The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1859-08-10

Of late, we are very cautioas about SEN
dorsing" anything written by the Profes-
sor, and we shall not endorse what fol-
lows, but would remark, that were we
writing on the same subject, we should
express the same ideas in the best Ian
guage we could commaud.-ED. jour.
| am satisfied, that, as we grow older,
we learn to look upon our bodies moro
and more as a temporary possession, and
less and less as identified with ourselves.
In early years, while the child 'feels its
life in every limb, it lives in the body and
for the body to very great extent. 1t
ought to be so. There have been many
very interesting children who have shown
q wonderful Indifference to the things Of
earth and an extraordinary development of
the spiritual nature. There is perfect lit
erature Of their biographies, all alike in
their essentials the same "dsinclination to
the usual amusements of childhood; the
same remarkable sensibility; the same do
cility ;the same conscientiousness; in short,
an almost uniform character, marked by
beautiful traits, which we look at with q
painful admiration. 1t will be found that
most Of these children are the subjects Of
some constitutional unftness for living,
the most frequent Of which l need not
mention. They are like the beautiful,
blushing, half-grown fruit that falls be-
fore its time because its core is gnawed
out. They have their meaning,-they
do not live in vain, they are wind
falls. | am convinced that many healthy
children are injured morally by being
forced to read too much about these little
meek sufferers and their spiritual exer-
cisos. Here is boy that loves to run,
swim, kick football, turn somersets, make
faces, white, fish, tear his clothes, coast,
skate, fire crackers, blow squash shooters"
cut his name on fences, read about Rob
inson Crusoe and Sinbad the Sailor, eat
the widest-angled slices of pie and untold
cakes and candies, crack nuts with his
back teeth and bite out the better part
of another boys apple with his front ones,
turn up coppers, "stick" knives" call
names, throw stones, knock off hats, set
mousctraps, chalk doorsteps, 'cut be-
hind" anything on wheels or runners,
whistle through his teeth, "holler" Fire.
on slight evidence, run after soldiers,
patronize an engine-company, Or, i'll his
own words, elbow for tub No. H." or
whatever it may be;-isn't that pretty
nice sort ola boy, though he has not got
anything the matter with him that takes
the taste of this world out! Now, when
YOU put into such hot-blooded, hard
listed, rouud-cheeked little rogue's hand
a sad-looking volume or pamphlet, with
the portrait of thin, whitehead child,
whose life is really as much training
for death rs the last month of Il con-
demned criminals existence, what does
he find in common between his own over
flowing and exulting sense of vitality and
the experiences CT the doomed offspring
of invalid parents? The time comes
when we have learned to understand the
music of sorrow, the beauty of resigned
suffering, the holy light that plays over
the pillow of those who die before their
time, in humble hope and trust. But it
is not until he has worked his way through
the period of honest hearty animal exist
ence, which every robust child should
make the most of,-not until he has learn
ed the use of his various faculties, which
is his first duty, that a boy of courage
aud animal vigor is in proper state to
read these fearful records of premature
decay. l have no doubt that disgust is
implanted in the minds of many healthy
children by early surfeits of pathological
piety. | do verify believe that He who
took children in His arms and blessed
them loved the healthiest aid most play
full Of them just as well as those who
were richest in the tuberculous virtues.-
| know what I am talking about, and
there are more parents in this country
who will be willing to listen to what |
say than there are fools to pick quarrel
with me. In the sensibility and the sane
tity which often accompany premature
decay see one of the most beautiful In
stances Of the principle of compensation
which marks the Divine beneyolence.--
But to get the spiritual hygiene Of robust
natures out of the exceptional regimen
of invalids is just simply what we PROBES
sors call ''5ad practice; and | know by
experience that there are worthy people
! who not only try II on then own children,