The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-06-12
The Training of The Child
BY MRS. REBECCA HAMPDEN.

One of the accomplishments not us
ually recognized as such is the art of
pleasing. Many children possess this
by nature, and their naive simplicity is
| charming. But there are still other
| little amenities of life which the child
must be taught, for he must know how
to bear himself, how to dress in taste,
impulses, and how to act with dignity
and self-possession.
child may be we'll equipped in
body and mind to face life, and yet
when he grows to manhood make a
dismal failure of all his undertakings.
Nine times out of ten the reason for
| this is an unfortunate manner
On the other hand, his brother, who
has had fewer advantages, and per-
haps has been handicapped in various
ways, often makes a success of every
thing he attempts, simply because he
has the faculty of ingratiating himself
in the hearts of people. This trait Is,
| of course, Unborn rather than cultiVat-
| ed, but it can be developed The eth
zeal training of the child is, therefore,
| quite as necessary as his mental or
physical training.
Too much stress is usually placed on
| outward form; too little on things of
| which manners are. the symbol. 1t is
| far more important to train the heart
of child to be kind than it is to train
his head to remove his hat at the
| proper time The great social prin-
ciple is to make everybody happy Su-
perficial manners. that are mere con-
cessions to the usages of polite society,
will come as he grows older and ac-
quires self-control.
For instance, a child may dash In
the house, when the mother has 8
caller, and, without ceremony, proceed
to ask for the privilege of taking lit
tie Johnny Smith, who is lame, for
ride on his sled. The mother meet.
the child coldly, because he interrupt.
ed the conversation and walked ir
front of her caller without asking tC
be excused. The child is repusec
and told to run away. Perhaps later
on he receives a scolding for his in
| discretion, and no allusion is made to
the good impulse. The child does not
like to be scolded, so he is careful not
to repeat the offense, and Johnny
| Smith misses his sleigh ride; but
! Johnny's disappointment is not half
so keen as that of the child in whose
| heart the kind thought originated
If children were always addressed
| courteously and smilingly, never ad-
dressed irritably; never silenced,
| snubbed, or sneered at, they would
| probable be more amiable themselves.
1t therefore behooves grown-ups to
watch their own ways and manners
constantly. Children are such imitators
that they unconsciously mirror their
surroundings. Many a tale of domes-
tic discord and unhappiness has been
told by children too young to know
were only reflection of what was
of daily and hourly occurrence in their
homes.
/ by many people that in the horne cir
Gle it is allowable and even advisable
to dispense with the small adornments
of everyday courtesy. Such a daily
code is disastrous, for no one can have
two sets of manners and be anything
but self-conscious and affected.
When the child reaches the age of
three or four years he is old enough
TO be taken in hand and trained in
habits of polteness. If the mother
begins early to teach her child to say
good morning" "please," and thank
you her task will not be difficult,
provided she remembers to be as po-
lite TO him as she requires him to be
to her and others.
If the childs father is in such a
hurry to get through his dinner that
he bolts his food, it is not surprising if