The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-03-12
THE MOTHER AS AN EDUCATOR.
Paper Read Before the Central limos nor
tioultural Society by Mrs. sada Blair

po,or Read Before the Central Illinois HOT
+icnltural Society by Mrs. sada Blair
Ranorted for The Progressive Farmer.l
More and more the little ones are
being allowed to develop naturally
So many of us have forgotten IN q
wears gone by that before there can
he a we'll matured man there must
he we'll developed childhood. we
have expected children to be small
men and women corresponding to
our notions in everything-not haV-
ing any thoughts and actions be-
longing by right to childhood. Yet
childhood has it's own peculiar man
e of seeing and thinking nothing
Is more absured than our being anX-
ious to substitute u own IN It's
stead.
How many mothers have been heard
to saw. Ct should think you would
know better than to do such a thing"
Why should they know better
these tiny travellers in a strange
world? Sympathy and patience are
the two graces that must bear up
the mothers spirit at all times if
she is to hold the confidence of her
little ones through later years. They
will write on the windows they will
play with the stove backing if they
find it, but probably the mother had
prepared nothing else for their
amusement and the busy little babies
must have something to do if it is
mischief according to the courts de-
cisiOns. One of the best plans to
keep children out of mischief is to
give them something to do.
Since the little child must imbibe
through play the greater part of the
knowledge it gains of the world
about it, it stands to reason that this
play should be planned that it will
give the child not only physical but
mental stimulus as we'll. I do not
mean by this that the child is to be
given a pencil instead of a shovel, or
a picture book even in place of a
wheel-barrOw but some of it's plays
each day shall be planned for some
other than mere amusement. It is
not what the child is told to see, but
what he sees of his own looking that
O1o 20 COLE o1,,oo Two IN i+-
effect; the other merely results in
educative blOating.
It is this fact which the mother
must ever bear in mind when pre-
the simple instructive plays
for her child, or when teaching him
the wonders of the natural objects
all about him. She must ever be
teaching him to educate himself not
him with her own observations
and opinions.
She must teach the children order
in all his habits and methods,
for who can respect a sloven? She
must teach him truthfulness. She
must exact justice towards others
from him, as he demands it toward
himself. She must teach him self
reliance-the art not only of being
able to fight ones battles if neces-
sary, but of amusing ones self. This
talent is not SO common as it ought
to be. She must teach him to love
beauty-she must put his hand in
natures own, and let her share large
ly in his training.
IT the mother is not neat, it will
be scarcely possible to induce habits
of neatness and orderIiness in the
If she is not truthful, how
can she teach the beauty of truth?
If she is hasty in judgment, unjust
to others, how teach that Justice
recognizes the rights of the
weakest and smallest? If she has
no personal fund from which to
draw her w happiness and com
fort, how can she teach him to be
.resourceful when left to his own de-
vice as be frequently should be? Nor
can she teach love of nature nor of
beauty, if she be ignorant or blind
these things Mothers must be-
gin with educating themselves if no
one else did it properly.
One mother feeds her babe when it
cries or possibly only looks hungry.
If it is sleepy, she puts it to sleep
# it isn't it stays awake. 1t goes to
bed one night at shutdown the next
when the family r%etires. 1t
things right and left, but
never learns by precept or example