure of entering a room--all eyes bent upon us in kindliness2 our dear old friends hurrying forward to make much of the child2 the deference and gentleness of her manner to these1 and the warmth with which she was received by her compeers1 both maidens and men2 her grace in the dance2 her simplicity in conversation2 the perfection of her manner1 which was not manner at all1 but her own nature1 in every situation4 ,after all1 she liked best to be at home2 was more amiable and lovely with father and mother1 brothers and sisters1 than with the most fascinating strangers4 ,our good child6 ,we had grown a little shy of speaking to her about the best things1 but we knew she said her prayers3 how else this outflow of sweet maiden life upon us all8 ,i can imagine these ramblings of mine falling into the hands of a young pair whose life is in each other3--8,oh1 only the outpourings of a doting mother60 and they toss the pages aside4 ,but never believe1 young people1 that yours are the only ecstatic moments1 yours the only experiences worth recording2 wait and see4 ,,part ,,ii ,these happy days had lasted for a month or more1 when1 one bright day in ,february1 ,i remember it well1 a little cloud arose4 ,this is how it was3 ,dorothy had promised ,elsie that she would drive her in the pony-carriage to ,banford to choose a doll for ,may's birthday4 ,now1 it happened that ,i wanted the little carriage to take to my 8,mothers0 at ,ditchling the clothing ,i had bought in ,london with their club money4 ,my errand could not be deferred2 it must be done that day or a week later4 ,but ,i did not see why the children's commission would not do as well to-morrow2 and so ,i said1 in good faith1 as ,i was stepping into the carriage1 hardly noticing the silence with which my remark was received4 ,i came home tired1 after a long afternoon1 looking forward to the welcome of the girls4 ,the two seniors were sitting in the firelight1 bright enough just then to show me ,dorothy sitting limp and pale in a low chair1 and ,elsie watching her with a perplexed and anxious expression4 ,dorothy did look up to say1 8,are you tired1 mother80 but only her eyes looked1 there was nothing behind them4 8,you look tired and cold enough1 my dear2 what has been the matter80 8,oh1 ,i'm very well1 thank you2 but ,i am tired1 ,i think ,i'll go to bed40 ,and she held up a cold cheek for the mother's kiss for which she offered no return4 ,elsie and ,i gazed at one another in consternation2 our fairy princess1 our idol 7was it indeed so87 ,what had come to her8 8,what is the matter with ,dorothy8 ,has she a headache80 8,oh1 mother1 ,i don't know10 said the poor child1 on the verge of tears4 8,she has been like this ever since you went1 saying #8,yes1' and #8,no1' and #8,no1 thank you1' quite kindly1 but never saying a word of herself4 ,has any one been grieving our ,dorothy1 or is she going to be ill8 ,oh1 mother1 mother60 8,nay1 child1 don't cry4 ,dorothy is overdone2 you know she has been out twice this week1 and three times last1 and late hours don't suit her4 ,we must take better care of her1 that's all40 ,elsie was comforted1 but not so her mother4 ,i believed every word ,i had said to the child2 but all the time there was a stir in my heart like the rustling of a snake in the grass4 ,but ,i put it from me4 ,it was with a hidden fear that ,i came down to breakfast4 ,dorothy was in the room already doing the little duties of the breakfast table4 ,but she was pale and still2 her hands moved1 her figure hung1 in the limp way ,i had noticed the night before4 ,her cheek1 a cold 8,good-morning1 mother10 and a smile on her lips that brought no light to her eyes1 was all the morning salutation ,i got4 ,breakfast was an uncomfortable1 constrained meal4 ,the children wondered what was the matter1 and nobody knew4 ,her father got on best with ,dorothy for he knew nothing of the evening's history1 so he petted her as usual1 making all the more of her for her pale looks4 ,for a whole week this went on1 and never once was ,i allowed to meet ,dorothy eye to eye4 ,the children were hardly better served1 for they1 too1 had noticed something amiss2 only her father could win any of the old friendliness1 because he treated her as the ,dorothy who had come home to us1 only a little done up4 8,we must have the doctor for that child1 wife4 ,don't you see how she is losing flesh1 and how the roses she brought home are fading8 ,she has no appetite and no spirits4 ,but1 why1 you surely don't think our dainty moth has burned her wings already8 ,there's nobody here1 unless it's young ,gardiner1 and she would never waste herself on a gawky lad like that60 ,this was a new idea1 and ,i stopped a moment to consider1 for ,i knew of at least half-a-dozen young men who had been attentive to ,dorothy1 all to be preferred to this hobbledehoy young ,gardiner4 ,but1 no6 ,i could trace the change from the moment of my return from ,ditchling4 ,but ,i jumped at the notion of the doctor2 it would1 at any rate1 take her out of herself1 and--we should see4 ,the doctor came2 said she wanted tone2 advised1 not physic1 but fresh air1 exercise1 and early hours4 ,so we all laid ourselves out to obey his directions that day1 but with no success to speak of4 ,but the next was one of those glorious ,february days when every twig is holding itself stiffly in the pride of coming leafage1 and the snowdrops in the garden beds lift dainty heads out of the brown earth4 ,the joy of the spring did it4 ,we found her in the breakfast-room1 snowdrops at her throat1 rosy1 beaming1 joyous2 a greeting1 sweet and tender1 for each1 and never had we known her talk so sparkling1 her air so full of dainty freshness4 ,there was no relapse after this sudden cure4 ,our good friend ,dr4 ,evans called again1 to find her in such flourishing health that ten minutes' raillery of 8my poor patient0 was the only attention he thought necessary4 ,but1 8,h'm6 ,mighty sudden cure60 as he was going out1 showed that he too found something odd in this sudden change4 ,in a day or two we had forgotten all about our bad week4 ,all went well for awhile4 ,at the end of five weeks1 however1 we were again pulled up--another attack of sudden indisposition1 so outsiders thought4 ,what did ,i think8 ,well1 my thoughts were not enviable4 8,father1 ,i wish you would call at ,walker's and choose me some flowers for this evening40 ,it was the evening of the ,brisbanes' dance1 and ,i had half an idea that ,arthur ,brisbane had made some impression on ,dorothy4 ,his state of mind was evident enough4 ,but1 without thinking twice1 ,i interrupted with-- 8,don't you think what we have in the #8house' will do1 dear8 ,what could make up better than stephanotis and maidenhair80 ,dorothy made no answer1 and her father1 thinking all was right1 went off at once2 he was already rather late4 ,we thought no more of the matter for a minute or two1 when1 at the same moment1 ,elsie and ,i found our eyes fixed upon ,dorothy4 ,the former symptoms followed--days of pallor and indisposition1 which were1 at the same time1 days of estrangement from us all4 ,again we had in ,dr4 ,evans1 8just to look at her10 and this time ,i noticed--not without a foolish mother's resentment--that his greeting was other than cordial1 8,well1 young lady1 and what's gone amiss this time80 he said1 knitting his bushy brows1 and gazing steadily at her out of the eyes which could be keen as well as kind4 ,dorothy flushed and fidgeted under his gaze1 but gave only the cold unsatisfactory replies we had been favoured with4 ,the prescription was as before2 but again the recovery was sudden1 and without apparent cause4 ,,part ,,iii ,to make a long story short1 this sort of thing went on1 at longer or shorter intervals1 through all that winter and summer and winter again4 ,my husband1 in the simplicity of his nature1 could see nothing but-- 8,the child is out of sorts2 we must take her abroad for a month or two2 she wants change of air and scene40 ,the children were quicker-eyed2 children are always quick to resent unevenness of temper in those about them4 ,a single angry outbreak1 harsh word1 and you may lay yourself out to please them for months before they will believe in you again4 ,georgie was the first to let the cat out of the bag4 8,dorothy is in a sulky fit again1 mother2 ,i wish she wouldn't60 ,elsie1 who has her father's quick temper1 was in the room4 8,you naughty ungrateful little boy1 you6 ,how can you say such a thing of ,dorothy8 ,didn't she sit all yesterday morning making sails for your boat80 ,georgie1 a little mollified1 8,yes1 but why need she be sulky to-day8 ,we all loved her yesterday1 and ,i'm sure ,i want to to-day60 ,now that the mask was fallen and even the children could see what was amiss1 ,i felt that the task before me must not be put off4 ,i had had great misgivings since the first exhibition of ,dorothy's sullen temper2 now ,i saw what must be done1 and braced myself for a heavy task4 ,but ,i could not act alone2 ,i must take my husband into my confidence1 and that was the worst of it4 8,george1 how do you account for ,dorothy's fits of wretchedness80 8,why1 my dear1 haven't ,i told you8 ,the child is out of sorts1 and must have change4 ,we'll have a little trip up the ,rhine1 and perhaps into ,switzerland1 so soon as the weather is fit4 ,it will be worth something to see her face light up at some things ,i mean to show her60 8,i doubt if there is anything the matter with her health2 remember how perfectly well and happy she is between these fits of depression40 8,what is it1 then8 ,you don't think she's in love1 do you80 8,not a bit of it2 her heart is untouched1 and her dearest loves are home loves40 ,my husband blew his nose1 with a 8,bless the little girl6 ,i could find it in my heart to wish it might always be so with her4 ,but what is your notion8 ,i can see you have got to the bottom of the little mystery4 ,trust you women for seeing through a stone wall40 8,each attack of what we have called #8poorliness' has been a fit of sullenness1 lasting sometimes for days1 sometimes for more than a week1 and passing off as suddenly as it came40 ,my dear husband's face clouded with serious displeasure2 never before had it worn such an expression for me4 ,i had a sense of separation from him1 as if we two1 who had so long been one1 were two once more4 8,this is an extraordinary charge for a mother to bring against her child4 ,how have you come to this conclusion80 ,already was my husband become my judge4 ,he did not see that ,i was ill1 agitated1 still standing1 and hardly able to keep my feet4 ,and there was worse to come3 how was ,i to go through with it8 8,what causes for resentment can ,dorothy conceivably have80 he repeated1 in the same cold judicial tone4 8,it is possible to feel resentment1 it is possible to nurse resentment1 to let it hang as a heavy cloud-curtain between you and all you love the best1 without any adequate cause1 without any cause that you can see yourself when the fit is over60 ,my voice sounded strange and distant in my own ears3 ,i held by the back of a chair to steady myself3 but ,i was not fainting3 ,i was acutely alive to all that was passing in my husband's mind4 ,he looked at me curiously1 inquisitively1 but not as if ,i belonged to him1 and were part and parcel of his life4 8,you seem to be curiously familiar with a state of feeling which ,i should have judged to be the last a ,christian lady would know anything about40 8,oh1 my husband1 don't you see8 ,you are killing me4 ,i am not going through this anguish for nothing4 ,i do know what it is4 ,and if ,dorothy1 my poor child1 suffers1 it is all my fault6 ,there is nothing bad in her but what she has got from me40 ,george was moved2 he put his arm round me in time to save me4 ,but ,i was not surprised1 a few days later1 to find my first grey hairs4 ,if that hour were to be repeated1 ,i think ,i could not bear it4 8,poor wife6 ,i see2 it is to yourself you have been savagely cruel1 and not to our little girl4 ,forgive me1 dear1 that ,i did not understand at once2 but we men are slow and dull4 ,i suppose you are putting yourself 7and me too7 to all this pain because there is something to be gained by it4 ,you see some way out of the difficulty1 if there is one60 8,don't say #8if there is one4' ,how could ,i go through all this pain if ,i did not think some way of helping our darling would come out of it80 8,ah6 appearances were against you1 but ,i knew you loved the child all the time4 ,clumsy wretch that ,i am1 how could ,i doubt it8 ,but1 to my mind1 there are two difficulties3 ,first1 ,i cannot believe that you ever cherished a thought of resentment2 and next1 who could associate such a feeling with our child's angelic countenance8 ,no1 my dear2 believe me1 you are suffering under a morbid fancy4 ',tis you1 and not ,dorothy1 who need entire change of scene and thought40 ,how should ,i convince him8 ,and how again run the risk of his even momentary aversion8 ,but if ,dorothy were to be saved1 the thing must be done4 ,and1 oh1 how could he for a moment suppose that ,i should deal unlovingly with my firstborn8 8,be patient with me1 ,george4 ,i want to tell you everything from the beginning4 8,do you remember when you wooed me in the shady paths of our old rectory garden1 how ,i tried hard to show you that ,i was not the loved and lovely home-daughter you pictured8 ,i told you how ,i was cross about this and that2 how little things put me out for days1 so that ,i was under a cloud1 and really couldn't speak to1 or care about anybody2 how1 not ,i1 but 7forgive the word7 my plain sister ,helen1 was the beloved child of the house1 adored by the children1 by my parents1 by all the folk of the village1 who must in one way or other have dealings with the parson's daughters4 ,do you recollect any of this80 8,yes1 but what of it8 ,i have never for a moment rued my choice1 nor wished that it had fallen on our good ,helen1 kindest of friends to us and ours40 8,and you1 dear heart1 put all ,i said down to generosity and humility2 every effort ,i made to show you the truth was put down to the count of some beautiful virtue1 until at last ,i gave it up2 you would only think the more of me1 and think the less kindly of my dear home people1 because1 indeed1 they didn't #8appreciate' me4 ,how ,i hated the word4 ,i'm not sure ,i was sorry to give up the effort to show you myself as ,i was4 ,the fact is1 your love made me all it believed me to be1 and ,i thought the old things had passed away40 8,well1 dear1 and wasn't ,i right8 ,have we had a single cloud upon our married life80 8,ah1 dear man1 little you know what the first two years of married life were to me4 ,if you read your newspaper1 ,i resented it2 if you spent half-an-hour in your smoking den1 or an hour with a friend1 if you admired another woman1 ,i resented each and all1 kept sulky silence for days1 even for weeks4 ,and you1 all the time1 thought no evil1 but were sorry for your poor #8little wife1' made much of her1 and loved her all the more1 the more sullen and resentful she became4 ,she was #8out of sorts1' you said1 and planned a little foreign tour1 as you are now doing for ,dorothy4 ,i do believe you loved me out of it at last4 ,the time came when ,i felt myself hunted down by these sullen rages4 ,i ran away1 took immense walks1 read voraciously1 but could not help myself till our first child came2 ,god's gift1 our little ,dorothy4 ,her baby fingers healed me as not even your love could do4 ,but1 oh1 ,george1 don't you see80 8,my poor ,mary6 ,yes1 ,i see2 your healing was bought at the little child's expense1 and the plague you felt within you was passed on to her4 ,this1 ,i see1 is your idea2 but ,i still believe it is a morbid fancy1 and ,i still think my little trip will cure both mother and daughter40 8,you say well1 mother and daughter4 ,the proverb should run1 not a burnt child dreads the fire1 but a burnt child will soonest catch fire6 ,i feel that all my old misery will come back upon me if ,i am to see the same thing repeated in ,dorothy40 ,george sat musing for a minute or two1 but my fear of him was gone2 his face was full of tenderness for both of us4 8,do you know1 ,mary1 ,i doubt if ,i'm right to treat this effort of yours with a high hand1 and prescribe for evils ,i don't understand4 ,should you mind very much our calling our old friend1 ,dr4 ,evans1 into council8 ,i believe1 after all1 it will turn out to be an affair for him rather than for me40 ,this was worse than all4 ,were the miseries of this day to know no end8 ,should we1 my ,dorothy and her mother1 end our days in a madhouse8 ,i turned my eyes on my husband1 and he understood4 8,nonsense1 wife1 not that6 ,now you really are absurd1 and must allow me the relief of laughing at you4 ,there1 ,i feel better now1 but ,i understand2 a few years ago a doctor was never consulted about this kind of thing unless it was supposed to denote insanity4 ,but we have changed all that1 and you're as mad as a hatter to get the notion4 ,you've no idea how interesting it is to hear ,evans talk of the mutual relations between thought and brain1 and on the other hand1 between thought and character4 ,homely an air as he has1 he is up to all that's going on4 ,you know he went through a course of study at ,leipsic1 where they know more than we about the brain and its behaviour1 and then1 he runs across every year to keep himself abreast with the times4 ,it isn't every country town that is blessed with such a man40 ,i thought ,i was being let down gently to the everyday level1 and answered as we answer remarks about the weather1 until ,george said-- 8,well1 when shall we send for ,evans8 ,the sooner we get more light on this matter1 the better for all of us40 8,very well1 send for him to-morrow2 tell him all ,i have told you1 and1 if you like1 ,i shall be here to answer further questions40 ,,part ,,iv 8,mrs4 ,elmore is quite right2 this is no morbid fancy of hers4 ,i have observed your pretty ,miss ,dorothy1 and had my own speculations4 ,now1 the whole thing lies in a nutshell40 8,can you deal with our trouble1 doctor80 ,i cried out4 8,deal with it1 my dear madam8 ,of course ,i can4 ,your ,dorothy is a good girl1 and will yield herself to treatment4 ,as to that1 you don't want me4 ,the doctor is only useful on the principle that lookers on see most of the game4 ,once understand the thing1 and it is with you the cure must lie40 8,please explain2 you will find me very obedient40 8,i'm not so sure of that2 you know the whole of my mental property has not been gathered in this right little1 tight little island4 ,you ladies look very meek2 but directly one begins to air one's theories--which are not theories1 by the way1 but fixed principles of belief and conduct--you scent all manner of heterodoxy1 and because a valuable line of scientific thought and discovery is new to you1 you take up arms1 with the notion that it flies in the face of the ,bible4 ,when1 as a matter of fact1 every new advance in science is a further revelation1 growing out1 naturally1 from that we already have40 8,try me1 doctor2 your 'doxy shall be my 'doxy if you will only take us in hand1 and ,i shall be ready enough to believe that your science is by revelation40 8,well1 here goes4 ,in for a penny1 in for a pound4 ,in the first place1 ,i want to do away with the sense of moral responsibility1 both for yourself and ,dorothy1 which is wearing you out4 ,or1 rather1 ,i want to circumscribe its area and intensify its force4 ,dorothy has1 perhaps1 and conceivably her mother has also1 inherited her peculiar temperament2 but you are not immediately responsible for that4 ,she1 again1 has fostered this inherited trait1 but neither is she immediately responsible for the fact40 8,how do you mean1 doctor8 ,that we can't help it1 and must take our nature as we find it8 ,but that is worse than ever4 ,no2 ,i cannot believe it4 ,certainly my husband has done a great deal to cure me40 8,no doubt he has4 ,and how he has done it1 without intention1 ,i dare say1 ,i hope by-and-by to show you4 ,perhaps you now and then remark1 ,what creatures of habit we are60 8,and what of that8 ,no one can help being struck now and then with the fact2 especially1 no mother40 8,well1 and what does this force of habit amount to8 and how do you account for it80 8,why1 ,i suppose it amounts to this1 that you can do almost anything once you get into the way of it4 ,why1 ,i don't know2 ,i suppose it's the natural constitution of the mind40 8,the #8natural constitution of the mind' is a conversational counter with whose value ,i am not acquainted4 ,that you can get into the way of doing almost anything1 is simple fact2 but you must add1 of thinking anything1 of feeling anything1 before you begin to limit the force of habit40 8,i think ,i begin to see what you mean4 ,we1 my child and ,i1 are not so much to blame now for our sullen and resentful feelings1 because we have got the habit of them4 ,but surely habits may be cured80 8,ah1 once we begin to see that1 we are to blame for them4 ,we must ask1 ,how are we to set about the cure8 ,what's to be done8 ,what hopeless idiots we are1 the best of us1 not to see that the very existence of an evil is a demand for its cure1 and that1 in the moral world1 there's a dock for every nettle60 8,and then1 surely1 the sins of the fathers visited upon the children1 is a bitter law4 ,how could ,dorothy help what she inherited80 8,dorothy could not help it1 but you could2 and what have you two excellent parents been about to