PURITY OF CHILDREN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 4440, 5 February 1876, Page 3

PURITY OF CHILDREN.

Faith Rochester writes ttais ia tiie Amerti ; can Agriculturist oil a subject of interest to all parties •JFor nearly a year my children 'liv'ed v close 'by a railway depot, and people wondered ' that I was not in constant alarm lest they . would get killed or seriously injured by the | passing trains, theyiappeared to be so feariless in their investigations. But .this dan- : ger was'never uppemost ;H ■ ihy' boy. ,was. late ill coming' lioine, ' iny'first , fear was lest he might Ije learning to ." loaf 13 ,in the little store ,close r by r . which seemed-to be full, of men' and' tobacco smoke iri the evening, or lest he i might have learned to en-r dure the profanity andobseemty in .which many railroad employes indulge; - To/lose a child by "death is not tlie'saddest loss 'to. ai mother. _ But one thing Ls ..certain: it is useless to think of preserving'the infantile innocence of our - children unless we keep their minds infantile in other respects, and this is not desirable. "is preserve the innocence_o£_infancy unchanged. It is simple ignorance of good and evil, and' no one is fit to live 'a manly or'ivoinaiily life' who does' not, know the. difference between good arid evil. Yet none ofus' would hasten to make oUr children familiar with evil.' We. must oniy recognize the fact that if they in this,.world they will ha.ye , to, meet "with various forms o£ wickedness,'arid'weYshould study how best to prepare them to/walk unscathed, .through life's.ordeal.V'V 1 ;!.":

It has been ciistomaryito keep: from children much -knowledge * which it would really be better for them'to receive''' in the cool innocency of childhood," while yet those passions are dormant" which may some day become ■ terrible-temptations. The question is—who shall impart such: information ? only the'- pure' in"'heart ought to attempt it, but if mothers are faithful to their duty, . the. task, will pretty, purely be theirs. I feel sure that 'will' be "the best way.to give truthful_.answers. to„children's curious questions about additions to the family.C IXHose.who ;have. not' itrib'dlithave no idea how easi]y_that. curiosity can be satisfied without falsehood, if it is not allowed to feed, and'grow on mystery.'' I'khbw what X am sayiug. Very—likely the answer, " God gave.it ..to me," inquirer of three years old'; and that i regard aa-.»; iruthful, answer; "j" Is rnot rHe the ro wo-Life-Giver? Is He not!: creating 'now,_a. much as ever V Can any jrotoJA'go on without His power? But after 'explanation will be called for at.!a.,Jaterj I must be bravely and. tenderly-given when called fori A child's curiosity,is. '-inuaufdly.ihealthy, and calls for wholesome it lives among goodpeople.—Gurion-ty-grows morbid is Raffled. _ Shall it, have the truth frrin 'bnQ who loves dtt'soul; 'or such impure communications-as- any evil-disposed person ,may ( chppse give? I.jJare r not leave'aMdarling child-ill such ignorance as will make it the comparatively easy prey of vice. •. .. , -t, :!o Ohe'mighf imagineftha.t a cliild's thoughts would be running too ihuch upon the subject of-'which we now speak,, if; informed at all thereon; bnt it is not bo, according, to'-my observation. ' Children. .inquiring about everything, and in ari ;l activechild ono impression quickly follows'an other. AVe haVe no choicc in thc liiattcr, whether our children-'shaU .growiup.in'cig? l ? l^ lo ® °" the right and wrong usei of / certainoorgans and passions, unless we are- able'<-to seclude them entirely from-the world into which they have been sent. The .choice left ub is who sh'all''inforni''th'eih; and when-?—l—should— say-one-or-boih-of-the parents,-with aa |fßpeakuig ujjem the'&o'st' sacred/ themes,- 1 and just when the natural opportunity is given, at each time-when the, .confidipgr child coma its 'Best" friend,' with -wßicli springs naturally fronraryoung andinnocant heart. It may TtbMijduring the growing years, little,by little, as the ohild'« ae%loJmffitsii^M^n^n^dß. ! ® ' ~SS MIT :