Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-06-14
THE VERMONT PHGNIX BRATIEBORO FRIDAY IA. 1889
THE HOUSEHOLD.
HINTS FOR BUSY MoTHERS

Nothing in Christ's instructions TO the
disciples, when he sent them out on that
first itinerary, seems to me more suggestive
| than the command, "As We 20, preach. "
| So many Of us never reach the temple or
the synagogue, or even find time to sit
down upon the mountain side and gather
our congregation about u.s. All our preach
ing and teaching must he done las we go /"
the hands full Of burdens, the feet hasten
ing on needful errands, the flesh often wea-
ry, but the lips at liberty il the heart be
vigilant and the eyes watchfal 10 speak
words that may he as good seed ON respon-
| sive soil
81 often wish, says busy mother, that
| had time TO teach my children botany and
| physiology, and the things that were such
a delight to me when | was a teacher but
! it is entirely out Of the question. Ii is all
| can do TO feed and clothe them"
But can you not slip in some lessons "as
| you gon Children do not like regular les
sons-they hate them for the very regular.
| ity's sake but they are easily caught by
| the guile of object lessons built upon the
work or play in hand The busy mother is
pairing an apple for the child and she asks,
''What is the skin good for y and when the
child replies, as he probably will, that it is
not good for anything she can charm him
by reminding him of the days when the
| apple lived ON a tree, without any house to
protect it from the rain, and showing him
how the skin, with its smooth, vanished
surface, is like a rubber coat keeping out
rain and dew, so that the soft pulp could
ripen without decaying-a wonderful coat
that grew bigger every day and always ex-
actly fitted 1t may not be very impor-
tant lesson to teach, but it sets the child to
thinking about the purpose of the apple
skin, and starts him on the practice of try
ing to find out the reason of things.
Or she is fitting dress to a restless child,
and she begules the little victim and inter
ests all the others in this way: 1--WE must
not make sisters dress too tight, because
right under here are her lungs, that must
have room to fill up with air when she
breathes. They are like the sponge that
mamma washes you with, only the little
holes are full of air instead of water IL
you squeeze the wet sponge up tight in
your hand, what will the water do Yes,
it will squeeze out and if we press sis.
ter's lungs up i'll a tight dress, it will squeeze
the air out, and there will not be any chance
for fresh air to get in, and she cannot grow
and be strong
| have seen children of five and seven,
whose delicate mother did all her own
work, who could describe, in childish Ian
guage but with perfect correctness the cir
culation of the blood and its publication,
the story of the mouthful of bread from
its grinding in the mouth to its place as
bone or muscle in the House Beautiful the
growth of the oak from the feathery germ
in the heart of the acorn, the principle of
the steam engine, the mystery of the cloud
and the dew, and many such familiar phe-
nomena, upon which many adults look with
unseeing eyes. They had never been in
school the younger could not read at all,
and the elder but stumblingly they had
learned their lessons from their mothers
lips, never guessing they were anything
but delightful histories Yet the chief value
of their instruction was not in the positive
knowledge gained it was in the fact that
they had been taught to thnk-had been
made intelligent observers, inquirers into
the reason of things, and as a mere labor
saving investment the mothers teaching
! paid. Her children were never at loss
for amusement their Imagination and in
ventlon found endless resources where many
children could only helplessly ask "Oh,
what can do, mamma -
In morals the same course is open to the
busiest mother and the only training and
instruction which is of any great value
springs from the seed dropped las you CO.
daily, hourly, constantly, without wait
ing for the leisure, which may never come,
to thoroughly prepare the ground and go
forth with deliberate purpose to sow 1t
would seem rs if the Lord, in looking for
ward to the time when vineyards and olive
gardens should be multiplied, anticipated
also the increase of care and labor that
might interfere with the formal instruction
of the children. And so he says of the
law, These words which command thee
this day shall be in thine heart, and thou
shalt teach them diligently unto thy chill
dren, and ShdH tdH Of them when thou sit
test in thine house, and when thou walkest
by the way, and when thou Hest down and
when thou risest up Daily familiar con
versation, at table, in the parlor, by the
bedside, the last words at night and the
first iii the morning-our Fathers presence,
our Fathers wishes, our Fathers com.
mands, our Fathers help, associated with
the common detail of our daily life for
hourly aid and comfort and counsel-ths is
Christian nurture that is within the reach
OF the busiest mother, if indeed these
words shall he in thine heart "-Emiig II.
Hdter IN The Christian Union