Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-06-06
RAPIDITY IN MENTAL
GROWTH OF INFANTS
sPR1NGT1ME EMOTIONS OF A CHILD OF THREE.

hut the other parts of the object differ
wholly from anything he has ever seen.
Possibly through the common element
ne is able to make the new object Il part
OK MS mental stock. but in the process his
mind has enlarged because. it must also
Include the part that is like nothing he
mas ever seen. Directly the unity is re-
'Stab'lSNed ana he presents Il wholly con-
sistent and satisfied mind. The moments
OF perplextty are, however, real riffs in
MS mental life, attended by all the stress
and struggle that ever Keeps company
with the unauenchable desire to know
when that desire confronts the unfamiliar
ana the resistant forces of nature.
a Child Turned Loose In Soriuu.
All this WAS borne In urou mo with
emphasis a little while ago when the first
tardy spring days arrived and l saw u
3-year-old turned loose on the out-of-door.
after the long winter housing. The mar
row walls OF the house broke away FROM
before his eyes as lie went through the
open door and before him stretched tho
Wide expanse of field and sky. The light
filled space invited him with impelliug
snilcltati"n and ono c~cstatic shout spoke
MS raptuGous acreptance. Over the board
tehce and he stopped to see the flicker
drumming on the roof. A shout Of low
and recognition and then the swing that
mad hum. neglected through the tortuous
winter called him To stop for old friend
ships sake AS we'll AS for the delixht of
motion.
but not for long: out into the field where
the clover was just showing it's first shoot
and then a robin whistlinH In the naked
top OF the maple tCeo called forth the
shout OF knocking bird
This much he had saved over from his
second summer when the mocking birds
mad been numerous about the place. Every
bird was a knocking bird: xparrows. robins.
Il m 4 nor NaAfAy "a Vsls ra,rsx IN A..
same to him. He greeted them all az old
arQuaintances and welcomed thetr sight
WIN JOY, which was always turned to
partial pain when he was told the real
name OF the bird, and that 1t was not u
mocking bird.
Across the field to where the other hill
dren had been getting the early blood root
and his eager hands gathered In great
punches of the creamy blossoms. About.
and the spring beauties were growing at
his feet. Down the hillside and the old
walnuts molding in the grass brought
back the memory OF the last years har-
vest. and he filled his rolled-llp sweater.
as he trlIdeed up the other slope he spdcd
the robins last years nest. now hanging
bare amid the ~straggIing boughs of tho
haw tree. Then back along the fence and
under II he came dragging his heavy boots
up the back porch steps and painted out,
I'm hungry He dropped his wainuts
on the porch and his flowers upon tho
Kitchen table. With hat and sweater Off.
his head in steatntng curis. ne looked the
picture when he said, I'm tired
Exhausted BY the Rush Of Newness.
In truth there WAS reason. The daily
round of indoor playthings had made life
quite the same and his mind was we'll or
sanizcd and unified on blocks aud books.
on rocking horse and paper dolls. on
chairs and rugs. on pictures. tables, fire
place. telephone and the members OF the
family. ON the daily cous.se OF meals and
sleep. but here the perfect cycle OF tho
days events was blown up by the influx
of a new world of things. A score OF
times the old familiar forms OF thought
were interrupted and new adjustments
must be made and always i'm that most
expensive way. to the accompaniment OF
great emotions. The vital energy that
went into that mornings run is con,pre-
hensible to an adult only when he thinks
what IL meant to him to take his first
trip to Now York or into the mountains
or tn the distant college.
Yet day after day as the season adj
vanrcs this rebirth into "a new world OF
things takes place for the child. New
birds, new bugs, new blossoms. make life
Tor him one continuous voyage along the
seasons current. all this varied scenery
along the way demanding new adjust
inents. new associations, the whole
amounting 10 n genuine reconstruction OF
the mind before the sn,nnie, is gone. Who
can doubt that IL states the truth mildly
to say that this process Of reconst rue
ton goes ON with terrific speed and who
can doubt that III to grow from stage to
stage with terrific speed constitutes the
fnlliiess ~ life that then the life of the
child veritahly overflows while for the
most of ,s the cup is never full to the
briin. For some OF us the bottom is hard
Is covered.