The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-11-26

The fact is often overlooked. although It has
IN obvious bearing on the methods OF training.
that, at tho moment OF birth. mono Of the
ehild's senses is awakened. 1t enters world
of light and sound. but It cannot yet see nor
hear. II docs not feel in the degree that 1t
will feel at a later day. for single pricks OF h
needle often produce not the least expression
OF pain. In the first moment OF existence.
moreover. a child cannot properly smell or
taste. 1t Is the last. mentioned sense. that OF
taste. which il universally the first to be ac-
CURED. Only few DAYS elapse before newly
born children distinguish sour bitter.
salt. aid sweet. The taste OF sweet is
plainly preferred at tho very Begin
ming. A babes little countenance after the
wetting OF its tongue with concen-
trated solution OF sugar wears almost always
an expression OF satisfaction. Let the tongue
be touched. on the other hand. with q solution
Of 1uinine. warm aud not too much diluted. or
with common salt. or let 1t be smeared with
crystal OF tartaric acid, and movements OF re-
pulsion appear. accompanied with choking
end scream ing and with an expression OF eI-
treme displeasure on the face. That the gus
tatory nerve hbres work rightly at an earlier
date than the other organs OF sense Is m anifest-
" Of great advantage to the Young child as well
as to the newborn mammal. because thereby
and harmful is made possible at a very early
stage. For the same reason the surprisingly
rapid development OF tho sense OF smell
must likewise IN the newborn babe DO OF
benefit Directly after birth. indeed. and
often for several days. the child is
unable co distinguish with certainty between
substances OF agreeable and those OF disagree
able smell. Still. 1t is pronounced probably
possible for it by the sense Of smell alone. to
distinguish the milk OF the COW from the milk
OF the mothers breast as early as one day after
birth. At any rate. the normal child can smell
many things rightly when. at most. a few days
old. for its countenance changes in u marked
manner when ill-smelling substances are Of
fered to 1t. or when 1t is put to breast that Is
disaereeable. whereas it has an expression of
satisfaction whom smelling good milk aud a
clean skin.
The third OF tho lower senses. namely. the
eutaneous sense. Is developed much less
RAPIDLY. alth ough the nerves OF the skin are
very excitabe from the first The distinction
between cold and warmth and between differ
ent kinds OF contact 10 extremely imperfect in
the first days OF life. That the child cries In n
bath too cold for It does not show that the
water Is felt as cold. but merely as uncom-
Portable. Just as warm water produces very
early q most contented expression. The dis
crimination that comes later through the
sense OF TEN perature can be developed only
by practice through alienation OF the two
opposed Impressions which alone make COM
parison possible. How little ability the
child has at the beginning to distinguish
strong pressure from weak, grip or thrust
that hurts from a mild one. will be made plain
by touching the surface OF the body at all pos
sible places: for the child does not resist, does
not make the most ordinary defensive move
ments Of reflex character at the unpleasant
Impressions. nor does it smile at the pleasant
impressions. All the distinctions in tho prov
inoe OF the cutaneous sense are the result OF
very frequent repetitions OF changes in the
external impressions received during waking
hours. Bur. inasmuch as human being in
the first period OF its life Is asleep much more
than 1t is awake, the time that remains for
learning to distinguish impressions Is short.
and. accordingly. the period OF learning Is
long. This is particularly true OF the higher
senses, sight and hearing. on the development
of which most depends.