Household words, No. 24, September 7, 1850 : $b A weekly journal
General
Household words, No. 24, September 7, 1850 : $b A weekly journal
English literature -- Periodicals
“Yes, now there comes one with a smiling face, and rolls upon the
flowers with the little ones, and they are drawn to him. And he has
magic spells to conjure up glorious spectacles of fairy land. He frolics
with them and might be first cousin to the butterflies. He wreathes
their little heads with flower garlands, and with his fairy land upon
his lips he walks toward the mountains; eagerly they follow. He seeks
the smoothest upward path, and that is but a rough one, yet they run up
merrily, guide and children, butterflies pursuing still the flowers as
they nod over a host of laughing faces. They talk of the delightful
fairy world, and resting in the shady places learn of the yet more
delightful world of God. They learn to love the Maker of the Flowers, to
know how great the Father of the Stars must be, how good must be the
Father of the Beetle. They listen to the story of the race they go to
labour with upon the plain, and love it for the labour it has done. They
learn old languages of men, to understand the past—more eagerly they
learn the voices of the men of their own day, that they may take part
with the present. And in their study when they flag, they fall back upon
thoughts of the Child Valley they are leaving. Sports and fancies are
the rod and spur that bring them with new vigour to the lessons. When
they reach the plain they cry, ‘We know you, men and women; we know to
what you have aspired for centuries; we know the love there is in you;
we know the love there is in God; we come prepared to labour with you,
dear, good friends. We will not call you clumsy when we see you tumble,
we will try to pick you up; when we fall, you shall pick us up. We have
been trained to love, and therefore we can aid you heartily, for love is
labour!’”
The Spirit whispered, “You have seen and you have heard. Go now, and
speak unto your fellow-men: ask justice for the child.”
To-day should love To-morrow, for it is a thing of hope; let the young
Future not be nursed by Care. God gave not fancy to the child that men
should stamp its blossoms down into the loose soil of intellect. The
child’s heart was not made full to the brim of love, that men should
pour its love away, and bruise instead of kiss the trusting innocent.
Love and fancy are the stems on which we may graft knowledge readily.
What is called by some dry folks a solid foundation may be a thing not
desirable. To cut down all the trees and root up all the flowers in a
garden, to cover walks and flower-beds alike with a hard crust of
well-rolled gravel, that would be to lay down your solid foundation
after a plan which some think good in a child’s mind, though not quite
worth adopting in a garden. O, teacher, love the child and learn of it;
so let it love and learn of you.
CHIPS.
EASY SPELLING AND HARD READING.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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