defer until the child is budding into womanhood this cure which should have been achieved in her infancy8 ,surely1 seventeen years ago at least1 you must have seen indications of the failing which must needs be shown up now1 to the poor girl's discredit40 ,i grew hot all over under this home thrust1 while ,george looked half dubious1 half repentant1 not being quite sure where his offence lay4 8,it is doubly my fault1 doctor1 ,i see it all now4 ,when ,dorothy was a child ,i would not face the fact4 ,it was too awful to think my child would be as ,i still was4 ,so we had many little fictions that both nurse and mother saw through3 the child was poorly1 was teething still1 was overdone4 ,the same thing1 only more so1 went on during her schoolroom life4 ,dorothy was delicate1 wanted stamina1 must have a tonic4 ,and this1 though we had a governess who tried to convince me that it was temper and not delicacy that ailed my little girl4 ,the worst of deceiving yourself is that you get to believe the lie4 ,i saw much less of the schoolroom than of the nursery party1 and firmly believed in ,dorothy's frequent attacks of indisposition40 8,but1 supposing you had faced the truth1 what would you have done80 8,there is my excuse2 ,i had no idea that anything could be done40 8,now1 please1 don't write me down a pagan if ,i try to show you what might have been done1 and may yet be done40 8,doctor ,evans60 8,oh1 yes1 'tis a fact2 you good women are convinced that the setting of a broken limb is a work for human skill1 but that the cure of a fault of disposition is for ,providence alone to effect1 and you say your prayers and do nothing1 looking down from great heights upon us who believe that skill and knowledge come in here too1 and are meant to do so in the divine scheme of things4 ,it's startling when you come to think of it1 that every pair of parents have the absolute making of their child60 8,but what of inherited failings--such cases as this of ours80 8,precisely a case in point4 ,don't you see1 such a case is just a problem set before parents with a1 #8,see1 how will you work out this so as to pass your family on free from taint8'0 8,that's a noble thought of yours1 ,evans4 ,it gives every parent a share in working out the salvation of the world1 even to thousands of generations4 ,come1 ,mary1 we're on our promotion6 ,to pass on our children free from the blemishes they get from us is a thing worth living for40 8,indeed it is4 ,but don't think me narrow-minded1 doctor1 nor that ,i should presume to think hard things of you men of science1 if ,i confess that ,i still think the ills of the flesh fall within the province of man1 but the evils of the spirit within the province of ,god40 8,i'm not sure but that ,i'm of your mind2 where we differ is as to the boundary line between flesh and spirit4 ,now1 every fault of disposition and temper1 though it may have begun in error of the spirit in ourselves or in some ancestor1 by the time it becomes a fault of character is a failing of the flesh1 and is to be dealt with as such--that is1 by appropriate treatment4 ,observe1 ,i am not speaking of occasional and sudden temptations and falls1 or of as sudden impulses towards good1 and the reaching of heights undreamed of before4 ,these things are of the spiritual world1 and are to be spiritually discerned4 ,but the failing or the virtue which has become habitual to us is flesh of our flesh1 and must be treated on that basis whether it is to be uprooted or fostered40 8,i confess ,i don't follow3 this line of argument should make the work of redemption gratuitous4 ,every parent can save his child1 and every man can save himself40 8,no1 my dear2 there you're wrong4 ,i agree with ,evans4 ',tis we who lose the efficacy of the great ,redemption by failing to see what it has accomplished4 ,that we have still to engage in a spiritual warfare1 enabled by spiritual aids1 ,dr4 ,evans allows4 ,his point is1 as ,i understand it1 why embarrass ourselves with these less material ills of the flesh which are open to treatment on the same lines1 barring the drugs1 as a broken limb or a disordered stomach4 ,don't you see how it works8 ,we fall1 and fret1 and repent1 and fall again2 and are so over busy with our own internal affairs1 that we have no time to get that knowledge of the ,eternal which is the life of the living soul80 8,all this is beyond me4 ,i confess it is neither the creed nor the practice in which ,i was brought up4 ,meantime1 how is it to affect ,dorothy8 ,that is the practical question40 ,dr4 ,evans threw a smiling 8,i told you so0 glance at my husband1 which was a little annoying2 however1 he went on3-- 8,to be sure2 that is the point4 ,poor ,dorothy is just now the occasional victim of a troop of sullen1 resentful thoughts and feelings1 which wear her out1 shut out the sunshine1 and are as a curtain between her and all she loves4 ,does she want these thoughts8 ,no2 she hates and deplores them on her knees1 we need not doubt2 resolves against them2 goes through much spiritual conflict4 ,she is a good girl1 and we may be sure of all this4 ,now we must bring physical science to her aid4 ,how those thoughts began we need not ask1 but there they are2 they go patter1 patter1 to and fro1 to and fro1 in the nervous tissue of the brain1 until--here is the curious point of contact between the material and the immaterial1 we see by results that there is such point of contact1 but how or why it is so we have not even a guess to offer--until the nervous tissue is modified under the continued traffic in the same order of thoughts4 ,now1 these thoughts become automatic2 they come of themselves1 and spread and flow as a river makes and enlarges its bed4 ,such habit of thought is set up1 and must go on indefinitely1 in spite of struggles1 unless--and here is the word of hope--a contrary habit is set up1 diverting the thoughts into some quite new channel4 ,keep the thoughts running briskly in the new channel1 and1 behold1 the old connections are broken while a new growth of brain substance is perpetually taking place4 ,the old thoughts return1 and there is no place for them1 and ,dorothy has time to make herself think of other things before they can establish again the old links4 ,there is1 shortly1 the philosophy of ordering our thoughts--the first duty of us all40 8,that is very wonderful1 and should help us4 ,thank you very much2 ,i had no idea that our thoughts were part and parcel1 as it were1 of any substance4 ,but ,i am not sure yet how this is to apply to ,dorothy4 ,it seems to me that it will be very difficult for her1 poor child1 to bring all this to bear on herself4 ,it will be like being put into trigonometry before you are out of subtraction40 8,you are right1 ,mrs4 ,elmore1 it will be a difficult piece of work1 to which she will have to give herself up for two or three months4 ,if ,i am not mistaken in my estimate of her1 by that time we shall have a cure4 ,but if you had done the work in her childhood1 a month would have effected it1 and the child herself would have been unconscious of effort40 8,how sorry ,i am4 ,do tell me what ,i should have done40 8,the tendency was there1 we will allow2 but you should never have allowed the habit of this sort of feeling to be set up4 ,you should have been on the watch for the outward signs--the same then as now1 some degree of pallor1 with general limpness of attitude1 and more or less dropping of the lips and eyes4 ,the moment one such sign appeared1 you should have been at hand to seize the child out of the cloud she was entering1 and to let her bask for an hour or two in love and light1 forcing her to meet you eye to eye1 to find only love and joy in yours4 ,every sullen attack averted is so much against setting up the habit2 and habit1 as you know1 is a chief factor in character40 8,and can we do nothing for her now80 8,certainly you can4 ,ignore the sullen humours1 let gay life go on as if she was not there1 only drawing her into it now and then by an appeal for her opinion1 or for her laugh at a joke4 ,above all1 when good manners compel her to look up1 let her meet unclouded eyes1 full of pleasure in her2 for1 believe1 whatever cause of offence she gives to you1 she is far more deeply offensive to herself4 ,and you should do this all the more because1 poor girl1 the brunt of the battle will fall upon her40 8,i see you are right2 all along1 her sullenness has given way before her father's delight in her1 and indeed it is in this way that my husband has so far cured me4 ,i suppose you would say he had broken the habit4 ,but won't you see her and talk to her8 ,i know you can help her most40 8,well1 to tell you the truth1 ,i was going to ask you if ,i might2 her sensitive nature must be gently handled2 and1 just because she has no such love for me as for her parents1 ,i run less risk of wounding her4 ,besides1 ,i have a secret to tell which should help her in the management of herself40 8,thank you1 ,evans2 we are more grateful than ,i can say4 ,will you strike while the iron's hot8 ,shall we go away and send her to you1 letting her suppose it is a mere medical call80 ,,part ,v 8,good-morning1 ,miss ,dorothy2 do you know ,i think it's quite time this state of things should come to an end4 ,we are both tired of the humbug of treating you for want of health when you are quite strong and well40 ,dorothy looked up with flushed face 7,i had it all later from both ,dr4 ,evans and ,dorothy herself71 and eyes half relieved1 half doubtful1 but not resentful1 and stood quietly waiting4 8,all the same1 ,i think you are in a bad way1 and are in great need of help4 ,will you bear with me while ,i tell you what is the matter1 and how you may be cured80 ,dorothy was past speaking1 and gave a silent assent4 8,don't be frightened1 poor child1 ,i don't speak to hurt you1 but to help4 ,a considerable part of a life which should be all innocent gaiety of heart1 is spent in gloom and miserable isolation4 ,some one fails to dot his i's1 and you resent it1 not in words or manner1 being too well brought up2 but the light within you is darkened by a flight of black thoughts4 #8,he 7or she7 shouldn't have done it6 ,it's too bad6 ,they don't care how they hurt me6 ,i should never have done so to her6'--and so on without end4 ,presently you find yourself swathed in a sort of invisible shroud2 you cannot reach out a living hand to anybody1 nor speak in living tones1 nor meet your dear ones eye to eye with a living and loving glance4 ,there you sit1 like a dead man at the feast4 ,by this time you have forgotten the first offence1 and would give the world to get out of this death-in-life4 ,you cry1 you say your prayers1 beg to be forgiven and restored1 but your eyes are fixed upon yourself as a hateful person1 and you are still wrapped in the cloud2 until1 suddenly 7no doubt in answer to your prayers71 a hug from little ,may1 the first primrose of the year1 a lark1 filling the world with his gladness1 and1 presto6 the key is turned1 the enchanted princess liberated1 glad as the lark1 sweet as the flower1 and gay as the bright child60 ,no answer3 ,dorothy's arms laid on the table1 and her face hidden upon them4 ,at last1 in a choked voice--8,please go on1 doctor60 8,all this may be helped10 a start3 8may1 within two or three months1 be completely cured1 become a horrid memory and nothing more60 ,a gasp1 and streaming eyes raised1 where the light of hope was struggling with fear and shame4 8,this is very trying for you1 dear child6 ,but ,i must get on with my task1 and when ,i have done1 it's my belief you'll forget the pain for joy4 ,in the first place1 you are not a very wicked girl because these ugly thoughts master you2 ,i don't say1 mind you1 that you will be without offence once you get the key between your fingers2 but as it is1 you need not sit in judgment on yourself any more40 ,then ,dr4 ,evans went on to make clear to ,dorothy what he had already made clear to us of the interaction of thought and brain2 how that ,thought1 ,brain1 ,co41 were such close allies that nobody could tell which of the two did what3 that they even ran a business of their own1 independently of ,ego1 who was supposed to be the active head of the firm1 and so on4 ,dorothy listened with absorbed intentness1 as if every word were saving2 but the light of hope died slowly out4 8,i think ,i see what you mean2 these black thoughts come and rampage even against the desire of the ,ego1 ,i1 myself3 but1 oh doctor1 don't you see1 that's all the worse for me80 8,stop a bit1 stop a bit1 my dear young lady1 ,i have not done yet4 ,ego sees things are going wrong and asserts himself2 sets up new thoughts in a new course1 and stops the old traffic1 and in course of time1 and a very short time too1 the old nerve connections are broken1 and the old way under tillage2 no more opening for traffic there4 ,have you got it80 8,i think so4 ,i'm to think of something else1 and soon there will be no room in the brain for the ugly thoughts which distress me4 ,but that's just the thing ,i can't do60 8,but that is exactly the only thing you have power to do6 ,have you any idea what the will is1 and what are its functions80 8,i don't know much about it4 ,i suppose your will should make you able to do the right thing when you feel you can't6 ,you should say1 ,i will1 and go and do it4 ,but you don't know how weak ,i am4 ,it makes no difference to me to say1 ,i will60 8,well1 now1 to own up honestly1 ,i don't think it ever made much difference to anybody outside of the story-books4 ,all the same1 ,will is a mighty fellow in his own way1 but he goes with a sling and a stone1 and not with the sword of ,goliath4 ,he attacks the giant with what seems a child's plaything1 and the giant is slain4 ,this is how it works4 ,when ill thoughts begin to molest you1 turn away your mind with a vigorous turn1 and think of something else4 ,i don't mean think good forgiving thoughts1 perhaps you are not ready for that yet2 but think of something interesting and pleasant2 the new dress you must plan1 the friend you like best1 the book you are reading2 best of all1 fill heart and mind suddenly with some capital plan for giving pleasure to some poor body whose days are dull4 ,the more exciting the thing you think of1 the safer you are4 ,never mind about fighting the evil thought4 ,this is the one thing you have to do2 for this is1 perhaps1 the sole power the will has4 ,it enables you to change your thoughts2 to turn yourself round from gloomy thoughts to cheerful ones4 ,then you will find that your prayers will be answered1 for you will know what to ask for1 and will not turn your back on the answer when it comes4 ,there1 child1 ,i have told you the best secret of an old man's life1 and have put into your hands the key of self-government and a happy life4 ,now you know how to be better than he that taketh a city40 8,thank you a thousand times for your precious secret4 ,you have lifted my feet out of the slough4 ,i will change my thoughts 7may ,i say that874 ,you shall find that your key does not rust for want of use4 ,i trust ,i may be helped from above never to enter that cloud again40 ,and she did not4 ,it is five years since she had that talk in the library with ,dr4 ,evans 7he died within the year1 to our exceeding regret74 ,what battles she fought we never heard2 never again was the subject alluded to4 ,for two years she was our constantly loving and joyous home daughter2 for three1 she has been ,arthur ,brisbane's happy-hearted wife2 and her little sunbeam of an ,elsie--no fear that she will ever enter the cloud in which mother and grandmother were so nearly lost4 ,,chapter ,v ,,consequences ,have you ever played at 8,consequences10 dear reader8 ,this is how it goes4 ,he said to her1 8,it's a cold day40 ,she said to him1 8,i like chocolates40 ,the consequence was1 they were both put to death1 and the world said1 8,it serves them right40 ,just so exquisitely inconsequent is the game of 8consequences0 in real life--at which many a child is an unwilling player1 and just so arbitrary their distribution4 ,we are all born heirs to all the ,russias if a certain aptness at autocratic government can be construed into a title4 ,watch the children in the street play at keeping school2 how the schoolmistress lavishes 8handers10 how she corners and canes her scholars6 ,and the make-believe scholars enter into the game4 ,they would do the same if they had the chance1 and their turn will come4 ,how does it work in real life1 this turn for autocracy1 which1 you may observe1 gives zest to most of the children's games8 ,little ,nancy is inclined to be fretful2 her nurse happens to be particularly busy that morning looking out the children's summer clothing4 ,she is a kind-hearted woman1 and fond of ,nancy1 but1 8,why does the child whine so80 ,and a hasty box on the little ear emphasises the indignant query4 ,there is mischief already1 which is the cause of the whining2 and1 by that concussion1 ,nancy is 8put to death10 like the people in the game2 not for a year or two1 though1 and nobody associates nurse with the family sorrow2 and she1 for her part1 never thinks again of that hasty blow4 ,but1 you object1 nurse is ignorant1 though kind2 with the child's parents1 it is otherwise4 ,yes1 but not entirely otherwise4 ,mr4 ,lindsay1 who is a book-lover1 goes into his den to find his little boy of four1 making 8card-houses10 with some choice new volumes he has clambered after2 down they go bump1 and the corners are turned1 and the books unsightly objects evermore4 8,what are you doing here1 child8 ,go to the nursery1 and don't let me see you here again60 ,ah1 me6 ,does he know how deep it cuts8 ,does he know that the ten minutes romp with 8father0 in his room is the supreme joy of the day for little ,dick8 ,and does he know that everything is for ever and ever to a little child1 whose experience has not yet taught him the trick of hoping when things look dark8 ,but1 8,it is for the child's good20 is it8 ,dick does not yet know what is wrong4 8,never touch books which are not given you to play with10 would have instructed him1 and hindered similar mischief in the future4 ,how is it that devoted nurse and affectionate father cause injurious 8concussions10 moral and physical1 to a child's tender nature8 ,a good deal is to be set down to ignorance or thoughtlessness2 they do not know1 or they do not consider1 how this and that must affect a child4 ,but the curious thing is that grown-up people nearly always err on the same lines4 ,the arbitrary exercise of authority on the part of parent1 nurse1 governess1 whoever is set in authority over him1 is the real stone of stumbling and rock of offence in the way of many a child4 ,nor is there room for the tender indulgent mother to congratulate herself and say1 8,i always thought ,mrs4 ,naybor was too hard on her children10 for the most ruinous exercise of arbitrary authority is when the mother makes herself a law unto her child1 with power to excuse him from his duties1 and to grant him 7more than papal7 indulgences4 ,this sort of tender parent is most tenacious of her authority1 no one is permitted to interfere with her rule--for rule it is1 though her children are notably unruly4 ,she answers all suggestions and expostulation with one formula3 ,my children shall never have it to say that their mother refused them anything it was in her power to give4 8,in her power40 ,this mother errs in believing that her children are hers--in her power1 body and soul4 ,can she not do what she likes with her own8 ,it is worth while to look to the springs of conduct in human nature for the source of this common cause of the mismanagement of children4 ,there must be some unsuspected reason for the fact that persons of weak and of strong nature should err in the same direction4 ,in every human being there are implanted1 as we know1 certain so-called primary or natural desires1 which are among the springs or principles out of which his action or conduct flows4 ,these desires are neither virtuous nor vicious in themselves3 they are quite involuntary3 they have place equally in the savage and savant3 he who makes his appeal to any one of those primary desires is certain of a hearing4 ,thus1 every man has an innate desire of companionship3 every man wants to know1 however little worthy the objects of his curiosity3 we all want to stand well with our neighbours1 however fatuously we lay ourselves out for esteem3 we would1 each of us1 fain be the best at some one thing1 if it be only a game of chance which excites our emulation2 and we would all have rule1 have authority1 even if our ambition has no greater scope than the rule of a dog or a child affords4 ,these desires being primary or natural1 the absence of any one of them in a human being makes that person so far unnatural4 ,the man who hates society is a misanthrope2 he who has no curiosity is a clod4 ,but1 seeing that a man may make shipwreck of his character and his destiny by the excessive indulgence of any one of these desires1 the regulation1 balancing1 and due ordering of these springs of action is an important part of that wise self-government which is the duty of every man1 especially of every ,christian man4 ,it is not that the primary desires are the only springs of action2 we all know that the affections1 the appetites1 the emotions1 play their part1 and that reason and conscience are the appointed regulators of machinery which may be set in motion by a hundred impulses4 ,but the subject for our consideration