that, "Much injury is done by urging the youthful mind to premature efforts; by seeking prematurely to develope its active but still slumbering powers." If all the energies of the child are directed to the cultivation of any one faculty, the child becomes a prodigy in that one faculty, but a dwarf in others. Hence the reason why some children who are so forward in early life, are forgotten when they grow up into active life, when the exercise of all the faculties is called forth. Our space will not allow us to enter extensively into this branch of education.

The last division which we notice is MORAL EDUCATION.— The author here begins at a period when the discipline devolves almost entirely on the mother, i. e. in the cradle.

"As yet, the child has no other means of making resistance except the use of its voice; but this unruly disposition will subsequently manifest itself by striking, stamping, and the like. Such screaming may be distinguished by those who are about the child, not only by its angry tone, but also by its increasing in violence until the desired gratification has been obtained; and with this successful attempt, an association is formed between unruly conduct and the attainment of purposes, which will last through life. The child very soon discovers that by this means it can obtain its object; it knows that at first, as the animal does: for example, the dog, which asks its master for what it wants by barking; but it gradually learns, by experience, to effect by screaming whatever it desires, and to rule by importunity, over those around it.

"The principal remedy for this evil is to repel the very first attempts of the child; not to give up to it, but to let it scream; but to make it a point to satisfy its natural wants before it has occasion to demand gratification by screaming and importunity. In other respects it should be treated in as kindly a manner as possible.

"But,' it is objected, the child will cry too much, and perhaps injure itself.' You may safely run the risk; or, is the injury less if it becomes daily more headstrong? When shall the temper be subdued or the will broken? Will you leave it to time and circumstances? This would be cruel; for the stern

but an ill-temperd

Nor is there great When its exertions are sensible of it, and the

Nemesis never omits to come, and she is a stranger to sparing gentleness. If the child sustain a bodily injury, this may be cured; or it may become happy even with it; child will certainly become an unhappy man. danger of injury arising from screaming. destructive to itself, nature soon becomes child will scream no longer than it can bear it, at least not in early infancy: it will grow weary, and rest the more sweetly; and perhaps this exercise of the voice will even serve as a wholesome excitement to its animal organism; but when the unruly child has been, for once, allowed to scream to its heart's content without effecting its object, all is gained; that evil association is broken up; it will not carry its second attempt so far, and nature is freed from its bonds; for, according to nature, the child feels itself dependant on the will of others, and finds itself well at ease in this sense of dependance; much better than in its position of unnatural domination. I know an excellent mother, whose acute observation detected the beginning of this unruly tendency in her infant daughter when only six weeks of age. The child screamed in order to be taken from its bed; she let it lie and it screamed more violently; it continued to scream for about fifteen minutes, until it could scarcely be endured; but the mother had firmness to persevere. The child screamed until it was weary, then feel asleep, and awoke in the best humor imaginable, and never made a similar attempt, but became a most obedient and amiable girl.

"As the breaking from any habit always produces a disagreeable excitement, and that the more sensibly the more the evil habit has become confirmed, and the more it feels the restraint imposed upon its violent manifestations, so every means employed to correct the evil here particularly treated of cannot but leave a disagreeable impression on the child's mind which can never be effaced; an aversion to the person who subjects it to restraint, which can only be prejudicial to affection and cheerfulness. The longer, therefore, the subduing the will is put off, the more violently will the child be exasperated against those who ultimately attempt to curb it. Hence arises the universally.

prevailing propensity of children to disobedience, and even aversion to education; for a child, that has not been more or less neglected in this respect, is one of the greatest rarities. have, in some degree, to suffer for this early neglect, and never is the penalty completely cancelled; for, in suffering for it, it is always again renewed, though it be but to a small degree. And, therefore, the disobedience of children is to the parents who complain of it, the penalty of sin; and the same is true of all the bitterness and ill-will of the younger generation towards the elder, which suffers from these feelings and tempers.

