INTELLECTUAL FAULTS OF CHILDREN.
PARENTS need by no means feel assured of the intellectual bias or inheritance of their children in their first three years, or even later in those of slow mental development, for the mental life is as shifting as the pictures seen through the revolving kaleidoscope. Who has not seen a child, of course one constantly under observation, develop in succession the traits of speech and thought that belong to recent known, and to one knows not how many unknown, ancestors? The scroll is slowly unrolled from week to week. The mother is almost in despair over some obnoxious tendency which repeats itself day after day, when, lo! the scene shifts, and, even without special correction, that idiosyncrasy gives place to one less troublesome. These more or less distinct clews of the mental make-up are all she can rely upon in anticipating the future and counteracting wrong tendencies. Early childhood, the period when occasional flashes show such traits to be latent, is the time to gently apply proper counter training. Consider, for instance, curiosity. Fénélon says, "The curiosity of children is a natural tendency which goes in the van of instruction," or, as Perez prefers to say, "in the van of pleasure." This being true, do not chide the little one, or think him doomed to endless trouble through life, simply because his desire to know and see everything keeps you continually gratifying his wants or answering his questions. It is curiosity that leads the baby to grasp for everything in sight and "even sigh for the moon," that makes your little boy talk constantly in interrogations, or get into all manner of mischief in the nursery. It is a method of intellectual growth common to all children of any mental capacity, and, though very troublesome, should never be punished as a fault unless a malicious element is evident. . . . The habit of untruthfulness, while very startling to the mother, by no means betokens in a young child great moral obliquity. Little ones are much puzzled by the different qualities of things, and often from ignorance and perplexity tell lies without meaning to do so. Remember, too, that a bright child will tell stories with no other purpose than the unconscious exercise of the imagination. A habit indulged by grown people that tends to still more confuse children, is that of deliberately deceiving them just for the foolish purpose of witnessing their surprise. It is a pernicious habit and always deserving of rebuke. The parents who so far forget themselves as to do this need never expect their children to be truthful. The virtue of truthfulness is so essential and the habit of lying so dangerous that too much watchfulness cannot be taken over a child who persists in the bad habit. Do not be stern with children for unintentional faults; encourage them to confide in you, and teach them that you are greatly grieved by their mistaken statements. Do not be discouraged because your child cannot give attention or keep consecutively employed at any one thing for a length of time. It does not imply feebleness of mental grasp or a weak will, but rather immaturity of the faculty of attention. The few observers in this field conclude that five or six minutes is as long as the infant of one year can fix its attention, and so on up to thirty minutes for the primary scholars of six years. The rule that gives rest to the mature mind by a change of work does not apply to young children, who cannot be provided with work of a very different character. As they grow older, this faculty of attention is easily developed.—Babyhood.