Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1910-10-23
OCTOBER %, 1910.
TRAINING OF CHILDREN

mistake to tell a child fibs, even When
there may seen some good reason TOT
doing so; they always discover the de-
ceit in the end and never forget IT,
The under nurse of one tiny child of 3
was always dressed in the mornings IN
lilac print gowns with a pattern of blg
white spots. She was a careless ana
somewhat gay young person, anu ner
mistress house overlooked barracks
so she spent a good deal of her Tune
leaning out the nursery window Watch-
ing the soldiers at drill. To make sure,
with the least possible trouble, that her
charge was in no mischief, she told
him that the white spots were really
eyes, and that she would know at once,
even if her back was turned, If he dlo
any of the many forbidden Things ne
wanted to do.
For a long time he believed this, but
one day, quite accidentally, when she
was at the window, he did dreadful
thing-he tipped over the ink. In nor
ror he gazed at those white spots ex-
Decting her to turn with loud re-
breaches, but though they stared I'M
blinkngly back at him, nothing nap
pened! He waited on, and still nothing
happened, so he slipped away into
far corner of the room and began TO
play busly with his bricks.
The baby pondered over these Things,
and at last, greatly daring, decided to
prove once for all if those spots could
see No ordinary test would suitlce,
and one day when the girl was at her
favorite occupation he did the forbid
den thing-he played with the matches;
Every one who knows children at all
knows how deeply guilty they reel
when breaking the law about matches.
1t is only done in moments of real re-
bellion and he shook with fright but
she did not turn-the spots were bllnd.
That was the end of her authority in
that nursery, and the last of the child's
belief in the word of grown-ups
There are few things over winch
great doctors disagree so much as the
relative value of heredity and sur
roundings. But most scientists are
willing to admit that both are of great
moment, though some think one more
powerful, some the other.
One doctor, speaking at conference
not long ago, said that in his opinion,
environment would knock heredity
into a cooked hat!" Food, according to
him, is of immense Importance. He be
lieves that the sickly children of deli
cate parents, if they are properly fed,
can be made equal to, if not better
than, the less wisely dieted little ones
of quite healthy people
Another authority says that results
really depend on bringing-up and sur
Certainly, if the parents possess GER
tain qualities, the chances are that the
children will inherit them, no matter
whether they are good or evil, but 1t is
the training of children that decides
whether or not these Unborn tendencies
shall be developed so that they VIII IN
f1uence the life.
Some people believe so strongly IN
heredity that they maintain that in
fluence and training do not count at all
Fortunately, this is by no means true
If care is taken to develop the good
qualities, and to suppress or check EVIL
tendencies, there is no reason why the
child of wicked parents should not rise
far above what they were mentally,
morally and physically. On the other
hand. a child born of healthy, moral
parents, may, in spite of the tenden-
cies for good he has inherited, be ruined
by bad training and surroundings.
In all of us there is mixture OF good
and ill., circumstances alter caSes!
runs the old proverb, and certainly cir
cumstances alter characters. Bad quail
tiles. if suppressed. will, in time, dis
appear altogether.
Therefore, it seems that important as
heredity is, environment is more I'M
portant still. This is good hearing for
people who have sad reason to know
that their children have in them the
seeds of disease or vice.
People who say that no child can be
really disagreeable have never met a
spoiled one, for which mercy they may
thank their lucky stars, for really
spoiled child is one of the most tire
some and unpleasant persons for its