is the punishments inflicted on children2 and we shall not arrive at any safe conclusion unless we regard these punishments from the point of view of the punisher as well as from that of the punished4 ,now every one of the primary desires1 as well as of the affections and appetites1 has a tendency to run riot if its object be well within its grasp4 ,the desire of society undirected and unregulated may lead to endless gadding about and herding together4 ,the fine principle of curiosity may issue in an inordinate love of gossip1 and of poor disconnected morsels of knowledge served up in scraps1 which are of the nature of gossip4 ,ambition1 the desire of power1 comes into play when we have a live thing to order1 and we rule child and servant1 horse and dog4 ,and it is well that we should4 ,the person who is 7comparatively7 without ambition has no capacity to rule4 ,have you a nurse who 8manages0 children well8 ,she is an ambitious woman1 and her ambition finds delightful scope in the government of the nursery4 ,at the same time1 the love of power1 unless it be duly and carefully regulated and controlled1 leads to arbitrary behaviour--that is1 to lawless1 injurious behaviour--towards those under our rule4 ,nay1 we may be so carried away1 intoxicated1 by a fierce lust of power that we do some terrible irrevocable deed of cruelty to a tender child-body or soul1 and wake up to never-ending remorse4 ,we meant no harm2 we meant to teach obedience1 and1 good ,god6 we have killed a child4 ,within the last few years tales have been told in the newspapers of the savage abuse of power1 free for the time being from external control2 tales1 which1 be they true or not1 should make us all commune with our hearts and be still4 ,for1 we may believe it1 they who have done these things are no worse than we could be4 ,they had opportunity to do ill deeds1 and they did them4 ,we have not been so far left to ourselves4 ,but let us look ourselves in the face2 let us recognise that the principle which has betrayed others into the madness of crime is inherent in us also1 and that whether it shall lead us to heights of noble living or to criminal cruelty is not a matter to be left to the chapter of accidents4 ,we have need of the divine grace to prevent and follow us1 and we have need to consciously seek and diligently use this grace to keep us who are in authority in the spirit of meekness1 remembering always that the ,one who is entrusted with the rod of iron is meek and lowly of heart4 ,in proportion as we keep ourselves fully alive to our tendency in this matter of authority may we trust ourselves to administer the law to creatures so tender in body and soul as are the little children4 ,we shall remember that a word may wound1 that a look may strike as a blow4 ,it may indeed be necessary to wound in order to heal1 but we shall examine ourselves well before we use the knife4 ,there will be no hasty dealing out of reproof and punishment1 reward and praise1 according to the manner of mood we are in4 ,we shall not only be aware that our own authority is deputed1 and to be used with the meekness of wisdom2 but we shall be infinitely careful in our choice of the persons in whose charge we place our children4 ,it is not enough that they be good ,christian people4 ,we all know good ,christian persons of an arbitrary turn who venture to wield that rod of iron which is safe in the hands of ,one alone4 ,let them be good ,christian persons of culture and self-knowledge1 not the morbid self-knowledge that comes of introspection1 but that far wider1 humbler cognisance of self that comes of a study of the guiding principles and springs of action common to us all as human beings1 and which brings with it the certainty that--8,i am just such an one as the rest1 might even be as the worst1 were it not for the grace of ,god and careful walking40 ,it is no doubt much easier to lay down our authority and let the children follow their own lead1 or be kept in order by another1 than to exercise constant watchfulness in the exercise of our calling4 ,but this is not in our option2 we must rule with diligence4 ,it is necessary for the children that we should2 but we must keep ourselves continually in check1 and see that our innate love of power finds lawful outlet in the building up of a child's character1 and not in the rude rebuff1 the jibe and sneer1 the short answer and hasty slap which none of us older people could conceivably endure ourselves1 and yet practise freely on the children 8for their good40 8,to this day10 says an ,american author1#bb 8the old tingling pain burns my cheeks as ,i recall certain rude and contemptuous words which were said to me when ,i was very young1 and stamped on my memory for ever4 ,i was once called #8a stupid child' in the presence of strangers4 ,i had brought the wrong book from my father's study4 ,nothing could be said to me to-day which would give me a tenth part of the hopeless sense of degradation which came from those words4 ,another time1 on the arrival of an unexpected guest to dinner1 ,i was sent1 in a great hurry1 away from the table to make room1 with the remark that #8it was not of the least consequence about the child2 she could just as well have her dinner afterward4' #8,the child' would have been only too happy to help in the hospitality of the sudden emergency if the thing had been differently put2 but the sting of having it put that way ,i never forgot4 ,yet1 in both these instances1 the rudeness was so small in comparison with what we habitually see that it would be too trivial to mention1 except for the bearing of the fact that the pain it gave has lasted until now40 8,what1 is it severity in these maudlin days to call a child #8stupid'8 ,a pretty idiot he'll make of himself when the world comes to bandy names with him if he's to be brought up on nothing but the butter and honey of soft speeches40 ,this is a discordant protest1 not at all in harmony with the notions of perfect child-living with which we are amusing ourselves in these days2 but we cannot afford to turn a deaf ear to it4 8,don't make a fool of the child10 was the warning young mothers used to get from their elders4 ,but we have changed all that1 and a child's paradise must be prepared for the little feet to walk in4 8,he's so happy at school10 we are told1 and we ask no more4 ,we have reversed the old order2 it used to be1 8,if he's good1 he will be happy20 now we say1 8,if he's happy1 he will be good40 ,goodness and happiness are regarded as convertible terms1 only we like best to put 8happy0 as the cause1 and 8good0 as the consequent4 ,and the child brought up on these lines is both happy and good without much moral effort of self-compelling on his own part1 while our care is to surround him with happy-making circumstances until he has got into the trick1 as it were1 of being good4 ,but there's something rotten in the state of ,denmark4 ,once upon a time there was a young mother who conceived that every mother might be the means of gracing her offspring with fine teeth3 8,for10 said she1 8it stands to reason that for every year of wear and grind you save the child's teeth1 the man will have a fine set a year the longer40 8,nonsense1 my dear madam10 said the doctor1 8you are ruining the child's teeth with all this pappy food2 they'll be no stronger than egg-shells4 ,give him plenty of hard crusts to crunch1 a bone to gnaw2 he must have something to harden his teeth upon40 ,just so of the moral 8teeth0 by means of which the child must carve out a place for himself in this full world4 ,he must endure hardness if you would make a man of him4 ,blame as well as praise1 tears as well as smiles1 are of human nature's daily food2 pungent speech is a #8tool of the tongue' not to be altogether eschewed in the building of character2 let us call a spade a spade1 and the child who brings the wrong book 8stupid10 whether before strangers or behind them4 ,much better this than a chamber-conference with 8,mother0 about every trifle1 which latter is apt to lead to a habit of morbid self-introspection4 ,we are1 in truth1 between ,scylla and ,charybdis3 on this side1 the six-headed1 many-toothed monster of our own unbridled love of power2 on that1 the whirlpool of emasculating softness which would engulf the manly virtues of our poor little ,ulysses4 ,if you must choose1 let it be ,scylla rather than ,charybdis1 counsels our ,circe2 better lose something through the monster with the teeth1 than lose yourself in the whirlpool4 ,but is there not a better way8 ,weigh his estate and thine2 accustom'd1 he1 ,to all sweet courtly usage that obtains ,where dwells the ,king4 ,how1 with thy utmost pains1 ,canst thou produce what shall full worthy be8 ,one1 8greatest in the kingdom10 is with thee1 ,whose spirit yet beholds the ,father's face1 ,and1 thence replenish'd1 glows with constant grace2 ,take fearful heed lest he despisd be6 ,order thy goings softly1 as before ,a ,prince2 nor let thee out unmannerly ,in thy rude moods and irritable3 more1 ,beware lest round him wind of words rave free4 ,refrain thee2 see thy speech be sweet and rare3 ,thy ways1 consider'd2 and thine aspect1 fair4 ,,footnotes3 #bb 8,bits of ,talk about ,home ,matters10 by ,helen ,hunt ,jackson4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,mrs4 ,,sedley',s ,,tale ,it is very strange how a moral weakness in her child gives a mother the same sense of yearning pity that she has for a bad bodily infirmity4 ,i wonder if that is how ,god feels for us when we go on year by year doing the thing we hate8 ,i think a mother gets to understand many things about the dealings of ,god that are not plain to others4 ,for instance1 how it helps me to say1 8,i believe in the forgiveness of sins10 when ,i think of my poor little ,fanny's ugly fault4 ,though there is some return of it nearly every day1 what could ,i do but forgive8 ,but forgiveness that does not heal is like the wretched ointments with which poor people dress their wounds4 ,in one thing ,i know ,i have not done well2 ,i have hardly said a word to ,john about the poor little girlie's failing1 though it has troubled me constantly for nearly a year4 ,but ,i think he suspects there is something wrong2 we never talk quite freely about our shy pretty ,fanny4 ,perhaps that is one reason for it4 ,she is such a nervous timid little being1 and looks so bewitching when the long lashes droop1 the tender mouth quivers1 and the colour comes and goes in the soft cheek1 that we are shy of exposing1 even to each other1 the faults we see in our graceful fragile little girl4 ,perhaps neither of us quite trusts the other to deal with ,fanny1 and to use the knife sparingly4 ,but this state of things must not go on3 it is a miserable thing to write down1 but ,i cannot believe a word the child says6 ,and the evil is increasing4 ,only now and then used ,fanny to be detected in what we called a fib1 but now the terrible doubt lest that little mouth may be at any moment uttering lies takes the delight out of life1 and accounts for the pale looks which give my kind husband so much concern4 ,for example1 only within the last day or two ,i have noticed the following and other such examples3-- 8,fanny1 did you remember to give my message to cook80 8,yes1 mother40 8,and what did she say80 8,that she wouldn't be able to make any jam to-day because the fruit had not come40 ,i went into the kitchen shortly after1 and found cook stirring the contents of a brass pan1 and1 sad to say1 ,i asked no questions4 ,it was one of ,fanny's circumstantial statements of the kind ,i have had most reason to doubt4 ,did she lie because she was afraid to own that she had forgotten8 ,hardly so3 knowing the child's sensitive nature1 we have always been careful not to visit her small misdemeanours with any punishment whenever she 8owned up40 ,and then1 cowardice would hardly cause her to invent so reasonable an answer for cook4 ,again3 8,did you meet ,mrs4 ,fleming's children80 8,oh1 yes1 mother6 and ,berty was so rude6 ,he pushed ,dotty off the curb-stone60 ,nurse1 who was sitting by the fire with baby1 raised her eyebrows in surprise1 and ,i saw the whole thing was an invention4 ,another more extraordinary instance3 8,mother1 when we were in the park we met ,miss ,butler1 just by the fountain1 you know2 and she kissed me1 and asked me how my mother is0--said -propos of nothing1 in the most quiet1 easy way4 ,i met ,miss ,butler this morning1 and thanked her for the kind inquiries she had been making through my little girl2 and--8,do you think ,fanny grown80 ,miss ,butler looked perplexed2 ,fanny was a great favourite of hers1 perhaps because of the loveliness of which her parents could not pretend to be unaware4 8,it is more than a month since ,i have seen the little maid1 but ,i shall look in soon1 and gladden her mother's heart with all the praises my sweet ,fan deserves60 ,little she knew that shame1 and not pride1 dyed my cheek2 but ,i could not disclose my ,fanny's sad secret to even so near a friend4 ,but to talk it out with ,john is a different matter4 ,he ought to know4 ,and1 certainly1 men have more power than women to see into the reasons and the bearings of things4 ,there had ,i been thinking for months in a desultory kind of way as to the why and wherefore of this ingrained want of truthfulness in the child1 and yet ,i was no nearer the solution4 ,a new departure in the way of lying made me at last break the ice with ,john2 indeed1 this was the only subject about which we had ever had reserves4 8,mother1 ,hugh was so naughty at lessons this morning6 ,he went close up to ,miss ,clare while she was writing1 nudged her elbow on purpose1 and made her spill the ink all over the table-cloth40 ,i chanced to meet ,miss ,clare in the hall1 and remarked that ,i heard she had found ,hugh troublesome this morning4 8,troublesome8 ,not at all2 he was quite industrious and obedient40 ,i said nothing about the ink1 but went straight to the schoolroom to find the table neat as ,miss ,clare always leaves it1 and no sign of even a fresh inkspot4 ,what possessed the child8 ,this inveterate and inventive untruthfulness was like a form of madness4 ,i sat in dismay for an hour or more1 not thinking1 but stunned by this new idea--that the child was not responsible for her words2 and yet1 could it be so8 ,none of our children were so merry at play1 so intelligent at lessons4 ,well1 ,i would talk it over with ,john without the loss of another day4 99 99 99 99 99 8,john1 ,i am miserable about ,fanny4 ,do you know the child tells fibs constantly80 8,call them lies2 an ugly thing deserves an ugly name4 ,what sort of lies8 ,what tempts her to lie80 ,john did not seem surprised4 ,perhaps he knew more of this misery than ,i supposed4 8,that's the thing6 ,her fi--lies are so uncalled-for1 so unreasonable1 that ,i do not know how to trust her40 8,unreasonable8 ,you mean her tales don't hang together2 that's a common case with liars4 ,you know the saying--#8,liars should have good memories'80 8,don't call the poor child a liar1 ,john2 ,i believe she is more to be pitied than blamed4 ,what ,i mean is1 you can't find rhyme or reason for the lies she tells40 ,and ,i gave my husband a few instances like those ,i have written above4 8,very extraordinary6 ,there's a hint of malice in the ,hugh and the ink-bottle tale1 and a hint of cowardice in that about the jam2 but for the rest1 they are inventions pure and simple1 with neither rhyme nor reason1 as you say40 8,i don't believe a bit in the malice4 ,i was going to correct her for telling an unkind tale about ,hugh1 but you know how she hangs on her brother1 and she told her tale with the most innocent face4 ,i am convinced there was no thought of harming him40 8,are you equally sure that she never says what is false to cover a fault2 in fact1 out of cowardice80 8,no2 ,i think ,i have found her out more than once in ingenious subterfuges4 ,you know what a painfully nervous child she is4 ,for instance1 ,i found the other day a blue cup off that cabinet1 with handle gone1 hidden behind the woodwork4 ,fanny happened to come in at the moment1 and ,i asked her if she knew who had broken it4 8#8,no1 mother1 ,i don't know1 but ,i think it was ,mary1 when she was dusting the cabinet2 indeed1 ,i'm nearly sure ,i heard a crash4' 8,but the child could not meet my eye1 and there was a sort of blenching as of fear about her40 8,but1 as a rule1 you do not notice these symptoms80 8,as a rule1 poor ,fanny's tarradiddles come out in the most quiet1 easy way1 with all the boldness of innocence2 and even when she is found out1 and the lie brought home to her1 she looks bewildered rather than convicted40 8,my dear1 ,i wish you would banish the whole tribe of foolish and harmful expressions whose tendency is to make light of sin4 ,call a spade a spade4 ,a #8tarradiddle' is a thing to make merry over2 a fib you smile and wink at2 but a lie--why1 the soul is very far gone from original righteousness that can endure the name1 even while guilty of the thing40 8,that's just it2 ,i cannot endure to apply so black a name to the failings of our child2 for1 do you know1 ,i begin to suspect that poor little ,fanny does it unawares--does not know in the least that she has departed from the fact4 ,i have had a horrible dread upon me from time to time that her defect is a mental1 and not a moral one4 ,that she has not the clear perception of true and false with which the most of us are blessed40 8,whe--ew60 from ,john2 but his surprise was feigned4 ,i could see now that he had known what was going on all the time1 and had said nothing1 because he had nothing to say2 in his heart he agreed with me about our lovely child4 ,the defect arose from a clouded intelligence1 which showed itself in this way only1 now2 but how dare we look forward8 ,now ,i saw why poor ,john was so anxious to have the offence called by the blackest moral name4 ,he wished to save us from the suspicion of an evil--worse because less open to cure4 ,we looked blankly at each other1 ,john trying to carry it all off with a light air1 but his attempt was a conspicuous failure4 ,i forgot to say that my sister ,emma was staying with us1 the #8clever woman of the family1' who was 8going in0 for all sorts of things1 to come out1 we believed1 at the top of her profession as a lady doctor4 ,she had taken no part in the talk about ,fanny--rather tiresome of her1 as ,i wanted to know what she thought2 but now1 while we were vainly trying to hide from each other our dismay1 she broke out into a long low laugh1 which1 to say the least of it1 seemed a little unfeeling4 8,oh1 you absurd parents6 ,you are too good and earnest1 and altogether too droll6 ,why in the world1 instead of sitting there with blank eyes--conjuring up bogeys to frighten each other--why don't you look the thing in the face1 and find out by the light of modern thought what really ails ,fan8 ,poor pet6 #8,save me from my parents6' is a rendering which might be forgiven her40 8,then you don't think there's any mental trouble80 we cried in a breath1 feeling already as if a burden were lifted1 and we could straighten our backs and walk abroad4 8#8,mental trouble8' ,what nonsense6 ,but there1 ,i believe all you parents are alike4 ,each pair thinks their own experiences entirely new2 their own children the first of the kind born into the world4 ,now1 a mind that had had any scientific training would see at once that poor ,fanny's lies--if ,i must use ,john's terrible bad word--inventions1 ,i should have called them1 are symptomatic1 as you rightly guessed1 ,annie1 of certain brain conditions2 but of brain disease--oh1 no6 ,why1 foolish people1 don't you see you are entertaining an angel unawares8 ,this vice of #8lying' you are mourning over is the very quality that goes to the making of poets60 8,poets and angels are well in their places10 said ,john1 rather crossly1 8but my child must speak the truth4 ,what she states for a fact1 ,i must know to be a fact1 according to the poor common-sense view of benighted parents40 8,and there is your work as parents4 ,teach her truth1 as you would teach her ,french or sums--a little to-day1 a little more to-morrow1 and every day a lesson4 ,only as you teach her the nature of truth will the gift she has be effectual4 ,but ,i really should like to know what is your notion about truth--are we born with it1 or educated up to it80 8,i am not sure that we care to be experimented upon1 and held up to the world as blundering parents10 said ,i2 8perhaps we had better keep our crude notions to ourselves40 ,i spoke rather tartly1 ,i know1 for ,i was more vexed for ,john than for myself4 ,that he should be held up to ridicule in his own house--by a sister of mine1 too6 8,now ,i have vexed you both4 ,how horrid ,i am6 ,and all the time1 as ,i watch you with the children1 ,i don't feel good enough to tie your shoes4 ,don't ,i say to myself twenty times a day1 #8,after all1 the insight and love parents get from above is worth a thousandfold more than science has to teach'80 8,nay1 ,emma1 'tis we who have to apologise for being jealous of science--that's the fact--and quick to take offence4 ,make it up1 there's a good girl6 and let ,annie and me have the benefit of your advice about our little girl1 for truly we are in a fog40 8,well1 ,i think you were both right in considering that her failing had two sources3 moral cowardice the first2 she does something wrong1 or wrong in her eyes1 and does not tell--why80 8,aye1 there's the difficulty2 why