Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1894-01-20
TIT rs A MAGIC WORD.
WHAT INTERESTED" MEANS ~ Tt41
EDUCATION or A CHILD.

A story ef the Efforts 90 Improve .
an. Creature Taken frsm ''tas slams
ar... c,sv-seserAi Methods Thss
Vailed of Success
There was once y child, and because
he was born less fortunate than others
he was less good. And those people VINO
were better. because more fortunate,
said among themselves; ut rs very sad
that he should not be good. Let rs De
kind 10 him. What shall we do? And
thew said. Educate him" But what 10
education. 1T Is teaching him fscts'
We will teach him that two and two
make four. Then he will be Intelligent.
and when he is intelligent he viii De
good.
So they taught him that two and two
make four, but he did not become any
better nor did he seem much more In
telligent. Then they said, Perhaps II
is the bad air. for they were teaching
him in the same old haunts where ne
had lived, where the rooms were small
and sitting. so that his muscles were
cramped and there was scarcely any air
To breathe, and what he did breathe was
almost poisonous. And they said: 1--WE
will be kinder still. We will build him
q separate school house, in good local.
ty, with large rooms and plenty OF win
dows, and good air outside OF the win
dows.r
This they did and taught him again
that two and two make four. This time
he learned II more quickly. because the
air was better. but he did not become q
good boy, and. although he had little
more intelligence, Il seemed almost AZ
though he used his intelligence to In
crease his ingenuity in evil resources.
Then they said. I'VE win build Other
schools-moral schools, Sunday schuols
and tell him how beautiful it Is to dc
right and how terrible to do wrong.
But this did not have any perceptible ef-
feet upon him. Then they said. 1--WE
will brighten him; we will tell him that
God viii punish him IL he does wrong.
But he wasn't frightened. And then
they said, 1--WE will punish him our
selves: we will build Jail with bolts
and bars and shut him mp II he does
wrong"
THE SECRET DISCOVERED.
But still he did wrong. and was shut
| up, and when he came ont he only did
more wrong, because all the time he had
l..,, a., ,.,l ha kad laax. N verrv NJ he -,
been shut mp. and had been thinking
what he could do when he should gel
out to show that he was angry. And
then came some one who said, Let Inc
take him." and she took him into room
where there was piano and an Ameri
can flag and big heap OF damp clay
and she said to him. Would you like u
make rabbit" And his eyes sparkled,
and he said he would Then she took
some Of the damp clay and began
molding it in her fingers. and she let
him take some and watch how she
worked, and 80 they worked together,
and by and by his rabbit was almost a.
good as hers. Then each of them made
another rabbit. and she asked. How
many rabbits are there nowy And be
said instantly. -Four rabbits"
This time he had learned his lesson
very quickly, and his eyes sparkled a.
he gave the right answer Then she
told him he could not make any more
rabbits that day, but he might come
again the next day at the same hour
and they would make some more rab
bits and perhaps a bird. So he went
away; but he was so interested In the
| rabbit making that all the rest of the
day he was thinking about it, and pick
ing up little mud in the street and get
ting bit Of the dough for bread tina,
his mother was making, that he might
practice making rabbits and be ready
for the next day. And he was so busy
over this and so happy that he forgot ali
about q lie he had meant to tell and a
gingerbread cake he had meant to steal
THE MAGIC WORD.
This was what had happened to him
He had learned even more easily than
before that two and two make four. but
something else had happened TO him
he had forgotten to be bad. He had moi
been given any higher aspirations, any
wider knowledge Of good and evil. or
the results OF good and evil; he had sim.
ply forgotten about evil, because he had
been interested in something else.
interested-that is the magic word
The problem of the age is to make yir.
tue. knowledge. philanthrophy inter.
esting. We NIL know the witty advice
III yon would be wise and good and
happy, educate your grandmother. '
And IN this recognition of the immense
power Of heredity we are apt TO ac.
knowledge the discouraging factor OF
the impossibility We cannot educate
our grandmother, we say. but there are
grandmothers whom we can educate.
Let who will make the laws OF the ma.
ton. 80 only we can educate the chill.
dren.
And what Is education? Il ia teachino
people to know things, you will say. 81
u Is to some extent; but 10 n far greater
extent 1t Is teaching them to feel things
--as the little boy In the kindergarten
feels far more patriotic waving a little
American flag as he marches around ths
room to stirring strain from the piano
than he feels after he has simply learned
the fact from teacher or book thai ~
has country and ought to love n =
Harperss Weakly