Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1912-02-24
VALUABLE PAPER
ON CHILD TRAINING
Mrs. Dora Hall Gives Members Of
Progressive Club Some Excel
lent Suggestions.

The following paper on develop
ment of he child from birth to the
Ege of seven years, was read by
Mrs. Dora Hall at a recent meeting
of the Progressive Club,and contain
ed much of interest that will nc
doubt prove beneficial to many who
were not in attendance.
A baby is probably the most help
less of animal bodies, and every op-
portunity should be given it to
grow up to able-bodied man or wom-
anhood. Nothing that will retard
it's growth or tend to increase it's
susceptibility to disease should be
permitted to become a factor in it's
transition from infancy to youth.
The average mother would un-
doubtedly defend herself strenuous
ly against the charge that she was
not giving her offspring the advan-
tage of everything that would prove
beneficial ,and yet she resorts to the
use of the pacifier which lessons it's
chance and endangers it's life for
physicians and nurses agree that
pacifiers are often the direct cause
of many ills such as enlargement OF
the tonsils and adnoid growth. Ton
silitis, diptheria, tuberculosis and
other contagious diseases are often
carried from one to another when
one pacifier is used for several chill
dren in the same family and is cause
enough in itself to Danish pacifiers.
Success in child training depends
largely on the strength and perma
nency of the sympathetic relation be-
tween the mother and child. Mother
sympathy is intelligent insight into
child character, joined to faith in the
wisdom of divine law. Through her
sense of sympathy the mother sees
the child, not only in relation to
herself and family, but to it's future
as one adult; a member of the COM
munity and citizen. Through SYM
pathy the mother is able to appre-
ciate the fact that the noisy activi
ties OF the child foreshadow the a.
mount of energy that it will put
forth in the pursuit of things that
make for power in the adult stage of
life.
The sympathetic mother is careful
to respect it's right of ownership in
it's toys; and otherwise to govern
with uniform business. At an au-
spicious time she awakens in the sell
fish child an interest in some other
child not so happily situated as
itself, and through its affections and
sympathies, arouses feeling of be-
nevolence.
Sympathy enables the mother to
bring the child by easy and pleasant
stages to the adoption of her ideals.
In the largeness Of the bond she ef-
faces herself, teaching the glory of
doing right for rights sake. Through
sympathy she sees in the strong will
of the boy or girl, not menace to
her authority and something to be
crushed, but a power to be wisely
and piously directed in the interest
of future great achievements.
II there is to be sympathy be-
tween mother and child, the mother
must get the child's point of view,
since the child cannot arrive at
the mothers. 1t is easier to show
the effect of sympathy than it is t.
explain just what sympathy Is. Sym
pathy is common endowment of
human nature. The power of sympa-
thy becomes more restricted, how
ever, as one grows older, and unless
judiciously cultivated, it is inclined to
diminish as the years increase. Chill
dren are little bundles of feelings, or
sympathy. The baby laughs with
pleasure when it is jolted on the
knee Its delight is the con.
of the happy emotion start
ed by the nurse. Had the nurse jolt
ed 1t in an angry mood, it would have
cried. If this seems fanciful let one
with mechanical device
for dandling baby, and see how
tame the performance will socn be-
come. For many years the high
death rate of babies in charitable |
puzzled physicians and
nurses. In spite of good sanitation
and. aientific feeding, in very many
instsAAts the babies did not thrive as
well as they did when cared for by |
their mothers under less healthful |
conditions. What was it that the ba-
bies missed? What but the natural |
mother love and sympathy, which |
more than compensated for material |
Il r.. H.