The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-11-25
Toys IS Teachers.

The primary use of toys to children is to
keep them occupied. A mother thinks
what her infant, even when only few
months old, requires to amuse him, and she
selects bright-colored bird, or rattle, or
something which it can feel, shake, and
look at. An elder child complains of hav-
ing nothing to do; and toy or game is
found, or book of pictures or little stor
les, with which he may amuse himself.
The great aim of all those who understand
the bringing up of children is to keep them
constantly engaged, and at the same time,
though encouraging them to play as long
as possible with one toy, yet to change and
vary their occupations and amusements as
soon as they show signs of mental fatigue
or WEAKNESS. This constant employment
is not only desirable for children, but is
essential for them; they must be doing
something, and, as has been we'll marked,
even mischief is but misapplied energy.
Toys are the natural instruments on which
this energy and activity should be expend-
ed. 1t is the province of the toy-dealer to
find objects for the exercise of their minds
and fingers, just as much as for the baker
to supply them with bread, or the shoe
maker with shoes.
Children are essentially active in every
sense, and toys cannot properly be called
toys at all if they are merely capable of
being looked at, and do no more than
amuse the eye for few moments. This
fact will often account for the peculiar way
in which children take fancies to their
toys. OF course the glitter of new thing
whatever it may be, lasts for some time;
but it will be remarked how they generally
return to some old plaything, long since
bereft of its beauty, because they can do
something with it. A broken doll, even
with no gs and arms, may be dressed and
handled as baby; horse without legs
may be dragged about the floor, and so on;
whereas new picture book is soon put
aside after the novelty of the illustrations
is forgotten; and very elaborate mechan-
cal toy, too delicate even to be handled, is
not cared for much after it has been exhib.
tied few times, and has ceased to be a
novelty.
While carefully avoiding the mistake of
making play lesson, some few toys, if
well selected, many impart vast amount
of instruction, and that without the child
having to undergo any undue mental strain.
1t would, of course, be undesirable to give
little boy five or six years old a direct
lesson on the principles of the bridge and
the use of the keystone. Give him, how
ever, a box of bricks capable of making a
bridge with the centring, and show him
how to put it together; he will puzzle over
it for days, try every sort of arrangement,
and unwittingly become gradually and
practically acquainted with some import
ant mechanical laws. Again, a little model
of steam-engine made to work by gas OF
spirit, which may be bought for few shil-
ling, is most attractive toy. Children
will watch it for hours. They see the
water poured in; they remark that it is
made to boil, and soon has to be replenish-
ed; they notice the action of the valves,
the piston, the crank, and all the parts
When they come to study the theoretical
laws of steam and machines, half the diff
Guilty of their first lessons vanishes Read
ing may be taught entirely by means of the
various games and toys with letters and
words which are in common use. These
toys depend for their interest and attrac-
ton on the way they are put before chill
dren. With one teacher, they are little
better than dry spelling book, whereas
with another, the finding out of the differ
ent letters and the placing them together
like puzzle may interest a child for hours,
during which the infant is learning to read
and spell in the best possible manner, and
in a way he is least likely to forget. The
first four rules of arithmetic, again, may be
taught almost entirely be means of cube
bricks, and great step made in the for
midable multiplication table, before the
child is wearied out with the monotonous
repetition of what too often seems to him
an endless and meaningless list of figures.
Writing is the only subject which perhaps
requires more direct lesson-work. Even
here, however, the printing letters used
to teach reading may be copied on slate,
their shape learned, and, what is of still
greater Importance, the power of holding
and guiding a pencil impaired, before the
copy book, pot-hook and hanger has made
writing an unpleasant and tedious task.