Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-09-12
nAHasEsEsT Or cHlLpsen.
Give Them Plsssaat 0esspallea and Keep
Ihem Amuse1.

to engineer this activity, that It shall
be useful instead OF becoming q
nuisance, is one of the problems Of
motherhood. With all the arguments
against child labor. many and valid A.
they are. idieness Is not an element Of
happiness and the author Of the ia
nous couplet:
Satan finds some mischief still
For Idle hands to do
Was q schOOlmaster, like most Of his
Acknowledgment Of that day. and
doubtless found basis for his theory
among his pupils.
Mothers who have no talent for
managing children" have usually little
idea how much trouble they might save
quiet they might secure, by simply
teaching their children to amuse theni-
selves. OF course. there are children
and children. even in the same family;
one baby will play happily with blocks
or doll for an hour at time, carrying
on long conversations with itself. and
making believe" whole romances in
infantile experience, while another
tires of the toy in a few minutes, and
sets up the fretful cry for Mama"
But just as the little ones may be
trained from babyhood in habits Of
order, by requiring them to put away
their playthings as soon as they are
physically able to pick them up, just
SO they may be trained to self-suffi-
cheney in after life by educating the
habit Of seN-resource in infancy.
The three-year- grows weary Of
her picture book quickly, perhaps.
when looking at it alone, and throws 1t
down. You are tired. probably; never
mind. stop a minute in the task you
long to finish. How many people are
in the picture. You take the small
fingers in your own, and they are
counted one by one. What else? Dog
or cat; what are they all doing? Are
they indoors or outside? 1t will not
take many such lessons before the
three-year-old learns to study pictures,
and reads their story instead Of glanc-
ing at them carelessly. And this of
itself is great point gained. No one
who looks at a painting as merely an
image has any appreciation thereof.
Every artist worthy the name tells a
story in each of his pictures. Besides
this, the baby is taught to count, and
the faculty Of observation, an invalu-
able one. is strengthened and culti-
waited by exercise.
1t Is often said that the children OF
he present day have too much done
for them, and the most plausible objec-
ton to kindergarten training is that
the pupil wants to be done to" all the
time, like child who has learned to
walk in a go-cart, and refuses to step
alone. To this the answer is easy.
Every good thing is susceptible Of
abuse: The object of kindergarten
training is to teach the child the proper
use OF its faculties-where they become
dependent upon the teacher, and the
system, that system is OverdOne. The
most valuable lesson which can be
taught child is the lesson of self
reliance, and the fact that the children
Of the rich SO rarely learn this, goes
far to balance the inequality between
them and the children OF the poor,
when IT comes to contest in the arena
of life. se
Costly toys are not necessary, in
Coed it is doubtful whether they are
desirable. The country boy with his
train of make believe cars, common
blocks picked up in a carpenter shop,
wherein an empty spool does duty as
smokestack for the engine, and paper
Granddaughter represents the smoke
thereof, has just as much fun, il not
more, as the city lad whose perfect
train was purchased at the more ex-
pensive toyshop in town.
Mammals button box, that indis-
pensable institution in every we'll
regulated family, may be made a
source OF endless entertainment when
the children. like the Marchioness, are
able to make believe very much"
( Stringing, counting and sorting these
are minor diversions which any brigh,
boy or girl will devise, but there are
others.
We have seen 1t pour forth an army,
which marshaled into companies and
regiments, marched and counter
marched. fought battles, went into
winter quarters. or drilled half the day
at the will of the boy. whose vivid i'm
aginatiOn had transformed them into
soldiers.
Another time the buttons did duty as
a congregation. ranged nearly in pews.
while large black button represented
NAAS 'AAiAsSeci u the congregations, the
upturned box serving him for pulpit,
while the boy preached the sermon
which he was supposed to deliver.
Yet again, the box was. transformed
into Noah's ark. and the buttons an
swered for the animals, which walked
in two by two" One rainy Sunday
afternoon the interest Of this last
amusement was increased by the sug-
gestion OF the boys mother that the
clean, animals and the fowls of the air
went in by sevens, and the study
caused by this suggestion went far to
increase the boys store OF knowledge,
both of Biblical and natural history.
good-sized table is an almost indis-
pensaDIe article Of furniture In nursery
IL na0 better not be handsome: plain deal,
Wnicn scratches will not injure and
Wnlch may be scrubbed as often as neces-
table the children should be taught to
play. Cut the legs on to make Il low
enough and give each child a kindergur-
ten chair, with two or three Others for
visitors. Picture books and all toys small
enough to be used on the table will last
much longer than II tumbled about on the
floor: Besides. think how much easier II
VIII ne when the toys are to be picked up
ana put away. Make the children-boys
ana giris-biouses to be slipped on over
their clothes. and let them make scrap
books. cutting out lae pictures as well as
paStlng them In. This will give Won little