The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-01-21
-rharrafuiugof Of Children.


How Little Adme s1iapI fapW 9f9ur childrenl We
love them, take pleasure in their society, are
pretif Of ishsh, praise them blame and re-
buke them, but understand st them e we do not and
eadh6tt IT seems strange that we should forget
80 utterly. Yet, although we have all passed
through childhood, Ye remember scarcely any
thing of that which was inmost to US, and the
heart aud soul of this age are almost as dark
1inystsries as though they concerned the future
ssate: We CONS the duty of training chill
'tifsn slniost as unprepared for it'as the babes
themselves are to battle with the world they
nhage fist entered. DIR whole course is CON
diietsd,i I'M Ignorance or in the most imperfect
!; Ipwisdg dge, and Is soften marked BY blunders
that would ihe serious, were it not that they aye
oyerruled from on high.
Parents are fRoagRt,to be supposed to exag-
crate the gifts of their children; to think bet
itsiccoff them than lthsy deserve; 70 forecast .
csreen foh them greater than they can ,fdlfll
T6Sslopiniioa is amiistske: We believe that tbe
disposition ofthe ayersga parent is of Opposite
character, and that it leads, him to unaerrate
rather than overr4te the worth 1apd capacity Of
children. The world is full Of Poasting about
Supposed signs of precocity. There is no lack
0fadmiration; for traits which may strike the
fancy as distinguishing ones own from other's
aehiIdfen. Yet sucfh boasting and such admira-
ton ,may,exist alongside of an entire unce4-
ssousness OF the real powers and real premise
of the little one, and may consist with deroga-
ton and rdeprecia.ion rof them: The traits
which pfeaseHs aremost oftenSoHly eccentrici-
ties. They would be harmless if undeveloped
vet when cultivated are likely. to become de-
formities. We can hardly doubt that they are
TOO often nursed at the expense of the better
qualities, oflwhich welnever, perhaps, become
Aware, e,,tiN it is toolste to develop them.
Our powers of discernment are limited to the
sight of the agtNayd dsyolSR%eps% % Of the enla
cate ones thoughts to others is one of the last
andsmost difficult things to be learned. While
an infant isstrugglin with this art, he has an
experience, mental growth, which we cannotin
INV 'dsgree realize7 IS knowledge has been flow
inS % Els yconng mind constantly, from all di-
J1sssstions and. sources. He has observed, and
! t6oug6t and studied, and reasoned, apd passed
throIph q whole course of mental processes Of
which we afet0tally ignorant! 8 We never learn
what thew we're, or that they existed. After
sbEeeh comes, ii is still behind Thought for
fSaily wears, for It has to be learned, word and
= rorm at time, from without while thought
has been already ior long time fully under
way, and is going on constantly growing upon
itsSf. This IS Why childhood is such a myste-
~. to US, we can know it only 6y whal II tells
us. and it can never tell the half of itself. In
the same way, we may account for our forget
fulness Of our own feelings as children. They
occurred with lus before we had words with
which to give them shape; as we gained the
words, they were rubbed out, as IT were oy the
thoughts that came to be more definitely fixed,
and are. consequently now 70 rs as though they
hadInevslbesn! /, :: J.. ...o..n.
plea of the poor scholar in the school. He
never gets credit for the "know,", but only
demerit for the cant tell" and it is surprise
to those who call him stupid 70 find that ne
grows up intosa cspable. man after all. The
same sad plea is given in the nursery as the only
explanation for some act for which we think
punishment must be administered, when, if
full explanation were possible, very different
view Of the case might be taken: A vast
amount of pain might be saved ON both sides
if parents were fully able to understand their
children. or children fully able to express what
thew feel and think. Much Of it might be
saved as it is if parents would reflect how i'm.