The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1859-10-03

Lc9Asla1AOn OF the N01eo3r xs#
See the young mother in ths nursery With
Al unfolding human character sennittsd %
her charge So her profoundly ignorant q
the phenomena with which she has ~ deal,
undertaking to do thai which can b done
but imperfsotly, even with the aid Of ths pso.
foundest knowledge. She knows nothing
about the nature OF the emotions, their or
der Of evolution, their functions, or whore
use ends, and abuse begins. She 10 under the
impr ession that some OF the feelings arc
wholly bad, which Is not true Of any one Of
them and that others are good, however far
they may b carried, which is also not true
Of any one Of them. And then, ignorant as
she 10 OF that with which shc has to deal, she
10 equally ignorant OF the ehscts that will be
produced on IL by this or that treatment
What can be more inevitable than the disss-
.rous results We see hourly arising? Lack
ing knowledge OF mental phenomenn, with
their causes and consequences, her Inference
10 frequently more mischovous than absolute
passivity would have been. This and that
kind Of action, which are quite normal and
Giminishes the ohild's happiness and profit,
css enlargement.
Deeds which she thinks it desirable to en-
courage, she gets performed by threats and
brides, or by exciting desire FOR applause
considering little what tho inward motive
may be, so long ~ the outward conduct CON-
forms; and thus oulsivating hypocrisy, and
fear, and sel6shness, in place OF good feel
ing. While insisting on truthfulness, she
constantly sets 40 example OF untruth, by
threatening penalties which she does not n-
fict. While inculcating self. control, she
hourly visits on her little ones angry scold-
ings for acts that de not call for them. She
has not the remotest idea that in the nursery,
40 in the ~orld, that alone is truly salutary
discipline which visits on all conduct, good
and bad, the natural consequences-t con-
| sequences pleasnrahie or painful, which in
the nature Of things such conduct tends to
bring. Being thus without rational guidance,
and quite incapable of guiding herself by
tracing the mental processes going on in her
children, her rule 10 impulsive, inconsistent,
mischevous often 10 the highest degree; and
would indeed DO generally rainous, we're il
not that the overwhelming tendency Of the
growing mind TO assume the moral type Of
the race, nsnally subordinatss oil minor inHu-
snces.-[ W Westminster Review.
! The Eye 81 the Eagle.
| The eyes of oil birds have peculiarly OF
structure which enables them to soc near OF
distant objects equally we'll and this won
dcrfal power is carried 70 the greatest per-
lection in the birds Of prey. When We re-
collect that an eagle will ascend more than 1
mile in perpendicular height, and from this,
enormous elevation will perceive its unsus.
| psctinE prey, and pounce on it with uperrine
certainty; and when We SEQ the same bird
/ .st hn1v r,nvc a. -
! 40 object close Ut hand, We shall ct once
porseive that he possesses the power Of 40
commodating his sight to distance, In 1
manner to which our eyes are unified, and
Of which they are totally incapable. IL VI
take printed page, We shall find that there
10 some particular distance, probably ter
idches, ct which We can read the words and
see the letters with perfect distipctness ba
il No move this page to forty inchss, Of
bring il within distance of Eve inches, vi
shall find it impossible to read it at oil; /
scientific man would therefore call ten inche,
the focus or focal distance Of our eyes. w.
cannot alter this focus except by the aid Of
glasses.
i But an eagle has the power Of altering th.
focus Of his eyes just ~ he rleases be ha.
only to look ct an object the distance OF twt
feet or two miles, in order TO see it will
equal distinctness. OF course ths eagl,
knows nothing OF the wonderful sontrivanc,
which God supplied for bic sccomno dstion
he employs it instinctively, and because b.
cannot help it. The ball of his eve 10 su
rounded BY fifteen little plates, called schsro
tic bones they form . complete ring, an,
their edges slightly overlap each other
When he looks At q distant object, this it'll
circle of bones expands, and the ball Of tn
eye being relieved Of the pressure, become
fatter and when be looks at very near oh
jsct, the little bones press together, and tn
ball OF the eye 10 thus squeezed into roud
er or more convex form. The effect 10 yer
familiar to every ody person with roun
eyes 10 near sighted, and only secs clearly u
object that is close to him: aud perso
with Fat eyes, ~ in old age, can see noshin
clearly except distance; the eagle, by th
mere will, oan make his eyes round or Ga
, and thus see with equal clearness at any dis
) tancc.
q Trees, Treesy
i, A great VARIETY OF Fruit and Orn1meutf