Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-11-23
OUR CHILDREN'S RIGHTS.
A QUESTION OF GREATER IMPORT.
ANcE THAN STOCK RAISING.
Father Paxton's Story-A Point from Her
bert Spencer-The kindergarten system.
Parents Responsibility to Children-The
Biases of Children's Minds.


Biases of Children's Minds.
Old Father Paxton used to tell this story |
with great glee. 1t was in Egypt" and |
forty years ago. He was then busy estab- |
fishing Sunday schools in those sections OF |
Illinois and Missouri that were, from their |
peculiar stage of civilization, famed as
Egypt and the 'Pike Country" 1t was far
from common desire that schools of any
sort should be founded. OF one settlement
he had been forewarned to expect failure
The king bee of the town had sworn that
nothing of the kind would be tolerated. He
lived on knoll in the only whitewashed log
house in that section Paxton rode up, and,
seeing his rival sitting straddle of log in
front of his mansion eating peaches, he
straddled the log on the other side OF the
basket and Joined in How do, stranger.
lite in and welcomed" was, of course, the
southern style of greeting. A conversation
sprung up easily about weather, crops and
the kedntry in general. That's a fine lot OF
hogs over there" said Paxton. Fine, stran-
| geri You might say it; as fine as this kedn-
| try holds" "How many mout there bef"
''There mout be sixty there, stranger, and
nary one that isn't roaster."
COUNTING HIS PROGENY.
Just then little chap ran up and seized a
pouch. Il say" said Paxton, "be that chill
der yoursf' "Yes, stranger, it be" And
how many mout you be after havingP
| Glow many? How many childrenf Well,
stranger, there's where you be after having
me. but I'll count up and see." Calling his
woman to the door, he ordered her to count
| while be named them of Finding that diff
cult, he changed the plan and did the count
ing himself, while she did the names. 1t
turned out that there were sixteen. Now
was Paxton's chance. AN unnaterally fine
lot of 'em, too he said; but, stranger, 1t
seems to me there's something wrong about
it.n whats thatln cried the old boss.
why, when l axed you how many hogs you
had YOU told me right off sixty-three; but
when | axed YOU how many childer you
had. YOU couldn't tell without both of ye
| countin'. Pears to me you reckon more on
your hogs round here than you do on your
children Il swan to Jericho, stranger, ef
that amt a square hit; and l hold you must
| be the Sunday school man. Give US your
| ham Go ahead; open next Sunday, aud my
Sal and her sixteen will all be there suren
suppose if this story were told to be ap
Piled TO the average citizen of an average oil
, even cultured community it would be re
| sented Yet Herbert Spencer does not hesi
tate TO say: Without calling in question the
5 great importance Of horse training and pig
feeding, we would suggest that, as the rear
: ing of full grown men and women is also ol
some moment, the conclusions indicated by
; theory and indorsed by practice ought to b,
l I.-z-. s,, ka +iv-efN
; will hardly bear challenge that there is NJ
/ liv, thing about the hovels OF the land tina
!. secures so little directive culture as a child
= 1t comes up by kick and cuff and imitation.
BEGINNING OF EDUCATION.
+ The fact is the most important end of edu
5 ton is the beginning. 1t is when the min
firScbegius TO observe that most wise tesch
& ers are needed. | live in hopes that befor
S long a kindergarten system will cover tn
4 whole United States. Theoretically, tn
Is ehild should be taught at home; and whe
= parents are what they ought to be, the frs
II ten or twelve years should be rigidly HON
J. years: but where the parents are incapabl
a or unwise. the child should have somethin
/ better than home can give him. The stat
II should see that he is taught on the best po'
'e sible plan. At present he is simply turned i
with rabble gathered alike from the slum
d and from the cottages.
II Father Paxtons hint tHat "a little NOR
ST care is given your hogs than your children
y is applicable far more widely nan at fir
p seems. II a man owns hog he intends I
ii make the most of it. l believe it is true of G
;. least one half of the children born in tn
x country that the parent only thinks, not ho'
to make the most Of them, but how to max
most out Of them. Anything like an ide
IS of responsibility to children is not fel
Sc 1t does not dawn on the average parent ths
5, he is under obligation literally to brin
u his children up to their very best power.
d believe child has as good right to o
rs cupy himself in the line of natural tastes
other people have This will seem to man
he absurd or meaningless in two ways. In Il
er first place a very large proportion of paren
1e do not recognize the fact that children ha,
De any natural bias toward very specialized en-
e ployment. do not think they give the ma
d, ter any thought. They simply recognize Il
ed essential difference between girls and boy
IL but all boys are boys-and all girls are gir
u cut out Of common humps, with commC
ed illnesses. The idea that a boy, born on
ie farm should be mentally unfit TO do far
Ut work. does not enter the head of avera,
SO fathers Of course, if frail in body, he is CO
o' signed to the law or the ministry. But it
ell happens that an artist or mechanic or engine
lg is often born where least looked for. 1t
at sne Of the chief obligations of the parent
o featian to discover the stronger biases
children's minds, and encourage and q
~ them. ! set this down as one of the ch
Ut dren's rights that must and Wilt empt
he sis in our better civilization.-M Maurit
u NJ n in Globe Democrat