New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-02

chiIdrens Department; Of NJ Is. Sinai rb n0S 2se
milan Company
The author OF this book aims TO deal with the
n-oh,or, tho. has occupied the mind OF educa-
tors and thinking parents for many years
Ever since Rousseau men have speculated upon
what the true development OF the child really IT,
and IN search for the answer they have worked
ont numberless theories. AS the result OF All
their efforts they have finally come back 10 the
old idea that the child Is, after all, merely an
adult IN little. They have thought OF MN as
being the same as the adult, only lacking IN
Size strength and experience the same s'a'"-
ards that they apply % grown peopIe t"eS "p
ply 10 children and only try 10 Whi'ue u""h
the edges IN order to attain petty size III
Onnenhe,m ha. worked in different way
He ms tried to gain distinct Idea OF no" the
child differs from the adult. not mercy IN hd"iI
Of mind but in every function or the nooy' ne
bas r,ade an elaborate series OF Investigations
hv Weighing measuring and analyzng every
nort,or % the child's body. and has then com
pared the results with analogous parts III the
adult He has come TO the surprising con
clusion that IN no particular are the TWO beings
alike: that the differences between them are
60 great as TO Justify one In thinking OF 'he"
=. totally different creations In fact he up
a. radical as those which exist between cater
pillar and tho butterfly into which IT finally
develops.
Having arrived a. this conclusion the author
applies II TO well-known circumstances In Ire
He takes up the question OF the reia"Ve I'M
portance Of heredity and environment IN the
Anal DEVELOPMENT Of the child. He shows tha'
there ia a common acquaintance with certain
sross scientific facts In regard 10 descent out
n. holds that because this knowledge Is not
large enough the conclusions reached are IaiSe'
The usual idea ia that offspring must necessarily
follow their parentage in all the manlresta'ions
Of their being The author tries to snow tha'
the determining factor Is. after Oil. the PAL 'iCu
lar environment OF the growing chiio Apply
ing the results Of his researches 10 'he 9ueo
ton OF the education OF the child ne con'e"u'
that the functions OF the primary schoo' arc
abused children are regularly sent 10 so"o0'
an that their time for large part OF INC Joy
NAV be well taken UP. and that the pAieh'
.,, +hu. have a season OF freedom In add
ton the little ones are taught too mucn. III
Onnsnbe,m observes that the facts which are
learned BY a tremendous outlay OF nerve 1orce
are Of little. II any. use. He shows that 'he
80. coll. concerned In the process OF learning
arr immature and therefore not IN a condiuon
o.. Az Nne work Instead of being benenteo'
~. .hr6ren are Apt TO be definitely harmed by
q sv.tar Of teaching which is supported AT
tremendous expenditure Of time. trouble ana
money. He wants TO apply 70 ordinary eouca
,,on some OF the methods Of Froeoel ana fes'A-
,ozz, after simplifying and purifying them oS
O sc,enti1c training which those great 'eacAe's
never had.
very interesting chapter is that on the place
Of religion in the development OF the chho' 1T
Onpenheim does not believe that chiIoreh are
...h,a NJ shsorbIng a noble religious idea On
+he contrary. ne thinks that their religious CON
centione must be founded upon superstition ana
,dolatry He traces the growth or various re-
ueions 10 their source and shows that almost
all Of them are derived from common origin
Thin origin he believes is based upon enouohs
Of fear superstition and myth-worshlp' anu
that only In the course OF a long oe'elopi''en'
has the fine conception OF modern worship peen
attained. The child Is 20 all intents and pur-
noses In the condition Of the untutored savage
who Is not susceptible Of anything but an ap-
neal 10 sross emotions In this matter he ap-
nile. the idea that precept comes before phiio-
sonbic,l theory. ana insists that the only train
ing which rightly belongs TO the time OF child'
hood In that OF morals. OF ethics Most or all
docs he believe that ethics should not be taught
in anything but the most practical way ana
that the daily acts and words OF the chi'o
guardians are the models upon which ne must
necessarily form himself. Anothe: practical SUD-
1ect which he takes up 10 the value or a chlid
evidence In law. In this connection one may re
mark how strange It is that no definite con
clusion has been reached by 1urists concerning
the admissibility OF such testimony. In text
books on evidence wide differences OF opinion
and practice may be seen The author claims
that the recognition and recital OF facts are
complicated process usually accomplished even
by adults with Indifferent success He SHOWS
that for many reasons. founded upon anatomi-
cal and physiological grounds. children are
lastly inferior in this respect to adults. and he
cites Interesting where children whose
honesty OF purpose could not be doubted gave
evidence which was proved to be distinctly
contrary TO the truth. He believes that TO 40
cent children as reliable witnesses is 20 put a
prerniurn upon error, to lower the dignity OF
courts OF Justice and TO expose the interests
and even tho lives Of parties in suit 10 the
most serious danger.
I'm his chapter on tho development Of the
child criminal DR.. Oppenheim seeks to IND the
cause Of crime in children. and touches upon
the various reasons and inducements commonly
regarded as instrumental IN producing q vicious
life The reader will be surprised by the ease
with which the commonly accepted causes. such
as poverty, drunkenness. heredity climate and
food are excluded. Take for instance. some
OF the remarks on inebriety: I'VE know that
men IN certain years OF their life. between the
ages OF thirty and forty are more liable than
at any other time to become drunkards. Also
we know that at this time they are not most
addicted TO crime for which they may be in
oicted. We know that youths from sixteen to
twenty-one years OF age are most liable to COM
NIT such crimes. but on the other hand they
are not nearly so liable to be drunkards. When
we come 10 juveniles less than sixteen years
old who may not in any way be said 10 be
addicted to intoxication. we find that they pro
duce indictable criminals in the proportion Of