se is usually true. That which adheres simply to the surface of
rock and child is veneer, which the testing circumstance will rub off.
Only that which is assimilated is of any value to the life.

These are the great principles revealed in the development of life from
infancy to maturity. The factor of human contact appears in every one.
The question, "What is my touch upon this unfolding life?" can not be
evaded. The stonecutter takes the marble and hews out the rough block;
the sculptor finds its hidden soul. The artisan takes the canvas and the
common sign appears; the artist makes it immortal. But God gives life to
parents and teachers to fashion. Will hands clumsy and unskilled, miss
the perfect beauty, or the touch of master workmanship bring forth a
likeness to the Christ?

CHAPTER II

EARLY CHILDHOOD

The first period of life, Early Childhood, includes the years from birth
to about six or, in Sunday School phraseology, the "Cradle Roll," from
birth to three, and the "Beginners," from three to six.

It is a temptation to note at length the marvelous achievements of a
little life in its earliest years, as it comes,

"Out from the shore of the great unknown,
Blind and wailing and alone,
Into the light of day.
* * * * *.
"From the unknown sea that reels and rolls,
Specked with the barks of little souls,
Barks that were launched on the other side,
And slipped from Heaven on an ebbing tide."

The wealth of material, however, clustering around each period of
developing life is so great that selection must be made. Therefore only
those facts illuminating the chosen theme of religious nurture will be
considered.

The baby's world is a "big, blooming, buzzing confusion," according to
James, but gradually, cosmos emerges from chaos. The senses, clouded at
first, become clear and active. Adjustment and voluntary control of the
larger muscles are secured. The art of walking is mastered, and the
great feat of learning a language practically unaided, is well under
way. The awakening mind learns to know certain objects and simplest
relationships within a very limited sphere, and through ceaseless
activity, new experiences are constantly coming in to the soul.

Guided by instinct and impulse, responding to any wind that blows,
sensitive and retentive as the plate of a camera,

"Just a-yearning
To be learning
Anything at all,"

can