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Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students
young should be to know themselves and how to keep their bodies
in health.
Result of Continued Application
Many parents keep their children at school nearly the year round.
These children go through the routine of study mechanically, but do
not retain that which they learn. Many of these constant students
seem almost destitute of intellectual life. The monotony of continual
study wearies the mind, and they take but little interest in their
lessons; and to many the application to books becomes painful.
They have not an inward love of thought and an ambition to acquire
knowledge. They do not encourage in themselves habits of reflection
and investigation.
Children are in great need of proper education in order that they
may be of use in the world. But any effort that exalts intellectual
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culture above moral training is misdirected. Instructing, cultivating,
polishing, and refining the youth and children should be the main
burden of both parents and teachers. Close reasoners and logical
thinkers are few, for the reason that false influences have checked
the development of the intellect. The supposition of parents and
teachers that continued study would strengthen the intellect has
proved erroneous; for in many cases it has had the opposite effect....
We are living in an age when almost everything is superficial.
There is but little stability and firmness of character, because the
training and education of children from their cradle is superficial.
Their characters are built upon sliding sand. Self-denial and self-
control have not been molded into their characters. They have been
petted and indulged until they are spoiled for practical life....
Children should be so trained and educated that they will expect
temptations, and calculate to meet difficulties and dangers. They
should be taught to have control over themselves, and nobly to
overcome difficulties; and if they do not willfully rush into danger,
and needlessly place themselves in the way of temptation, if they
shun evil influences and vicious society, and then are unavoidably
compelled to be in dangerous company, they will have strength
of character to stand for the right and to preserve principle, and
come forth in the strength of God with their morals untainted. If