is she afraid to tell the truth8 ,i may say that we have never punished her1 or ever looked coldly on her for any fault but this of prevarication4 ,the child is so timid that we feared severe measures might make the truth the more difficult40 8,there ,i think you are right4 ,and we have our fingers on one of the weak places3 ,fanny tells lies out of sheer fear--moral weakness2 causeless it may be1 but there it is4 ,and ,i'm not so sure that it is causeless2 she is always in favour for good behaviour1 gentleness1 obedience1 and that kind of thing2 indeed1 this want of veracity seems to me her one fault4 ,now1 don't you think the fear of having her parents look coldly on her and think less well of her may be1 to such a timid1 clinging child1 a great temptation to hide a fault80 8,very likely2 but one does not see how to act4 ,would you pass over her faults altogether without inquiry or notice80 8,i'm afraid you must use the knife there boldly1 for that is the tenderest way in the end4 ,show little ,fan the depth of your love--that there is no fault you cannot forgive in her1 but that the one fault which hurts you most is1 not to hear the exact truth40 8,i see4 ,suppose she has broken a valuable vase and hides the fact1 ,i am to unearth her secret--not1 as ,i am very much inclined to do1 let it lie buried for fear of involving her in worse falsehood1 but show her the vase and tax her with hiding it40 8,and her immediate impulse will be to say1 #8,i didn't4' ,no2 make sure of your ground1 then show her the pieces2 say the vase was precious1 but you do not mind about that2 the thing that hurts you is that she could not trust her mother4 ,i can imagine one of the lovely scenes you mothers have with your children too good for outsiders to look in upon40 ,the tears came into my eyes1 for ,i could imagine the scene too4 ,i could see the way to draw my child closer and closer by always forgiving1 always comprehending and loving her1 and always protesting against the falsehood which would rise between us4 ,i was lost in a delicious reverie--how ,i might sometime come to show her that her mother's ever-ready forgiveness was but a faint picture of what some one calls the 8all-forgiving gentleness of ,god10 when ,i heard ,john break in3-- 8,yes1 ,i can see that if we both make a point of free and tender forgiveness of every fault1 on condition that she owns up1 we may in time cure her of lying out of sheer fear4 ,but ,i don't see that she gets the principle of truth any more4 ,the purely inventive lies go on as before1 and the child is not to be trusted40 8#8,purely inventive1' there you have it4 ,don't you see8 ,the child is full of imagination1 and figures to herself endless scenes1 evolved like the ,german student's camel4 ,the thousand and one things which might happen are so real to her that the child is1 as you said1 bewildered2 hardly able to distinguish the one which has happened4 ,now1 it's perfect nonsense to lament over this as a moral failing--it is a want of mental balance2 not that any quality is deficient1 but that her conceptive power runs away with her perceptive2 she sees the many things that might be more readily than the thing that is4 ,doesn't she delight in fairy tales80 8,well1 to tell the truth1 we have thought them likely to foster her failing1 and have kept her a good deal on a diet of facts40 8,i shouldn't wonder if you are wrong there4 ,an imperious imagination like ,fanny's demands its proper nourishment4 ,let her have her daily meal3 #8,the ,babes in the ,wood1' #8,the ,little ,match-,girl1' #8,the ,snow-,maiden1' tales and legends half-historic1 above all1 the lovely stories of the ,bible2 whatever she can figure to herself and live over and over2 but not twaddling tales of the daily doings of children like herself1 whether funny or serious4 ,the child wants an opening into the larger world where all things are possible and where beautiful things are always happening4 ,give her in some form this necessary food1 and her mind will be so full of delicious imaginings1 that she will be under no temptation to invent about the commonplaces of every-day life40 ,my husband laughed3 8,my dear ,emma1 you must let us do our best with the disease2 the cure is too wild6 #8,behold1 this dreamer cometh6'--think of sending the child through life with this label40 8,your quotation is unfortunate1 and you have not heard me out4 ,i do believe that to starve her imagination would be to do real wrong to the child4 ,but1 at the same time1 you must diligently cultivate the knowledge and the love of the truth4 ,now1 the truth is no more than the fact as it is2 and 'tis my belief that ,fanny's falsehoods come entirely from want of perception of the fact through pre-occupation of mind40 8,well1 what must we do80 8,why1 give her daily1 or half-a-dozen times a day1 lessons in truth4 ,send her to the window3 #8,look out1 ,fanny1 and tell me what you see4' ,she comes back1 having seen a cow where there is a horse4 ,she looks again and brings a true report1 and you teach her that it is not true to say the thing which is not4 ,you send a long message to the cook1 requiring the latter to write it down as she receives it and send you up the slate2 if it is all right1 the kiss ,fanny gets is for speaking the truth3 gradually1 she comes to revere truth1 and distinguishes between the facts of life where truth is all in all1 and the wide realms of make-believe1 where fancy may have free play40 8,i do believe you are right1 ,emma2 most of ,fanny's falsehoods seem to be told in such pure innocence1 ,i should not wonder if they do come out of the kingdom of make-believe4 ,at any rate1 we'll try ,emma's specific--shall we1 ,john80 8,indeed1 yes2 and carefully1 too4 ,it seems to me to be reasonable1 the more so1 as we don't find any trace of malice in ,fanny's misleading statements40 8,oh1 if there were1 the treatment would be less simple2 first1 you should deal with the malice1 and then teach the love of truth in daily lessons4 ,that is the mistake so many people make4 ,they think their children are capable of loving and understanding truth by nature1 which they are not4 ,the best parents have to be on the watch to hinder all opportunities of misstatement40 8,and now1 that you may see how much we owe you1 let me tell you of the painful example always before our eyes1 which has done more than anything to make me dread ,fanny's failing4 ,it is an open secret1 ,i fear1 but do not let it go further out of this house4 ,you know ,mrs4 ,casterton1 our friend's wife8 ,it is a miserable thing to say1 but you cannot trust a word she utters4 ,she tells you1 ,miss ,so-and-,so has a bad kind of scarlet fever1 and even while she is speaking you know it is false2 husband1 children1 servants1 neighbours1 none can be blind to the distressing fact1 and she has acquired the sort of simpering manner a woman gets when she loses respect and self-respect4 ,what if ,fanny had grown up like her80 8,poor woman6 and this shame might have been spared her1 had her parents been alive to their duty40 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,ability 8,be sure you call at ,mrs4 ,milner's1 ,fred1 for the address of her laundress40 8,all right1 mother60 ,and ,fred was half-way down the path before his mother had time to add a second injunction4 ,a second8 ,nay1 a seventh1 for this was already the sixth time of asking2 and ,mrs4 ,bruce's half-troubled expression showed she placed little faith in her son's 8,all right40 8,i don't know what to do with ,fred1 doctor2 ,i am not in the least sure he will do my message4 ,indeed1 to speak honestly1 ,i am sure he will not4 ,this is a trifling matter2 but when the same thing happens twenty times a day--when his rule is to forget everything he is desired to remember--it makes us anxious about the boy's future40 ,dr4 ,maclehose drummed meditatively on the table1 and put his lips into form for a whistle4 ,this remark of ,mrs4 ,bruce's was 8nuts0 to him4 ,he had assisted1 professionally1 at the appearance of the nine young ,bruces1 and the family had no more esteemed friend and general confidant4 ,for his part1 he liked the ,bruces4 ,who could help it8 ,the parents intelligent and genial1 the young folk well looking1 well grown1 and open-hearted1 they were just the family to make friends4 ,all the same1 the doctor found in the ,bruces occasion to mount his pet hobby3--8,my ,utopia is the land where the family doctor has leave to play schoolmaster to the parents4 ,to think of a fine brood like the young ,bruces running to waste in half-a-dozen different ways through the invincible ignorance of father and mother6 ,nice people1 too60 ,for seventeen years ,dr4 ,maclehose had been deep in the family counsels1 yet never till now had he seen the way to put in his oar anent any question of bringing up the children4 ,wherefore he drummed on the table1 and pondered3--8,fair and softly1 my good fellow2 fair and softly6 ,make a mess of it now1 and it's my last chance2 hit the nail on the head1 and1 who knows80 8,does the same sort of thing go on about his school work80 8,precisely2 he is always in arrears4 ,he has forgotten to take a book1 or to write an exercise1 or learn a lesson2 in fact1 his school life is a record of forgets and penalties40 8,worse than that ,dean of ,canterbury1 whose wife would make him keep account of his expenditure2 and thus stood the entries for one week3--#8,gloves1 #es42 ,forgets1 #d1 #aes4' ,his writing was none too legible1 so his wife1 looking over his shoulder1 cried1 #8,faggots6 ,faggots6 ,what in the world6 ,have you been buying wood8' #8,no1 my dear2 those are forgets2'--his wife gave it up40 8,a capital story2 but what is amusing in a ,dean won't help a boy to get through the world1 and we are both uneasy about ,fred40 8,he is one of the #8,boys' ,eleven1' isn't he80 8,oh1 yes1 and is wild about it3 and there1 ,i grant you1 he never forgets4 ,it's1 #8,mother1 get cook to give us an early dinner3 we must be on the field by two6' #8,don't forget to have my flannels clean for ,friday1 will you mumsy8' he knows when to coax4 #8,subscription is due on ,thursday1 mother6' and this1 every day till he gets the money40 8,i congratulate you1 my dear friend1 there's nothing seriously amiss with the boy's brain40 8,good heavens1 doctor6 ,whoever thought there was8 ,you take my breath away60 8,well1 well1 ,i didn't mean to frighten you1 but1 don't you see1 it comes to this3 either it's a case of chronic disease1 open only to medical treatment1 if to any2 or it is just a case of defective education1 a piece of mischief bred of allowance which his parents cannot too soon set themselves to cure40 ,mrs4 ,bruce was the least in the world nettled at this serious view of the case4 ,it was one thing for her to write down hard things of her eldest boy1 the pride of her heart1 but a different matter for another to take her au srieux4 8,but1 my dear doctor1 are you not taking a common fault of youth too seriously8 ,it's tiresome that he should forget so1 but give him a year or two1 and he will grow out of it1 you'll see4 ,time will steady him4 ,it's just the volatility of youth1 and for my part ,i don't like to see a boy with a man's head on his shoulders40 ,the doctor resumed his drumming on the table4 ,he had put his foot in it already1 and confounded his own foolhardiness4 8,well1 ,i daresay you are right in allowing something on the score of youthful volatility2 but we old doctors1 whose business it is to study the close connection between mind and matter1 see our way to only one conclusion1 that any failing of mind or body1 left to itself1 can do no other than strengthen40 8,have another cup of tea1 doctor8 ,i am not sure that ,i understand4 ,i know nothing about science4 ,you mean that ,fred will become more forgetful and less dependable the older he gets80 8,i don't know that ,i should have ventured to put it so baldly1 but that's about the fact4 ,but1 of course1 circumstances may give him a bent in the other direction1 and ,fred may develop into such a careful old sobersides that his mother will be ashamed of him40 8,don't laugh at me1 doctor2 you make the whole thing too serious for a laughing matter40 ,to which there was no answer1 and there was silence in the room for the space of fully three minutes1 while the two pondered4 8,you say10 in an imperious tone1 8that #8a fault left to itself must strengthen4' ,what are we to do8 ,his father and ,i wish1 at any rate1 to do our duty40 ,her ruffled maternal plumage notwithstanding1 ,mrs4 ,bruce was in earnest1 all her wits on the alert4 8,come1 ,i've scored one60 thought the doctor2 and then1 with respectful gravity1 which should soothe any woman's amour propre1 8,you ask a question not quite easy to answer4 ,but allow me1 first1 to try and make the principle plain to you3 that done1 the question of what to do settles itself4 ,fred never forgets his cricket or other pleasure engagements8 ,no8 ,and why not8 ,because his interest is excited2 therefore his whole attention is fixed on the fact to be remembered4 ,now1 as a matter of fact1 what you have regarded with full attention1 it is next to impossible to forget4 ,first get ,fred to fix his attention on the matter in hand1 and you may be sure he won't forget it40 8,that may be very true2 but how can ,i make a message to ,mrs4 ,milner as interesting to him as the affairs of his club80 8,ah6 ,there you have me4 ,had you begun with ,fred at a year old the thing would have settled itself4 ,the habit would have been formed40 ,to the rescue1 ,mrs4 ,bruce's woman's wit3--8,i see2 he must have the habit of paying attention1 so that he will naturally take heed to what he is told1 whether he cares about the matter or not40 8,my dear madam1 you've hit it2 all except the word #8naturally4' ,at present ,fred is in a delightful state of nature in this and a few other respects4 ,but the educational use of habit is to correct nature4 ,if parents would only see this fact1 the world would become a huge reformatory1 and the next generation1 or1 at any rate1 the third1 would dwell in the kingdom of heaven as a regular thing1 and not by fits and starts1 and here and there1 which is the best that happens to us40 8,i'm not sure ,i see what you mean2 but10 said this persistent woman1 8to return to this habit of attention which is to reform my ,fred--do try and tell me what to do4 ,you gentlemen are so fond of going off into general principles1 while we poor women can grasp no more than a practical hint or two to go on with4 ,my boy would be cut up to know how little his fast friend1 the doctor1 thinks of him60 8#8,poor women1' truly6 and already you have thrown me with two staggering buffets4 ,my theories have no practical outcome1 and1 ,i think little of ,fred1 who has been my choice chum ever since he left off draperies6 ,it remains for the vanquished to #8behave pretty4' ,pray1 ma'am1 what would you like me to say next80 8,to #8habit1' doctor1 to #8habit'2 and don't talk nonsense while the precious time is going4 ,we'll suppose that ,fred is just twelve months old to-day4 ,now1 if you please1 tell me how ,i'm to make him begin to pay attention4 ,and1 by the way1 why in the world didn't you talk to me about it when the child really was young80 8,i don't remember that you asked me2 and who would be pert enough to think of schooling a young mother8 ,not ,i1 at any rate4 ,don't ,i know that every mother of a first child is infallible1 and knows more about children than all the old doctors in creation8 ,but1 supposing you had asked me1 ,i should have said--,get him each day to occupy himself a little longer with one plaything than he did the day before4 ,he plucks a daisy1 gurgles over it with glee1 and then in an instant it drops from the nerveless grasp4 ,then you take it up1 and with the sweet coaxings you mothers know how to employ1 get him to examine it1 in his infant fashion1 for a minute1 two minutes1 three whole minutes at a time40 8,i see2 fix his thoughts on one thing at a time1 and for as long as you can1 whether on what he sees or what he hears4 ,you think if you go on with that sort of thing with a child from his infancy he gets accustomed to pay attention80 8,not a doubt of it2 and you may rely on it that what is called ability--a different thing from genius1 mind you1 or even talent--ability is simply the power of fixing the attention steadily on the matter in hand1 and success in life turns upon this cultivated power far more than on any natural faculty4 ,lay a case before a successful barrister1 an able man of business1 notice how he absorbs all you say2 tell your tale as ill as you like1 he keeps the thread1 straightens the tangle1 and by the time you have finished1 has the whole matter spread out in order under his mind's eye4 ,now comes in talent1 or genius1 or what you will1 to deal with the facts he has taken in4 ,but attention is the attribute of the trained intellect1 without which genius makes shots in the dark40 8,but1 don't you think attention itself is a natural faculty1 or talent1 or whatever we should call it80 8,not a bit of it2 it is entirely the result of training4 ,a man may be born with some faculty or talent for figures1 or drawing1 or music1 but attention is not a faculty at all2 it is simply the power of bending such faculties as one has to the work in hand2 it is a key to success within the reach of every one1 but the power to turn it comes of training4 ,circumstances may compel a man to train himself1 but he does so at the cost of great effort1 and the chances are ten to one against his making the effort4 ,for the child1 on the other hand1 who has been trained by his parents to fix his thoughts1 all is plain sailing4 ,he will succeed1 not a doubt of it40 8,but ,i thought school-work1 ,latin and mathematics1 and those sorts of things1 should give this kind of intellectual training80 8,they should2 but it's the merest chance whether the right spring is touched1 and from what you say of ,fred's school-work1 ,i should say it was not touched in his case4 ',tis incredible how much solid learning a boy will contrive to let slip by him instead of into him6 ,no2 ,i'm afraid you must tackle the difficulty yourself4 ,it would be a thousand pities to let a fine fellow like ,fred run to waste40 8,what can ,i do80 8,well1 we must begin where we are2 ,fred can attend1 and therefore remember3 and he remembers what interests him4 ,now1 to return to your question1 ,how are you to make a message to ,mrs4 ,milner as interesting to him as the affairs of his cricket club8 ,there is no interest in the thing itself2 you must put interest into it from without4 ,there are a hundred ways of doing this3 try one1 and when that is used up1 turn to another4 ,only1 with a boy of ,fred's age1 you cannot form the habit of attention as you could with a child4 ,you can only aid and abet2 give the impulse2 the training he must do for himself40 8,make it a little plainer1 doctor2 ,i have not yet reduced your remarks to the practical level of something ,i can do40 8,no8 ,well1 ,fred must train himself1 and you must feed him with motives4 ,run over with him what we have been saying about attention4 ,let him know how the land lies2 that you cannot help him1 but that if he wants to make a man of himself he must make himself attend and remember4 ,tell him it will be a stand-up fight1 for this habit is contrary to nature4 ,he will like that2 'tis boy nature to show fight1 and the bigger and blacker you make the other side1 the more will he like to pitch in4 ,when ,i was a boy ,i had to fight this very battle for myself1 and ,i'll tell you what ,i did4 ,i stuck up a card every week1 divided down the middle4 ,one side was for #8,remembers'2 the other side for #8,forgets4' ,i took myself to task every night--the very effort was a help--and put a stroke for every #8,remember' and #8,forget' of the day4 ,i scored for every #8,remember1' and #8t'other fellow' for every #8,forget4' ,you don't know how exciting it got4 ,if by ,thursday ,i had thirty-three #8,remembers' and he thirty-six #8,forgets' it behoved me to look alive2 it was not only that #8,forget' might win the game1 which was up on ,saturday night1 but unless #8,remember' scored ten in advance1 the game was #8drawn'--hardly a remove from lost40 8,that's delicious6 ,but1 ,i wish1 doctor1 you would speak to ,fred yourself4 ,a word from you would go a long way40 8,i'll look out for a chance1 but an outsider cannot do much2 everything rests with the boy himself1 and his parents40 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,poor ,,mrs4 ,,jumeau6 8,now1 young people1 when ,i go out1 let there be no noise in the house2 your mother is ill1 so let her little folk be thoughtful for her60 8,oh1 is mother sick again80 said little ,ned with falling countenance4 8,poor ,neddie6 he doesn't like mother to be ill4 ,we all have to be so quiet1 and1 then1 there's nowhere to be6 ,it isn't like home when mother isn't about40 8,mary is right10 chimed in ,charlie1 the eldest of the family2 8if ,i were big enough1 ,i should run away and go to sea1 mother's so often bad6 ,but1 father1 isn't it funny8 ,yesterday she was quite well1 and doing all sorts of horrid things1 helping the maids to clear out cupboards2 and now1 ,i dare say1 she is too ill to move or speak1 and to-morrow1 perhaps1 she'll be our jolly mother again1 able to go shrimping with us1 or anything else40 8,that's because your dear mother has no self1 ,charlie1 boy2 no sooner does she feel a bit better than she does