The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-11-20
CURIOSITY IN CHILDREN.


thecuiosity OF chi dreh, are Continually
heardin every household. The little
ones are from day to day-in fact, from
hour to hour-a1monished that an
awful, understandable something called
prOpriety-in simplicity they suppose
it to be some terrible creature not OF
human form, probably a wild beast
wars against their exprt ssion of q very
natural and essential feeling Parents
have you ever considered what it is yOu
are thus expressing Has it ever 90
Cured to you that, il roofing out curl
osity from your children's minds, you
are plucking mp by the roots the tree
that is eventually TO bear the beautifuI
flowers and sweet fruits of knowledge g?
Your child's mind is in that elastic con
dition which makes it spring forward TO
of knowledge is empty, and those busy
little harvesters, the perceptions, are
running wild over the fields of his OBJ
| servstion in search of grain that may
be gathered in. He finds a new object
unlike any thing he has ever seen or
felt before. He can learn nothing of it
except from you, and with touching,
confding faith in you comes running up
important matter in mind yoa are
busy, and not to be bothered, and SO,
crest fallen, he goes away with wounded
| ambition, and perhaps whit less affec-
ton for you. One of the little harves-
tiers returns home empty-handed. One
sheaf has been lost to the granary.
Worse than all, your child has lost an
opportunity precious thing in the
80 -
a check which may operate to restrain
him from seizing future opportunities.
Think of it You may have forged the
first link in a chain of circumstances
that will make him failure in life.
This may appear to be an exaggerated
statement of the case. It may be con-
tended, for instance, that parents gen.
orally show reasonable disposition to
satisfy the curiosity of their children :;
that to the question, "What is this,
papa ?" an explanatory answer is, in the
great majority of cases, promptly and
cheerfully given; and that tits only when
the questions are multiplied to an IN
reas enable extent that impotence aud
refusal to answer follow. But this
raises the question, "Can there be a
limit to inquiry ?" and the answer is,
'~None 70 The desire to know as much
as can be known of anything is a per-
fectly rational and praiseworthy one.
In fact, it is a highly important one-I
had almost said the most importantone.
1t is the entering wedge that has split
the rocky wall of ignorance, and enabled
the axe of observation to hew open the
broad avenues of science into the very
heart of the mysteries of nature.
Rut this nnipatinr raSta on tha emma
sition that it is all sufficient to enswer
the first few questions, the remainder
being considered as relating to unim-
portant details. Now, the fact of the
case is Just the reverse. The rejected
portion of the questions are, as a rule,
the most important. To perceive this
fact, observe the nature of the ques-
tons the child invariably asks, and the
order in which he puts them. He be-
gins by asking of a thirg, "What is
it ?" Then, els it good to eat ?" If
not, els it poisoDous?" If it is, "What
does it taste like?" fit is fruit,
"Where" (that is, how "does it grow?'
If another bject, Chow is it made P"
and SO on indefinitely. Here we discern
a progression-rough and irregular at
intervals, it may be, but still a pro-
gression- from the more general to the
less general. If you answer the first
two or three, and throw out the bal
ance, you acquaint him with the gen
eral facts. Now, consider that through
out the domain of knowledge, be it of
literature, science, or art, the particu.
lar facts are the most important to be
known. In science, he who knows only
the most general facts is a mere tyro.
In truth, science is the organization of
particular facts, and we cannot acquire
a respectable knowledge of it without
engraving these upon our minds. And
SO it is with all other subjects, any
knowledge becomes profound in proper
ton as we extend Our acquisition of par
ticular facts, See, then, the great error
involved in your course you are giving
the child chaff while you throw away
the wheat. ..
But at this early stage the process
demands more consideration than
the product The knowledge gained by
this rough, unsystematic Questioning
may be small--at most, it is usually
vague and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., it is
unQuestiOnably of some value. The
process, however, is the earliest express
sion of the spirit of scientific investi-
CATION, which was once as feeble and
cratic in the race as it now is in Jour
child, but which, by gradual develop
ment in the slow lapse of centuries,
at len 9Th became strong enough to rear
the magnif cent, structure of exact
science. The curiosity which induces
these questions will develop or dwindle
according as circumstances favor the
one tendency or the other. Encouraged
and intelligently directed, it will de
velop into a systematic inquiry after
truth, ending perhaps in making its pos
SCISSOR a compeer of Newton or Kant.
But, under habitual repression, it de-
generates into mere impairment inquis-
itiveness, the qualification of an idle
tale bearer. The deSiderGtHn1 is to
make the child form habit of penetra-
ting to the root of all things.
But, it may be further commended,
there are some questions which it would
be manifestly improper to answer for
children for instance, such as bear
upon the relations of the sexes, and
kindred subjects. This is equivalent to
saving that knowledge promotes immor-
alitv. The business of education is to
acduaint the child with the facts of life
The facts of the class referred to con-
stitute the most vital part of knowledge
hat affecting the daily existence of
each and every individual. Ignorance
or misconception of these facts is pro-
ductive of the gravest consequence
consequences ipiuring mental or bodily
health, or both, as we'll as business pros
poets. 1t is a serious, a criminal blum
der to withhold such facts from a child,
or to give him wrong notions OF them.
1t will not do to say that the required
information will be gained, or the wrong
notions corrected, later, when he is
able to understand the subject. The
fact that he is prompted to question on
such subjects is abundant evidence
that his mind is in condition to grasp
appropriate ideas, and it is the only safe
Indication of the proper time to com
municate those ideas. It may seem a
trivial thing to some parents that a
child is made to believe grossly absurd
and untruthful statements at the awak-
ening of his perceptions, because he
will eventually discover the facts for
himself; but, to all who have observed
the firm hold which early impressions
take upon the mind, and the influence
they WELD over it, the danger of the
practice is apparent. 1t throws away
precious time, and neCessitates unlearn-