Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1869-02-20
WHOLE NUMBER 900.
Ihquisitive Children,

There is nothing which 10 s6rprIses,
and also, unfortunately puzzles goow,,
up people as the intelligence Of children,
VI IL matter OF wonder that wherf
there are so many clever youth there
are should be such number of sttpid
men and women. The promise of child
hood is but rarely kept in advanced life.
II human intelligence shouh make n
progress IN later years in proportion tU
II" earlier development, IL would reaclt
! degree oil Advancement far beyond tho
present average.
Ohe OF The main checks to intellectual
progress is the inability or Dissemination
OF grown-up people to answer the aues-
tions of the children. Nature has en-.
dowed the human being with an inuuir
ring spirit for the purpose of promotinp
the advancement Of knowledge. The
chIId gives proof, as soon as it has learn,
cd to speak, Of its human instinat for H.
10, i.,o!,rma'lon by its frequent questions
heSe should be answered and not quasi.
ca as They are generally, by forbidden
glance, and the rebukc, "Childrcp
should not he iuquisitivo." The efeey
OF thus habitually opposing this natural
curiosity is finally to extinguish it alto
gether aud thus put an end both TO the
desire and means of knowledge.
Parents and older people generally
have no other motive for checking what,
they term the inquisitivcness of children
than their own ignorance, though rather
than acknowledge this, they pretend
that their object is to inculcate a lesson
OF manners. The old Oxford Don was
more honest: az child comcth mp to-
one nowadays" he said, "and asks the
diameter of the moon. Now / donfC
know what is the diameter of the raeosd
and don't like TO be asked such ohes.
tioni. The old Don, however, if he
had been ms amiable as he waE honest
might have taken the trouble, to find
out the diameter of the moon, and convey
the information to his youthful inouir-
crs. There are good many Others be-
sides the Oxonian who, if they were hon.
est world confess TO an ignorance of the
dlametcTof tile moor. and acknowledge
that they had no better reason for their
complaint of cliidren's questions than
their inability 10 answer them.
IL is a matter, however. of treat i'm.
portance TO the proper education of
that their earIy ipauJsisiIeness
should not be rudcly checked. Most
parents, unfortunately, are too ignorant
to answer the questions Of tier little
ones but this, instead Of being a motive
for sitting inquiry, should be considered
as the best Of alb reasons for encouraging
It. There are Nowadays means access
able To most grown-up people, of easily
acquiring the information they may de.
sire, and j, is their duty to do 50, If
not for their own, for the sake of those
young people intrustcd TO their charge.
Every household should be supplied
with certain books of reference, such
as encyclopedias, dictionaries, and the
various summaries of science, literature
and art, SO that rs soon as a question
arises 1t may be solved by turning to
their pages. There is far less chance
Of losing the reverence of child by a
frank confession of ignorance than BY a
pretense of knowledge which the young
est will soon detect, while there is
certainty of securing his love and graf.
ltude by aiding him in the effort TO salts
y his instinct Tor knowledge. AS we
want intelligent men, let us 60 orr ut
most to satisfy and encourage the euri-
'sity of iuqnlsitive children.
HwpsrIs Bqzar.