, 1877-09-01

man or woman is but a child with in
crease Of development and greater ma
turity. What are children anyway /;
Nothing bat men and women in minm,
turc, The traits that children exhibit
o-doy, il not altered by careful training,
will exhibit themselves in u greater de
gree ut maturity. II unloycly now, they
viii he hateful in manhood. Prominent
traits now will be more prominent then.
Evil traits in childhood are like the
small bail started from the noun.
tain side---a little harmless thing to be
laughed at. We could almost stop it
with our breath. But we let it pass.
1t goes on, increasing in volume aud
velocity as it g0eS--always on the do,rR
grudc-tiI it becomes an avumnch, ire.
sistihle, involving Itself and everything
in its path in lnetryablc ruin as it
plunges into the darkcned canon be
low.
These little traits of evil, inherited
from US, oul weakness and propcnsites;
they need but Il breath--a kind word to
check them. II we smile at thcr Gun.
ningness, how soon are they beyond our
reach , How magical the increase
How irghtiul the velocity! Our voice
Of warning is lost in the roar OF the
whirIlng descent to the final plunge.
And what will he our consolation when
we reflect, that we are far from guilt.
less ?
Let MS look at the other parallel.
Lovely traits are like a tiny spark.
With rude puff OF our breath we can
eXtinguish it, leaving only u black spot,
Or, with the same gentle breath, we may
fan it to II glow impart warmth ahd
heat tend carefully till it becomes IA
steady flame, increasing in volume and
intensity; giving off bright sparks and
jets OF its own, Illuminating a whole
sphere of glorious life, bright as heav
eny planet in the immensity OF space.
What term shall we apply TO this
watching and training OF the budding
mind 2 This is education. BY our care
and unceasing vigilance we are perform.
lng the function OF teachers. As, "eter-
nal vigilance is the price OF liberty" so
is parental vigilance the price Of honored
man and womanhood.
We often misapply the term educa.
tion. We limit it trem the time when
the child is first placed in the school
room, till he finally quits it. Often that
period is so short, So interrupted and
broken, so mixed with labor, care and
toll as to effect the childs life but little.
To be of little use, even. No matter how
early commenced, long and regularly
continued, home influences are always
more potent than those of the school
room on the character and destiny OF
the adult. Parental influence is prenatal;
is visible to the world at birth and con-
tinues to be the chief governor Of con
duct, through youth and manhood till
death; it even does not cease then, but
is transmitted many generations.
The influence OF the employed teacher
is brought into requisition only one
fourth OF the time during the day, even
in ickly settled communities, while in
those sparcely populated, only one fourth
OF the time for very few months. We
admit it is of the highest importance
that great care should be exercised in
the choice of teachers; for, when asso-
ciated together in large numbers, chill
dren will learn quicker of each other,
especially from those little older than
themselves, than from an adult Yet, it
must not be forgotten, that teachers can
assume, no matter how able or willing,
but very little of the responsibility OF
forming the character and habits of the
young. Let no parent, it they find their
children inclined TO initiate the snow
bull, and start down life's incline, to-
wards the canon of moral death, instead
of UP to the sunhl SUBMITS, expect the
teachers hand alone can save. 1t re.
quircs the united efforts of both, con-
stantly applied, without relaxation OF
vigilance on the part OF either. And, if
these CO. operative influences do not
work smoothly together, but clash iu-
harmoniously, examine the machinery of
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