more than she can for us all1 and then she is knocked up again4 ,i wish we could teach her to be selfish1 for our sakes as well as hers1 for to have her with us is better than anything she can do for us2 eh1 ,charlie80 8,indeed1 yes6 ,we'd take lots of care of her if she'd let us4 ,but her illness must be queer4 ,you know when we had scarlet fever1 father8 ,well1 for weeks and weeks1 after the fever was gone1 ,i had no more strength than a tom-tit2 and you know ,i could not go about and do things1 however unselfish ,i was 7but ,i'm not1 though74 ,that's what is so queer4 ,do you think ,dr4 ,prideau understands about mother80 8,much better than you do1 depend upon it1 ,charlie2 but ,i confess your mother's illness is puzzling to all of us4 ,there1 children1 off with you6 ,i must write a letter or two before ,i go out40 ,mr4 ,jumeau forgot to write his letters1 and sat long1 with his head between his hands1 pondering the nature of his wife's ailments4 ,what ,charlie had put with a boy's rude bluntness had already occurred to him in a dim way4 ,mrs4 ,jumeau's illness certainly did not deprive her of bodily vigour2 the attacks came on suddenly1 left her as suddenly1 and left her apparently in perfect health and gay spirits4 ,and this was the more surprising1 because1 while an 8attack0 lasted1 the extreme prostration1 pallid countenance1 and blue lips of the sufferer were painful to behold4 ,besides1 his wife was so absolutely truthful by nature1 so unselfish and devoted to her husband and family1 that it was as likely she should be guilty of flagrant crime as that she should simulate illness4 ,this sort of thing had gone on for several years4 ,mr4 ,jumeau had spent his substance on many physicians1 and with little result4 8,no organic disease40 8,overdone40 8,give her rest1 nourishing food1 frequent change of scene and thought2 no excitement2 ,nature will work the cure in time--in time1 my good sir4 ,we must be patient40 ,this sort of thing he had heard again and again2 doctors did not differ1 if that were any consolation4 ,he went up to have a last look at the sufferer4 ,there she lay1 stretched out with limbs composed1 and a rigidity of muscle terribly like death4 ,a tear fell on the cold cheek of his wife as ,mr4 ,jumeau kissed it1 and he went out aching with a nameless dread1 which1 if put into words1 would run--some day1 and she will wake no more out of this death-like stillness4 ,and she8 ,she felt the tear1 heard the sigh1 noted the dejected footfalls of her husband1 and her weak pulse stirred with a movement of--was it joy8 ,but the 8attack0 was not over2 for hours she lay there rigid1 speechless1 with closed eyes1 taking no notice of the gentle opening of the door now and then when one or another came to see how she was4 ,were not her family afraid to leave her alone8 ,no2 we get used to anything1 and the ,jumeaus1 servants and children1 were well used to these 8attacks0 in the mistress of the house4 ,dr4 ,prideau came1 sent by her husband1 and used even violent measures to restore her1 but to no effect2 she was aware of these efforts1 but was not aware that she resisted them effectually4 ,business engagements were pressing1 and it was late before ,mr4 ,jumeau1 anxious as he was1 was able to return to his wife4 ,it was one of those lovely warm evenings we sometimes get late in ,may1 when even ,london windows are opened to let in the breath of the spring4 ,nearly at the end of the street he heard familiar strains from ,parsifal1 played with the vigour ,wagner demands4 ,his wife8 ,it could be no one else4 ,as he drew nearer1 her exquisite touch was unmistakable4 ,the attack was over1 then8 ,strange to say1 his delight was not unmixed4 ,what were these mysterious attacks1 and how were they brought on8 ,the evening was delightful4 ,mrs4 ,jumeau was in the gayest spirits3 full of tenderness towards her husband1 of motherly thought for her children1 now fast asleep2 ready to talk brightly on any subject except the attack of the morning2 any allusion to this she would laugh off as a matter of too little consequence to be dwelt upon4 ,the next morning she was down bright and early1 having made up her mind to a giro with the children4 ,they did not go a-shrimping1 according to ,charlie's forecast1 but ,kew was decided upon as 8just the thing10 and a long day in the gardens failed to tire mother or children4 8,i must get to the bottom of this10 thought ,mr4 ,jumeau4 99 99 99 99 99 8,your question is embarrassing2 if ,i say1 ,mrs4 ,jumeau is suffering from hysteria1 you will most likely get a wrong notion and discredit my words40 ,mr4 ,jumeau's countenance darkened4 8,i should still be inclined to trust the evidence of my senses1 and believe that my wife is unfeignedly ill40 8,exactly as ,i expected3 simulated ailments and hysteria are hopelessly confounded2 but no wonder2 hysteria is a misnomer1 used in the vaguest way1 not even confined to women4 ,why1 ,i knew a man1 a clergyman in the ,north1 who suffered from #8clergyman's sore throat'2 he was a popular evangelical preacher1 and there was no end to the sympathy his case evoked2 he couldn't preach1 so his devoted congregation sent him1 now to the ,south of ,france1 now to ,algiers1 now to ,madeira4 ,after each delightful sojourn he returned1 looking plump and well1 but unable to raise his voice above a hardly audible whisper4 ,this went on for three years or so4 ,then his ,bishop interfered2 he must provide a curate in permanent charge1 with nearly the full emoluments of the living4 ,the following ,sunday he preached1 nor did he again lose his voice4 ,and this was an earnest and honest man1 who would rather any day be at his work than wandering idly about the world4 ,plainly1 too1 in the etymological sense of the word1 his complaint was not hysteria4 ,but this is not an exceptional case3 keep any man in his dressing-gown for a week or two--a bad cold1 say--and he will lay himself out to be pitied and petted1 will have half the ailments under the sun1 and be at death's door with each4 ,and this is your active man2 a man of sedentary habits1 notwithstanding his stronger frame1 is nearly as open as a woman to the advances of this stealthy foe4 ,why1 for that matter1 ,i've seen it in a dog6 ,did you never see a dog limp pathetically on his three legs that he might be made much of for his lameness1 until his master's whistle calls him off at a canter on all fours80 8,i get no nearer2 what have these illustrations to do with my wife80 8,wait a bit1 and ,i'll try to show you4 ,the throat would seem to be a common seat of the affection4 ,i knew a lady--nice woman she was1 too--who went about for years speaking in a painful whisper1 whilst everybody said1 #8,poor ,mrs4 ,marjoribanks6' ,but one evening she managed to set her bed-curtains alight1 when she rushed to the door1 screaming1 #8,ann6 ,ann6 the house is on fire6 ,come at once6' ,the dear woman believed ever after1 that #8something burst' in her throat1 and described the sensation minutely2 her friends believed1 and her doctor did not contradict4 ,by the way1 no remedy has proved more often effectual than a house on fire1 only you will see the difficulties4 ,i knew of a case1 however1 where the #8house-afire' prescription was applied with great effect4 ',twas in a ,london hospital for ladies2 a most baffling case2 patient had been for months unable to move a limb--was lifted in and out of bed like a log1 fed as you would pour into a bottle4 ,a clever young house-surgeon laid a plot with the nurses4 ,in the middle of the night her room was filled with fumes1 lurid light1 c4 ,she tried to cry out1 but the smoke was suffocating2 she jumped out of bed and made for the door--more choking smoke--threw up the sash--fireman1 rope1 ladder--she scrambled down1 and was safe4 ,the whole was a hoax1 but it cured her1 and the nature of the cure was mercifully kept secret4 ,another example3 ,a friend of mine determined to put a young woman under #8massage' in her own home2 he got a trained operator1 forbade any of her family to see her1 and waited for results4 ,the girl did not mend2 #8very odd6 some reason for this1' he muttered2 and it came out that every night the mother had crept in to wish her child good-night2 the tender visits were put a stop to1 and the girl recovered40 8,your examples are interesting enough1 but ,i fail to see how they bear2 in each case1 you have a person of weak or disordered intellect simulating a disease with no rational object in view4 ,now the beggars who know how to manufacture sores on their persons have the advantage--they do it for gain40 8,i have told my tale badly2 these were not persons of weak or disordered intellect2 some of them very much otherwise2 neither did they consciously simulate disease2 not one believed it possible to make the effort he or she was surprised into4 ,the whole question belongs to the mysterious borderland of physical and psychological science--not pathological1 observe2 the subject of disease and its treatment is hardly for the lay mind40 8,i am trying to understand40 8,it is worth your while2 if every man took the pains to understand the little that is yet to be known on this interesting subject he might secure his own household1 at any rate1 from much misery and waste of vital powers2 and not only his household1 but perhaps himself--for1 as ,i have tried to show1 this that is called #8hysteria' is not necessarily an affair of sex40 8,go on2 ,i am not yet within appreciable distance of anything bearing on my wife's case40 8,ah1 the thing is a million-headed monster6 hardly to be recognised by the same features in any two cases4 ,to get at the rationale of it1 we must take up human nature by the roots4 ,we talk glibly in these days of what we get from our forefathers1 what comes to us through our environment1 and consider that in these two we have the sum of human nature4 ,not a bit of it2 we have only accounted for some peculiarities in the individual2 independently of these1 we come equipped with stock for the business of life of which too little account is taken4 ,the subject is wide1 so ,i shall confine myself to an item or two4 8,we all come into the world--since we are beings of imperfect nature--subject to the uneasy stirring of some few primary desires4 ,thus1 the gutter child and the infant prince are alike open to the workings of the desire for esteem1 the desire for society1 for power1 c4 ,one child has this1 and another that1 desire more active and uneasy4 ,women1 through the very modesty and dependence of their nature1 are greatly moved by the desire for esteem4 ,they must be thought of1 made much of1 at any price4 ,a man desires esteem1 and he has meetings in the marketplace1 the chief-room at the feast2 the ptroleuse1 the city outcast1 must have notoriety--the esteem of the bad--at any price1 and we have a city in flames1 and ,whitechapel murders4 ,each falls back on his experience and considers what will bring him that esteem1 a gnawing craving after which is one of his earliest immaterial cognitions4 ,but the good woman has comparatively few outlets4 ,the esteem that comes to her is all within the sphere of her affections4 ,esteem she must have2 it is a necessity of her nature4 8#8,praise1 blame1 love1 kisses1 tears1 and smiles1' are truly to her1 #8human nature's daily food4'0 8,now1 experience comes to her aid4 ,when she is ill1 she is the centre of attraction1 the object of attention1 to all who are dear to her2 she will be ill40 8,you contradict yourself1 man6 don't you see8 ,you are painting1 not a good woman1 but one who will premeditate1 and act a lie60 8,not so fast6 ,i am painting a good woman4 ,here comes in a condition which hardly any one takes into account4 ,mrs4 ,jumeau will lie with stiffened limbs and blue pale face for hours at a time4 ,is she simulating illness8 you might as well say that a man could simulate a gunshot wound4 ,but the thing people forget is1 the intimate relation and co-operation of body and mind2 that the body lends itself involuntarily to carry out the conceptions of the thinking brain4 ,mrs4 ,jumeau does not think herself into pallor1 but every infinitesimal nerve fibre1 which entwines each equally infinitesimal capillary which brings colour to the cheek1 is intimately connected with the thinking brain1 in obedience to whose mandates it relaxes or contracts4 ,its relaxation brings colour and vigour with the free flow of the blood1 its contraction1 pallor1 and stagnation2 and the feeling as well as the look of being sealed in a death-like trance4 ,the whole mystery depends on this co-operation of thought and substance of which few women are aware4 ,the diagnosis is simply this1 the sufferer has the craving for outward tokens of the esteem which is essential to her nature2 she recalls how such tokens accompany her seasons of illness1 the sympathetic body perceives the situation1 and she is ill2 by-and-by1 the tokens of esteem cease to come with the attacks of illness1 but the habit has been set up1 and she goes on having #8attacks ' which bring real suffering to herself1 and of the slightest agency in which she is utterly unconscious40 ,conviction slowly forced itself on ,mr4 ,jumeau2 now that his wife was shown entirely blameless1 he could concede the rest4 ,more1 he began to suspect something rotten in the ,state of ,denmark1 or women like his wife would never have been compelled to make so abnormal a vent for a craving proper to human nature4 8,i begin to see2 what must ,i do80 8,in ,mrs4 ,jumeau's case1 ,i may venture to recommend a course which would not answer with one in a thousand4 ,tell her all ,i have told you4 ,make her mistress of the situation4--,i need not say1 save her as much as you can from the anguish of self-contempt4 ,trust her1 she will come to the rescue1 and devise means to save herself2 and1 all the time1 she will want help from you1 wise as well as tender4 ,for the rest1 those who have in less measure-- 8#8,the reason firm1 the temp'rate will'-- #8massage1' and other devices for annulling the extraordinary physical sensibility to mental conditions1 and1 at the same time1 excluding the patient from the possibility of the affectionate notice she craves1 may do a great deal4 ,but this mischief which1 in one shape or other1 blights the lives of1 say1 forty per cent4 of our best and most highly organised women1 is one more instance of how lives are ruined by an education which is not only imperfect1 but proceeds on wrong lines40 8,how could education help in this80 8,why1 let them know the facts1 possess them of even so slight an outline as we have had to-night1 and the best women will take measures for self-preservation4 ,put them on their guard1 that is all4 ,it is not enough to give them accomplishments and all sorts of higher learning2 these gratify the desire of esteem only in a very temporary way4 ,but something more than a danger-signal is wanted4 ,the woman1 as well as the man1 must have her share of the world's work1 whose reward is the world's esteem4 ,she must1 even the cherished wife and mother of a family1 be in touch with the world's needs1 and must minister of the gifts she has2 and that1 because it is no dream that we are all brethren1 and must therefore suffer from any seclusion from the common life40 99 99 99 99 99 ,mrs4 ,jumeau's life was not 8spoilt40 ,it turned out as the doctor predicted2 for days after his revelations she was ashamed to look her husband in the face2 but then1 she called up her forces1 fought her own fight and came off victorious4 ,,chapter ,,ix 8,a ,,happy ,,christmas ,,to ,,you60 ,the ,christmas holidays6 ,boys and girls at school are counting off the days till the home-coming4 ,young men and maidens1 who have put away childish things1 do not reckon with date-stones1 but consult their ,bradshaws4 ,the little ones at home are storing up surprises4 ,the father says genially1 8,we shall soon have our young folk at home again40 ,the mother8 ,nobody1 not the youngest of the schoolgirls1 is so glad as she4 ,she thinks of setting out for church on ,christmas ,day with1 let us hope1 the whole of her scattered flock about her4 ,already she pictures to herself how each has altered and grown1 and yet how every one is just as of old4 ,she knows how ,lucy will return prettier and more lovable than ever2 ,willie1 more amusing2 ,harry1 kinder2 and how the elders will rejoice in baby ,may6 ,and yet1 there is a shade of anxiety in the mother's face as she plans for the holidays4 ,the brunt of domestic difficulties falls1 necessarily1 upon her4 ,it is not quite easy to arrange a household for a sudden incursion of new inmates whose stay is not measured by days4 ,servants must be considered1 and may be tiresome4 ,amusements1 interests1 must be thought of1 and then---- ,does the mother stop short and avoid putting into shape the 8and then10 which belongs to the holiday weeks after ,christmas ,day is over8 8,let us have a happy ,christmas1 any way10 she says2 8we must leave the rest40 ,what is it8 ,pretty ,lucy's face clouds into sullenness4 ,kind ,harry is quick to take offence1 and his outbursts spoil people's comfort4 ,willie1 with all his nonsense1 has fits of positive moroseness4 ,tom argues--is always in the right4 ,alice--is the child always quite straightforward8 ,there is reason enough for the strain of anxiety that mingles with the mother's joy4 ,it is not easy to keep eight or nine young people at their best for weeks together1 without their usual employments1 when you consider that1 wanting their elders' modicum of self-control1 they may have their father's failings1 and their mother's failings1 and ugly traits besides hardly to be accounted for4 ,is it a counsel of perfection that mothers should have 8,quiet ,days0 of rest for body and mind1 and for such spiritual refreshment as may be1 to prepare them for the exhausting 7however delightful7 strain of the holidays8 ,much arrears of work must fall to the heads of the house in the young folk's holidays4 ,they will want to estimate1 as they get opportunity1 the new thought that is leavening their children's minds2 to modify1 without appearing to do so1 the opinions the young people are forming4 ,they must keep a clear line of demarcation between duties and pastimes1 even in the holidays2 and they must resume the work of character-training1 relinquished to some extent while the children are away at school4 ,but1 after all1 the holiday problem is much easier than it looks1 as many a light-hearted mother knows4 ,there is a way of it1 a certain 8,open sesame10 which mothers know1 or1 if they do not1 all the worse for the happiness of ,holiday ,house4 ,occupation8 ,many interests8 ,occupation1 of course2 we know what befalls idle hands2 but 8interests0 are only successful in conjunction with the password2 without it1 the more excitingly interesting the interests the more apt are they to disturb the domestic atmosphere and make one sulky1 and another domineering1 and a third selfish1 and each 8naughty0 in that particular way in which 8'tis his nature to40 ,every mother knows the secret1 but some may have forgotten the magic of it4 ,paradoxical as the statement may sound1 there is no one thing of which it is harder to convince young people than that their parents love them4 ,they do not talk about the matter1 but supposing they did1 this would be the avowal of nine children out of ten3 8,oh1 of course1 mother loves me in a way1 but not as she loves ,x40 8,how #8in a way'80 8,you know what ,i mean4 ,she is mother1 so of course she cares about things for me and all that40 8,but how does she love ,x480 8,oh1 ,i can't explain2 she's fond of her1 likes to look at her1 and touch her1 and--now don't go and think ,i'm saying things about mother4 ,she's quite fair and treats us all just alike2 but who could help liking ,x4 best8 ,i'm so horrid6 ,nobody cares for me40 ,put most of the children 7including ,x47 of good and loving parents into the ,palace of ,truth1 children of all ages1 from six1 say1 to twenty1 and this is the sort of thing you would get4 ,boys would1 as a rule1 credit 8mother10 and girls1 8father10 with the more love2 but that is only by comparison2 the one parent is only 8nicer0 than the other4 ,as for appropriating or recognising the fulness of love lavished on them1 they simply do not do it4 ,and why8 ,our little friend has told us2 mother and father are quite fair1 there is no fault to be found in them1 but 8,i'm so horrid1 nobody cares for me40 ,there you have the secret of 8naughtiness40 ,there is nothing more pathetic than the sort of dual life of which the young are dimly conscious4 ,on the one hand there are premonitions of full and perfect being1 the budding wings of which their thoughts are full1 and for which their strong sense of justice demands credit4 ,mother and father ought to know how great and good and beautiful they are in possibility1 in prospective4 ,they must have the comprehension1 appreciation1 which1 if they cannot get in the drawing-room1 they will seek in the kitchen or the stable-yard4 ,alnaschar visions8 ,if so1 it is not young ,alnaschar1 but his parents1 who kick over the basket of eggs4 ,if the young folk are pugnacious about their 8rights10 and are over-ready with their 8,it's not fair60 8,it's a shame60 it is because they reckon their claims by the great possible self1 while1 alas6 they measure what they get by the actual self1 of which they think small things4 ,there is no word for it but 8horrid20 bring them to book1 and the scornful1 or vain1 or bumptious young