guide us in darkness. We are blind during half our life-time, with
this difference, that the really blind can always guide themselves,
whereas we dare not take a step in the dead of night. You may remind
me that we have artificial light. What! must we always use machines?
Who can insure their being always at hand when we need them? For my
part, I prefer that Emile, instead of keeping his eyes in a chandler's
shop, should have them at the ends of his fingers.

As much as possible, let him be accustomed to play about at night.
This advice is more important than it would seem. For men, and
sometimes for animals, night has naturally its terrors. Rarely do
wisdom, or wit, or courage, free us from paying tribute to these
terrors. I have seen reasoners, free-thinkers, philosophers, soldiers,
who were utterly fearless in broad daylight, tremble like women at the
rustle of leaves by night. Such terrors are supposed to be the result
of nursery tales. The real cause is the same thing which makes the
deaf distrustful, and the lower classes superstitious; and that is,
ignorance of objects and events around us.

The cause of the evil, once found, suggests the remedy. In everything,
habit benumbs the imagination; new objects alone quicken it again.
Every-day objects keep active not the imagination, but the memory;
whence the saying "Ab assuetis non fit passio."[22] For only the
imagination can set on fire our passions. If, therefore, you wish to
cure any one of the fear of darkness, do not reason with him. Take him
into the dark often, and you may be sure that will do him more good
than philosophical arguments. When at work on the roofs of houses,
slaters do not feel their heads swim; and those accustomed to darkness
do not fear it at all.

There will be one advantage of our plays in the dark. But if you mean
them to be successful, you must make them as gay as possible. Darkness
is of all things the most gloomy; so do not shut your child up in a
dungeon. When he goes into the dark make him laugh; when he leaves it
make him laugh again; and all the time he is there, let the thought of
what he is enjoying, and what he will find there when he returns,
protect him from the shadowy terrors which might otherwise inhabit it.

I have heard some propose to teach children not to be afraid at night,
by surprising them. This is a bad plan, and its effect is contrary to
the one sought: it only makes them more timid than before