Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1838-08-15

they were before we said anything II
we have anything to say to children, the
simple and truly philosophic way, land
true philosophy is always simplex is to
say It, without preface, preamble or apol-
ogy. Or If a word or two is necessary,
the more brief the better; as, Look here,
Charles; or, am going to tell you some
thing; or, Now [ will tell you a story
All that IS wanted, at most, is to inform
them what we are going to do. If the
matter and manner Of our discourse will
not secure their interest," without endeay-
orIng 10 fix their attention by solemn
charges before we begin, we may be as
Sured we shall not gain it at all. Or if
gained by dint of mere authority, it will
DO oaIy half gained; the heart will no.
be in 1t. And what parent, Sanding. for
the time, in the place of the Deity 10 the
child, can endure, more than he, divided
hean2
2. We er: in calling those whom we
address. Title children. Mr.. Jacob Abbot
first reminded US of this fact. He said no
child was apt TO regard himself as little.
and hence when he was addressed as
such, the discourse did not produce the
whole effect intended. And SUBSEQUENT
observation and experiments have fulv
confirmed the truth of his remarks. We
have experimental on many young chill
dren; aud have uniformly found that tho
they were ready to admit they had once
been little, they thought they were not so
now. They had now, they thought, be-
come quite large.
The mistake would be one of no great
consequence, if it did not leave the child
to regard our discourse as adapted to those
who are younger than himself rather than
him. Little boys, we say, should hear
more and say less; now what is this but
license to i child who thinks he is now
quite large 10 say more? 1t is said that
children are not such acute reasoners as
this would seem to imply! Try it and
see. Rather try the contrary course, and
see how much, in due time, YOU will
gain by 1t. We repeat it, no child ever
realizes that he is nOao little, any more
than old men think themselves already
old-a circumstance, AS observation and
reflection will teach all aged persons,
sooner or later, is exceedingly seldom
We also wish to add that the evil of call
ing child little, is just about in proper
lion to the natural propriety of calling
him so. The younger the child, the
more desirable it is to avoid it; and the
older he is, the less harm it will do
John, the beloved apostle, calls those to
whom he writes, little children; but they
were at least. old enough TO bear 1t.
3. Another error in addressing chill
dren, is that We take them to knoto too
much. We speak now, however, Of the
knowledge of certain 1oords. We are
apt to suppose they understand definitions
far better than they usually do; and hence
they often misunderstood US, and wholly
misapprehend our meaning.
For example, parent will say to his
child. We'll, John, have been reading
to-day about the gymnotus or torpedo
What is a gymnotus? the son will per-
haps say o, says the father, it is an ami
NAL that when touched with the hand, or
even with stick, will make the arm feel
numb. Thus he proceeds to deecribe
some of the peculiarii>s OF the animal
as well as he can to the child and to do
it, for the most part, in great simplicity
and with great care. AQd yet for want
Of proper definition of the word animal
that sing lie word-lhe chiId'S i:DpreSs.
ion may be more or less wrong. He
may suppose it is an amphibous quadru,
ped, never dreaming that it is a fish or an
eel. Do you ask how this can happen?
The meaning which children attach tc
words, without great pains are taken with
them, is often exceedingly vague and
inadequate. Take the word tree. Now
how many children are there who know
whether a corn-slalk, a wheat-stak, a
grapevine, cabbage, or a stalk of as
paragus or clover or timothy, is or is no
a treel Take the word fruit. How many
know whether a squash, a pumpkin, ar
ear Of corn, chestnut, an ear Of wheat
IA grape, mustard seed, a turnip, an on
ion OF potato, is or is not fruit?
So Of thousand other words, and es
pecially the word animal. HaIfthe adults
Of our community do not know the exac
definition of this word We have beer
asked, again and again, by adult persons
if a fish was an animal; and within the
present year, lady of forty, who hn(
formerly been teacher, asked in GU
4 hearing, if a lobster was animal food: IL
view of these facts, is it to be wondered
at, that children fall into mistakes?
II The difficulty had its origin in the err
rors of those who ought to have beef
their teachers. They do not make 1t
: leading point TO correct ear y mistakes
especially inadequate ideas of words: 4
i tchild is early accustomed to a primer