persons we may know are alike in this--every one of them is 8horrid0 in his or her own eyes4 ,now1 if you know yourself to be horrid1 you know that1 of course1 people do not love you2 how can they8 ,they are kind to you and all that1 but that is because it's their business1 or their nature1 or their duty to be kind4 ,it has really nothing to do with you personally4 ,what you want is some one who will find you out1 and be kind to you1 and love you just for your own sake and nothing else4 ,so do we reason when we are young4 ,it is the old story4 ,the good that ,i would ,i do not1 but the evil that ,i would not1 that ,i do4 ,only we feel things more acutely when we are young1 and take sides alternately with ourselves and against ourselves2 small is the wonder that their elders find young people 8difficult20 that is just what they find themselves4 8,fudge60 says the reader1 who satisfies himself with the surface1 and recalls the fun and frolic and gaiety of heart1 the laughter and nonsense and bright looks of scores of young people he knows3 of course they are gay1 because they are young2 but we should have many books about the sadness of youth if people in their 8teens0 might have the making of them4 ,glad and sad are not a whole octave apart4 ,how soon does this trouble of youth begin8 ,that very delightful little person1 the ,baby1 is quite exempted4 ,so1 too1 are the three1 four1 and five-year-old darlings of the nursery4 ,they gather on your knee1 and take possession of you1 and make no doubt at all of your love or their deserts4 ,but a child cannot always get out of the nursery before this doubt with two faces is upon him4 ,i know a boy of four1 a healthy intelligent child1 full of glee and frolic and sense1 who yet has many sad moments because one and another do not love him1 and other very joyful1 grateful moments because some little gift or attention assures him of love4 ,his mother1 with the delicate tact mothers have1 perceives that the child needs to be continually reinstated in his own esteem4 ,she calls him her 8only boy10 treats him half as her little lover1 and so evens him with the two bright little sisters whom1 somehow1 and without any telling1 poor ,georgie feels to be sweeter in temper and more lovable than he4 ,an exceedingly instructive little memorial of a child who died young came under our notice some time ago4 ,his parents kept their children always in an atmosphere of love and gladness2 and it was curious to notice that this boy1 a merry1 bright little fellow1 was quite incapable of realising his parents' love4 ,that they should love his sister was natural1 but how could they love him8 ,the little ones in the nursery revel in love1 but how is it with even the nursery elders8 ,are they not soon taught to give place to the little ones and look for small show of love1 because they are 8big boys0 and 8big girls08 ,the rather sad aloofness and self-containedness of these little folk in some families is worth thinking about4 ,even the nursery is a microcosm1 suffering from the world's ailment1 love-hunger1 a sickness which drives little children and grown-up people into naughty thoughts and wicked ways4 ,i knew a girl whose parents devoted themselves entirely to training her2 they surrounded her with care and sufficient tenderness2 they did not make much of her openly1 because they held old-fashioned notions about not fostering a child's self-importance and vanity4 ,they were so successful in suppressing the girl's self-esteem that it never occurred to her that all their cares meant love until she was woman-grown1 and could discern character1 and1 alas6 had her parents no more to give them back love for love4 ,the girl herself must have been unloving8 ,in one sense1 all young beings are unloving2 in another1 they are as vessels filled1 brimming over with love seeking an outlet4 ,this girl would watch her mother about a room1 walk behind her in the streets--adoringly4 ,such intense worship of their parents is more common in children than we imagine4 ,a boy of five years was asked what he thought the most beautiful thing in the world4 8,velvet10 he replied1 with dreamy eyes1 evidently thinking of his mother in a velvet gown4 ,his parents are the greatest and wisest1 the most powerful1 and the best people within the narrow range of the child's world4 ,they are royal personages--his kings and queens4 ,is it any wonder he worships1 even when he rebels8 ,but is it not more common1 now-a-days1 for children to caress and patronise their parents1 and make all too sure of their love8 ,it may be2 but only where parents have lost that indescribable attribute--dignity8 authority8--which is their title to their children's love and worship2 and the affection which is lavished too creaturely-wise on children fails to meet the craving of their nature4 ,what is it they want1 those young things so gaily happy with doll or bat or racquet8 ,they want to be reinstated2 they labour1 some poor children almost from infancy1 under a sad sense of demerit4 ,they find themselves so little loveworthy1 that no sign short of absolute telling with lip and eye and touch will convince them they are beloved4 ,but if one whom they trust and honour1 one who knows1 will1 seeing how faulty they are1 yet love them1 regarding the hateful faults as alien things to be got rid of1 and holding them1 in spite of the faults1 in close measureless love and confidence1 why1 then1 the young lives expand like flowers in sunny weather1 and where parents know this secret of loving there are no morose boys nor sullen girls4 ,actions do not speak louder than words to a young heart2 he must feel it in your touch1 see it in your eye1 hear it in your tones1 or you will never convince child or boy that you love him1 though you labour day and night for his good and his pleasure4 ,perhaps this is the special lesson of ,christmas-tide for parents4 ,the ,son came--for what else we need not inquire now--to reinstate men by compelling them to believe that they--the poorest shrinking and ashamd souls of them--that they live enfolded in infinite personal love1 desiring with desire the response of love for love4 ,and who1 like the parent1 can help forward this 8wonderful redemption08 ,the boy who knows that his father and his mother love him with measureless patience in his faults1 and love him out of them1 is not slow to perceive1 and receive1 and understand the dealings of the higher ,love4 ,but why should good parents1 more than the rest of us1 be expected to exhibit so divine a love8 ,perhaps because they are better than most of us2 anyway1 that appears to be their vocation4 ,and that it is possible to fulfil even so high a calling we all know1 because we know good mothers and good fathers4 ,parents1 love your children1 is1 probably1 an unnecessary counsel to any who read this paper2 at any rate1 it is a presuming one4 ,but let us say to reserved undemonstrative parents who follow the example of righteous ,abraham and rule their households1--,rule none the less1 but let your children feel and see and be quite sure that you love them4 ,we do not suggest endearments in public1 which the young folk cannot always abide4 ,but1 dear mother1 take your big schoolgirl in your arms just once in the holidays1 and let her have a good talk1 all to your two selves2 it will be to her like a meal to a hungry man4 ,for the youths and maidens--remember1 they would sell their souls for love2 they do it too1 and that is the reason of many of the ruined lives we sigh over4 ,who will break down the partition between supply and demand in many a home where there are hungry hearts on either side of the wall8 ,,chapter ,x ,,parents ,,in ,,council ,,part ,i 8,now1 let us address ourselves to the serious business of the evening4 ,here we are3 #8,six precious 7pairs71 and all agog1 ,to dash through thick and thin6' ,imprimis--our desire is for reform6 ,not reform by ,act of ,parliament1 if you please2 but1 will the world believe8--we veritably desire to be reformed6 ,and that1 as a vicarious effort for the coming race4 ,why1 to have conceived the notion entitles us to sit by for our term of years and see how the others do it60 8,don't be absurd1 ,ned1 as if it were all a joke6 ,we're dreadfully in earnest1 and can't bear to have the time wasted4 ,a pretty ,president you are40 8,why1 my dear1 that's the joke2 how can a man preside over a few friends who have done him the honour to dine at his table80 8,mrs4 ,clough is quite right4 ,it's #8,up boys1 and at it6' we want to be2 so1 my dear fellow1 don't let any graceful scruples on your part hinder work40 8,then1 ,henderson1 as the most rabid of us all1 you must begin40 8,i do not know that what ,i have to say should come first in order2 but to save time ,i'll begin4 ,what ,i complain of is the crass ignorance of us--of myself1 ,i mean4 ,you know what a magnificent spectacle the heavens have offered these last few frosty nights4 ,well1 one of our youngsters has1 ,i think1 some turn for astronomy4 #8,look1 father1 what a great star6 ,it's big enough to make the night light without the moon4 ,it isn't always there2 what's its name1 and where does it go8' ,the boy was in the receptive #8,how ,i wonder what you are' mood2 anything and everything ,i could have told him would have been his--a possession for life4 8#8,that's not a star1 it's a planet1 ,tom1' with a little twaddle about how planets are like our earth1 more or less1 was all ,i had for his hungry wonder4 ,as for how one planet differs from another in glory1 his sifting questions got nothing out of me2 what nothing has1 can nothing give4 ,again1 he has1 all of his own wit1 singled out groups of stars and1 like ,hugh ,miller1 wasn't it8--pricked them into paper with a pin4 #8,have they names8 ,what is this1 and this8' #8,those three stars are the belt of ,orion'--the sum of my acquaintance with the constellations1 if you will believe it6 ,he bombarded me with questions all to the point4 ,i tried bits of book knowledge which he did not want4 ,it was a #8bowing' acquaintance1 if no more1 with the glorious objects before him that the child coveted1 and he cornered me till his mother interfered with1 #8,that will do1 ,tom3 don't tease father with your questions4' ,a trifling incident1 perhaps1 but do you know ,i didn't sleep a wink that night1 or rather1 ,i did sleep1 and dreamt1 and woke for good4 ,i dreamt the child was crying for hunger and ,i had not a crust to give him4 ,you know how vivid some dreams are4 ,the moral flashed on me4 ,the child had been crying to me with the hunger of the mind4 ,he had asked for bread and got a stone4 ,a thing like that stirs you4 ,from that moment ,i had a new conception of a parent's vocation and of my unfitness for it4 ,i determined that night to find some way to help ourselves and the thousands of parents in the same ignorant case40 8,well1 but1 ,henderson1 you don't mean to say that every parent should be an astronomer8 ,why1 how can a man with other work tackle the study of a lifetime80 8,no1 but ,i do think our veneration for science frightens us off open ground4 ,huxley somewhere draws a line between science and what he calls #8common information1' and this ,i take to mean an acquaintance with the facts about us1 whether of ,nature or of society4 ,it's a shameful thing to be unable to answer such questions as ,tom's4 ,every one should know something about such facts of ,nature as the child is likely to come across4 ,but how to get at this knowledge6 ,books8 ,well1 ,i don't say but you may get to know about most things from books1 but as for knowing the thing itself1 let me be introduced by him that knew it before me60 8,i see what you mean2 we want the help of the naturalist1 an enthusiast who will not only teach but fire us with the desire to know40 8,but don't you find1 ,morris1 that even your enthusiast1 if he's a man of science1 is slow to recognise the neutral ground of common information80 8,that may be2 but1 as for getting what we want--pooh6 it's a question of demand and supply4 ,if you don't mind my talking about ourselves ,i should like just to tell you what we did last summer4 ,perhaps you may know that ,i dabble a little in geology--only dabble--but every tyro must have noticed how the features of a landscape depend on its geological formation1 and not only the look of the landscape1 but the occupations of the people4 ,well1 it occurred to me that if1 instead of the hideous #8resources'--save the word6--of a watering-place1 what if we were to study the #8scape' of a single formation8 ,the children would have that1 at any rate1 in visible presentation1 and would hold a key to much besides4 8,my wife and ,i love the ,south ,downs1 perhaps for auld sake's sake1 so we put up at a farmhouse in one of the lovely #8,lavants' near ,goodwood4 ,chalk and a blackboard were inseparably associated2 and a hill of chalk was as surprising to the children as if all the trees were bread and cheese4 ,here was wonder to start with1 wonder and desire to know4 ,truly1 a man hath joy in the answer of his mouth6 ,the delight1 the deliciousness of pouring out answers to their eager questions6 and the illimitable receptivity of the children6 ,this was the sort of thing--after scrawling on a flint with a fragment of chalk3-- 8#8,what is that white line on the flint1 ,bob8'--#8,chalk1 father1' with surprise at my dulness2 and then the unfolding of the tale of wonder--thousands of lovely infinitely small shells in that scrawl of chalk2 each had1 ages and ages ago1 its little inmate1 and so on4 ,wide eyes and open mouths1 until sceptical ,dick--#8,well1 but1 father1 how did they get here8 ,how could they crawl or swim to the dry land when they were dead8' ,more wonders1 and a snub for that small boy4 #8,why1 this hillside we are sitting on is a bit of that old sea-bottom6' ,and still the marvel grew1 until1 trust me1 there is not a feature of the chalk that is not written down in le journal intime of each child's soul4 ,they know the soft roll of the hills1 the smooth dip of the valleys1 the delights of travellers' joy1 queer old yews1 and black-berrying in the sudden #8bottoms' of the chalk4 ,the endless singing of a solitary lark--nothing but larks--the trailing of cloud-shadows over the hills1 the blue skies of ,sussex1 blue as those of ,naples--these things are theirs to have and to hold1 and are all associated with the chalk2 they have the sense of the earth-mother1 of the connection of things1 which makes for poetry4 8,then their mother has rather a happy way of getting pictures printed on the #8sensitive plate' of each4 ,she hits on a view1 of narrow range generally1 and makes the children look at it well and then describe it with closed eyes4 ,one never-to-be forgotten view was seized in this way4 #8,first grass1 the hill-slopes below us1 with sheep feeding about3 and then a great field of red poppies--there's corn1 but we can't see it2 then fields and fields of corn1 quite yellow and ripe1 reaching out a long way2 next1 the sea1 very blue1 and three rather little boats with white sails2 a lark a long way up in the sky singing as loud as a band of music2 and such a shining sun6' ,no doubt our little maid will have all that to her dying day2 and isn't it a picture worth having80 8,mr4 ,morris's hint admits of endless expansion2 why1 you could cover the surface formations of ,england in the course of the summer holidays of a boy's schooldays1 and thus give him a key to the landscape1 fauna1 and flora of much of the earth's surface4 ,it's admirable40 8,what a salvage6 ,the long holidays1 which are apt to hang on hand1 would be more fully and usefully employed than schooldays1 and in ways full of out-of-door delights4 ,i see how it would work4 ,think of the dales of ,yorkshire1 where the vivid green of the mountain limestone forms a distinct line of junction with the dim tints of the heather on the millstone grit of the moors1 of the innumerable rocky nests where the ferns of the limestone--hartstongue1 limestone polypody1 beech fern1 and the rest--grow delicately green and perfect as if conserved under glass4 ,think of the endless ferns and mosses and the picturesque outlines of the slate1 both in the ,lake ,country and in ,wales4 ,what collections the children might form1 always having the geological formation of the district as the leading idea40 8,you are getting excited1 ,mrs4 ,tremlow4 ,for my part1 ,i cannot rise to the occasion4 ,it is dull to have #8delicious6' #8delightful6' #8lovely6' hailing about one's ears1 and to be out of it4 ,pray1 do not turn me out for the admission1 but my own feeling is strongly against this sort of dabbling in science4 ,in this bird's-eye view of geology1 for instance1 why in the world did you begin with the chalk8 ,at least you might have started with1 say1 ,cornwall40 8,that is just one of the points where the line is to be drawn2 you specialists do one thing thoroughly--begin at the beginning1 if a beginning there is1 and go on to the end1 if life is long enough4 ,now1 we contend that the specialist's work should be laid on a wide basis of common information1 which differs from science in this amongst other things--you take it as it occurs4 ,a fact comes under your notice2 you want to know why it is1 and what it is2 but its relations to other facts must settle themselves as time goes on1 and the other facts turn up4 ,for instance1 a child of mine should know the #8blackcap' by its rich note and black upstanding headgear1 and take his chance of ever knowing even the name of the family to which his friend belongs40 8,and surely1 ,mr4 ,morris1 you would teach history in the same way2 while you are doing a county1 or a #8formation'--isn't it8--you get fine opportunities for making history a real thing4 ,for instance1 supposing you are doing the--what is it8--of ,dorsetshire8 ,you come across ,corfe ,castle standing in a dip of the hills1 like the trough between two waves1 and how real you can make the story of the bleeding prince dragged over the downs at the heels of his horse40 8,yes1 and speaking of the downs1 do you happen to know1 ,mrs4 ,tremlow1 the glorious downs behind ,lewes1 and the ,abbey and the ,castle below1 all concerned in the story of the great battle2 and the ridge of ,mount ,harry across which ,de ,montfort and his men marched while the royal party were holding orgies in the ,abbey1 and where1 in the grey of the early morning1 each man vowed his life to the cause of liberty1 face downwards to the cool grass1 and arms outstretched in the form of a cross8 ,once you have made a study on the spot of one of those historic sites1 why1 the place and the scene is a part of you4 ,you couldn't forget it if you would40 8,that is interesting1 and it touches on a point to which ,i want to call your attention2 have you noticed that in certain districts you come across1 not only the spots associated with critical events1 but monuments of the leading idea of centuries8 ,such as these are the ruined abbeys which still dominate every lovely dale in ,yorkshire2 the twelfth-century churches1 four or five of which--in certain ,english counties--you come across in the course of a single day's tramp1 and of which there is hardly a secluded out-of-the-way nook in some counties that has not its example to show2 such1 again1 are the endless castles on the ,welsh border1 the ,roman camps on the downs1 each bearing witness to the dominant thought1 during a long period1 whether of war1 or1 of a time when men had some leisure from fighting40 8,and not only so4 ,think of how the better half of ,english literature has a local colouring2 think of the thousand spots round which there lingers an aroma of poetry and of character1 which seems to get into your brain somehow1 and leave there an image of the man1 a feeling of his work1 which you cannot arrive at elsewhere4 ,the ,quantocks1 ,grasmere1 ,haworth ,moors1 the ,selborne #8,hanger1' the ,lincolnshire levels--it is needless to multiply examples of spots where you may see the raw material of poetry1 and compare it with the finished work40 8,all this is an inspiring glimpse of the possible2 but surely1 gentlemen1 you do not suppose that a family party1 the children1 say1 from fifteen downwards1 can get in touch with such wide interests in the course of a six weeks' holiday8 ,i doubt if1 even amongst ourselves1 any but you1 ,mr4 ,meredith1 and ,mr4 ,clough1 have this sort of grasp of historical and personal associations40 8,we must leave that an open question1 ,mrs4 ,henderson2 but what ,i do contend for is1 that children have illimitable capacity for all knowledge which reaches them in some sort through the vehicle of the senses3 what they see and delight in you may pin endless facts1 innumerable associations1 upon1 and children have capacity for them all3 nor will they ever treat you to lack-lustre eye and vacant countenance4 ,believe me #8'tis their nature to' hunger after knowledge as a labouring man hungers for his dinner2 only1 the thing must come in the first1 the words which interpret it in the second place40 8,you mean that everything they see is to lead to a sort of object lesson80 8,indeed ,i do not6 ,object lesson6 talkee1 talkee1 about a miserable cut-and-dried scrap1 hardly to be recognised by one who knows the thing4 ,i should not wonder if it were better for a child to go without information than to get it in this unnatural way4 ,no1 let him see the thing big and living before him1 behaving according to its wont4 ,specimens are of infinite use to