CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



right, into which the child's mind may wander ; 

 and the educator can always be on the outlook. 

 Much interference is always injurious. The edu- 

 cator must never interfere except when his assist- 

 ance is required ; and he learns, by careful exam- 

 ination of the child's mind, how often he ought 

 not to interfere, and when his interference is 

 advantageous. 



Let us look at the various activities of the 

 human being, that we may note his healthy 

 action, and some of the unhealthy deviations from 

 it. The actions of a human being have principally 

 to do with himself as a physical and as a spiritual 

 being, with the rest of his fellow-men, and with 

 God. 



In regard to his body, the end which the child 

 is to aim at and desire is health. He must learn 

 to wish in regard to it that it be sound and vigor- 

 ous, and this means in the end that he must wish 

 to have all the powers of his body in such a state 

 that they will at once obey the commands of the 

 soul. This implies that the educator shall take 

 care not to make the body a mere minister of 

 pleasure, not to pamper it in any way, and not to 

 deem it of paramount importance. There are two 

 aberrations from this which specially deserve 

 attention. When the body is in a healthy state 

 that is, when every part is discharging its function 

 properly, we derive pleasure from this full dis- 

 charge of its functions. But this pleasure is as 

 it were mild and equably diffused, like the pressure 

 of the air upon us, and we do not perceive it until 

 it is disturbed by some part of the body failing to 

 do its function. That part draws attention to 

 itself by the pain which it occasions, and we know 

 how comfortable we were in our previous condition 

 by comparing it with our present painful condition. 

 But sometimes, and especially in early years, the 

 performance of their functions by the vegetative 

 powers gives a strong pleasure. If this pleasure- 

 sensation is repeated again and again without any 

 counterbalancing pleasure from the higher func- 

 tions, such as those of the higher senses, then the 

 person becomes fond of this purely vegetative 

 life. He has the full enjoyment of eating and 

 drinking, but his pleasures do not extend beyond 

 this. He becomes thoroughly lazy and unwilling 

 to exert himself. This laziness must be combated! 

 The child must receive enough of nourishment, 

 but care must be taken not to give him too much. 

 All piquant and stimulating food must be kept 

 out of his way ; and the educator must quietly but 

 persistently appeal to his higher senses, taking 

 care never to weary him in such attempts. Per- 

 haps there is no mistake more common than 

 attributing laziness to the wrong cause. In nine 

 cases out of ten it is due to the state of the body. 

 It has to be removed by physical means. There 

 are some cases which present a similarity to lazi- 

 ness, but where the likeness is delusive. There 

 are some children who have great power of 

 carrying out their own special activities. They 

 are not inclined to do what their educators wish 

 them to do. They seem to shirk it. But in 

 reality these young people are not shirking toil ; 

 they are already so occupied with the work which 

 they have found for themselves, that they are 

 unwilling to interrupt it for anything else. The 

 educator has no reason to fear or to interfere 

 in such cases. He has simply to watch care- 

 fully. 



566 



The other aberration is an exaggerated estimate 

 of bodily health apart from the idea of the subjec- 

 tion of the body to the souL This is very apt to 

 arise in sickly children. The one thing that the 

 parents desire for sickly children is health. The 

 child sees that every effort is made to procure 

 this. Every such observation impresses on the 

 child's mind that the one great good in life is 

 health. It is perhaps impossible to prevent this 

 idea growing in his mind ; but if illness con- 

 tinues through youth and manhood, a strong effort 

 must be made to strengthen the spiritual nature, 

 so that the person may resist the overpowering 

 influence of this idea, and seek consolation and 

 strength elsewhere than in mere bodily health. 

 If, on the other hand, health is restored at an 

 early stage, the parents must shew themselves 

 indifferent to little ailments, they must alter their 

 mode of looking at health ; and with health the 

 child will soon throw off the exaggerated ideas 

 which his feebleness had produced within him. 



In regard to his spiritual nature, the educator 

 has first of all to awaken and intensify his desire 

 for knowledge. This is specially the work of 

 instruction. If instruction is properly given, the 

 inevitable result will be a passionate desire for 

 truth ; an eager longing to penetrate further into 

 the mysteries of nature and of man. Of course 

 the educator will take care to aim at producing 

 interest only within the range which is possible 

 for the particular stage at which the child is. It 

 is only by doing thoroughly the work of the pre- 

 vious stage that proper preparation is made for 

 the next 



At an early stage great care must be taken to 

 prevent the child being absorbed in himself and 

 his own concerns. Up to this point he has been 

 helpless. His parents have done everything for 

 him. He has justly expected them to help him. 

 But he must be gradually weaned from this con- 

 dition of expecting help. The educator must now 

 give him his appropriate place. The child must 

 feel that he is young and ignorant. He must feel 

 that he is bound to be of service. He must learn 

 to pay respect to old age. He must learn rever- 

 ence. His friends must take little notice of his 

 pursuits. He ought to have sympathy ; but his 

 importance must not be exaggerated. He has to 

 live amidst multitudes of human beings, each with 

 a fair right to recognition ; and the child must be 

 gradually brought to yield this recognition. This 

 he will do in due time if his mind is not filled with 

 false ideas of his own importance. 



There is a whole section of inclinations which 

 arise from comparisons with others. These have 

 to be watched with the utmost care. They are 

 sure to arise. But it is advisable that they should 

 be of as short duration as possible, and should 

 take place as rarely as possible. They can never 

 be expected to be exactly accurate. Every one 

 has a strong tendency to magnify himself and 

 depreciate others. And if these comparisons are 

 instituted by others, the results may be very bad. 

 An educator praises one child for having learned 

 his lessons well, and places in comparison with 

 him another who has not done so well. What 

 does this other feel ? He feels a sense of degrada- 

 tion in the presence of the first His feeling of 

 pain is thus associated with the first, and the result 

 may be that the second will hate the first, and 

 will be envious of him. The educator is thus 



