The herald., 1896-08-02


TE
kind"
by the way" added, when we had gone
back to the library and lit our cigars, 81
am not father and 1 have no experience
Of children. At the same time, If l let
things pass without comment, l may be
made an accessory after the fact or some
thing equally unpleasant. Do you allow
child of ten to get out Of bed and catch
her death of cold by wandering about the
house with only her night-gown on? Dc
you allow her to execute that wandering
bare-footed, when she may tread on tim
tack, get blood-poisoning, and die Of it!
Do you allow her to ruin her health by sit
ting up until long after eleven, or to shat
ter what seems at present a quite useful
digestion by unrestricted and excessive in
diligence in chocolates? Forgive these
questions-but still have some rudiments
of conscience
Philip laughed and told me I was an old
woman. The night was very warm and she
would not - and knew she would not
catch cold. The floor of the house
| was not - and she knew it was not
composed of inverted tin-tacks Also
Philip himself regarded it as foolish to stop
in bed when you could not sleep. He point
ed out that the excessive indulgence was
not proved and that it was who had put
the temptation in her way" But after all"
he said, 81 never allow or forbid. In Will
| mays case 1t is not necessary, and in the
case Of almost all children it Is nothing
like so necessary as is supposed"
What? You have theories of the educa-
ton of children as well as of horse-break-
ing.''
Il have pretty much the same theory In
both cases-the least possible interference
with the ordinary development of nature.
l have studied wild men and wild horses
have found in both something valuable
| that the common methods Of education and
| civilization kill"
From what I've read Of primitive peo-
pie, Should say that generally they we're
| chiefly remarkable for dirtness, ignorance
| and brutality
! We'll, if you yourself lived among the
Esquimaux, or if you were at the mines in
time of bad drought, you would not wash.
| The struggle for life brings out as much
brutality here as you'll find among the
| Apaches, but in different forms. But don't
misunderstood mel did not say no in
reference with nature at all. I said the
least possible. In the case Of the horse.
the least possible means quite good deal,
though less than is generally supposed. In
the case of the child in general, the least
possible interference means but little inter-
ference
But that question Of ignorance-chil-
dren are ignorant, and they don't want to
learn"
II answer you in your own words-there
are children and children. I'm not trying
to push my point to an extreme 1 have
no illusions about it. There are many
children-boys especially-who won't learn
anything If they can help it. But it's our
own fault because we begin by ordering
them about and saying: obey me and
learn this when if we could show them
that the particular knowledge was to their
pleasure and advantage, Nature herself
would urge them to acquire it."
II know you've broken horses Have you
educated children? or is this merely your
habit of theorizing?"
81 have more or less educated Wilmay.
She could ride long before she could read.
She did not begin to learn to read until two
years ago. 1 used to read Hans Andersen.
to her. One day it struck her that if she
hHeW uOW 10 READ, Sne would De able to
read Hans Andersen when l was not there
So she wanted to learn-and did learn with
unusual rapidity. Six months ago she de-
cided that she would learn to write"
''Do You do the actual teaching?"
mo. Wilmays woman, Mrs. Blayd
does that l don't teach-I only stop other
people from teaching until the right time
comes. There are no regular lesson hours
for Wilmay-she begins work when she
likes and stops when she likes"
I'm fact she does everything she likes
has never learned self-control, or methodi-
cal habits, or regard for the feeling of 9TH
ers, and has been absolutely spoiled by
father who sits up of nights inventing
theories to cover his own laziness, weak
ness, and eccentricity."
He laughed cheerfuly. "Wait and see,"
he said. Wilmay's not faultless, but be-
fore you have been here a month you will
own that my system is the right system
for her at any rate
| never did make this humiliating con-
fession to him. When some weeks later
he asked me for it, 1 contented myself with
saying that Wilmay was apparently child
who could not be spoiled even by father
with mass of mad theories.