Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-02-12

: make again Il reference TO SAVas
0 customs. and 1t will be found thi
: this child-idea of toys and ganl'
4 and dolls occupies prominent pl
) sition. In Africa, in Siberia, |
: America, the women have the
dolls, which they nurse and put t
sleep. These dolls are representa-
tires Of the infants that have died 0
beer destroyed, and in some case
: of those that have not yet bee
born. They are substitutes for tn
, originals, and doubtless are intendei
to bring to mind, to make present
/ the absent and the lost. They ar
helps to the Imagination, and ma.
be considered as having the sam,
object as the idols of some sects o
religionists. There is, then, a usefu
mental training effected even in th'
pastimes of childhood, and by it
very sports. If, however, the pur
pose of the doll is to strengthen tht
imaginative faculty, there must bt
some room left FOR its exercise. And
here asword may be said in opposi
| tion to the character of the dolls o
the present day. To speak plainly,
they are not only too costly and
elaborate, but they are to" nearly
and perfectly the counterpart of that
which they are intended to repre-
sent. They do not fulfill their Office,
and are for their purpose far inferior
to a broom-stick or a green glass
bottle, which can be transmitted
under the magic wand of fertile
Imagination successively into boat,
a horse and house.
But let these hintsand suggestions
suffice on this point. / have en-
deavored to indicate the complicate
character of the education of a hu-
man being, the many sources from
which radiate upon him streams of
influence, and a possible method for
obtaining fuller light in regard to
his early and secret history and
needs.
Among his numerous teachers, |
have mentioned Nature as a most
important one. Her gentle and
loving ministrations of instruction
she begins at a tender child-age, and
continues even to the period Of the
setting sun.
That the galleries of Nature are
very attractive, no one viii deny,
save he whose mind is most obtuse,
or whose spirit has been hardened
and exaeerbated by sharp contact
with the world. Yet even to such
the contemplation of these pictures,
hung up against the walls of the
universe, may produce saIutary re-
suits, enlarging the field of thought,
sOftening the feelings and ennobling
the sentiments by introducing ideas
of an aesthetic character, drawing off
the attention from subjective and
selfish considerations, and concen-
trating it upon the beautiful and
sublime without. The study of Ma
ture is to the mind what a cordial is
to the weak and fainting body; it is
what the grateful twilight is to the
dazed and bewildered eye; it is
like the spring in the desert, the
shadow of a great rock in a weary
land.
InView ofthese benign influences,
may it not be advantageous to sug-
gest that the presentation of Nature,
both in its phenomenal and scientific
aspects, should be mere largely util-
lied than at present seems to be the
case? BY this means, enany a slug
gish intellect may be quickened
into new life, and the acerbity Of
many a disappointed spirit molli-
fed; thus the opening eye of child
hood may be trained and educated,
and the enthusiasm of mature years
awakened in and by the contempla-
tion Of that system of which we
ourselves constitute no insignificant
part, and which we call Nature.
Especially let it be urged that the
child should be encouraged to look
up TO Nature as to kind teacher,
and to acquaint himself with facts
as they are presented in the world
around. Let the questions which
childhood is so prone to ask, and
and which have a right to be an
swered, be treated with respect and
accorded full and satisfactory re-
sponse; let Nature and the parent
be co-Workers in the education of
the young mind; Nature holding up
the diagram which the parent shall
demonstrate and thus a bond of
sympathy and communion be estab-
lished between the parent, the child
and Nature, which shall be sweet
and profitable; so that the evening
walk and the fireside conversation,
the springing vegetation and the
pebbly rivulet, the mountain and
the meadow, rain ana sunshine, star
and moon, may all afford opportu-
mites and themes of instruction,
thus realizing the fact of
'fseImons in stones, books in the running
brooks,
And God in ALL"
What is Nature, aud aohence oar
knopleolge OF fts Upon reviewing
our ordinary experiences, each of US
is conscious that he dwells in the
midst of a ceaselessly acting ma
chine, prodigy of power, upon
which he looks and ponders with
curiosity mingled with admiration
and reverence. He views for him
self the nightly procession of the
stars, as constellation after constel-
lation wheels into line, following,
each one, his prescribed and un-
changing course; the sun, which
every morning discovers himself TO
our gaze in the same quarter of The
heavens, and grandly advances to
his western couch the moon, as in
maiden modeSty, she conceals her