The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-08-15

the coming OF the DlrdS uoeS noI vary
You can have leaves due May 10, in
perfection in April, but you cannot
have birds due among the leaves May
Is in April. One who is not a close
observer would never believe that the
bird season did not vary with the
foliage season. So in child life there
is foliage phase of his physical and
mental life that may be greatly ad-
vanced or retarded, but his matur-
ty of thought and character
does not differ so greatly as
we think. At about 7 and
fourteen are the great dividing lines
of child's maturity. Girls mature
somewhat Younger by the age OF
seven will be understood the latter
days of the year, and of fourteen the
earlier days. We shade the second
period at either end so that the three
great periods in the first twenty years
Of life are really seven, six, and seven
years in length.
These periods are respectively,
plastic, receptive and elastic.
They are also the home, school and
society ages, so far as responsibility
for their development is concerned.
The first seven years are in the full
est sense plastic. A child inhe1ts
much less than we think in some d.
rections and much more than we think
in other directions. He inherits I'M
nulses Int not habits. He inherits
Tenderness, but not prejudices. lie IN
herits tastes, but not temptations.
We are accustomed to say thought
lesslv that we were born democrats or
republicans, southerners or northern
ers, Baptists, Presbyterians, Unitarlans
or Romanists, all of which Is the
farthest removed from the truth.
Take 100 children at2 years OF age
from republican homes and exchange
them for the same number OF children
from democratic homes, and nine
tenths of those "born republicans"
would vote the democratic ticket and
nine-tenths of the "born democrats
would vote the republican ticket. The
same would be true of Baptists and
Romanists. On the other hand I'M
pulses born in home of vice will re-
main natural impulses though the
child be adopted into a home OF VII
vue when two days old. The impulses
may be suppressed, controlled abso
iutely, but they are there all the same
Until a child is 7 years of age 1T
needs to be carefully moulded. He i
plastic, physically, mentally, morally
He does not retain impressions, bu
YOU can do anything you please witt
him if you will hold him in position
until he is 7. Nothing could be NOR
mike perfection than club foot, an
vet, taken in the plastic years, tina
foot can be turned, Strengthened
i heightened, limbered and made like
I perfect foot. But it must be keT
e there by constant attention until tn
. nlastic period shades into the receptive
e Every physical deformity is capable
= being righted in the plastic years.
- Similarly every mental and mor'
4 deformity is susceptible of being righ
. ed. Impotence, quick temper, surl
e ness, timidity, coarseness, are capab
y of being every way rectified by prop,
~ and persistent attention in these ear
% wears. The inherited tendency WI
~ always be there, but it can be place
under such control that the inherl
+. ance will never be suspected.
1t The danger in these years is TIN
e. the child will be mentally and mora
N " set in wrong moulds. Superstition
70 are mostly acquired at that time. b
in fore child is ten years OF age he mi
in be trained in superstitions that !
a amount of intellectual training W
of remedy. / have known a brillial
to man. a leader of his class at HarvaT
ut a student for three years in Germs
)" universities, man whose whole pi
fessional life is away from superstltlo
re prejudices, who has number OF 9