the scientist whose business it is to generalise1 but are misleading to the child who has yet to learn his individuals4 ,i don't doubt for a minute that an intelligent family out for a holiday might well cover all the ground we have sketched out1 and more2 but who in the world is to teach them8 ,a child's third question about the fowls of the air or the flowers of the field would probably floor most of us40 8,that's coming to the point4 ,i wondered if we ever meant to touch our subject again to-night4 ,to skim over all creation in an easy1 airy way is exciting1 but1 from an educational standpoint1 'tis comic to the father with a young swarm at home who care for none of these things40 8,of course they don't1 ,withers1 if they have never been put in the way of it2 but try 'em1 that's all4 ,now1 listen to my idea2 ,i shall be too glad if any one strikes out a better1 but we must come to a point1 and pull up the next who wanders off on his own hobby4 ,each of us wishes to cover all1 or more1 or some of1 the ground suggested in our desultory talk4 ,difficulty1 we can't teach because we don't know4 ,we are in a corner with but one way out4 ,we must learn what we should teach4 ,how8 ,well1 let us form ourselves into a college1 or club1 or what you like4 ,now1 it's simply the ,a ,b ,c of many things we wish to learn4 ,once organised1 we shall see our way to the next step4 ,even in the small party here to-night1 some know something of geology1 some are at home in the byways of history2 what we cannot evolve from our midst we must get from outside1 and either amateur recruits or professional folk must be pressed into service2 recruits would be much the best1 for they would learn as well as teach4 ,then1 when we are organised1 we may consider whether our desire is to exhaust a single district in the way suggested1 or to follow some other plan4 ,only1 please1 if it be a district1 let it be a wide one1 so that our intercourse be confined to #8speaking' in passing1 like ships at sea4 ,don't1 for pity's sake1 let it be a social thing1 with tennis1 talk1 and tea60 8,suppose we do enrol ourselves1 how frequent do you think should be our meetings80 8,we'll leave that question2 in the meantime1 those in favour of ,mr4 ,morris's motion that we form ourselves into a society for the consideration of matters affecting the education of children--the parents' part of the work1 that is--will signify the same in the usual way40 8,carried unanimously60#bc ,,footnotes3 #bc ,ancient history now2 a forecast fulfilled in the formation of the ,parents' ,national ,educational ,union4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,parents ,,in ,,council ,,part ,,ii 8,we have listened to you1 gentlemen1 with great deference4 ,we have profited much1 and perceive a great field of work before us4 ,i hope we may get a little outside help4 ,i heard the other day of a young lady learned in mosses who is in the habit of taking the children she knows on #8mossing' expeditions4 ,but what ,i wish to say is1 education1 like charity1 begins at home1 and you have chosen to lead us far afield at the very outset60 8,truly1 we did go off at a canter6 ,but don't you think 'tis a matter for curtain discipline8 ,if your son ,tom had not #8wondered what you are' we might have begun quite at the beginning1 if there is one2 or1 most likely1 should have been till this moment wondering where to begin4 ,we are grateful to you1 ,henderson1 for starting us anywhere2 and more so to ,mrs4 ,henderson for her axiom1 ,education begins at home40 8,i daresay experienced people get to know all about it10 said ,mrs4 ,clough2 8but the mother of even two or three little ones has a sense of being at sea without rudder or compass4 ,we know so little about children1 or1 indeed1 about human beings at all6 ,parents before our time had something to go upon2 and the young mother could ask counsel of her elders on all matters from #8cinder tea' to the choice of a school4 ,but now science is abroad2 many of the old wise saws turn out1 not only mischievous1 but ridiculous4 ,we can't keep hold of the old1 we can't get hold of the new1 and there we are1 like ,mahomet's coffin40 8,you have described our quandary exactly1 ,mrs4 ,clough6 ,and what you say accounts for many things4 ,the older people complain that the children of these days are growing up lax1 self-pleasing1 disobedient1 irreverent4 ,now1 ,i think myself there is a great deal that's fine in our children4 ,they are much more of persons than we were at their age2 but that they do pretty much what is right in their own eyes1 are neither obedient nor reverent1 nor even respectful1 is1 ,i am afraid1 a true bill4 ,but don't you see how it is8 ,we are afraid of them4 ,we feel as a navvy might1 turned in to dust the drawing-room ornaments6 ,the mere touch of his clumsy great fingers may be the ruin of some precious thing4 ,we parents1 no doubt1 get tenderness and insight from above to enable us for our delicate work2 so ,i suppose it is our own fault that the children are beyond us40 8,how do you mean1 ,mrs4 ,meredith8 ,and if you1 mothers1 don't know what to do with the children1 who does8 ,the enlightened father lays himself out for a snub if he sets up for an authority at home40 8,oh1 yes6 you men make ludicrous blunders about children4 ,but that's no help4 ,a young mother gets a tender human creature into her keeping1 full of possibilities4 ,her first concern is1 not only to keep it in health1 but1 so to speak1 to fill it with reserves of health to last a lifetime4 ,at once her perplexities begin4 ,i shall not even ask to be excused for venturing upon details2 the affairs of a young human being are important enough to engage the attention of ,queen1 ,lords1 and ,commons1 did they but know it4 ,well1 a mother ,i know wished her child to be clothed delicately1 as befits a first-born4 ,she sent to ,ireland for a delicious baby trousseau of lace and cambric4 ,you gentlemen don't understand4 ,hardly had the dear little garments gone through their first wash1 when somebody tells her that 'oo' a' 'oo' is the only wear for babies and grown ups4 ,i doubt if to this day she knows why1 but there was a soupon of science in the suggestion1 so the sweet cambrics were discarded and fine woollens took their place4 ,by-and-by1 when the child came to feed like other mortals1 there was a hail of pseudo-science about her ears4 #8,grape-sugar1' #8farinaceous foods1' #8saliva1' and what not2 but this was less simple than the wool question4 ,she could make nothing of it1 so asked her doctor how to feed the child4 ,further complications arose3 #8the child sees everything2' #8the child knows everything2' #8what you make him now he will be through life2' #8the period of infancy is the most important in his life4' ,my poor friend grew bewildered1 with the result that1 in her ignorant anxiety to do right1 she is for ever changing the child's diet1 nurse1 sleeping hours1 airing hours1 according to the last lights of the most scientific of her acquaintance2 and 'tis my belief the little one would be a deal better off brought up like its mother before it40 8,then1 ,mrs4 ,meredith1 you would walk in the old paths80 8,not a bit of it6 ,only ,i want to see where ,i'm going4 ,i think we live in an age of great opportunities4 ,but my contention is1 that you cannot bring up children on hearsay in these days2 there is some principle involved in the most everyday matter1 and we must go to school to learn the common laws of healthy living and well-being40 8,mrs4 ,meredith is right3 here is serious work sketched out for us1 and of a kind as useful for ourselves as for our children4 ,we must learn the first principles of human physiology40 8,would not it do to learn what is called ,hygiene8 ,i have a notion that is physiology made easy2 that is1 you are just taught what to do1 without going fully into the cause why40 8,no1 we must stick to physiology3 ,i don't believe a bit in learning what to do1 unless founded upon a methodical1 not scrappy1 knowledge of why we do it4 ,you see1 all parts of the animal economy are so inter-dependent1 that you cannot touch this without affecting that4 ,what we want to get at is1 the laws for the well-being of every part1 the due performance of every function40 8,why1 man1 you would have every one of us qualify to write ,m4,d4 to his name40 8,not so2 we shall not interfere with the doctors2 we leave sickness to them2 but the preservation of health1 the increase in bodily vigour1 must be our care4 ,in this way1 we acquaint ourselves fully with the structure of the skin1 for example1 with its functions1 and the inter-dependence between these and the functions of certain internal organs4 ,now1 secure vigorous action of the skin1 and you gain exhilaration of spirits1 absolute joy for the time1 followed by a rise in the sense of general well-being1 i4e41 happiness4 ,you remember how a popular ,american poet sits on a gate in the sun after his bath1 using his flesh-brushes for hours1 until he is the colour of a boiled lobster1 and #8more so4' ,he might be more seemly employed1 but his joy is greater than if daily telegrams brought him word of new editions of his poems4 ,well1 if due action of the skin is a means to a joyous life1 to health and a genial temper1 what mother is there who would not secure these for her child8 ,but the thing is not so simple as it looks4 ,it is not merely a case of bath and flesh-brush3 diet1 clothes1 sleep1 bedroom1 sunshine1 happy surroundings1 exercise1 bright talk1 a thousand things must work together to bring about this #8happy-making' condition4 ,what is true of the skin is true all round1 and we cannot go to work with a view to any single organ or function2 all work together3 and we must aim at a thorough grip of the subject4 ,is it1 then1 decided #8without one if or but1' that we get ourselves instructed in the science of living80 8,the #8science of living'--yes1 but that covers much beyond the range of physiology4 ,think of the child's mind1 his moral nature1 his spiritual being4 ,it seems to me that we already make too much of the body4 ,our young people are encouraged to sacrifice everything to physical training2 and there is a sensuousness well hit-off in ,george ,eliot's #8,gwendoline1' in the importance given to every detail of the bath and the toilet4 ,one is weary of the endless magnification of the body and its belongings4 ,and1 what is more1 ,i believe we are defeating our own ends4 #8,groom' the skin1 develop the muscles1 by all means2 but there is more to be thought of1 and ,i doubt if to live to the flesh1 even in these ways1 is permissible40 8,right1 ,mrs4 ,meredith6 ,but don't think for a moment that physiology lends itself to the cult of muscle4 ,here is a youth whose biceps are his better part3 like most of us1 he gets what he aims at--some local renown as an athlete4 ,but what does he pay for the whistle8 ,his violent #8sports' do not materially increase the measure of blood which sustains him3 if the muscles get more than their share1 their gain implies loss elsewhere1 to the brain1 commonly1 and1 indeed1 to all the vital organs4 ,by-and-by1 the sports of youth over1 your brawny1 broad-chested young fellow collapses2 is the victim of ennui1 and liver1 lungs1 or stomach send in their requisition for arrears of nourishment fraudulently made away with40 8,but1 surely1 ,mr4 ,meredith1 you do not think lightly of physical development8 ,why1 ,i thought it one of the first duties of parents to send their offspring into the world as #8fine animals4'0 8,so it is2 but here1 as elsewhere1 there is a #8science of the proportion of things1' and the young people who go in violently and without moderation for muscular feats are a delusion and a snare3 in the end they do not prove #8fine animals2' they have little #8staying' power40 8,but a child is more than an animal2 we want to know how mind and moral feelings are to be developed80 8,even then1 ,mrs4 ,tremlow1 we should find much help in the study of physiology--mental physiology1 if you like to call it so4 ,the border-line where flesh and spirit meet seems to me the new field1 an ,eldorado1 ,i do believe1 opened to parents and to all of us concerned with the culture of character4 ,i mean1 the habits a child grows up with appear to leave some sort of register in his material brain1 and thus to become part of himself in even a physical sense4 ,thus it rests with parents to ease the way of their child by giving him the habits of the good life in thought1 feeling1 and action1 and even in spiritual things4 ,we cannot make a child #8good1' but1 in this way2 we can lay paths for the good life and the moral life in the very substance of his brain4 ,we cannot make him hear the voice of ,god2 but1 again1 we can make paths where the ,lord ,god may walk in the cool of the evening4 ,we cannot make the child clever2 but we can see that his brain is nourished with pure blood1 his mind with fruitful ideas40 8,i suppose all this would be encouraging if one were up to it4 ,but ,i feel as if a great map of an unknown country were spread before me1 where the few points one wants to make for are unmarked4 ,how1 for instance1 to make a child obedient1 kind1 and true80 8,your question1 ,mrs4 ,tremlow1 suggests further ground we must cover3 a few set rules will be of little service2 we must know how much there is in #8human nature1' and how to play upon it as a musician on the keys of his instrument4 ,we must add to our physiology1 psychology1 and1 to psychology1 moral science4 ,complex1 yet most simple1 manifold1 yet one1 human nature is not to be ticked off in a lecture or two as a subject we have exhausted2 but there is no conceivable study which yields such splendid increase for our pains40 8,and the spiritual life of the child8 ,does either of these #8ologies' embrace the higher life1 or is it not susceptible of culture80 8,ah1 there we have new conditions--the impact of the ,divine upon the human1 which generates life1 #8without which there is no living4' ,the life is there1 imparted and sustained from above2 but we have something to do here also4 ,spirit1 like body1 thrives upon daily bread and daily labour1 and it is our part to set before the child those #8new thoughts of ,god1 new hopes of ,heaven1' which should be his spiritual diet2 and to practise him in the spiritual labours of prayer1 praise1 and endeavour4 ,how8--is another question for our ,society to work out40 ,,chapter ,,xii ,a ,,hundred ,,years ,,after 7,,at ,,the ,,cloughs' ,,dinner-,,table1 ,,sept4 #aj1 #aiij47 8,it's a capital idea6 the thing ought to be commemorated4 ,at any rate1 we can give a little dinner in honour of it4 ,whom shall we have80 8,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,oldcastle1 and ,harry's form-master1 young ,mr4 ,hilyard1 and his wife1 will represent school-work2 we shall stand for parents in general2 and with ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,brenton for our medical advisers1 and the ,dean and ,mrs4 ,priestly to witness for things spiritual1 we shall be quite a #8representative gathering4' ,will my list do80 8,famously6 ,couldn't be better4 ,we all know the subject and each other4 ,i shouldn't wonder if we have some good things said40 ,mr4 ,clough was a ,city merchant1 as had been his fathers before him for four or five generations2 he was reputed wealthy1 and was a rich man1 but one who held his wealth as a public trust1 reserving for personal uses only what should keep his family in refined and comfortable living4 ,not that there was much virtue in this1 for he1 and others like him1 held in aversion luxurious living1 and whatever savoured of the 8barbarous opulence0 of earlier days4 ,dr4 ,oldcastle was the head-master of an old-established foundation school2 for the remaining guests they have been sufficiently introduced by ,mrs4 ,clough4 ,during the dinner there was the usual gay talk1 and some light handling of graver subjects until the ladies retired4 ,then-- 8,i wonder1 gentlemen1 has it occurred to you why my wife and ,i have been so pertinacious in trying to get you here to-night80 ,every one's countenance showed that he was struck by an interesting recollection4 8,a little circumstance connected with this room1 and a certain date that ,i fear ,i may have mentioned more than once or twice80 8,oh1 to be sure10 said the ,dean2 8haven't ,i said a dozen times to my wife1 #8,there's but one thing that ,clough plumes himself on--that the ,fathers' and ,mothers' ,club was born in his dining-room6'0 8,but why to-night more than any other night80 8,why1 to-night is the hundredth anniversary of that great event60 ,a good-humoured smile passed round4 8,yes1 gentlemen1 ,i know ,i'm house-proud1 and give you leave to laugh4 ,but would not you cherish an old-fashioned house in a by-street1 when it's the one thing that links you to history80 8,but1 my dear fellow1 why in the world should this ,club with the stuttering initials 7how ,i hate initials67 be glorified8 ,it does not get in my way1 as a head-master1 it's true2 but1 mind you1 a man can't play up to his ,busby in the face of it6 ,there was a man for his calling6 ,how he'd walk over your #8,f4 ,m4 ,c4's4' ,fumble6 aye1 that's the word4 ,knew #8,f4 ,m4 ,c4' reminded me of something40 8,i'm slow to see how our ,club links us with history1 certainly10 murmured ,dr4 ,brenton reflectively4 8,why1 in this way3 if the ,club did not initiate1 it certainly marked a stage in the progress of the great educational revolution in which we have been moving for the last hundred years4 ,wait for two or three centuries1 and you will find this revolution of ours written down as the #8,new ,education' just as some one gave the happy name of the #8,new ,learning' to the revival of letters in the ,dark ,ages40 8,sorry to disoblige you1 but ,i'm afraid none of us sees his way to more than a century of waiting1 though it be to verify the statements of his best friend4 ,but go on1 old fellow1 ,i'm with you6 ,make the #8revolution' plain sailing for us40 8,thanks1 ,hilyard2 your sanction emboldens me4 ,but which am ,i to #8go on' with1 the word or the thing80 8,a distinction with a difference4 ,if ,i say #8the thing1' off we go to the ,dark ,ages themselves2 and shall come out to find the ladies cloaked and hooded in the hall60 8,a thing endurable to us elder ,benedicts40 8,now1 ,doctor6 ,as if you weren't tied to ,mrs4 ,oldcastle's apron-string every minute you're not in school4 ,fanny and ,i follow you for encouragement when we feel our bond growing slack40 8,to order1 gentlemen1 to order6 or we shall get neither word nor thing4 ,we shall all want to put in an oar anent #8my wife and ,i4'0 8,brenton's right4 ,seer1 take up thy parable1 and go ahead60 8,who would contemn a behest of the ,church80 7with a bow which threatened a candle-shade1 deftly saved by ,hilyard47 8,i go ahead2 ,i'm not to talk about the thing1 but the name4 ,why ,i call this1 which has been working itself out in the last hundred years or more1 an educational revolution4 ,in the first place1 what was called #8,education' a century since and what we call ,education are essentially different things40 8,come1 come6 ,isn't that rather strong8 ,we go in for the classics and mathematics2 and so did the schools of a hundred1 or1 for the matter of that1 five hundred years ago4 ',tis true we have to work much more with modern languages1 natural science1 and other subjects of which we can give but a smattering1 to the confusion alike of boys and masters4 ,give me a classical education1 or1 in default1 a mathematical2 'tis training6 ,and1 for my part1 ,i vote for the pre-,revolutionists1 if that's what you choose to call them10--with a subdued snort1 which epitomised much that was not civil to the reform party4 8,how much clearing of the decks must take place for even a friendly discussion6 ,tell us1 gentlemen both1 what you mean by education80 8,mean by education1 ,doctor8 ,i should not have thought our united wisdoms need be called on to answer that6 ,a boy is educated when he knows what every gentleman should know1 and when he is trained to take his place in the world40 8,dr4 ,oldcastle's definition suits me as well as another4 ,putting aside the polite acquirements1 the question turns on the training--how much it includes1 and how it is to be given40 8,there you have it1 ,clough10 put in ,dr4 ,brenton2 8and my contention is1 that you owe the incalculable advance in character which has taken place in the period we are considering entirely to us doctors4 ,wasn't it we who found out for you that you were all blundering in the dark2 that you hadn't even set your feet on the scientific basis of education2 that all your doings were tentative8 ,about a hundred years ago1 men spent a third of a lifetime on mathematics4 ,cambridge made men ,senior ,wranglers in those days1 and perhaps the distinction was worth the work4 ,but the world said1 in that weighty way in which the world likes to talk3 #8,mathematics afford a mental discipline1 a fortifying of character1 which no other study gives4' ,now ,i'm not denying the worth of mathematics as a factor in education2 but look at your mathematician2 do you find him more to the fore1 more his own master1 than other men8 ,often enough he is irritable1 obstinate1 all the more wrongheaded the more he's in the right4 ,but now we 7observe the we--royalty itself couldn't make more of it7 find you fumbling about blindly1 snatching up now this tool1 now that1 natural science1 languages1 or what not1 in order