The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-08-21
1. -, - -
THE 1'I;AiNxR6 or YOUTJf.
Ah Essay Read at tho Recent Meeting OF the
rs Fairfield Teachers Association.

SJlpIVi E)upcr WIS, iSaA wv tIlc litSt Ihect-
ing Of the Teachers Association, and
in accordance with the request Of that
body, send it for publication. copy
from tile original draught, resretting
that the multiplicity Of other duties
leaves mo 10 time for, a more thorough
revision. Is. II, CORLEY.
In the education Of children it is Of
primary importance for tho parent and
teacher to havo u clear conception Of
the successive stugcs Of oftlevelopme1it III
the growth Of the human mind. 1t
may, therefore, bc necessary for me to
first notice soine Of tl,eso stages Of
expansion, that we may DO better pre-
pared to sec the force Of what may bs
said afterwards We Of course com.
ncncc at the cradle, for there, as Is
universally conceded, wo find the dc.
velopmcnt Of the mind going on.
1. Tho first stage OF development is
the period Of observation. Tho first
object recognized is the faco Of its
mothor, which it learns to know aston.
ishingly early, then the painted toy,
the picture, tho book, the knife, tic
noisy rattle, claims its carncstgazc So
that before it has lcarneds to utter q
word, it may bo attracted from the
arms of its own mother by some gaudy
Etoy. This period Of observation, for
the sake of division, we will say con-
tinues until about three years Of age,
ut which time we find going on high
er' stage OF development. ~.
2. The second stage Of development
is that Of inquisitiycNcss. This Is the
period ofquhut? and aohy? and extends
from three to six years. OF agd. They
ask thousands Of questions, and from
thc answers given thoy rcccivd impress
sions and form opinions which arc
never entirely cifaced. Some of these
questions, it is true, q philosopher
could not answer. But we should
not check this inquisi sitiycness. 1t is
the craving of mind for knowledge,
and i'll answering these questions wc
arc moulding mind. Do not say to
tho little inquircrs s'Hush," or "Go
away" bnt answer them with all the
Judgment and wisdom you possess.
In this period of three years, mon and
women arc made, minds are moulded,
dcstinics arc shaped. We forget our
answers to their questions in q moment,
but not so with the clild. They think
Of them, and will perhaps call
;, them to mind tho next day or
the next week. This is cmpllatically
the period for expanding and moulding
the mind, md the answers given TO
their questions havda powerful infu-
cncc in each Of thcsl respects.
8. The third STACY is the period Of
Melnory-from six . fifteen years of
, age. Many Of us hue q most vivid
recollection of event which took place
within this period. The lessons we
: learned, the songs W sang, the books,
! we read, the visits " made, tho per-
5 SONS we saw, can ncyr be forgotten.
E 1. After tho period fmemory comes
that Of Reflection, in 'hich we digest
and appropriate whatlas been stored
up in the memory.
, I do not mean that le four faculties
Of the mind arc rcstriGd in their eX-
ercisc to the periods assigned them,
but l do mean that whin the periods
) assigned to them they,Xert the most
J powerful and pernlanCt influence.
| I now proceed to thQnain points to
f be considered.
The agencies cmployd in the cduca-
,, ton of children have ben divided into
the voluntary and the voluntary. Tho
! voluntary are all tho, agencies or
grades Of culture whit follow after
y tho common school. shall notice
only those that arc invantary. These
. arc two: ! The Famil The Com
mon School.
| /. Tho Family. Thc,aicnt is the
natural head, and sourcof authority.
Both the human and = divine law
| r,n1n ~ nv ol,slJ Sc
c creature Of the parents ill; therefore
t the moral, physical al intellectual
d development Of the childepends, in "
!, large measure, upon = will Of the
Z parent. The llof the aren't moulds
= tho child. The parent, thl, necessarily
j. occupies position Of fea aul response
II bility.
: The family is the mostmportant of
:, I'll the agencies for cduca>n, whether
- these agencies be vOlunt.f or invol-
y umtary. For it is the fpily, more
D than the common school That makes
d the man. This importantruth may
-. be established by the follomg consid-
;. erations: (a) The familMoulds tho
10 character, while the tcachtonly gives
Ct instruction and trains thcnind. (6)
,s The child is with the parelluring the
d period when the most pcrlncnt i'm
r. pressions are made. Manyf these arc
=, never eifaccd, and although erronc-
~ ods impression may be sscqucntly
1f corrected, yet tho intlucn Of that
S. impression in some othcrlircctions
may still live as mouldin9ower in
the mind. We are all in1luced moro
or less through life by imprtons re-
ccivcd between the ages Of rec and
81, six years. During this perl of in.
III quisitivcness the child is witth pa
III rent, and has not yet pass to tho
hand Of the teacher; and yehis inn
~ prcssions grow with his groh. Co
a 1t is in the family, and ntin the
Pt school-roonl, that tho child's .round-
K; ings and associations lead tolo tor-
a. nation Of habits. (d) In tlchild's
y mind thcrc is somo standard ,excol-
es lencc formcdJ whether il he yht or
III wrong. This standard is foed in
the family, not in the school-rta. (e)
es In the family tho principles o,ction
q =, arc formed. These generallyollow
III the child through life. O) Thd>ild's
nc great model during this periotS the
~ PARENTS example. There is aeri0d