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FAMILY EDUCATION.

THE NURSERY.

"THE man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. But Hannah went not up; for she said to her husband, I will not go up till the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and there abide for ever. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him. And when she weaned him, she took him up with her-and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh; and the child was young. And the child did minister to the Lord before Eli the priest. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord." 1 Sam. i. 21—24, and 2 Sam. xi. 21. "To Timothy, dearly beloved son ;without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; greatly desiring to see thee.when I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee,-which dwelt first in my grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise to salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus;thoroughly furnished to all good works." 2 Tim. i. 2-5. and 2 Tim. iii. 15, 17. See also Eph. vi. 4.

THOUGH the foregoing pages have furnished the readers with many useful suggestions upon the all-important subject of family education, in the Conversations of the Carlton Family, yet the particular duties of the primary department-that of the nursery, do not appear to have been distinctly considered. Now it is in the plastic subjects of this department, that the formative impressions of human character are inlaid. The infant sees, feels, and retains the impressions thus

made upon its perception, long before it can think for itself; yea, indeed, these constitute the very elements of its thoughts and desires; or of its aversions. It should then be handled and treated; dressed, fed, and amused, with all that propriety and sobriety of treatment, which is naturally calculated to make just impressions of what is comely, decent, and proper, in the elementary contour of human character; being entirely unaccustomed to any thing foolish, whimsical, or ridiculous, but to the very contrary. And why should not this be universally the case? Is not every mother's son naturally the same with Samuel and Timothy, and equally near and dear to his mother?-a sensitive, rational creature, destined for eternity?-capable of being trained up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord ?— of being thus prepared for the high destiny of eternally glorifying and enjoying its almighty Creator? Why, then, not receive and treat this high privileged creature, as Hannah and Eunice did their sons? who as far as mother's interest and agency could go, devoted them to the Lord; always considering and treating them accordingly; and thus training them up for God.

In the course of some twelve or sixteen months, the beloved little creatures not only understand looks and gestures, but begin also to understand words. The endearing epithets of father and mother soon convey to the infant mind the most pleasing impressions and recollections. It also gets early acquainted with the common literal acceptation of the terms good and bad, pretty and ugly, love and hate, sweet and bitter, make, break, &c. &c.; and thus soon become the capable subject

of oral instructions. Now as soon as this capability by being exercised for some time upon common sensible objects, its attention should be interestingly and incessantly called to a realizing grateful acknowledgement of its Creator. This, we presume, may be successfully attempted in the following manner:

Mother. My dear child, where is your father? He is ploughing the corn to make cakes for you. Do you not love father for that? Who bought you this pretty coat, my dear? Do you not know it was father? Do you not love father for buying you this pretty coat to keep you warm? Do you know who made it, my dear? It was mother made it. Do you not love me for making you this pretty coat? Give me a kiss, if you love me; my sweet son. Do you know who made you, my dear? It was heavenly Father. Do you not know, my dear son, that you have a heavenly Father, who lives away up in heaven, above the sun, moon, and stars; who made you, and me, and your father, and gave you to us, to be our son? Do you not love heavenly father, my dear, for making you, and me, and your father; and for giving you to us to be our son? 'Tis heavenly Father that keeps us alive, and takes care of us; that makes all the good things grow in the fields, in the garden, in the orchard; all the good berries, and apples, and fruits of every kind, that we eat; and all the beautiful buds, and blossoms, and flowers, that smell so sweet. Do you not love heavenly Father, my dear, for making you all these good things? &c. &c.

Thus most infants, from twelve to eighteen F 2

months old, are capable of being instructed; so that at the age of two years, they would mostly be able to connect the idea of the heavenly Father, with every object of delight and enjoyment; and, thus, not only become duly acquainted with the divine existence, but also with the delightful attributes of his nature, his power, wisdom, goodness, and love.

To accomplish this blissful attainment would, however, in the mean time, require the incessant attention of the parents; especially of the mother, whose special province it is to form the infant mind. It would have to be the constant business of every day, as far as opportunity would permit. Yes, indeed, suitable opportunities should be sought for presenting to the child's consideration the various objects, both terrestrial and celestial, with which Heaven has graciously favoured us, for the blissful purpose of acquiring and communicating the knowledge of our bountiful Creator. Thus, by the time the child had completed its third year, it would have become a practical deist or theist : it would recognize God in every thing; and every thing in its relation to God, as his creature; and so be prepared, in due time, for the enjoyment of our holy religion; which is founded upon a realizing persuasion of the being and perfections of our heavenly Father.

Moreover, while the child is thus training, in the arms, and under the tender care of its maternal guardian, it should be kept out of the way of corrupting examples, as much as possible. Its associates, if it have any, should be pupils of the same school, that have received the same maternal

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