Thus homes, which are the nurseries of children who grow up into
men and women, will be good or bad according to the power that
governs them. Where the spirit of love and duty pervades the home
--where head and heart bear rule wisely there--where the daily
life is honest and virtuous--where the government is sensible,
kind, and loving, then may we expect from such a home an issue of
healthy, useful, and happy beings, capable, as they gain the
requisite strength, of following the footsteps of their parents,
of walking uprightly, governing themselves wisely, and
contributing to the welfare of those about them.
On the other hand, if surrounded by ignorance, coarseness, and
selfishness, they will unconsciously assume the same character,
and grow up to adult years rude, uncultivated, and all the more
dangerous to society if placed amidst the manifold temptations of
what is called civilised life. "Give your child to be educated by
a slave," said an ancient Greek, "and instead of one slave, you
will then have two."
The child cannot help imitating what he sees. Everything is to
him a model--of manner, of gesture, of speech, of habit, of
character. "For the child," says Richter, "the most important era
of life is that of childhood, when he begins to colour and mould
himself by companionship with others. Every new educator effects
less than his predecessor; until at last, if we regard all life as
an educational institution, a circumnavigator of the world is less
influenced by all the nations he has seen than by his nurse.
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