to work upon material you knew nothing about1 was it mind1 or morals1 or what8 ,to effect issues you had not determined on--intellectual power8 ,force of character8 ,in the slough we found you--parent1 schoolmaster1 parson--all whose business is1 more or less1 the bringing up of the young2 and what have we done for you8 ,why1 we've discovered to you the nature of the material you have to work upon1 the laws according to which it must be wrought4 ,we have even put it into your hands as clay in the hands of a potter1 and we've shown you what is the one possible achievement before you2 that is1 the elevation of character4 ,education which fails to effect this1 effects nothing4 ,there1 that's what we've done4 ,every man to his trade1 say ,i2 and there's nothing like leather60 8,well1 but1 but1--all this is very fine talk2 but what demonstration can you give8 ,and where in the world have ,i been while all this was going on8 ,pshaw6 ,you delude yourselves1 my dear friends4 ,this airy talk makes flighty brains2 but do you suppose ,i've been a schoolmaster these forty years while all this has been going on1 and yet know nothing of it80 8,that comes of fumbling over our ,f4 ,m4 ,c41 instead of holding us up with both hands4 ,but1 honour bright1 ,dr4 ,oldcastle1 do you see in these days any change in the manner of boy that comes to your hands fresh from his home80 8,yes1 yes6 a thousand times1 yes60 8,if ,mr4 ,hilyard's courtesy had permitted me to answer for myself1 ,i1 also1 should have said #8yes4' ,i see a most remarkable change1 upon which society is to be congratulated4 ,but what would you have8 ,civilisation and education must of necessity produce results1 appreciable even within a single lifetime40 8,don't you think1 ,doctor1 you might have made a trilogy of it1 and promoted ,christianity80 interposed the ever suave and gentle tones of the ,dean4 8,i myself feel with ,dr4 ,brenton1 #8every man for his master1' and would fain lay every advance at the feet of mine40 8,i must beg the ,dean to look over a little assumed pugnacity4 ,that we all agree with him1 he may rest assured4 ,and for this reason4 ,every other avenue towards perfection leads you1 after weeks or months or years of delightful going1 to a blank wall4 ,you see nothing beyond2 all that remains is to retrace your steps1 and retrogression is always bitter4 ,you try through ,christ1 and find yourself in the way of endless progress cheered by perennial hope4 ,but the talk is growing serious4 ,we of the #8,new ,education' party take to ourselves the credit of the advances ,dr4 ,oldcastle perceives1 and as testimony from an alien is very valuable1 perhaps he would not mind telling us in detail what differences he perceives between the young boys of to-day and their kind of forty years ago80 8,let me consider a moment2 your question is not easy to answer in a breath4444 ,well1 in the first place1 they are more apt to learn3 ,i conceive that there has been an extraordinary advance in intelligence during the last half-century4 ,the work we would grind over for hours in my day1 these youngsters have at their finger-ends in half-an-hour1 and are on the alert for more4 ,i do believe they have a real appetite for knowledge--a weakness of which not more than one or two in a hundred was guilty when ,i was a boy40 8,will you let me1 as a parent1 give you our explanation of these facts8 ,for1 with deference to ,dr4 ,brenton1 who justly claims so much for his craft1 ,i think we parents deserve a pat1 too4 ,you may bring a horse to the well1 but you can't make him drink4 ,the advance1 ,i think1 is not in intelligence1 but in power of attention4 ,this1 the ,fathers' and ,mothers' ,club and its agencies recognise as the practical power of man2 that which makes all the difference between the able and successful man and the poor lag-last4 ,and yet it is not a faculty1 but is the power and habit of concentrating every faculty on the thing in hand4 ,now this habit of attention parents1 mothers especially1 are taught to encourage and cultivate in their children from early infancy4 ,what you regard with full attention1 if only for a minute1 you know1 and remember always4 ,think of the few scenes and conversations we all have so vividly fixed that we cannot possibly forget them4 ,why8 ,because at the moment our attention was powerfully excited4 ,you reap some benefit from this early training directly the boy goes to school4 ,the psychologists--not your craft1 this time1 ,doctor--tell us that enormous curiosity1 a ravenous appetite for knowledge1 is as natural to children as bread-and-milk hunger4 ,put the two together2 the boy has an eager desire to know--has the power of fixing his whole mind on the new thoughts set before him1 and it's as easy as ,a ,b ,c2 of course he learns with magical quickness4 ,the field has been ploughed by the parents1 and you have only to sow your seed40 8,h'm6 it sounds rational2 ,i must think it over4 ,anyway1 the results are pleasant enough4 ,four hours a day instead of six or seven--and much more work done1 mind you--is good for both masters and boys4 ,then1 most of them have resources and are on nobody's hands4 ,you'd be astonished to hear how much these fellows know1 and each has his speciality4 ,one little chap has butterflies1 for instance4 ,ah1 that reminds me6 ,don't tell1 or ,i might be invited to resign2 but ,i don't to this day know the difference between a moth and a butterfly4 ,it's the sort of thing one ought to know1 so ,i set up a classification of my own1 no doubt correct1 because it was mine6 ,well1 this befell me4 #8,what have you there8' ,i asked a little chap1 who had evidently netted a prize4 #8,a moth1 sir1 the ----1' scientific name1 pat4 #8,a moth1 boy6 ,that beautiful creature is no moth4 ,moths live in houses4' ,you should have seen the fellow suppress his grin6 ,i couldn't ask1 so don't know now2 but make a point of not meeting that little chap's eye4 ,a friend of mine1 a ,fellow of his ,college1 was worse4 #8,i say1 ,oldcastle1 the poets make a mighty pother about the song of the lark4 ,now1 do tell me--do you know it when you hear it8' ,but as for the boys that enter now1 there's not the natural object that they don't both recognise and know all about4 ,their collections are of scientific worth--at least1 so that fellow ,hilyard thinks1 so we are going in for a museum of local natural history60 8,why1 ,dr4 ,oldcastle1 you're like the man in the play1 who talked prose all his life1 and at last found it out6 ,you're our warmest friend1 though you decline the connection4 ,this1 again1 is the work of mothers following the lines of the #8,new ,education4' ,we make a great point of developing intelligent curiosity in the children about all that lives and grows within their ken4 ,for instance1 ,i should think most of #8our' mothers would feel disgraced if her child of six were not able to recognise any ordinary ,british tree from a twig with leaf-buds only4 ,it's ,nature's lore1 and the children take to it like ducks to the water4 ,the first seven or eight years of their lives are spent out of doors--in possible weather--learning this sort of thing1 instead of pottering over picture-books and ,a ,b ,c4 ,but do fill the witness-box a minute longer4 ,all this is delicious4 ,an outsider who speaks with authority is worth a score of partisans40 8,i bow my thanks1 ,clough1 for the handsome things you are good enough to say4 ,of course my impartial witness would be quite as valuable if it told on the other side4 ,why1 ,hilyard1 you're nowhere6 ',tis ,i am the man of the day4 ,but no2 he's the go-ahead fellow1 and ,i'm the drag2 yet a drag has its uses40 8,granted1 if you go down hill4 ,but out of thine own mouth art thou convicted1 most learned ,master6 ,what hast thou talked all this night but progress8 ,but one thing more3 tell us1 do you find these ,admirable ,crichtons of yours the least in the world priggish8 ,or are they namby-pamby youths1 who do as they're bid1 and haven't much taste for unlawful adventure80 8,taste for adventure6 ,why1 little fellows of nine come1 able to swim1 row1 ride1 do everything man or boy needs do1 and how are fellows of that sort to be kept out of adventures8 ,but they do as they're bid1 ,i grant you1 and the way they do it shows fifty times the spirit of the fellows who shirked4 ,mind1 ,i'm speaking of the boys who have been brought up at home1 not of those who have #8growed4' ,but don't run away with the notion that the best of them are perfect4 ,we must be at it all the time1 or the ground gained is gone from under our feet40 8,look1 look6 do look at ,brenton3 something will happen if he doesn't get an innings40 8,gentlemen1 you must1 you really must1 hear me on this matter6 ,you must let me show ,dr4 ,oldcastle the #8reason why' of what he observes40 8,hear1 hear6 ,let's have it1 ,doctor4 ,don't spare a word40 8,well1 to begin at the beginning 7no6 not with ,adam1 nor even with the ,dark ,ages72 some five-and-twenty or so1 years before ,clough's ,,event1 men of science began to grope for a clue to the understanding of this queer riddle of human nature4 ,that action 7including speech7 depends on thought1 and that action--repeated action--forms character1 had long ago been got at by inductive processes4 ,now1 these meddling scientific fellows were not content with1 ,it is1 because it is6 they must needs come poking round with their everlasting--#8,why8' ,this particular #8,why' proved a most hard nut to crack2 indeed1 it is only within living memory that their guesses at truth have become entirely demonstrable2 but1 as early as ,i said1 they had thus much ground under their feet--analogy and probability were altogether on their side1 and it was impossible to prove1 or even to show a fair case for1 the contrary view4 ,these scientists perceived that they were undermining the methods1 the aims1 the very idea of education as popularly held4 ,they indicated new lines1 suggested new principles4 ,but their discoveries were to be like that corn of wheat--first they must fall into the ground and die4 ,years passed before educationalists woke up to what had been done4 ,at last it dawned upon them that it was now possible to formulate a science of education2 to propose laws which should work out definite ends with mathematical certainty4 ,the days of casual bringing-up were numbered4 ,a basis1 and that a physical basis1 was found4 ,the principle which underlies the possibility of all education was discovered to them as it is to us to-day4 ,they were taught that the human frame1 brain as well as muscle1 grows to the uses it is earliest put to4 ,in a hundred years1 we have advanced no further in principle1 but we have applied the principle in many directions4 ,it is1 indeed1 hardly possible to get beyond the ground covered by this so simple sounding axiom3 that is1 it is hardly within our power to overstate the possibilities of education4 ,anything may be made of a child by those who first get him into their hands4 ,no doubt1 propagandism becomes the immediate duty of any who have perceived a saving principle for the race4 ,and efforts were made in many directions to bring before parents of all classes the notion that the formation of habits is among the chief aims of education4 ,our host's ,,event is one of these efforts1 and the ,parents' ,club spread like wildfire2 every one was ready for it1 because people were beginning to feel the wretched uncertainty of the casual method4 ,how is it1 they asked1 that1 bring up two boys in the same way1 and one turns out a villain1 the other1 a credit to his family8 ,now1 the #8,new ,education' deals entirely with individuals2 not with children1 but with the child2 the faulty habit is supplanted1 observe the word1 the desirable habit produced1 within a definite period1 say a month or so1 and then the parents' easy work is to keep the child upon the lines of habit thus produced40 8,now1 stop a minute1 ,doctor1 stop a minute6 ,i'm afraid ,i'm about to lose my easily won laurels4 ,you1 who are a classical scholar1 must know how familiar to the mind both of ,roman and ,greek was this doctrine of habit4 ,again1 a poet of our own1 an eighteenth-century man--wasn't he ,dryden8--expresses capitally the time-out-of-mind ,english feeling on this subject-- 8#8,children1 like tender osiers1 take the bow1 ,and1 as they first are fashion'd1 always grow2 ,for what we learn in youth1 to that alone ,in age we are by second nature prone4'0 8,most happy2 but don't you see1 ,dr4 ,oldcastle1 ,i began by admitting that people have always had a notion that they must bring up their children in good habits1 and suppress faulty ones4 ,but now1 they have something more than a notion2 they have scientific certainty4 ,and1 instead of dawdling through the whole period of childhood with spasmodic efforts to get a boy to tie his shoe-strings fast1 they take it in hand once and for all1 keep incessant watch for the week or two it will take to form the habit1 and then the thing is done with for a lifetime4 ,the new habit once formed1 the parent's part is no more than to watch against chance returns to the old ways until the habit is ingrained in the stuff of the child's character4 ,now1 don't you see that this is a very different thing from the desultory way in which a child was allowed to try off and on for a habit all his days1 and never got it80 8,i admit there's a difference2 it tallies1 too1 with what ,i notice in the young boys who enter with us4 ,you mean that their mothers have definitely set themselves for a month or two1 say1 to form a habit--now obedience1 now truthfulness1 now attention1 and so on--and that is why the boys come to me with character1 not mere disposition80 8,yes1 that's what ,i mean2 and it's on these lines we have been advancing for a whole century4 ,in another direction1 too1 education has been going forward2 but1 here1 we have only analogy to guide us1 not yet certainty4 ,it cannot be predicated as yet1 whether we are simple or complex beings1 whether in each of us is bound up one life or several4 ,it is not impossible1 for instance1 that1 just as our physical life is sustained because multitudinous organisms come to life1 feed1 grow1 multiply1 and die1 perpetually in our substance1 so1 perhaps what we may call our immaterial life is sustained by multitudinous lives such as our philosophy has never dreamed of4 ,an idea1 for instance1 what is it8 ,we don't know yet2 but this we know1 that every idea we get is quick within us as a living being1 that it feeds1 grows1 multiplies1 and then1 behold it is no more6 ,there are bodies natural and there are bodies spiritual4 ,perhaps this sort of thing is too immature to be pressed into service4 ,but of other parts of us1 to which names and ideas of something like personality are attached--conscience1 will1 our spiritual being--this it is quite safe to assert3 they thrive upon their appropriate meat and work1 they perish of inanition and idleness4 ,this1 too1 we take into our scheme of education1 and with great results40 ,the ,dean got up3-- 8,i1 for one1 must heartily thank ,dr4 ,brenton for his most suggestive lecture4 ,no1 don't look #8castigated' ,doctor2 'tis a lecture for weight and worth1 but of commendable brevity4 ,speaking for the #8cloth' ,i should like to say how much we owe to this educational revolution4 ,a century ago1 our ,church was supposed to show some signs of decadence2 to-day she is quick to her remotest extremities4 ,and why8 simply because she has gone with the times in following up the advances of the #8,new ,education4' ,she1 with the rest of you1 perceives that the world has ever one great thing to do--to bring up the young in advance of the generation before them2 that the sole valuable inheritance the present has to leave behind is--exalted national character4 ,wherefore1 she has laboured assiduously on the two lines ,dr4 ,brenton emphasises to-night--#8that ,habit is ten natures'2 and1 that the spiritual life must flourish or decay as it is duly fed and exercised1 or allowed to lie idle and unfed4 ,therefore1 is every clergyman instructed1 above all1 to minister to the young of his parish--of all classes4 ,the growing soul cannot thrive upon husks--therefore must the truth be divested of the husks of the past1 and clothed upon with the living thought of the present4 ,the young soul must be taught its work1 the spiritual exercises of prayer and praise1 the bodily exercise of service2 and as no man can teach what he does not know1 the minister to the young must be qualified and ever active in these4 ,seeing these and kindred truths1 our clergy are raising up about them a body of ardent young spirits to whom self-sacrifice is a law2 labour in spiritual uplands a necessity4 ,and for much of this progress1 ,i say1 we are indebted to the labours of the #8,new ,educationists1' whom we therefore gladly hold up with both hands40 8,this is very gratifying hearing2 we have all along been very sensible of the cordiality and helpfulness of the clergy1 who so commonly throw in their lot with us4 ,but that we should be doing them some service all the time--this is news indeed4 ,may ,i imitate the ,dean1 and say a word professionally4 ,we doctors have reaped where we sowed--and abundantly4 ,in the old days1 families had each #8their doctor1' who was called in now and then to do battle with disease which had already made headway4 ,but now1 people are beginning to see that low vitality1 poor physique1 and even organic disease--hereditary or other--are very commonly the results of faulty education1 or bringing up1 if that is the better way of putting it4 ,what is the consequence8 ,why1 the doctor is retained1 like husband or wife1 for sickness and health2 he is the medical adviser by the year1 or usually by the lifetime4 ,he thrives not on sickness1 but upon health4 ,drops in on his clients unawares1 finds one girl doubled up over a book1 another standing on one foot1 notes the hectic flush and bright eye of this child1 the tendency to drowsiness in that--the flabby arms and quick intelligence of the little town-bred family1 the stolid dulness of the farmer's boy--for rich and poor come in course to him4 ,he does not wait for disease to be set up1 but averts the tendency2 and though he has found no elixir of life1 nor means of averting death--this1 he may almost venture to promise his clients1 that so long as they live1 they shall live with eye not waxed dim1 nor natural force abated4 ,and all this because he knows that the body1 too1 must have its education1 its careful regulation1 and that bone and muscle and vital organs alike grow to the habits you set up in them40 ,mr4 ,hilyard had been using his pencil for the last few minutes1 and was evidently preparing to show on what lines the schools1 too1 had been advancing during this age of many revolutions1 when--8',tis eleven o'clock1 and the ladies60 brought the discussion to an end4 ,,note 7,to ,page #aaa1 ,translation47 ,hobbes followed1 to the letter1 the philosophy which derives ideas from sense impressions2 he did not fear the consequences1 and said boldly that the soul was as subservient to necessity as is society to despotism4 ,the cultivation of noble and pure aspirations is so firmly established in ,england1 by political and religious institutions1 that speculation moves round these mighty pillars without ever shaking them4 ,hobbes had few supporters in his country1 but ,locke's influence was everywhere felt4 ,he was moral and religious in character1 and he never admitted any of the dangerous arguments which naturally follow in the train of his theories2 the majority of his fellow-countrymen1 in accepting his theories1 were inconsistent enough to separate cause from effect1 whilst ,hume and the ,french philosophers1 admiring his system1 have applied it in a much more logical way4 ,locke's system of metaphysics had but one effect on the minds of ,englishmen2 it dulled their intuitive originality4 ,even when it parched the sources of philosophical thought1 it could not destroy the deeply rooted religious sentiment of the nation4 ,but this system of metaphysics1 which was received by all ,europe1 ,germany excepted1 has been one of the chief causes of the spread of immorality2 in the philosophy of the materialist men found the precepts which give sanction to every immoral practice4 ,printed by ,,ballantyne1 ,,hanson ,,co4 ,edinburgh and ,london ,transcriber's ,note3 ,this book was written in a period when many words had not become standardized in their spelling4 ,words may have multiple spelling variations or inconsistent hyphenation in the text4 ,these have been left unchanged unless indicated below4 ,dialect1 obsolete and alternative spellings were left unchanged4 ,words and phrases in italics are surrounded by underscores1 like this4 ,footnotes were renumbered sequentially and were moved to the end of the chapter4 ,obvious printing errors1 such as backwards1 upside down1 or partially printed letters and punctuation1 were corrected4 ,final stops missing at the end of sentences and abbreviations were added4 ,spaces were added between run together words4 ,accents were adjusted where needed4 ,the following were changed3 delighful to delightful1 line #bged benefical to beneficial1 line #cehb ,thackery to ,thackeray1 ,footnote #ab carollary to corollary1 line #deca precedure to procedure1 line #fbfg titilated to titillated1 line #geej ,de ,foe to ,defoe1 line #gefe hypocondriac to hypochondriac1 line #hadj incalulable to incalculable1 line #abbfb