The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-06-02
ORPHAN MANAGEMENT.
HOW TO DEVELOP SELF.INTEREST
IN CHILDREN.

HOW TO DEVELOP SELF.lNTEREST
IN CHILDREN.
An Address Delivered at the Orphans
Home Conference in Atlanta, Ga,
by N. M. Lawrence, Superintendent
of the Oxford Orphan Asylum, OK
ford, N. Ca Common Sense, Prac-
tical Paper Which Carries its Own
Comment-GoodR Reading for Parents
as Well as Orphan Home Managers.
The first step towards developing
self-interest in child is to be deeply
interested in the child. Nothing
stimulates the child so much as to
know that you are specially interested
in its work and appreciate what 1T
does. The best conducted and hap
piest homes are the homes where the
parents enter into the thoughts and
feelings of the children, are patient
and ready to answer their questions,
encouraging and helping them in
doing we'll and Systematically the
sorb a child-in making the clothes
for it's doll, cultivating the little
patch in the garden or flower yard,
making place for the pet dog, look
ing after or attending to the pet
squirrel or bird until it's interest in
them, properly acquired, will be the
foundation for doing we'll the study
of hai oh oil ha
house, or doing any real work.
Our Orphan Homes, to accomplish
the best results, must be to the child
a real home. We must get in such
close touch with the child as to gain
its confidence, secure its respect, and
win it's love. Until we do this, we
cannot hope to inspire in its little
soul an ambition to love truth, to do
right, to be manly and womanly.
We must have these qualities our
selves. We must practice them
rather than preach them. There
seems to be an instinct in the child,
if | may SO call it, that decides our
character in it's own mind, and makes
it to pass judgment as to whether we
are true or false. They are great
readers of faces. They look into our
eyes with straightforward simplic-
ity, and are either won or repelled.
The man or woman that has the
power to win child is blessed of
God and admired by angels. l had
rather have that gift than all the
thrones, diadems and riches of earth.
The power and influence to win a
child, to form it's character, to deter
mine its destiny, is the greatest re-
sponsibility ever placed upon a hu-
man being. TO win it for God and
Heaven is the greatest honor that can
be bestowed upon an immortal soul.
A child that is roughly ordered to
do thing, is blamed and scolded,
and possibly punished in some way
because the task was not satisfacto-
rily performed, soon feels that it is
not treated right, that you hate it,
that it has more to do than other
children, begins to shirk work or do
it with ''a lick and PROMISE alb
solutely careless and Indifferent.
But if you can control your temper,
patiently and kindly show it how you
want thing done, and stop to ex-
plain the advantages that will result
from study or work done well, in
most children you will arouse an am
bition and stimulate a desire to do a
thing well, because it brings gen
uine pleasure to themselves.
When child is compelled to work
through fear, the service is lifeless
one, as we'll as strain upon its
mind, temper and physical system.
The best service springs from love,
and, in my Judgment, is the best and
greatest incentive to self-develop-
ment. Win the child's love, and it
becomes a pleasure to do your SER
vice. This is no new doctrine; it is
as old as the hills, but it is necessary
to repeat it again and again, not only
to others, but to ourselves.
The work we are doing for God and
humanity is to last forever, and our
ambition ought to be to develop the
child SO as to make it the greatest
blessing possible to our State, and our
country.
No one ought to be in charge of an
Orphan Asylum, or be employed in
it, whose heart is not in touch with
the great loving heart of our Father
in Heaven, because to us is COM
mitted the training of these i'm
mortal souls, and we necessarily
make a great impression on their
lives. No man or woman who is fret
full, impatient, harsh or tyrannical,
however competent, ought ever to be
employed to manage children in such
a home. They cannot-they simply
cannot be helpful to child or develop
it's self-interest.
The next step towards developing
self-interest is to get the child inter
ested in self-to know sslf-to un-
derstand its relations to God. Teach
it constantly until it shall realize
that God is his father, and think of
him as such. How plastic and i'm
pressible is the heart of little child
how implicitly it believes you.
What beautiful foundation lesson
stones you can lay in its mind upon
which to build its character. and
what a delight to the earnest char
acter- builder to see a child under his
patient and faithful teachings devel
oping day by day into sturdy man
hood or beautiful womanhood.
There are so many ways anc
methods of impressing the minds ane
hearts of children in this age-objec
lessons, the most practical and eff
cient way of teaching little child
tie feet, its bright and eager eyes
and teach it a lesson from them which
will shape its course and character
When you once implant in its mint
the idea that these all are to be uset
for God and His glory, that He wants
and needs them, you give the child