THE CHILD AND THE TRUTH

Evening Star, Issue 18729, 3 September 1924, Page 2

THE CHILD AND THE TRUTH

PARENTS SHOULD DO THEIR PART. A WOMANS PLEA. Airs \V. G. Roberts, of Christchurch, addressed a meeting of the Women’s Citizens’ Association on ‘ Parents rind Cliildren ’ lasi night. Mrs E. Leech, who pre-sided.-introduced Ihe speaker. Mrs Roberts bespoke, n thorough teaching of God's laws of life by the parents. As it was, by neglect of this teaching, a barrier was often raised between mother and child. There wm no reason why this question should not be faced square’ly, and it had to bo remembered that ignorance was not innocence.

Heranso this question had got into such a muddle it behoved mothers to took up their sleeves and tackle it. The first object was tho making of a clean heart, over all, a.nd tho renewing of a right spirit, it was their privilege to begin this work, and if they failed Hie children in their natural sex development they failed thorn in a very serious manner indeed. We had to realise that God’s methods ■were best, and were pure and holy. Wo wanted children as they grew' np to understand the meaning of the words that they were fearfully and wonderfully made. It, was not a question of knowledge, but a question of clean or unclean knowledge. Some parents said; “I want to keep my children innocent,” but as she had said there was a confusion between innocence and ignorance. The first rule was to answer children's questions truthfully and reverently, ns it was unfair to leave children -to meet tho trials and temptations of life, unwarned how to keep their bodies in temperance and chastity. Login with a simple story. Every mother could answer children’s questions simply and truthfully in a manner which the children could understand.

Airs Roberts made a strong plea that children should be told tho truth about child birth when they questioned. Alothers should not tell the children to run away, and, if they were given the truth, there was much less likelihood that they would treat this sacred matter in an obscene way as they grew older. At from four to eight years of age a child received its first impression, of God’s laws of life, and it was these impressions that lasted. Its first impressions should bo pure and holy, and it should bo told what it wanted to know, in so far as it could understand. Let them be truthful, frank, and reverent. First create a right and reverent attitude of mind, and answer tho questions of the child. That satisfied most normal children at the beginning Alothers could get tho simplest of literature to help them. Mental and physical changes should bo taught. A child should bo told of the changes taking place in its body. Each generation should rise a step higher than the last. Speaking of fathers, Airs Roberts said one father would say: “Don’t come asking such questions; you are far too young.” All she could say of such a father was “poor fool." Then there was tho father who deliberately lied to his son, and thought he was rather smart.- Then there was tho father-thank God their number was increasing—who, when the mother had done her part, came along and did his, and explained that all tho changes that took place were natural ones. Airs Roberts was accorded a hearty vote of tjianks at the conclusion of her address.