The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1870-11-23
HOME POLIrENEsS IN LITTLE
FOLKS.

"True wisdom, eorIy sought and gained,
In age will give the rest;
Oh. then improve tho morn oflife,
To make i's evening blest."
Parents, as soon as your little ones
begin to totter about, and speak, say
li>pinely, "ma" and "ps," that very
instant teach them courtesy, good man
nera, to use correct language, chaste,
delicate, refined, avoiding everything
vulgar, uncouth, clownish, indicate,
or uDgrammatioal."
Even baby lips can be taught refine.
ment, courtesy, politeness of manners,
things delicate, tasteful, beautiful,
heavenly-the little word- "pleasc" and
"thank you" when favors are conferred;
and far easier will they learn them
than older children
What is termed baby talk, when ad-
dressed to children old enough to un
derstand and initiate it, is detcstable
The parents must remember that when
the child can comprehend co one word its
education is begun. The mother, cs-
pecially, is called to efficiate as profess
sor OF languages in the domestic uni
ve-sity. But who, in teaching a
foreigner the English language, would
say to him that until lie becomes futh-
er advanced he must call horse a
"horsey," and dog "bowwow," and
that for the present h. ill address his
material parent as his mudder 2" This
seems sufficieetly ridiculous; but this
is not ALT would be unjust to the
learner; it would teach him pronnncia.
tions which he must unlcarn "a labori .
ously as he learned them. You would
thus, in fact, double his task. The
folly and injustice are the same when you
teach little child to speak distorted,
manflcd. bullcsquc language, of which
it becomes ashamed, when older, and
tries to unlcarn it.
Little folks should be taught correct
language as early as possible not slip
ofthe tongue should pass without cor
rection.
We advise all young people to acquire
in early life the habit of using good
language, both in speaking and in writ.
ing, and to abandon forever the use oil
slang words and phrases. else the unfor
tunate victim Of neglected education
is very probably doomed to talk slang
for life.
The first inrant;lc lisping should be
marked with critical precision. Every
thing vile, vulgar, clownish, impolite
uncouth, ungrammatical, immoral, al
slang phrases, should be seduouslJ )
avoided, and all things true, honest
just, pure, lovely, inculcatcd. All hab-
its, once formed, are formed .foyever!
Gill first tho bushel tn the wheat,
With wislom-food for souls to cat;
Then chnff, the fiction Of the dav,
Will find no plnco and blow away"
Parents, the habits formed now 10 tn,
hearts of your offspring will be life long
1t was principle with the old Jesuit,
that ii they might have the first seven
years of chili's life, they cared no,
who had the after training.
In teaching your children these li,tl,
sweet countcsies Of life, yon must repca
over and over tho same lessons for the
first few years. 1t requires line upor
line, .nDd be not discouraged, even aite
seventy times repetition. The rcwart
will come at length, and you rcjoice t'
SEQ the little child you have taught 81
laboriously acting voluntarily on princi
Piles you have instillcd, requiring II,
prompting or correction, for courtes,
has become habit.
| In no place is the distinction betwcel
the refined aud tho ill-brcd NOR,
marked than at the table. If your chill.
drcn arc not carly taught politcnes
here, you must prepare yourselves all,
them for thousand notifications il
future life, and must look to see then
regarded as annoying and disagrecabI
by those whose good will you may mos
desire to secure "A child left to him
self bringeth his mother to shame"
| However humble your position in life
though yonr family gather about
table o! pine instead of mahogany, you
childron may and should be taught tn
same lesson Of respectful behavior.
is duty which God rconires Of vou