The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-02-16

tion for the opportunities OF the new age,
IA will he the massiug and unitication oil
reform forces that have dwelt on for
the past weeks.
The On, stion to answer TO yours II at
the OFFSET is what is the child mind?"
Some things it Ia certainly NOT, and by
disposing OF the negatives, the POSITIVE
purpose Of education becomes cearer.
Ii, the child mind, il not alone she I OF
paper TO be written on at will, nor a
gaping cistern 60 be filled to REPETITION,
nor a plastic substance 10 be nodded
just as you choose, nor an animal TO be
taught to act without r, Fiction, nor Il
mere machine To he set going and kept
going for the purpose OF earning living
until death puts an end toned. Insome
ways it partakes OF the nature Of all OF
these figures Of speech. But more than
all, il is like an uncultivated territory To
which man, the saviour, comes. Abso-
lutely beyond hi control is the original
outline OF that land" It's rivers, its hills
and its valleys were there before ever il
came into Ills possession. If the owner
has wisdom, however, hecarefully studi =
every portion and decides on the tire A.
ment ne, ded TO get the greatest possible |
good from the land at his disposal. He
drains the lowlands and makes them pro-
duce. He removes the great bouldersleft |
by glaciers Of former ages. He diverts a
stream and makes even dry. poorsOil sur
render things that are good. Furthermore,
bear ia mind. that whatever he puts into
his fields by way OF fertilizer or OF seed
is of no profit at all il it retains the con-
dition or the form in which he dis ributed
it. The soil 1t is in must act upon it,
taking from the fertilizer or giving up to
the seed and therein ~ the wisdom Of
the husbandman shown ia suiting his
Efforts to the character OF the ground
and hen leaving light and air. soil and
things he never made and
q yer can make, to do their unObserved
work by day and by night. One other
point, and we will turn TO the applica .
ion OF this somewhat lengthy simlitude:
Each OF all the tracts of land in your !
own calls for different attention. Every '
armer reader of these lines will say
Amen" to that. Z
Thus it is with the child mind. Fond
mother, bending over your dull eyed babe :
or the fret look of recognition, though !;
hat child is yours in wonderful sense, :
zone OF your body aud hssh of your {
.sh, yet after all physically and mental Y
=, it is nothing but gathering into liv- 1
lg form OF lnheritances of body and of [
lind that have come down through GEL I
ratIons. Its later live may convince
ou even that in some instan those 7
lifts from earlier ages reach back To the !
avs OF savagery. II is for you and the C
aacher to oper; te upon conditions as c
on find them. Each child IN a family /
a pecuiarities Of it's own. Each little
feature callsior individual consideration
ist as with each Of all the farms IN your :,
own. Ii the attempt ia made TO treat
II alike in training and control, the re- C
ult il disastrous and cruel. This one
eeds to he urged To self assurance; that
ne to be held in check here perfect
'anSnoss must be used To counteract :,
ing tendency; there little effort made Q
0 set too coBfding nature on it's Y
uard. Your failure to recognz, all r
bis means danger to the child and dem t
nstrates your uuftness for training. {
| know it will be said that it is fear
lily difficult to give this close personal :,
ttenton TO each one Certainly 1t il. .
o is it much more difficult to clear a v
iece OF land than to leave it alone, but e
he farmer goes to work with q hope of v
ain and the teacher and parent should t
e actuated by the same motive But @
he gain in the latter case il infinitely
bove merely material profit. 1t repre- E
ents the removal OF bad tendencies and
he planting OF grand purposes that alter d
eing absorbed into the being OF the a
hid shall be transmit d to generations
ct unb Urn, but over whose fate your in a
uence shall have been exertcd. Is not q
hat not reward enough?
Go hack to the "uncultivated terri =
ory" Tor moment. II man negIects a
be swamps, they poison hi In; il he mat % r
o clearings. he starves. We baye but >
pened the subject.
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