The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-10-27
Love IN Children.

What could be more beautifully said than
the following by Jean Paul?
Love in the child, as in the animal, exists
as an instinct and this central fire frequent
ly but not always, breaks through its outer
crust in the form Of compassion. a child is
often Indifferent, not merely to the sufferiDgs
of animals, and to those OF persons uncon-
nected with himself, (e cept when the cry OF
pain finds an echo in his own hearth but even
to those of relatives. Innocent children will
frequently find pleasure in standing on the
place where another is to be punished. A Sc
cond observation, founded on experience, Is,
that boys, when approaching near to manhood,
show the least affection, the most love of teas
ing, the greatest destructiveness, the most sell
isAness and cold-heartedness ; just as the cold
ness Of the night increases twoiold shortly be-
fore the rising of the sun.
But the sun comes, and warns the world;
the superabuodance of power becomes love;
the strong stem incloses AMI protects the plth
the teasing lad becomes the atfectlonate young
man. The other observation Of childish heart
lessness, recorded above, vauishes IN the very
opposite quality Of tenderness, so soon as the
visible pain of the culprit, by its increase
affects the child; every fresh wound makes a
fearful eye.
Consequently, there is not so much need to
ingraft the buds Of affection, as to remove the
moss and briers of selfshness which hide them
from the sun. Everybody would gladly show
affection, might he or dared he but do It..
Wherever pulse beats, heart reposes In the
background; # there be but some little In
pulse towards love, the whole essence OF love
! lies behind it.
But you plant the selfish weed. instead of
Graduating it, il, in the presence OF children,
you pass coutcmptuous, though just, Judgments
on your neighbors, or even your town. How
else can the child learn to love the world, than
by learning to love what daily around him
Add can we love what we dcspise? Or will
your sermons warm him into love Tor the Oh
jocts you have taught him to scorn? Since
every distinction of your children above their
ueighbors, whether it consists in position, be
havor, or even more brilliant instruction, re-
minds them of themselves at the expense OF
others, this distinction very soon and very ca
silly pass s into hatred. Never say to your chill.
dren that other children are ill brought up, l
have frequently seen whole families converted
by similar thoughtless and perverse actions,
into watchful and bIockading troops of hatred ;
whole houses built full of pouting-corners,
where every child, full of itself, regarded its
own demands as the weights, those Of others as
the goods TO be weighed, and expected universal
love and admiration. If a large town have
the injurious effect on childreu's hearts of com
polling them to assume the neutrality of great
people, because 50 many Of whom they are
ignorant, and to whom they are Indifferent,
constantly pass before them, much more must a
village harm them, if they hate and dcspise as
many people as they know, that is to say, eve
rybody.
| From the specimens here given our readers
will be able to judge for themselves of the
quality of this unique production.