Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-08-25
VOL. NNII.---NO. 40.

( 10 pcd IN Inc dark is torture: and ii re
( fu!rcd 10 step ont OF doors, or into ~
uh"ccupicd part OF the house after
hiGhtiaii. they rash back again in ucr
YOU, haste. ireathcs, and Il trcmblc
a5 If The prince of darkness were in no,
pursuit o! them"
Now there is doubtless natural diff.
terence Ill children. Il, in their elders,
Il regards t!uidity; vet when such ey-
"c>>ivc fear ulnc,> is manifest in the
N"hn@. can bat think that reucr.
ally the parent or other compan,on of
The enid l. mainly in the fault. Often
great harm l. done by the nurse. do
hieSlic. or other associate, iloodinr the
Child mind with stories of hobrublins.
;;pltarlii"ns. witches and the like: or
ON IeadinE before it or allowing il to
fcau lrlgGtiu. tales OF robbery. mGrlcr.
and other record OF crime and horror,
unit food for the nature mind. and
much more so Tor the mind OF a sens;
tive, imaginative child. Children
prone to the weakness of cowardice
suffer indeScribabe horrors sometimes.
through Tie thou. ai!cssncSi or ia,Ii,-
cret;on OF those about them. A child
naturally ;imid and fearful, instead OF
having It's imagination stimulated by
the marvellous and terrible, should be
carefully shielded from all torturiuo
and exciting thoughts.
" hen the mother or other constant
companion of the children is of II brave
ami unicaring nature the children
themselves are seldom greatly inclined
tn Al t,,,t "a tl 4
otherwise one who bolts doors and
bars windows as soon as tie dusk has
iaIien-.iptues abou3 the house with
timid end cautious tread, giving fre.
q''ent and fearful glanccs at windows
and INTO coraers. subduing play 81,
rrattle With "hu>h |" cr 4 listen -
at the slightest noise without what
wonder if the eyes of her juveniles di.
late and their hearts 90 .'pii-a-pat''
with fear?
Know litt!e boy who from his baby
hood had been put to bed alone and in
the dark, and who never objects, never
has objected. lie puts his arms around
his mothers neck, his lips to her cheek,
uttcrs his accustomed loving good.
night then drops away to rest with
out single fear, or thought ever, OF
the dark. and why? Because he has
never seen any manifestation of fear OF
the dark in another. because ne has
never been taught that there is any diff
ference, so far as safety Is concerned,
between the day and the night.
Another child | know who. when
quite baby, manifested an unusual de-
gree of alarm during storms. Heavy
wind or rain would bring look of ter
ror into the dark, expanding eyes. while
4 clap of thunder or vivid flash of
lightning would send him shrieking to
hide his face in his mothers gown, or
to creep trembling into her arms. The
mother neither reasoned with him nor
chided him, rs when the manifestations
of fear commenced he was n more babe,
too young for reasoning and reproof,
but she would gently caress him, smile
reassuringly, and show him by her own
undisturbed serenity that there was
nothing to fear, and perhaps imparting
bv her own undsturbed serenity that
there was nothing to fear, and perhaps
imparting by contact some of her own
fearlessness and nerve. He is a grow
ing. rather sensitive and nervous school
boy, and though he watches the storms
still. sometimes with dilating, won
dering and admiring eye. it is never
with the old terror or alarm the moth
er's example of neverfailing tranquillI-
ty and trust had prevailed.
If, unfortunately. the mother does
not possess that fearlessness and firm
ness of nerve. the next best thin: for
herself and those about her is to simu.
late it as far as possible. struggling to
make the stimulation real, and tranquil
lily an habitnal guest, without which she
can neither ta ke the full enjoyment OF
life herself. nor do justice to the little
ones looking up to her rs a counselor
and guide. Cor. Country Gentleman.