THE MIND OF A CHILD.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 6 December 1924, Page 10

THE MIND OF A CHILD.

AN EXAMINER’S HAPPY MOMENTS.

Some amusing examples of how the child’s mind works at an examination paper are given by a correspondent in the Morning Post. One child wrote: “The gresth Duke of Marlborough was a man of exceedingly fine character, omitting bis vices, which were many.” A young lady declared that “Milton’s poems 'are pleasant to read, b.ut being >a strict Priritan, throughout the whole of his poems there is nothing to promote laughter. Another child wrote : “A certain man drew a bow at a venture and missed the venture, but Ixit Ahab.” Her e are some pieces of history: What do you mean by “Habeas Corpus’ ’ ? “A treatise on the circulation of the blood.” Who was the 'Pretehder?

“The Pretender ■was a man who pretended that lib whs the heir to the English Crown, but was- found out. He tried many times to get an army and to drive the English back, aiid then put himself on the Orowii, but he was beaten every time. He landed iii Ireland once, where he found such bad troops tliat he was frightened to meet the English, but he made an army and was beaten by the English.” Who* was Harley? “Harley was a person on the side of the elector of Hanover. He was stabbed by a. French adventurer whose name was the Baron de Guiseard iii the ribs and thus got into favour he was .much put down by the Duke of Marlborough.’’ Describe .the Spartans. “The Spartans were very cruel. They used to hate the sight of a Helot. If they could catch one they would eat him raw, so it shews what a spite ohev had against them. They used to be governed by an oligarchy.” An extract from an essay on “The Advantages and Disadvantages of Novel Reading’ ’: “Some persons opinions differ greatly with regard to the reading of novels there are a good many kinds of novels, such as Id, 2d, 4d, 6d. I do not think there is much harm in reading novels if you read them at the proper time, and do not spend too l much money on them, which is sometimes the ease. The .Waverley novels, for instance, are not at all bad books if read at the proper time. The great fault of some people are that they are always reading novels, arid of course the more they read, the more they want. I think it is not right to .read a. novel on Sundays; it is just as much harm as playing, because it generally gives pleasure to the mind. The great harm of reading novels are to be careful not to follow them. Novels do not increase your learning much, but sometimes decrease it. I think it is about the worst thing that any schoolboy could have in the way -of books any 4d novel it generally' cities a lot of harm. Tom Jones was a. very good novel, and was written by a very good novelist. George was also a great novelist who died but a short time ago.” “These annual writhings,” says the writer, of the article, “have the effect 'baring the souls of many ingenious children nod of suhrdvino- material for psycho-analysis which Dr. Sigmund Freud himself might envy. i