Milford chronicle., 1925-10-23
THOSE IMPORTANT
FIRST YEARS
Helen Gregg Green

Dropping in at Gloria's found
her in tears. ..4
why, my dear, what is the mat
ter?" I asked.
ITS Albert!" she answered pc
tween sobs, "he's-he cut his inl-
tials on the handsome new Victrola
Greenwood School has just puT-
chased"
l was amazed.
"Oh Gloria, surely not Alberta
boy of ten a lad with you tor d
mother. Why it must be mistake
"No-o-o! l am so Inundated!
The principal just called. don't
know what possesses the child. A
week ago the physical director tele-
phoned his father, complaining that
a crowd of the boys were defaclnS
the new gymnasium-drawing pic,
lures and writing on the wall. Ana
Albert was one of them!
There was little l could say 10
comfort her. 1 left her still grieY-
ing.
And then | began wondering why
l had said, "a lad with you for
mother" for 1 easily recalled some
of Albert's pranks when he was
mere tOddler.
One evening l had called at Glor-
las to see her new wall paper. In
two conspicuous places Albert had
made huge curly-cues with a crayon
why, Gloria, did you let Albert
do that?" 1 asked.
Let him?" cOmplacently, Il left
the room and he just did il"
Albert beamed his delight.
What could l dO?" she smiled.
Then in a whisper, Gutter
Yes very cute!" l thought.
"Oh. my dear" she continued with
a gleam of pride in her eyes, he S
a terror! The other day Grandma
Grace brought a couple of hats for
me to see. While l was looking at
them Andrew sawed two of the legs
of our mahogany dining-rOOm table.
And you see that mahogany chair,
he has simply ruined it, yanked the
whole back out of it, somehow"
Albert edged closer to Gloria.
But he's Mothers boy, isn't he,
Bertie?"
And now Albert's mother thinks
it strange that he should write his
name on the gymnasium wall, and
carve his initials on an expensive
new victrola the teachers and par
ents in AIbert's school worked so
hard to buy.
Sociologists say, "Give me the
first seven years of a child's life and
you may have the rest" which warns
us plainly enough that we must do
our character mOlding during the
first seven years.
We cannot expect children natur-
ally to turn into" the kind OF
youngsters we desire them to be.
We must guide and mold them while
their minds are still plastic and i'm
pressiOnable.
1T is related of a certain king,
that, when embarked on a voyage,
attended by some of his cOuriers,
and carrying with him some of his
treasures, a storm arose, which
made it necessary to tighten the
ship; WhereupOn he commanded his
cOuriers to be thrown overheard,
but saved his money. How Is It
with parents who are embarked with
fortune and family on this voyage
of life; when they need DeJLer
schOolhouse to save their children
from ill health, or a better teacher
to rescue them from immortality and
ignorance, or even slate or a shil-
lings worth of paper to save them
from idleness; have we any parents
among us, or not, who, under such
circumstances, will fling the child
overheard and save the shilling"
Horace Mann.
Well, some say, 1--WE cannot afford
kindergartens." This is fiinging
the child overheard to save the shil-
ling. If there is no kindergarten for
the children of your community, a
letter to the National kindergarten !
Association, West Fortieth Street,
New York, for information and ad-
vice, will receive immediate atten-
tiOn.