FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   225   226   227   228   229   230   231   232   233   234   235   236   237   238   239   240   241   242   243   244   245   246   247   248   249  
250   251   252   253   >>  
because they were shut up in that place, and didn't like it." L---- (a boy between 3 and 4 years) was standing before a grate with coals in it, which were not lighted; his mother said to him, "What is the use of coals?" _L----._ "To put in your grate." _Mother._ "Why are they put there?" _L----._ "To make fire." _Mother._ "How do they make fire?" _L----._ "Fire is brought to them." _Mother._ "How is fire brought to them?" _L----._ "Fire is brought to them upon a candle and put to them." L----, a little while afterwards, asked leave to light a candle, and when a bit of paper was given to him for that purpose, said, "But, mother, may I take some light out of your fire to put to it?" This boy had more exact ideas of property than Prometheus had. Z----, when she was between five and six, said, "Water keeps things alive, and eating keeps alive children." _Z----_ (same age) meddling with a fly, said, "she did not hurt it." "Were you ever a fly?" said her mother. "Not _that I know of_," answered the child. _Z----'s_ father sent her into a room where there were some knives and forks. "If you meddle with them," said he, "you may cut yourself." _Z----._ "I won't cut myself." _Father._ "Can you be sure of that?" _Z----._ "No, but I can take care." _Father._ "But if you should cut yourself, would it do you any good?" _Z----._ "No--Yes." _Father._ "What good?" _Z----._ "Not to do so another time." ---- (same age.) Z----'s mother said to her, "Will you give me some of your fat cheeks?" _Z----._ "No, I cannot, it would hurt me." _Mother._ "But if it would not hurt you, would you give me some?" _Z----._ "No, it would make two holes in my cheeks that would be disagreeable." A sentimental mother would, perhaps, have been displeased with the simple answers of this little girl. (Vide Sympathy and Sensibility.) The following memorandums of Mrs. H----E----'s (dated 1779) have been of great use to us in our chapter upon Toys. "The playthings of children should be calculated to fix their attention, that they may not get a habit of doing any thing in a listless manner. "There are periods as long as two or three months at a time, in the lives of young children, when their bodies appear remarkably active and vigorous, and their minds dull and inanimate; they are at these times incapable of comprehending any new ideas, and forgetful of those they have already received. When this dis
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   225   226   227   228   229   230   231   232   233   234   235   236   237   238   239   240   241   242   243   244   245   246   247   248   249  
250   251   252   253   >>  



Top keywords:

mother

 

Mother

 

brought

 

children

 
Father
 
cheeks
 

candle

 

chapter


sentimental

 

playthings

 

displeased

 

simple

 

answers

 

Sympathy

 

memorandums

 

Sensibility


inanimate

 
remarkably
 

active

 

vigorous

 
incapable
 
comprehending
 

received

 

forgetful


bodies

 

listless

 

attention

 
manner
 

disagreeable

 

months

 

periods

 
calculated

Prometheus

 
property
 

things

 

meddling

 
eating
 
lighted
 

standing

 

purpose


father

 

answered

 

meddle

 

knives