"In extreme cases it will be necessary to resort to chastisement, and then the rod is a remedy, as an emetic is for divers diseases. In its bodily pain, the child feels the displeasure of its parents; and this feeling resolves itself into the association that such attempts must in future be abstained from, in order that such pain may be avoided. But the child's heart is, at the same time, excited to humility by its own sense of the justness of its suffering, and the displeasure of the parents now becomes the displeasure of the child with regard to itself. This mode of treatment, though severe, strengthens the child's capacity for self-government. It is true that, if the course thus adopted be not persevered in, the case becomes worse than it was before; for then the child has been exasperated, and becomes malicious; and, what is more, feels its own superiority to the will of its parents. But if the child is really brought to feel the superiority of its parents (and how can it otherwise, except they themselves be weak?), in that moment nature resumes its prerogative; the child's heart has been softened, and its will become pliant; and as soon as the hand of affection is again held out to it, it will cling the more fondly to its parents. It is inherent in human nature that he who is weaker, and needs the support and guidance of others, should cheerfully content himself when he is made to perceive the strength of his guide, and perhaps even to become sensible of it by means of suffering in his own person.

"When the chastisement is administered, let it be brief, and severe in exact proportion to the necessity of the case, lest it degenerate into worrying; and let all scolding be abstained from,

for this only exasperates. One single severe word, e. g., "silence!" uttered with a commanding voice, is better than many. But let all be done without passion, for an angry face can only produce a frightful impression on the child. And now, when the child is content and yields, let him at once again see a serene brow and an unclouded face, and talk with him about other things; this will operate like the warm sunshine after the first thunder-storm in spring."

The nature and end of punishment will be considered in our next number.

Original.

SICK CHILDREN.

Ir is probable that children do not generally receive the sympathy to which they are entitled, when they appear irritable and peevish. The adult often finds the need of much resolution and self-control, with divine grace superadded, to enable him to govern his temper, when under the influence of diseases which produce nervous irritation. The following observations, from the "Mother's Friend," deserve especial attention: "Their slight and delicate frames are subject to many disorders which they have not the power to describe, and there is reason to fear many a poor little sufferer has been harshly treated, when teething, or some other secret pain, or perhaps the want of cleanliness, or clothes which have not properly fitted, have been the only cause of its fretfulness. If you can find out or remove the cause of irritation in your child, try to soothe him, by maintaining, yourself, an undisturbed calmness of temper; for even infants are wonderfully affected by the looks of those around them, and a cheerful composed manner is the best means of quieting a fractious child; whilst harsh tones of voice, and an angry countenance, will be sure to frighten him, and add to his distress." The diseases of children are especially of an irritating nature. Not only teething, to

which all are subject; but, in some cases, children have been observed to be exceedingly fretful, without any apparent reason, for many months; when they have been suddenly attacked with inflammation in the head, resulting in suffusion of the brain, and death. A child, in such a case, would be very liable to suffer harsh treatment undeservedly. There can be no danger, then, of treating an irritable child with too much tenderness. Sympathy should be felt for him, and every proper measure taken to soothe his feelings.

But, still, there is great danger of extending too much indulgence to sickly children. They should never be left to infer, from our tenderness and sympathy, that their being sick is a sufficient reason why they should have their way in everything, and be indulged in all their whims. I once called to see a woman with a sick child; and I was hardly seated before he called for my cane, which I was expected, of course, to surrender. The cane was given to him, and he placed it by his side. Presently his little sister came along, and desired to look at it; but no, she could not come near it, without encountering an outcry. Presently, while he was sitting in his little chair, his mother took his sister in her arms, to attend to some of her wants; but the little fellow would not suffer such an encroachment upon his rights. He was the sick boy, and the place occupied by his sister belonged to him. So she was compelled to yield. In short, the sick boy was the tyrant of the whole family, mother and all. Such indulgence as this is no kindness to sick children. It only fosters ill-temper and peevishness, and thus aggravates disease. It is important for their own comfort, and for the successful treatment of the disease, that they should be taught self-control. It is exceedingly important, also, in respect to the formation of character, that they should not be indulged in everything they desire, on account of being sick. The temper of many a child has been ruined by such indulgence. It is even more important that a sick child should be governed, than one that is well. He has less self-control; and unrestrained indulgence will be more injurious. In the treatment of a sick child, firmness and decision should be mingled with tenderness. But, it is even better to