The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-03-11
yhe sllu Eagle aaeameslau goruo ytareh IT, 1895

mony was not admitted. because she
knew nothing of future rewards and
punishments. Still. as matter of fact.
the chances OF truth were greater in
the elder child, both on account of
greater development and also because
she was not hampered and terrified by
threats of dreadful tortures in the
world To come.
In these little people the effects of re-
ligious training are commonly distorted
and out of proportion, so that their ex-
pressed opinions strike us as humor-
Gus, naive, or witty. They generally
imagine the Deity as big man, more
or less dreadful and reyengeful.
Either they stand in abject fear of His
punishment or they trife with Him.
Both views are wrong if they child is TO
be helped thereby 10 tell the truth The
following two anecdotes have been
carefully selected as good examples of
the characteristic religious feeling OF
children: Gertrude. IL years old, was
asked whether she had said her pray
ers. NO" she replied, land l don't
mean TO. What's the good Of saying
the same thing over and over? Any
way. God has heard them so often that
he must know them by heart" Again:
Oliver. S years old, asked his mother
whether the Bible story that Jesus
walked on the water was true ''Of
course it is" she answered. 'Well, did
his mother send him to bed without
supper for getting his feet wet:" 1t
must be plainly understood that these
children intended nothing trivial or ir-
reverent. nor were they Influenced by
ay spirit save that of honest inquiry.
They were simply asking for ordinary
information in what seemed to them
an ordinary matter. They naturally
placed all things ON a common basis,
one of tentative and experimental
searching after true relations.
Another objection to receiving child
ren's evidence will in this connection
occur to one who knows them: it is the
well-known faculty of imitation. This
is one of the strongest traits in the
little ones makeup. And our children
are almost mOnkey-like in repeating
what they have seen and heard. |
have noticed in so definite thing as
the pain of sickness that l can often
make child vary his statement accord
ing to the example implied by my ques-
tions and expression. And the prin-
cipal of one of our public schools has
more than once told me that she could
obtain from the scholars, by indicating
what answer was expected, practically
any account of n matter that pleased
her. The curious part is that the
changed narratives will be actually
adopted and lived up 10 by the children
as their very own in the same way
that impressiOnable subjects carry out
the dictates of hypnotic suggestion. At
all ages this is seen, in those of q few
months as we'll as those approaching
youth. Thus l have more than a few
times been told by nurses about chill
dren wanting to take medicine, TO be
bandaged, and bathed as their elder
brothers and sisters were forced to do
in sickness. And l can recall a note
worthy case of imitation where a girl
of II stimulated with striking exact
ness all the symptoms of hip disease
from which her sister suffered.
1t can be easily understood how rad
ically child will be affected by the
unusual preparations for examination.
Keep in mind how sensitive he is in
responding to the influence of any at
mosphere in which he lives, how his
opinions and accounts will absolutely
be made by the wishes and beliefs of
the person who is nearest him or who
has the most influence with him, how
his own cOlorleSs mind will insensibly
and inevitably assume the hue that
such a person or the general sentiment
of the household will unconsciously
seek to give it; and if you give these
factors their right Importance, you will
straightway see how much like mir
ror the mind of the child-witness is,
how surely it will reflect the image
thrown upon it. Thus one who is IA
miliar with children ought generally
10 know beforehand what their testi-
mony is going to be. They are practic-
ally never instruments for clear truth
telling, unless the source of their i'm
pressions is absolutely truthful. And
then of course they are not testifying
as individuals nor on their own re-
sponsibility.