Arizona weekly citizen., 1882-06-11
EDUCATIONAL COLUMN.
GEO. c. HALL, EDITOR.
Communications for this department sbonld he addressed to its Editor.

Communications for this department should be addressed to its Editor.
 One of the most difficult tasks de- volving upon those having in charge the training of the young IS to counteract the tendency to exaggeration and un- truthfulness. Psychologists tell us that moral nature is last to be developed, and that this should be true will not seem strange when we reflect that all moral ideas are abstract. Perception, as an intellectual faculty IS first in order of development. This faculty js at first brought into activity only by observing in the qualities of objects the tendency to give pleasant or unpleasant sensations. The mental action called conception does not make its appearance early in life as this faculty deals with abstrac- tions only. By it we are enabled to classify the objects of perception through their qualities, as being similar or dissimilar, and to take cognizance of those more abstract ideas of justice, truth, honesty, etc.
 Whether ideas of right and wrong are innate or not. We know that intelligent, moral convictions are seldom manifested m early childhood. How then shall the love of truth be cultivated? Perhaps, this query may be best answered by treating of the mistakes most common in the training of children, having a tendency to make them untruthful.
 The practice of making promises never to be fulfilled merely to induce children to be obedient; threatening acts Uf disobsdience with punishment and not putting the threats into execution wheD those acts are repeated. are cer- tainly very common faults, and very bad ones. Probably, the most prolific source of untruthfulness is the desire to escape dlsapprobation, or punishment for disobedience. This grows out of tine tendency on the part of parents and teachers to impose too many restrictions upon the young, torgetful of the fac, that most childish desires are prompted by nature and should be gratiied.
 It IS the duty of those having charge of children to protect them from those temptations which lead to untruihful- ness.
 Tattling is vice which invariably leads to the exaggeration of the misdo- ings of others, and to lying and islander. It IS better that those who offend should escape punishment than that children should be encouraged in the practice Of this vice. Whipping for untruthfulness has no tendency to correct the moral nature. In order that a child may be truthful, it must be brought in contact with truth; must be brought to love tn truth by causing its practice to innure to the child's happiness. To chastise a child for speaking that which IS false may fill it with fear but will not make il love the truth. The love of truth must be cultivated as We cultivate the love ol music Dr. J. G. Holland said that, "Ont of the rarest powers possessed by man + the power to state a fact. It seems | very simple thing to tell the truth, but, beyond all question, there IS nothing half so easy us lying. To comprehend d fact in its length, breadth, relations, and significance, and to state it Tn languag, that shall represent it with exact fdeli- ty, are the work of mind singularly gifted, finely balanced, and thorough! practiced in that special department oi effort