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The Parents' ReviewA Monthly Magazine of Home-Training and Culture"Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life." ______________________________________ Notes and Queries
A question we have discussed on ship is, How far can one give to nurses the authority one would wish over a child, seeing that it is essential for its welfare to obey its elders while in nonage? The answer was emphatically, "None in these days," because the nurses are not morally superior to the children, and it is hurtful to the latter to place them in the power of persons of a lower moral standing. It is startling, yet a fact, and pitiful (for it is altogether as it should not be for both parties), but out of two evils choose the least. Will you thrash out this question? And another, How is this dreadful question of Hell-fire to be dealt with? We have passed it over entirely, but the more "religious" a nurse or governess happens to be, the more thoroughly does she din the subject into the children's ears, so that Hell-fire is far more real to them than the beautiful Home above, of which the parents speak. It is a weapon used most effectively by some nurses, and many mothers, I find, consider it necessary to forbid all "religious" talk and teaching in the schoolroom and nursery in consequence. The devil and hell have a peculiar charm for some minds. E. A. [We know very well that there are good and devoted nurses in many homes, prized by parents and beloved by children.--ED.] ----- A new and interesting collection is that of postmarks. The albums already designed for postage-stamps will answer equally well for the postmarks. VERA. ----- A mother is anxious to know whether there exists any specialist, any authority, on the subject of stammering--one who would give his advice as to the best treatment in a particular case. She does not know whether a doctor or a teacher of elocution would be best qualified to give such advice. She knows there are people who profess to cure stammering; but what she specially wishes is, to discover whether there is anybody who could be consulted on a case, in the same manner as one consults a physician who is a specialist. F. P. ----- I should be very much obliged if, through the pages of your *Parents' Review*, you could procure for me the volume of "Sunday" containing the tale "Little Christian and his Enemies," or something like this. It was mentioned some time ago by one of your correspondents, and is the volume for 1886, I think, but am not sure. I have tried to get it from the publishers, but it is out of print. T. C. A. ----- For some months I have taught two little girls of eight (my own and another) ten to fifteen minutes each morning on the Bible and Prayer Book. Every Saturday I have prepared two little examination papers of six questions, leaving spaces on the same paper for the answers (which might be filled in at the children's dictation by some big person), to be done by each child on the Sunday morning. These papers gave the greatest stimulus to the lessons, and I am often surprised at the little people's knowledge. If on any Sunday the papers do not appear, disappointment is felt. In various church seasons we take up the special subjects, and, in between, have learnt much about the Old Testament. Lately we had the order for Morning Service, that they might follow it with greater interest. When I thought they could find all their "places," I chose out one special Sunday, giving them its title and the day of the month, and instead of an examination paper, bade them select a suitable opening text, find Psalms, Lessons, Collect, and choose their favourite hymns, or those appropriate to the day; finally, choosing a text for the sermon. They were much interested. E. M. V. ----- I should be so glad if any of your readers could kindly give names of a few useful, well-written story-books for young children (under seven or eight) in the next number of the *Parents' Review*. I find that the usual story-books sold for children are full of useless matter, and written for no object but to give passing amusement to the children. I have read carefully all the titles given of children's books in the *Parents' Review* since the first number, but they mostly seem books for children over eight. Hardly anyone so far has given names of useful story-books for young children of six and seven years, excepting perhaps "E. V." in "By the Way" of September, 1890, who mentions a little story, "Little Christian on his Pilgrimage," and the foes (Temper, Peevishness, &c.) he slew. This was in "Sunday," 1886, and perhaps not to be got now. This sort of story, told in a simple, interesting way, would be practically useful. I so fully agree with the advice given in different parts of the *Parents' Review*, to avoid addling and puzzling the children by giving them a number of useless, tawdry story-books. The abundance of this sort of literature, added to a number of useless toys, is to blame for all the "wool-gathering" brains. J. P. P. ----- I want to ask your advice on another question. I wish to improve myself with a view to the children's older requirements. I am surrounded by ever-recurring trivial duties. We seldom see a new book or meet an educated person in our wild parish, and the days slip by, and I am tired with the daily round when my only time of leisure, the evening, comes. I know unless I can make a great effort I shall gradually lose all power of enjoying or even comprehending anything more improving than the daily paper, and I shall see myself at the very time when my girls and boys will need an intellectual companion, quite left behind, and only fit for the drudgery that can be made to fill all the mind and energies of mothers in our position. If I had a scheme, a plan, a background to work upon for myself, some advice what to read and how to read it, I feel it would start me and help me along a difficult path. O. O. [We have a scheme in view which will, we hope, meet the needs of our correspondent and others like her.--ED.] Typed July 2013 
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