The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1872-05-23
Children and the Books Suitable
For Them.

On this subject, Madame George Sands
says:
l would not have a child glibIy taught
the horrors Of life, the r'ickedness o.
beings, the secrets of the charnel house,
the bloodshed, the mortal hatreds, the
dream of hell, the anger Of God. as sim
pie things TO which he must become ne
custOmed as soon rs possible, that hi.
reason may be Injured to them or his faith
submit to them. We cannot shield him
from the sight of surrounding evil or from
| the fear of disaster. The rich can, M
to certain point, keep his family from
such things; the poor cannot. Teach him
then 10 hate the evil he sees. DO not
rear him in hurtful Indifference, in pre-
tended philosophical or religious stoicism,
which consists in saying: Things are so;
wisdom or faith must accept them.
| would it were possible TO let the child
grow up without knowing that evil exists
1t must not be thought of; evil is every
where. There are no calm lives; so much
the more reason for making him love the
good and the beautiful, and for cultiva-
ting in him the holy flower of hope.
1t is said that the taste for destruction
exists in the child; that is generally true;
especially in the mele. Combat this saw
age instinct; prevent it from degsnerating
into cruelty. If you would have him
truly Christian, do not speak to him
of the torments of hell; If YOU would
make him a man, awaken the love of his
fellOw-creatures within him. To this end
you must not tell him that be can only be
corrected by means Of severity; that all
the future is absolute nothingness or eter-
nal punishment He must not be turn
ed to stone, either by the fear which pro
dnces egOtism, or by the Indifference
which consecrates it. Tell him as late as
possible what murder,is is, and it, as it has
lately happened, in the midst Of the dis
asters ofwhole populations, it has been inn
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 provided
for this. The child easily forgets; help
him to do so. Do not in his presence
resume the narrative Of the catastrophes
he has seen, and if he has avoided seeing
them, do not relate them at all. /
am often told that i keep children's
souls too much in cotton wool. Does
not nature itself teach us this by I'M
parting to mothers the instinct to preserve
the most fragile creatures at the cost "a
the mlnutest precautions? j. not the
young bird brought up in the softest down
till its wings have grown? The wings Of
the soul will show themselves when the
time comes, and you have many other
precautions to take while directing its
first soarings. 4 4 x X ~
With the study Of language and Of some
art or handicraft there Will l@ quite
enough to do for two or three years, till
the age is reached at which a settled
morality will allow the history of the hu-
man race, the crimes, the follies and the
misfortunes Of which it is made up 70 be
learned, and give the power Of forming a
judgement both emotional and decided on
this terrible question of evil and Of
good.