THE STUDY OF CHILD-NATURE. 797 
the average child are merely instinctive and not deliberate 
expressions of itself; and a wise treatment of them will 
divert the activity of which they are the expression into 
other channels. By such means, too, right habits of thought 
will unconsciously be formed. The term Habits is often 
erroneously applied to actions alone, but habits of thinking 
and feeling are equally common and equally important. 
We may define Habit as a fixed disposition, due to practice, 
to act, think, or feel in a certain definite way. In course of 
time habit becomes, like Coleridge’s north wind, “‘tyrannous 
and strong,” as automatical as instinct: the former being the 
outcome of individual experience, is acquired; the latter is 
inherited from the experience of the race. Habit to a large 
extent does away with the necessity of thought, and there- 
fore, in so far as a man acts habitually, he ceases to act 
rationally. A man should therefore be able if necessary to 
break his habits, especially those of thought and feeling, 
for habit dulls the power of feeling. Repetition of action 
is the beginning of habit; the more complex the action the 
greater the number of repetitions necessary. Unbroken 
repetition is essential if you wish to form a habit, unbroken 
discontinuance if you wish to get rid of one. For the 
formation of any habit, good or bad, some strong 
motive force is necessary, by means of which is pro- 
duced an inclination in the chiid’s mind towards the 
thing aimed at. Nature endows the child with a strong 
desire to imitate, and so the habits of walking and 
speaking are formed. As already pointed out, a long series 
of repetitions is necessary, in which no exceptions should be 
allowed to occur; for each exception makes the formation 
of the habit a longer and more difficult process. The actions 
which come most natural to us are those which are the result 
of long practice; and these in course of time are done with- 
out any conscious effort on our part. In the case of walk- 
ing, we never have to pause to think of the different muscles 
employed. 
There are two habits which should from the very first be 
impressed on young children—the habits of obedience and 
of truthfulness. | Even in the smallest matters implicit 
obedience should be expected. In children well brought up 
obedience to proper authority becomes a habit, and one 
that will have a good and not a weakening effect on the 
self-respect and independence of the character; for it is 
strikingly true that he who knows not how to obey knows 
not how to command. True liberty consists in obedience, eer 
for to be a free and honest man one must obey both t bs %, 
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