Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1900-02-22
ADVICE TO PARENTS
Great Importance OF First Mental
Impressions Made ON
Children.

Children are initiative, and their
souls are built up by the impressions
which they receive.
The first impressions made on a
child's mind are especially important,
as they form the basis of all later i'm
pressions and remain for long time,
and sometimes forever, the standard by
which they are measured. Should we
not, therefore, exercise the greatest
care, and instead of leaving the mental
impressions of children to accident, see
to it that they are throughout correct.
The first education of babies is, upon
the whole, left to uneducated nurses,
who sometimes have not the slightest
idea of the sacredness of their trust,
and know very little of the right treat
ment of infants.
Use every opportunity in life to teach
children the elementary facts and
truths of the sciences which in later
life will be Of use to them. Familiarize
them as much as possible with in.
structive observations. Teach them
through the eye knowledge of facts
that will serve as examples of impor
tant scientific truths. Convey your
first instruction by merely showing
something, by making experiments,
etc., but beware Of superadding too
quickly the theories invented to ex-
plain the facts, and if you mention
them characterize them at once as hy-
pothetical. Let the experiment speak
for itself, and remind the child of sim
liar or analogous experiments and ex.
periences.
Make electrical experiments with the
silk samples for mammals dresses by
rubbing them with the bottom of a
glass, and watch the threads when ap-
preached twice successfully by various
objects, as by steel knives, silver spoons,
the hand, celluioid'or gutta percha and
glass. Comb their hair or your own
beard in the dark when the air is dry,
and let them see the sparks and listen
to the cracking noise of this baby
thunderstorm in papa's whisl1ers.
Show them the so-called illusions of
the senses in which our psychologists
take so much interest, and let them
measure the distances which, though
they are equal, appear different. 1t
would interest the children, and they
will wonder how their judgment is mis-
guided. If you have color-wheel re-
peat now and then for mere amusement
color experiments, and show the ef-
fects of contrast.
Whenever you buy presents for chill
dren, bear always in mind the instruc-
tive feature of games and toys. Chill
dren are by nature anxious to learn,
and they will themselves prefer play
things which serve to educate them
and teach lesson. A toy through
which child becomes familiar with a
physical law of some kind is the best
investment you can make, and will, if
properly used, amply repay the cost.
There is vicious habit now in vogue
in the kindergarten which superadds
to the facts of nature the imagination
OF. fairy tales. If you wish your chill
dren to acquire sound conception of
reality and sense for genuine poetry,
you had better avoid this pseudo-fc-
ton of the nursery, which only dis
torts nature and detracts from her in
trinsic beauty. Facts as they are are
in themselves sufficiently poetical, and
need not the false glitter of fairy tale
imagination.-Dr Paul Caris, in Open
Court.