Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-02-01
MopRaN

ton. Their dress was simpler and
their food palmer than those Of grown
up people /; their books were few, their
amusements slender, their acquire
ments limited, and their tastes, opin-
ions and inclinations held in complete
s~ubseryience to those Of their elders.
But a reaction has taken place, and,
in our zeal to improve upon u ances-
tors, we are in this, as in many other
things, in no little danger Of veering
overto the opposite extreme. The eX-
istence of children is no longer ig-
nored; they occupy a prominent posi-
ton not only in the family circle, but
in general society; their education
engages the best powers ofthe country;
their books constitute n large portion
of its literature; their am,lsements
are innumerable their dress occupies
the time and thoughts Of thousands;
and, altogether, they + at least no
longer in any danger Of being over
looked. Undoubtedly children are q
very important part Of the community,
and deserve far more thought and con-
sideration than was accorded to them
in the days of our grandfathers. No
one having any such guardianship can
be absolved from exercising all his
powers in studying out and carrying
forward the best plans for their steady
development, and in meeting the many
and Saried needs of their young ma
lures. But this will not be accom-
piished, as some seem to think, by n
dollhouse process, Of forcing the
fruit before its due season, Of de-
veloping the mental powers to the
exclusion of the physical, and of
training the young and tender mind
with subjects only fit for mature and
settled thought. This is II Of the
injurious extremes into which We have
fallen in modern times. Large num-
bers of the books written for children
are occupied with metaphysics on n
small scale deal with subjects far be-
You'd the power Of the child to grasp;
and depict characters rs unnatural in
their virtues as in their faults. 1t is
not the subjective, but the objective
world with which the child is and
ought to be the most concerned. The
outer world lies waitingto be unfolded
to their eager minds, and while this is
being done In simplicity. and in the
natural orler Of their ability to receive
it, their inner nature will develop
more truly, because more naturally,
than by any strained effort or foreign
process. Older heads may a
thought, and analyze motives, and
turn their eyes inward to inspect the
secret workings of the mind, but the
child's reflective powers are rs yet
only in the germ, while his perceptive
faculties arc full and keen, AMI craving
eagerly suitable aliment. The same
principle holds good in the religious
training of children. Instead Of crowd
ing the young mind with doctrines on
which the wise men differ, or exciting
the imagination with mysteries and
fears, let them be well grounded in
simple and practical duties Of truth,
honesty and charity; let love
and worship be inseparable, and
conscience ever held supreme.
One of the most common and injurious
errors of modern life is forcing upon
the little mes the fashions, follies and
extravagances that disgrace their
elders. We say forcing upon them,
for children of themselves care for
none of these things. Their happiness
is secured by good, wholesome food,
comfortable clothing suited to the
weather, in which they may romp
without fear Of injury, plenty of sleep
and abundance Of free exercise and
open air. But modern fashion gives
them rich, high-seasoned food, which
spoils their digestion ; dresses them in
close-fittinS, costly garments, which
must be protected by the sacrifice of
joyous freedom and i%nvigorating exer-
else. and even deprives them of sleep
by late, expensive and hurtfil "chil-
dren's parties" In an Eastern city a
fashion prevailed, 4 few winters ago,
Of "dolls' weddings" to which large
numbers of children were invited with
their dolls, and the usual bridal forms
and ceremonies preserved and so
completely did the follies Of fashion
pervade these mimic assemblies, that
the young misses felt it impossible to
attend if their dolls had to wear the
same dresses that had been used ut two
previous parties during the winter!
Il is indeed full time that we adopted
a more rational mode Of developing
these precious charges committed to
our care; neither forcing them into
unnatural precocity, nor making them
mimic slaves Of fashion and luxury,
but rather leading them gently into
paths where the whole nature, phys
ical, mental and moral, may be evenly
and tremendously developed according
to Natures unerring laws.
THE speech Of Hon. Henry L. Dawes,
of Massachusetts,, in Congress, the other
day. on the subject of e~xtravagant APP,
preparations and reckless expenditures,
is likely to do good to his party and
the country. The Republican party