In considering the subject of child training, the parent and teacher should stand in much the same relation to the child. The child's first teacher should be the parent, who should continue to be his teacher long after he has ordinarily been turned over to the school.
There is no individual in the world who has more opportunities for properly directing the development and growth of the child, than has the parent. If he be a thoughtful parent, who is a student of his own nature and disposition, he can readily see in the child the great effects of heredity. Not only this, but he can also understand and direct the environments and influences surrounding the child, as can no one else. It should be borne in mind that heredity and environment are the two great features which go to determine the character of the child. By heredity is meant those tendencies of mind and body which are given to the child from many ancestors, through his parents. By environment is included every external influence which touches the life of the child in any way. Until the child goes from under the parental roof, the parent has almost absolute control of his environment.
The majority of children are sent to school years before they should be. It is a serious matter to let a little child go out from the sacred influences of his home to mingle with the influences coming from many other homes.
The children coming from any home are, generally speaking, a faithful representation of what that home is, and when parents send their little ones to the school, it is very much like sending them into other homes to receive their mould. Some one has said that we send the children to school to be instructed by the teacher, but they are taught by their mates, and never truer words were uttered. Of any one individual in a school, of course the teacher has by far the greater influence, but when you come to weigh against the teacher's personality, precepts, and life that of a great many of these little people, the balance turns in favor of the child's schoolmates, for they are living in the same plane with him, and are in touch with his life in a sense which the teacher is not nor can be. We may have teachers whose characters are spotless, whose influence is always helpful, whose control over her children is magnificent, and yet the good work of this teacher will be practically undone by the bad influences and examples of the child's playmates. How necessary it is then that before the child shall go into such an arena as the school, his character shall have become so strong that he is reasonably sure of maintaining a successful contest against those forces which tend to drag him downward.
Character is quite often not very clearly defined. As a result, there is a great deal said about character that is indefinite. In a way, we all have a common understanding of what is meant by a good or bad character. People in general recognize that certain principles of honesty, purity, kindness, and many others which might be mentioned, are necessary elements of what is meant by a good character, and that the lack of these elements results in what is generally denominated an evil character.
Elements of Character.
Now character is very concrete, and possesses no abstract elements. I wish to give what seems to me to be the important elements of character, into which all other elements may come. They are—
health,
knowledge,
perseverance,
judgment,
right motive.
The definite order in which they are here named is, to my mind, the natural one in the development of the child. But it is the order of time, not of importance.
Of course we all recognize that the first element in importance in the character of the child is that of right motive. It is so important that it of itself is often considered the sum and substance of character. If one has a right motive, it is generally considered that he has a good character. But character involves the whole being. It is that which enables an individual to successfully meet and overcome the obstacles in life's pathway, and to live a practical life full of usefulness. It must be apparent, then, that something else is necessary other than right motive, for there are a great many people in the world whose motives are most excellent, but yet they do not accomplish very much that is of any special value, either to themselves or any one else. So, while "right motive" is here placed at the last of the list of elements of character, yet when we rank it in the matter of importance, we must place it first.
But it should be borne in mind that what is first in importance is not always first in time. We recognize this continually in our intercourse one with another, for we often keep back the most important item in a transaction until we have prepared the way for it by presenting others; so in ranking these elements of character in the child, we must recognize that certain subordinate elements are necessary to produce this, the most important of all, "right motive."
A First Consideration.
The health of every child is of the first consideration in the building of its character. If this is kept in mind, we have at the outset a concrete conception of character. With stomach disordered, nerves unstrung, and the physical energies of the child in general depleted through a lack of fresh air, bright sunshine, good food, abundant exercise, and perhaps, above all, a cheerful home atmosphere, the mental organization of the child is bound to be awry, and he can not have a good motive. I do not think that it is putting it at all too strong when I say that with these unhygienic conditions of health, it is utterly impossible for the child to possess, in any satisfactory degree, any one of the other four elements of character.
Knowledge—What and How.
No discussion is necessary to convince the majority of thinking people that knowledge plays an exceedingly important part in character building. But of course by knowledge is meant good knowledge, that which is wholesome, elevating, and pure, and none other than this should ever be presented to the child. Knowledge is the accumulation of facts, but not only are the facts themselves of value in establishing a right character in the child, but the manner in which these facts are gotten is also of much importance.
It makes a great deal of difference whether the child is getting these facts to pass certain examinations and to meet certain definite requirements of the school or of society, or whether he is getting them as the result of a natural interest; whether they are to him isolated facts which he must in some way cram into his mind, or whether he sees that they all bear certain definite relations to each other; and, above all, whether he sees God and manifestations of His love in all things which he studies. I say that this very largely determines the effect of knowledge upon character.
Perseverance—Execution.
A child may have knowledge, health, right motive, and good judgment, but if he has not perseverance, these other elements are of but little value. By perseverance I mean not only the keeping at a thing, but the getting at it, the starting. That characteristic of the individual which enables him to not only plan wisely because of his knowledge and judgment, but to execute his plans after they have been made. Generally speaking, the child has little perseverance. He flits from one thing to another. His attention is easily diverted. It is therefore of the utmost importance that great care should be taken to have him persevere and complete his undertaking.
Good Judgment.
Judgment is the result of thoughtfulness, which in its turn comes from knowledge that has been rightly acquired through observation and comparison. Those who are older often forget that children readily observe, compare, and make deductions, or form judgments of his own. Because of this, the child should be taught to think and act for himself.
While we speak of these elements of character separately, yet it must be borne in mind that they are connected in various ways in nearly every act of the child. The character of the child is determined largely before he reaches the age of eight or ten years, and he should not be placed under the influences of others outside the home, as in schools, until that time when he can independently act upon right principles.
Parents and teachers have a serious work; for what they sow, the child reaps.