The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1894-06-20
THE CHILD MIND.
BY Professor A. W. Farnham, Prin-
cipal Normal School, Orange
Park, Florida.

Park, Florida.
was asked to write a paper to
read before this Association, and,
considering the invitation an honor,
| accepted it. | have been given
THE Child Mind" for theme. And
as ] begin to write, | wonder what
can say that you do not already
know. For are you not body OF
teachers, and have you not given a
portion of your lives, some Of you a
good portion, to the study Of the
child mind, that you might know
! the best means to employ for its de-
velopment2
You will not accept the statement
that the childs mind is like blank
sheet of paper which receives i'm
pressions from his contact with OBJ
jncts. You regard his mind as an
embryo. Here is a kernel of corn.
] examine il. | describe il in bo-
tanical language, aud say, at has an
integument, albumen, aud an EN-
bryo." | understand what the in.
tegument is. II is a hard, tough,
close covering that protects all that
is within il. know what the albu-
men is. 1t is nourishing matter
stored up between the integument
and the embryo. do not know
what the embryo is. 1t is defined
as the first rudiments of an organ
lied being" In this kernel Of corn
II has a plumule and a radicle. But
plumule and radicle would never de.
velop, First the blade, then the ear,
after that the full corn in the ear"
Within the embryo is a force indie
Unable, unknowablc, that multi
plies cells. increases fiber, and ex.
pands tissue until there il seed for
the sower, and bread for the eater
And yet this force, vital force you
call IL, would never work these
changes without the agents Of soil,
moisture, warmth and light.
Is there no analogy between the
seed and the undeveloped mindi
We know that all the possibilities Of
the plant, with its organs Of beauty
aud Of use, are locked up within the
seed. Gully the right conditions are
necessary to unlock the seed aud
produce the plant. What the seed
|. to the developed plspt, so the
child mind Is to the developed mind
rejecting the image Of the Deity.
In the work Of mind culture, il is
the teachers business to bring the
mind Into touch with the agents
that will generate ideas. In discuss
lug he embryo mind | must not be
confined to the close definition which
limits the mind to the intellect,
which is tho power Of the soul to
know. You will allow me the loose
definition which permits the inter
change Of terms mind and soul; for
what ! say IN this limited paper will
refer To he child himself-his power
to feel and to will, a. well rs his
power To know: II will also refer to
hi, physical organization and .nyi.
tonment, because on these depend
la, development.
The soul IL n unit. hence. We can.
not speak Of Tia. intellect a. q s.pa.
rate iacul,y or capacity. II Is tn.
activity Of the soul, not Of q part III
II, that furnishes the material for
this ESSAY; tho activity called know
ing II Is the activity Of the soul,
not Of u part Of il, that selects aud
arranges this materials; the activity
called willing. II is the activity OF
the soul, not Of part OF il, that
brings mo into sympathy with the
subject Of this essay; the activity %!
feeling. Tho human soul il defined
rs a unity IN essence with q trinity
81 activities; aud we learn from our
own experiences that one activity
passes gradually into anot her
Therefore II would be- difficult "a
d scuss the cultivation Of the mind
as he knowing power Of the soul
independent OF the feeling aud will
ing powers.
The parent, who is the child's first
teacher, must give attention To III,
cultivation aud development Of the
"hilds body even before attention !,
given To his mind and after the cul
tivalion 81 the mind begins, the reli
gi"us watch care Of body must no,
abate one title. On the cont rary. !,
mast extend parallel with the watch
care over the mind. Ages ago thii
thought gave rise To the aphorism
~ sound mind ia a sound body.
The child must early learn that tn,
laws of his body ara no less divine
than are the laws OF his soul; anC
the breaking Of the laws OF his sou
are no moro sin than il the break
ing Of the laws Of his body. Til,
childs inclination to freedom from
conventionalties, his desire for sun
Light aud out door sports, his passion
Tor play IN water and soil, his pre-
ference for fruit diet, his love 70
the beautiful in color and form, hi
affection for animals that are or ma,
he domesticated, are all activities o
the soul in sympathy with Nature
These activities should not be sup
pressed, nor turned from one anothe
IN widely divsrging lines Lot tn,
child remain under the tuition o
Nature, while you, his teacher, ac
rs Natures interpreter, Froebel
whose invitation, "Come, let US liv,
for our children" has become III,
watch word Of kindergartn ers, haC
d revelation, aud was inspired I,
write what was borne in on him. II,
stood like one on sunlight height
? whose shadows developed his fellow
On the plains below. Frocbel's re
: violation has been matrrialiZed in tn
kindergarten, the paradise Of child
L.. "a III. .