Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-12-02
Read to the Children.

" d. SOOo SUI J-GClIC1, a DIl8ul
child delights in a good reader. This i'm
plies more in his estimation than perfect
elocution. His goou reader is sharp to
select those things in his book or paper
which a child delights to hear. He can
forgive very poor elocution SO the matter
is to his taste. A little boy was telling
me lately with much animation a curious
story he had heard the mother of a little
friend read u Of the daily paper. She
was obliged to spell all the long words !;
called a shark ga shurk," and stopped to
ask her learned husband if "a shurk
wasn't a small whale" But the boy did
not care for that. 1t was the fact that he
was interested in.
There is nothing for which children so
hunger as new ideas. Nothing that will
keep them so well out of mischief as
finding them something pleasant and
profitable to think about and talk about
among themselves. The world is all so
new to them that what seem very COM
mon place things to us will often be list
ened to with the keenest interest by chill
dren.
You may often prevent little "unpleas-
antnesses" in the family circle by giving
a new turn to the thoughts. A sensible
mother has often nipped in the bud small
disputes and disagreements by simply
telling or reading a little story, often as
far as possible from the subject of the dis
pute. Something that will teach them a
lesson is more priced than a mere jingle
or a tritling jest. Facts in art, science,
discovery, natural history and the like are
always delightful to an intelligent child
whose taste has not been sadly perverted.
And such readings, connected with intel
ligent, pleasant conversation over the sub
ject, will often give a turn for life to the
child's mind.
1t was Baron Cuvier's mother who made
him a great naturalist. The foundation
was laid in his earliest years, when her
loving lessons invested with interest every
little shell and insect which came urder
his observation. 1t was she who first
taught hin to read with delight the works
of Gesner and Button, to make copies Of
the different animals described, and super
intending his sketches. Little did she
imagine that the boy by her side would
one day be filing the chair of Button,
and receiving the highest honors a nation
could pay.
If children have not read too many
mixed Sabbath-school books they will
love little stories illustrating Christian
principles and Bible truths. But the taste
may be very early perverted. l heard a
little girl who devours story-books say of
one she had just read, that she "liked
those where the children were so wicked
a great deal better than she did those where
they were so awful good"
So, while the crystal is setting, see that
no ingredient falls in that shall mar it's
purity. Do not sit down selfshly by the
home fireside and enjoy your good things
alone, but pick out the best and share
with the chiidren.-S. s.. Times.
THE New STYLE OF SCHOOL, byProf. w. p.
Jones, Evanston, Ill, where common-school,
business and early college studies are taught
in the jmdiuGuol Dtethod instead of IN classes,
receives the approval of business men and
the best teachers. Next term opens Dec. 6.
~ ~
1t is privately given out by the
friends of Joaquin Miller, in order to pre-
vent misunderstanding and heartburn
ings, that the Zone Fair Woman" of
whom he writes in a recent volume is no
longer living. She died long ago., and
there is none like her now on the face of
the earth.