The San Francisco call., 1909-10-24
Che 6WetI1iothD
Century m0thor

place. Don't jerk the reins; drive
steadily; and never punish a child in
anger. To fly at q child and strike 1t
in evaporation is a shock to its nerv-
Gus system, and is much more likely
to arouse its passionate resentment
than to make it sorry for what it has
done. Moreover, it always looks brutal
and cowardly to strike a child in this
way, and it calls forth an involuntary
attitude of fear and cringing even in
high spirited children that is really
pitiful to see Another thing that has
a very bad effect is to make promises
and not keep them; the child soon
comes 10 have poor opinion of your
given word, its sense of justice is Of
tended and it's respect for a law and
order which ii can not understand and
which seems simply matter of your
caprice, is not very great.
Next to a fair and steady government
the most important point in bringing
up children is to let them live out of
doors as much as possible so that they
viii be healthy, for if they are ailing
they are apt TO be fretful and trouble
some And then give them something
TO do that will interest them, to keep
their active, restless little minds en-
ployed. A sand heap in the back gar
den is splendid thing for both of
these purposes. It is best TO have it
in large box or inclosure. so as to
corral the very young children and
also to keep the pile from wandering
around the garden, as it is apt to do
with the constant and vigorous shovel
ing 1t receives Little seashells and
bits OF coral scattered through the sand
make IL seem more interesting, and big
clRmshells are the best kind of shovels
For babies of the creeping age or
those who are able TO walk Just little
play boxes for out Of doors are often
made. They are a yard or two square
and about 25 inches high, padded with
an old comforter in the bottom and
lined sides and bottom with some ma
terial that can be removed and washed
once in while. If holes are bored for
rope handles it will be much easier to
move the box around the yard, and in
this way, with a few pIaythings, the
baby can spend many hours in the open
air.
If children are kept supplied with
something to do that interests them
they are much less likely to be naughty
than if they are idle. The present
methods used for all the wayward chill
dren in the reform schools is to get
them interested in some manual work,
to let them make something that will
be worth having when it is finished.
IT is a good plan to show children how
TO construct their own toys as soon as
they are old enough to handle tools
with safety. A boy will take pride
and satisfaction in boat which he has
helped to make himself far greater
than that which he will feel in one
bought at a store, provided his own
boat is as good and as workmanlike as
the one that has been purchased.
Before they are old enough to make
things with tools, kindergarten meth
DDS give the little folks an idea of how
to use their fingers and awaken them
TO the pleasure and Importance of pro-
ducing things. We have all seen one
of the youngest members of the family
return. from kindergarten proudly
bearing strange looking paper basket
or a lopsided clay pear which we have
been very careful not to smile at and
for which we have expressed our un-
bounded admiration.
A child who is taught to be skillful
with his hands is far more apt to be
well balanced and mentally fit than one
who has never had the manual training,
and the more of this sort of thing a
child can acquire the better equipped
he will be for learning other things
later on.