The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1882-04-07


Early tendance at School.
! fear many children are sent 10 school
merely 70 keep ti,rin out Of mischief;
land 70 accomplish this purpose they may
probably begin very early indeed But
nothing can be more unfair or more in
ljudicious than TO subject child to irk-
some confinement and premature study
| for the sake OF convenience. Or 10 supple
ment defective methods OF home train
ling. Il il clear also that no fixed age
can be adopted as the proper one for
sending All children 10 school. There
lare people who, with rash consistency,
light fires in their houses on the first OF
November, and put their overcoats by
ION the fifteenth Of April, though Vennor
|or some more reliable prophet should
foretell a glowing indian summer, or a
succession Of Arctic waves late into May.
$50, too, there are many parents who
seem 10 put their children to school
when the predetermined birthday comes,
without the least consideration OF the
mental and physical condition Of the sub
ljects of their experiment. The truth Il.
each child should begin chooI when he Il
|ft for sch0ol--that il when he is physical
lly strong 10 bear the confinement and the
mental effort. Few appreciate the strain
that even two or three hours attendance
|dailv. and the effort 10 master two or
three simple little lessons. exert on the
sensitive organization Of the young child.
Their brain and nerves are exquisitelv
delicate, and II Is period Of snch rapid
NJ <rtf u IN
taxed in supplying material for the for
nation Of perfect tissue. The thousand
Iobiects that daily attract the observation
|of the child, the new words and phrases,
the nursery rhymes and tales and games.
afford stimulus enough 10 quicken the
Of the mental faculties.
Abundant outdoor exercise. leisurely
lmeal-times, and long hours OF unbrokcn
sleep are absolutely necessary 10 promote
appetite, digestion and nutrition. Many
eases of nervousness. Of indigestion, Of
general weakness. even OF apparent back
wardness Of intellect. are due to insuf-
|ficient outdoor exercise and premature
study.
The people in the country are never al
fault IN too early attendance az school.
md il may be this accounts, in measure,
for the sound development and more
powerful intellects Of the country boys
and girls.
Children vary greatly AZ to the age At
which they can begin to bear restraint
on the freedom Of their movements. and
strain upon their attention and memory
Mill may have begun Greek at four, but
Hunter did not know his alphabet at
seven. Experience Of most teachers
confirms the idea that age Is great as
|sistant in learning. The child Of eight
will be ahead Of the child Of six, though
both began to read at the same time.
One thing is certain. that any study or
any attendance at school before the child
can bear II without effort Or fatigue n
mot only useless, but hurtful. and will
surely retard the education and lessen
the future vigor and capacity OF mind.
Books.
AZ an intimate friend has sometimes
been styled q second-self. sossour ia,orite|
books may be Justly called the mirror OF
our minds. II may be well 10 look al
ourselves IN this glass. tits to be feared
that some would have reason 10 BEL
ashamed Of their own reflected image
The vast accumulation Of trifIing publi-|
cations Of late years. makes II needfuI TO-
be especially on our guard against them,
The plain truth is we have no time for|
such reading; and we must DO bold
enough 70 say 50 and act accordingly
Young people are bcsieged with books
which they would blush 70 confess tol
have read. Parents allow children to-
have the very worst literature the press
affords, and thus lay the foundation for|
q reckless, unfruitfll life. The reading
that the world loudly applauds would
make Q respectable young lady or gentlc-
mun blush to confess, vet IN the private
bed rooms and trunks books which theI
world applauds are found hidden away
and when unsuspccting father and
mother are asleep their lovely daughter
Is filling her brain with poison calculated
to make her q bad woman or iisoracel
the whole family for life. Most persons. /
old or young, have very little
time 20 read. and such should be veryl
careful that little be well improved.I
Character and feeling, as well as purity
"a taste and heart, are moulded In theI
books that are read. Even the ncwspa-l
pers have much 10 do IN this rcspcct,|
and Il Il to be deplored that nearly two
thirds Of them have been turned into
nind-weakcning and soul-dcstroying
serials. Those who are tho constant
readers Of these serials are not the cul-|
Eurcd class or society. Tho book or pa-
per that can be read without thinkingI
will Be read without improvement.