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

How Little Aqwe know ofour childrenl We
love them, take pleasure in their society, are
proud Of them, praise them blame and re-
6uke them, but understand them we do not and
cannot. It seems strange that we should forget
30 utterly. Yet, although we have all passed
through childhood, We remember scarcely any
thing of that which was inmost to US, and the
> heart aBd soul of this age are almost So dark
mysteries as though they concerned the future
state: We come TO the duty of training chill
'dfen almost as unprepered for it'as the babes
themselves are TO battle with the world they
Have j9st' entered. DIR whole course is con
!; Ippmiedge, and is often fpaEked by blunders
oyerruled from on high.
Parents ate fHoaght,to be supposed to exag-
crate the gifts of their children; to think bet
I, Yof them than they, deserve; TO forecast q
: cspeen for them greater, than they can fulfill
;I6isiopGniop IS amistske:i We believe that tbe
q disposition ofthe ayersga parent is Of opposite
character, and that it leads him TO- underrate
rather than oyeEr4te the worth rapd capacity Of
children. The world is full Of Poasting about
Supposed signs of precocity. There is no lack
determination: for traits whish may strike the
fancy as distinguishing ones own from others
children. ret such boasting and such admira-
ton. .maylexist alongside of an entire unce1-
sGousness OF the real powers and real promise
of the little one, and may consist with deroga-
ton and ydspreciatiofs rof them. The traits
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, ofiHhich weinever, perhaps, become
Aware, till it is oolate to develop them.
Our powers of discernment are limited to the
sight of the outward development of the child.
This is imperfect and one-sided.. To communi-
cate ones thoug hts to others is one of the last
and most sdi ificutt things to be learned. While
an infant is struggling with this art, he has an
experience, amental growth, which we cannot in
any degree realize. knowledge has been flow
inS u Els yoafng mind constantly, from all di-
resstions and. sources. He has observed, and
Thought, and studied, and reasoned, ard passed
through whole course of mental processes Of
which we aretotally ignurant. We never learn
what they we're, or that they existed. After
sbsech comes, it is still behind Thought for
many wears, for it has to be learned, word and
= form at time, from without; while thought
has been already for long time fully under
way, and is going on constantly growing upon
ITSELF. This is why childhood is such my!ste-,
ry. to us, we can know it only by what it tells
us, ana IL can ueFSE Lt!i VIC uaii VA iISSh., lh
the same way, we may account for our forget
fuiness Of our own feelings as children, They
occurred with 'us before we had words with
which to give them shape; as we gained the
words, they were rubbed out, as It we're by the
tbonphts that came to be more definitely fixed,
and are, consequently now It9 Us as though they
had dsneveribeen. -. /,
laI know, but / cant tell;'' islths frequent
plea of the poor scholar in the school. He
never gets credit for the "know,"' but only
demerit for the "can't tell" and it is surprise
to those who call him stupid to find that he
grows up into.a cspable man after all. The
same plea is given in the nursery as the only
explanation for some act for which we think
punishment must be administered, when, if o
full explanation were possible, a 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.