Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-06-27
e BABIES.
FACTS ABOA
How They Learn 10 Laugh, Talk, Walk
and Remember What They See.

How They Learn 10 Laugh, Talk, Walk
and Remember What They See.
The Academy of Anthropology was
entertsined yesterday afternoon at
Cooper Union by a paper on "The
Baby's Mind; Studies in Infant Psyche
logv," prepared and read by DIR. Eliza
beth Stow Brown, OF New York,
| saws the New York Times. DIR. Brown
| declared that the most poetic beauty of
human life is to be found in infancy,
and referred to painting, sculpture,
| music, and religion for evidence of the
claim.
She said also that the study of biology
had paid its tribute to babyhood. The
scientific papa had invaded the nursery
and found there the greatest wonder
evolution has to show. The lecture dis
cl"sedsextcnsive observation and close
study. This observation and study
Logan with birth and covered every
stage of babyhood from the first cry
uttered to the full use of language. DR..
Browns conclusion agreed with that of
other scientists in that the lower ami
mails disclose instructive movements
earlier than human beings. She then
took up all the movements of babyhood
and anhalyzed them. She said that the
inability of G baby to hold up it's head
was not due to the weakness of the
neck, but to the lack Of development Of
the will power. The act Of standing
was instructive and initiative, while
facial expression and GESTURE were due
almost~wholly to imitation.
A baby's smile, she said. was the most
misunderstood thing in infancy. A
real smile must have an IDEA behind it,
but the expression resembling q smile,
which is so often seer on a very young
baby's face, was without an idea and
was due tosthe easy condition of the
stomach or to some other physical salts
faction. The smile with an idea does
not appear earlier than the fouth week.
So, too, with the crying Of ababy. The
contortion of the features is due to
physical causes. The baby sheds no
tears, because the lachrymal glands are
not developed for several weeks after
birth. The chief pleasure Of all chill
dren is to change from one condition to
another by their own efforts. This is
the beginning of the development of
the will power, and is often httested in
what has been called the imperative
intention of tears" This is not dis
closed until after the second or third
month.
A baby tests everything bylits mouth,
its sense of taste being the surest and
most reliable guide it has. Touching
,,y 1p1,i1>,f;p0 1,D1,f;o~ ~ lohrlo,1 %lo
lecturer cited the case of q child of
eleven.months who took the greatest
delight in throwing downstairs every
thing he could get his hands on. His
mother tried in vain to break him of the
habit. until she finally whipped him.
The result was satisfactory, and the
otfense was never known to be
repeated.
The attention of all young children is
difficult to attract, and they must attain
considerable age before they begin to
notice. Then colors and sounds are
most potential. Fear has been known
to be manifested by a baby only three
weeks old, and in all cases the sensa-
ton is produced by sound more than
by sight. Children of luxurious and
carefully guarded homes are almost
wholly without fear, but the children
OF poor and exposed parents always
manifest it. jealousy and sympathy
begin to manifest themselves in the
second year. Curiosity also begins to
develop here, and proves to be a self
feeder throughout childhood. A little
later the ego begins to appear, and the
baby has the first consciousness of itself.
The ego first appears as a muscular
sense, and the infant gradually learns
to distinguish itself from surrounding
objects. 1t is first the hand that is
distinguished, and then the foot, and
finally the whole body. Memory does
not appear before the child is two years
of age. All the reasoning OF children is
primitive and elementary, and develops
slowly. Darwin noticed an association
of ideas in the mind of his child when it
was only five months Of age.
The lecturer related experiences of
babies with the first view of mirrors, and
showed that their actions under the new
conditions were similar to those of
a%nthropoid apes and dogs under like
conditions. Indeed, the lecturer found
occasion several times during the after
noon to emphasize the similarity of the
action OF babies to those Of lower ami
mails.