As children increase in growth, their exercise should be proportionally aug mented, and the nurse should endeavour to give them as much motion with her arm as possible. A proper nurse knows the method of doing this, and requires no specific directions.
As soon as a child is able to be put on its feet, it should be allowed to make use of them. Every member acquires strength in proportion as it is exercised ; and chil dren, by being accustomed to support themselves, will soon acquire strength for the purpose. Children also begin to use their feet by degrees, and by this gradual attempt, all the dangers hinted at by writers, of their legs becoming crook ed, or unable to support the body, are avoided.
Among the poorer classes, it is very common to allow children to sit or lie in one posture for a length of time : this is a practice much to be condemned. By the want of exercise, the health of chil dren suffers, a relaxation of the system ensues, and rickets and other diseases are induced. The constitution of Man evi dently shows him at all times designed for exercise ; and the regular circulation of the fluids cannot proceed without its assistance. Arguments, indeed, may be drawn from the structure of every part of the animal economy of man ; and, where exercise is neglected, none of the ani mal functions can be duly executed, and the constitution, in general, therefore, must soon be seriously affected.
The early and rigorous confinement of children at day-schools merits to be par ticularly reprobated. To prevent trou ble to the parent, the infant is often sent to school, perhaps for seven or eight hours on a stretch, at a period of life/wile n it can learn little or nothing, and when its time would be more properly spent in exercises or diversions. ,N6r does the mind suffer less- from this evil than the body. The fixing it to one object so pre maturely, provided it can really be made to learn any thing at all, not only weakens the faculties, but is apt to produce an aversion, on the nart of the child, to study at that time ofTife when study would be useful. Even the immuting such a num ber of children in a confined room, as we often meet with in little day-schools, by vitiating the atmosphere, and corrupting the air, must lay the seeds of disease, and not unfrequently occasion infection. If
sent early to school, the time of learning should never be long, and should be al ternated with proper diversions and exdr cises suited to their period of life.
The only argument in favour of an ear ly education is, the advantage of an early entrance of children into the world, and of their being able to provide for them selves. That this may be proper in one respect, and in certain classes of society, we shall readily admit ; but if the consti tution be to be ruined at an early period, twice as much will be lost as gained by this deceitful system. The truth of such a remark is strongly confirmed by what we every day observe in manufacturing towns, where life is seldom protracted beyond its middle age, and little enjoyed, even if it should be, from the sickly con stitution entailed on its possessor by this early industry.
Even exercise within doors suffi cient to effect the good purposes derived from it in the open air, particularly in a country situatiou, where the various ex halations and fragrances of the surround ing scenery add usually to the salubrity of the employment. Children, instead of being checked in regard of Wholesome play, should be at all times encouraged in it. This advice is particularly neces sary in respect to girls, who are, in ge neral, too much confined by their injudi cious mothers, and thus are not only weak and debilitated in their general habit, but acquire most of those diseases peculiar to their sex. No injury can take place from suffering them to run about, without un necessary restraint. Dancing, if not car ried to excess, is of excellent service to young persons ; it cheers the spirits, pro motes perspi ration;str ength ens the limbs, and at the same time gives a much better grace to The person, than a constant em ployment at needle-work, or even an ac quisition of the general and various ac complishments that constitute modern fe male educations ; which, however, would by no means be impeded by giving scope to exercise.