38
Child Guidance
a life sustained by receiving the life of God, a life exercised in harmony
with the Creator’s will. To transgress His law—physical, mental, or
moral—is to place one’s self out of harmony with the universe, to
introduce discord, anarchy, ruin.
To him who learns thus to interpret its teachings, all nature becomes
illuminated; the world is a lesson book, life a school. The unity of man
with nature and with God, the universal dominion of law, the results
of transgression, cannot fail of impressing the mind and molding the
[56]
character. These are lessons that our children need to learn
Other Lessons From Nature’s Laws—In the cultivation of the
soil the thoughtful worker will find that treasures little dreamed of
are opening up before him. No one can succeed in agriculture or
gardening without attention to the laws involved. The special needs
of every variety of plant must be studied. Different varieties require
different soil and cultivation, and compliance with the laws governing
each is the condition of success.
The attention required in transplanting, that not even a root fiber
shall be crowded or misplaced, the care of the young plants, the prun-
ing and watering, the shielding from frost at night and sun by day,
keeping out weeds, disease, and insect pests, the training and arrang-
ing, not only teach important lessons concerning the development of
character, but the work itself is a means of development. In cultivating
carefulness, patience, attention to detail, obedience to law, it imparts a
most essential training.
The constant contact with the mystery of life and the loveliness of
nature, as well as the tenderness called forth in ministering to these
beautiful objects of God’s creation, tends to quicken the mind and
refine and elevate the character; and the lessons taught prepare the
worker to deal more successfully with other minds
Lessons From Seed Sowing—The parable of the sower and the
seed conveys a deep spiritual lesson. The seed represents the principles
sown in the heart, and its growth the development of character. Make
the teaching on this point practical. The children can prepare the soil
[57]
and sow the seed; and as they work, the parent or teacher can explain
to them the garden of the heart, with the good or bad seed sown there;
5
Education, 99, 100
.
6
Ibid
.