FALLACIES AND FACTS. 209 



tliroiigli the skin of its back to keep tlie miserable 

 atom upriglit, is nonsense. In their early years, 

 boys possess a tyrannous cruelty in their natures, 

 assigned to them in some way, it Avould seem, 

 as a sort of birthright, and of whicli, until they 

 become old enough to think and reason with tliem- 

 selves, they cannot be dispossessed. So as to the 

 idea of ^' baby schools " for the purpose of ^^ teach- 

 ing humanity," I look upon them as ridiculous in 

 one respect, as the filthy institution of ^^baby 

 shows" are in another, and as simply nonsense 

 tending to the expenditure of money. 



While upon this subject, let me turn for a 

 moment to the method of early education which 

 has long existed, and which, I have no doubt, 

 will continue to exist, in spite of reason and 

 common sense, to the end of time. 



The moment a child of either sex is capable of 

 looking at pictures, or of reading nursery tales, the 

 first books put into its hands are printed lies of the 

 most, to the child, fascinating description. The 

 bodies of Bluebeard's wives spouting up fountains 

 of crimson blood, a house on the top of a bean-stalk, 

 and a Welsh giant ripping out his own bowels with 

 a knife ! Fairy tales of lies, and all manner of false, 



VOL. I. P 



