The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1858-02-10
NAL of Children.

Children are from the very origin of
life, mismanaged. Childhood needs
champion. Who viii grid on his armor
and battle valiantly and manfully for
their rights? Not for crumpits and GIN
ger-snaps, meat-pies and apple-dumplings;
not even for plum-puddings and beet,
but for their birth-right, growth, devel-
opment! Society needs Solomon-one
to detail the minute of training; for it
Is SO in its dotage that it can not con-
meet cause and CONSCIOUSNESS.
This subject should be kept before the.
eyes OF the people, should be sounded
! IN tiheir ears till their very souls are start
led-tho integrity of the race demands
it.
What is the first need of children {? An
imal growth, development. Are the
means necessary to secure this compatible
with the confirming of children six hours a
day-or even three consecutive hours
in a school-room? Let one of those that
constitute the ''powers that be-" sit still
for one hour, with the certainty in the
cave he rises from his seat, turns his head,
or obeys the irresistible impulse to make
fun, of receiving from some one he loves
or fears, q frown, o blow, a scolding, or
a tweaking of the ear; answer this ques-'
ton. Let him note his mental emotions
| and bodily sensations after the expert
| ment and then say if this is the way in
which a child should be trained; if by
this means he can be rightly trained, men
tally, phys;olog;cally, morally!
10 this unnatural confinement, which
outrages all the instincts of a healthy child,
superadd temperature, now of Sahara,
then Of Siberia, and instead of respirabe
air, give mixture of carbonic acid and
other gases rendered offensiue and -pru-
crescent by unwashed, INSTRUCTED, dis
eased bodies, then give the result; teach
err, parent, Psychologist, what is it, accor-
ding to the arithmetic of your senses
What can it be but MINUS, MINIS, minus,
c Continually, till the larger and better part
of vitality is Iost-health and intellectual
powerl In body and mind, the child is
dwarfet
You say that now is the only time tho
child will have for mental culture; and
that in this time he must rect i've as much
as possible. How do you know that it
is his sole chance? II you had hard
days work before you, with the certainty
of having only one meal for the day,
would you, at Tat meal, so gorge yorr
stomach as to render yourself uncomfor-
table the whole day, and paralize your
efforts? Fie! Give your Child now what
at this time, he needs-means Of health
and growth-abundant out-ofdoor exer-
else, lain food simply cooked, and good
examples; then trust his future to himself
aid G d, and you will have done your
DIT and secured your child's love! Cul-
tivate his affections; now is the time for
it; attach him to yourself and to your
home, and he will be blessing to you;
the glory of your gray hairs, an honor to
the world. Or would you prefer to sec
him startlc the world like rocket, to OK
plode as soon?
What, really, is gained by this taxing
the brains of children; this stimulating Of
their intellects, this forcing of mentalityg
Add it all together; the amount is ex-
pressed by cypher.
Parent! to your heart we appeal-rob
not your child Of his birth-right life H.
,'ustra'ed.