The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1858-08-27
Salient Points in Childhood.

me is its "imprcssibcncss." What a con-
trast is there in this respect between the
child and the man Take person of fifty
years of age, and strive to affect him, and
the task is very difficult one. lie is nc.
customed to the sound of solemn sermons
and the shock Of startling providences. His
heart IS high road, over which for years
thoughts Of every kind have been rapidly
cours'ng each other. Each ofthese thoughts,
like busy travellers, has contributed some
thing to the hardening process; until at
last the surface of the road has become So
worn, that although it is crossed by thou.
sand steps, an impression is not left by one.
The child's heart is yielding surface. 1t
beats promptly at the voice of persuasion or
Of warning; it is easily moved to sympathy,
easily wrought upon by fear. 1t resembles
young sapling, Which glows in tie sun.
shine, quivcrs in the breeze, bends before
the hurricane, Yields to the torrent Take
few instances of its plastic character.
Whata sensation Of won'cr is produced
upon child's mind by his first visit to the
great mct:op"is! Its mazy streets, It's
n.vcr-cud;ng list Of houses AMI churches
its museums and PALACES, its, busy SWARM
o! carriages and cattle, men, women and
children, mobiles and bcysars-thesc things
leave upon the youthful mind IN impression
OF hewi!dermcnt and almost Of awe. An
adult regards London as simply an assem-.
blaSe Of houses, and streets, and people.
The houses are of the same material rs the
houses of Hampshire or Essex. The streets
are similar i'll their construction TO the streets
OF uer,tord or Cambridge. In the m elro.
polls he secs III an assembled centre precise,
Iy what he secs i'll the co,lr,rv in scattered
clusters. lie looks upon the inhabitants of
the city as simply men anil women pos
scssing the same organs, and moved bv the
same impulses, as their provincial brethren.
though the habi,ual friction which results
from companionship. A cl,il does no;
analyzc; he looks upon the thing i'll its az.
gregate he sees i'll it something which is
different to anything else that he has seen:
and he moves on, like Aladdin in his fairy
palace, with feelings Of admiration and de-
light, amaZement and awe.
His whole earthly life is dotted over wn..
events which he never forget~. Ills father
teaches him one Of Watts hymns, or makes
him learn the i 9th Psalm. Those acnuisi.
tons abide, while similar ones made in man,
hood depart. His mother takes him one
day into her chamber and speaks to him Of
the evil of revenge; reprovcs him for strik.
ing his elder sister, or nicknamnc the ser
want. She knccls with him in PRAYER, an,l
asks pardon for his sins anu for her sins,
grace for his infrlnics and for her own.
The scene, the circumstances, tho effects.
are remembered, though years have gone
by, as vividly as if they occurred yesterday,
while Of the events Of yesterday, intrinsica-
ly, perhaps more important, it would really
be difficult to give Il connected account.
If childhood be thus impressible how i'm
portant it is that the impressions, produced
on 1t should be good ones, impressions on
the side of God and holiness, truth and up
r'ghtness. 1t is hard to uulcarn, and esp.ci-
ally TO unlearn evil.
lmitativeness is another characteristic of
childhood. Children do as their elders do.
My readers will remember the engraving SO
frequently exhibited in shop windows,
Now I'm grandpapa." 1t is just the pie
toria embodiment Of the impulses of every
child. TO be grandpapa, 10 grasp his staff,
to sit in lis easy chair. to con with wriuklcd
brow the paper lie delights 10 con, to speak
in his tones and to mimic his gait, is one Of
the earliest efforts and impulses of the child,
even of the little ch lid. whose f.ltcrinc steps
will scarcely bear him across tho room, and
whose lisping voice is scarcely able to artc-
ulate single sentence which is intelligibIc.
When he gets a little older, Lc goes to
school. How uncousciously he picks up
the tones and tastes which are there pre-.
valent! What a transcript Of his masters
handwriting is his own! How little aware
that master is that he isnultipying is himself
upon the world, ms he dismisses form his
school successive generations. A PARENTS
life is his chiId's copy. A teachers life is
his pupils copy. sovereign's life is to
certain extent, her subjects" copy. InAu-
ences 60 downward and upward; and
wherever years, or station, or power support
those downward going influences Of which
speak, they will become mighty agents in
the modification Of human character.
The principle of imitation may be e.turned
to good purpose. We may. present to our
children. what is imitable. We may guide
their infant steps to follow in the blessed
track, and we may lend them helping
hand as they make the effort.
Teachers Mag.