MARCH 247 



the assistance of nature. After showing how children 

 can only learn in their own way, he ends with, 'Of 

 course I do not mean there is no education for children, 

 however young ; but the school is the mother's knee, 

 and the lessons learnt there are other and more valuable 

 than object lessons.' He goes on to say : ' The mother 

 is qualified, and qualified by the Creator himself, to 

 become the principal agent in the development of her 

 child . . . and what is demanded of her is a 

 thinJcing love . . .' Is it not almost fearful how 

 many children grow up without any thinking love at all ? 

 Is there anything more pathetic in three lines than 

 these — by Blake — or more terribly true 1 Think of all 

 the half-castes all over the world, not to mention our 

 own cities ! 



The Angel that presided o'er my birth 



Said, ' Little creature, formed of joy and mirth, 



Go, live without the help of anything on earth.' 



It is the non- understanding of children makes the 

 difficulty. The following poem by Mrs. Deamer will give 

 a stab, I think, to many a young mother. Maternal love 

 often wants cultivating, and does not come lirturally to 

 many young women ; of this I am sure. And, though 

 they learn many things, they seem to think being a good 

 mother comes by instinct or not at all. This is not true. 

 Besides, the apparently devoted mother may want quite 

 as much training and self-cultivation as the indifferent 

 one ; perhaps more so, as she takes more responsibility 

 on herself, and so, possibly, deprives the child of being 

 looked after by someone else. 



I think the world is really sad, — 



I can do nothing but annoy ; 

 For little boys are all born bad, 



And I am born a little boy. 



