The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-18
"Children's Observation-Disclosures.

Editor Morning News: II there is any
thing which has ever interested me as q
phrenologist, and an ethnoiogist, it Is the
brain power in man, its growth and de-
velopment. 1t is all stuff to talk about
men being born free and equal, Might
as well say all men are BORN the same
size and color. If there is anything which
nature has declared as her fixed law, It
is diversity and variety in nature.
All children are original and no two
can possibly be alike in character. dis
position or mental fieXiblity. To know
how to teach child is a peculiar science
ana gift, The first great secret is to
make the child observe and then think
Observing is the first thing, and then
thinking, and then asking questions next.
The child who asks no questions Is on
the borderland of idiocy or imbecility
The grave is the best place for all such.
Children have far more brains than par
ents give them credit for; for If a child
can ask q question, it can, if the parent
has brains enough TO explain, understand
a simple answer. Never tell child you
do not know, for "A few such replies TO
their questions will make them take a
hlNHNuA Vi tuelT UiItlIS htlOMi-
edge
Do not crush out the desire to know in
a child. The story OF the temptation IN
the Garden of Eden Is to the point The
serpent, which really means in that story.
wisdom, approached the woman, after
wards old Mother Eve, with the strong
est passion of her nature, the desire to
know. 20 be as Gods knowing good and
evil.
II was a compliment to woman's brain
power. to say the least of It, The de-
sire to know is the divine nature within
us; for man, means a thinker, and wo-
man, help-thinker l feel for all chill
dren who have been born with bright
little souls in them, 10 be developed in
time as are the organs of speech Par
ents who have not time to talk and IN
struct their children, should find out the
secret not to be blessed with any, and If
they have any. the sooner the little ones
find themselves in the arms of Jesus the
better for all interested.
Your writer, like most children, perhaps,
was not given credit for the brains he
had. My questions were not answered
many times. because my parents thought
| could not understand the true and cor
rect answer. 1t made an impression on
my mind I never forgot. And when in
the course of human events my reason
demanded my judgment approved. and my
heart sanctioned and my purse permitted,
l wooed and won and was satisfied.
1t happened to me as it did to my
father, and to millions of others: chill
dren blessed my home. looked upon
them as second editions of myself, cor
rected. with Improvements, which they
inherited from their mother. The law of
nature is. the child should be an inn
F1ts
lion of temperaments in the child. which
makes it an original. Thus generations
grow and improve Upon the past.
Let God be praised, my little troubles
some comforts and household pets haC
bright little souls, and when they begar
to observe and ask questions l explained
to them what they wanted to know, so as
to impress their minds. l taught them
how to count a hundred in fifteen min
utes, simply by sound. As soor
as they caught onto the sound
of numbers it was all plain to them.
explained to them in ten minutes why il
rained, by putting ice in tumbler ano
letting them see the moisture on the
outside, how wet il was. then told them
of the atmosphere how it went up &c
the clouds they saw.
never tried to explain anything tc
them about God doing this or that, foi
they could not understand His workings
nor neither could l. / left that for then
when their brains were fully analytical
Ask a child if it understands, but never
say Don't bother me with your ques-
tons" 1t is crushing out the desire &c
know. Praise your children by all means
implant in them self-respect self-confi
dence and "A measuring up to others who
may be bright Brains in children are
like fruit on a tree, all fruit do not ripper
on the same day or week. Precocous
children are generally quick ripe anC
equally quick rotten. Buy books for youi
children with pictures in them.
r. NJ o.