CHILD’S ADVICE.

Franklin Times, Volume 10, Issue 797, 5 January 1923, Page 5

CHILD’S ADVICE.

TO PARENTS AND GUARDIANS. “How and Children Can Improve Themselves” is the title of an entertaining series \ of articles printed in-the “Manchester Guardian,” and written by Catherine W. Alexander at the age of fourteen. In contrast to the fancies of Daisy Ashford (who wrote “The Young Visitors”) this writing reveals the critical and reformings thoughts of a child. The following are extracts : I expect you would like to know what sort of literature to give your children. When they are first beginning to learn to read don’t give the “So-Fat and New-mew,” it makes them sentimental at once, lou ought to give them either lively, easy books, or else dry, dull ones which won t work on their brains. Up till about thirteen they ought to read books like “Masterman Ready,” “What Katy Did,” “Mopsa the Fairy,” “Norse Fairy Tales,” and children’s adventure and school books. Over the agp of thirteen they could begin reading a few exciting novels such as “The ißed Cockade,” “Vice Versa,” “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” “She,” and others. Over fourteen children ought to begin to read Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Mrs Gaskell, Frances Burney, and others of these famous authoresses’ books. They can gradually go on to Thackeray’s, Hudson, Scott, Trollope, Stevenson and to all the great writers. Children over twelve ought to very much enjoy John Buchan and the lighter books''of Arnold Bennett, such as “Hugo,” “The Gi'and Babylon Hotel,” and “The City of Pleasure,” !>f which the very thrilling and blood-eui'ling books, and some children ought not to read them at night. Do not put curl-papers orj your girl’s hail', it makes her look very common and conceited. See at once if your chil# has bad teeth, and take Give her ai wire at once if necessary so that her teeth will have time !tb right themselves. And if she has bad eyes dq not delay in getting her spectacles ,as her eyes will daily grow worse otherwise. I should let your children read the newspapers from infancy, las it takes a long time for the modern generation to begin to take an interest in the welfare of their country. But don’t encoui'ace them to read “Personals” or deaths and marriages and births, an especially all the divoi'ces and bankruptcies, and’ the murders and “News in Brief.” Pai-ents make great mistakes sometimes in the treatment of their children. When they are naughty or slightly vex their parent, the parent often gets furiously angry aJJ in a minute, which naturally macjs them vei-y despicable and their phildren despise them for their temper accordingly. What they should do is to be gentle and talk quietly and firmly to the rebllious child, who will listen quietly in a way which it never would do otherwise.