The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1872-04-16
NUMBER 8
children and issa Books Suitable
fUP TGcm. R

f0F Them.
On this subject, Madame George
Sands says: ,
would not have child elibiy taught
the horrors Gf lie. the wickedness of
beings, the secrets Of the cllarnel. house,
The b!ood>hed, the moral hatreis, tie
dream Of he'll, the anger of God, as
simple things to which he mast become
accustomed as soon as possible, that his.
reason may be Injured to them or his
faith submit 10 them. We cannot shield
him from the sight of surrounding evil
or from the fear of disaster The rich
can, up tn q certain point. keep his FAM,
iy from such things; the, poor cannot.
Teach him then to hate The evil he sees.
Do not rear him in hurtful indifference,
in pretended philosophical or felio,
Fious steieism, which consists in say ing:
Things are 50; wisdom or faith must
accept them. ! would it were possible
to let the child growhp without know
ing that evil exists 1t must not lie
thought Of; evil is everywhere. There
are calm lives; so much the more reason
for making him love the good and the
beautiful, and for cnltivatiny in him the
holy flower of hope. ,
1t is said that the taste for destruc-
ton exists in The child; that is general
ly true; especially in the male Combat
this savage instinct; prevent it from de-
generating into cruelty. IF you, would
have him truly Christian, do not speak
to him of the torments Of bell !; if you
would make him man. awaken the love
of his fellow crea ures within him. To
this end you must not tell him that man
is worthless, that he is not perfactible;
and that he can only be corrected by
means Of severity; that all the future is.
absolute nothingness or eternal punish
ment. He must not be turned to stone,
either by the fear which produces ego
tism, or by the indifference which con-
socrates it. Tell him as late as possible
what murder is, and if, as it has lately.
happened, in the midst of the disasters
of whole populations, tt ires-heen i'm.
possible to withdraw him from fearful
sights, from heartrending separations.
take advantage of the first moment of
renewed calm to divert his mind from.
them and MAKE him forget them.
There is an age at which the soul
must forget or perish. Nature has pro.
vided for this. The child easily forgets;
help him to do So; Do not in his pres
ence resume the narrative of the catas-
trophies he has seen. land if he has avoid7
ed seeing them, do not relate them az ,
ALL l am often told that i keep chit.
dron's souls too much in cotton wool.
Does not nature itself teach US this by
imparting to mothers the instinct to pre-
serve the most fragile creature at the
cost of the minutest precautions Is
not the young bird brought up in the
softest down till its wings have grownf
The wings of the soul will show them.
selves when the time comes, and you
have many other precautions to take
while directing its first soarings.
With the study of language and of some
art or handicraft there will he quite
enough to do for two or three years, till
the age is reached at which settled
morality will allow the history of the
human race, the crimes, the follies and
the misfortunes of which it is made up
to be learned, and give the power of
forming judgment both emotional and
decided on this terrible question of evil
and of good. ,,