EDUCATION. 



349 



Education. 



Habits for- 

 med in in- 

 fancy often 

 continued 

 through life 



Power of 

 exaniple. 



Parental 



restraint. 



Let it never be forgotten, that, even in the earliest 

 period of infancy, children are acquiring those habits 

 which are to determine their future character, and to 

 influence their future happiness. It becomes, there- 

 fore, of the last importance, so to regulate their as- 

 sociations, that their desires and partialities may be 

 directed only towards what is useful or good ; then- 

 aversions and dislikes towards what is bad or perni- 

 cious. The effect of example is here omnipotent. Chil- 

 dren are the creatures of imitation, and adopt implicit- 

 ly the manners and the sentiments of those under whose 

 protection and influence providence has placed them. 

 This imposes on every parent a sacred obligation to 

 weigh well the motives which actuate his own conduct, 

 ami anxiously to examine the temper and dispositions of 

 his own mind. A child necessarily connects the idea of 

 good with that object towards which he sees the desires 

 of his parents, or his elders, invariably point ; and with 

 the objects ftf their aversion, he as necessarily associates 

 the idea of evil. By the silent instruction of example, 

 therefore, even before they have learned to articulate 

 oin language, we may be forming them to virtuous 

 conduct, and inspiring them with benevolent affections. 

 It is a fatal mistake to suppose that children are at any 

 time too young to be contaminated by the contagion of 

 evil example. Long before they can question us with 

 regard to our motives, they are accurate observers of 

 our actions, which, whether good or bad, they are ever 

 prone to imitate. Let us always act before them, there- 

 fore, with that reverence, which, -is the poet reminds 

 us is due to a child ; and exhibit, in their presence, 

 the qualities wh'ch we wish them to acquire, in such a 

 manner as to tempt their imitation. Even their intel- 

 lectual improvement may be promoted in no small de- 

 gree by the aid of this useful principle. Through their 

 proneness to imitation, excited and cherished by their 

 anxiety to please those who have gained their affection, 

 much useful information may be conveyed to them, 

 without the formality of direct instruction, and with- 

 out repressing that sprightly gaiety which distinguishes 

 this innocent and unclouded period of life. From this 

 principle, likewise, parental authority derives much 

 support. The habit of implicit submission is of the ut- 

 most consequence to the improvement of a child ; and 

 it is but fair that they should be convinced, that we re- 

 quire of them nothing which w are ourselves unwil- 

 ling to perform. To the command of a parent, thus 

 geconded by his example, they will submit with the 

 same implicit resignation as to the laws of nature. How 

 far the restraint of parental authority should be impo- 

 sed, it is not easy to prescribe : but it may be kid 

 down as an invariable maxim, that it should never be 

 allowed to yield to any resistance or remonstrance on 

 the part of the child. At a very early age they are 

 capable of reasoning and of moral distinctions, and are 

 therefore proper subjects of authority ; while at the 

 s.-inif time they are so feeble, so inexperienced, so igno- 

 rant of the powers and qualities of surrounding ob- 

 jects, and of the language, the manners, and the arts 

 of men, and of course so incapable of supjxjrting or 

 conducting themselves without direction and a-ssi'stance, 

 that the habit of ready and full olwdience is essentially 

 necessary to their safety and their welfare. It may not 

 be .always proper to explain the reasons for which their 

 obedience is required ; for, while the range of their 

 ideas is less extensive than ours while they are yet un- 

 acquainted with our language, and cannot understand 

 our reasoning we may be unable to make them com- 

 prehend the causes of our restraining them, or to con- 



vince them of their propriety. With one conviction, Education, 

 however, we should endeavour at all times to impress "Y""*' 

 them, the conviction that we impose no restraint but 

 from affection to themselves, and to promote their ad- 

 vantage. For the direction of parents and guardians 

 in the management of children during infancy, we beg 

 leave to refer them to the excellent treatises of Miss 

 Hamilton, Miss Hannah More, and Miss Edgworth, on 

 the subject of education ; and shall in the mean time 

 content ourselves with observing, that the grand ob- 

 jects of attention during this important period, should 

 be, to subdue the malevolent, and to foster the benevo- 

 lent affections ; to counteract all unreasonable aversions 

 and antipathies ; to correct extravagant partialities ; and 

 to regulate all the active principles of their nature, so as 

 to prepare them for engaging, with vigour and success, 

 in the studies and occupations of the succeeding stages 

 of life. 



At what age it may be proper to fix the attention of when 

 children to regular tasks, and to begin to teach them to should cliil- 

 read, it is not easy to determine. So much must de- dren be ex- 

 pend on the health, the articulation, and the apprehen- finecl to ' e " 

 sion of children, that the discretion of the judicious ^ l 

 parent or guardian will be, in this respect, the best 

 guide. Perhaps it might be proper to make them fa- 

 miliar with their alphabet as soon as they can articu- 

 late distinctly. But learning must approach them at 

 first in the most alluring form. Let them not be 

 confined to their task till it become tiresome and dis- 

 gusting j nor be subjected to any harshness, severi- 

 ty, or restraint. When they have been accustomed, 

 for some time, to this gentle exercise of attention, 

 we may venture to require of them a more regular 

 and steady application during a stated portion of time. 

 The quickness of apprehension, and tenacity of me- 

 mory, which children display at a very early period, 

 enable them to acquire, without much difficulty, the 

 art of reading. When the pupil has learned to read Grammar. 

 with considerable fluency, he may with propriety be 



taught the first principles of grammar. To name and 

 define the different parts of speech, will at first be all 

 that can well be expected of him ; but when, by prac- 

 tice in parsing, he has acquired a sufficient knowledge 

 of these, he may then be initiated in the syntax of the 

 lanpiinge, and taught the principles on which the con- 

 struction of sentences depends. This will be an admi- 

 rable exercise for his understanding and his ingenuity; 

 :incl will prepare him for entering, with peculiar advan- 

 tage, on the study of any other languages, to which his 

 attention may afterwards be directed. We have some- 

 times been highly gratified by seeing children, under 

 the tuition of an able English teacher, parsing and con- 

 struing any passage that was presented to them, with 

 all the readiness and precision which we had been ac- 

 customed to expect only from classical scholars. Im- 

 portant as this acquisition is in itself, the habits of 

 steady attention, quick apprehension, and accurate dis- 

 crimination, which it necessarily imparts, are still more 

 valuable. 



This is the proper time, likewise, for storing the pu- Passages M 

 pil's memory with such passages from the most up- be learned 

 proved writers, particularly the poets, as may at once b y lleart - 

 captivate his fancy, enlarge his comprehension, and 

 improve his morals. Though he should not be able to 

 perceive at first all the beauties which these passages 

 contain, they will still afford him instruction, if not 

 pleasure ; they will recur spontaneously to his recol- 

 lection in his hours of solitary recreation ; and he will 

 be led, as his judgment matures, to appreciate their 



