the ascent of a balloon. We should not attribute this to
stupidity, or want of judgment, but simply to ignorance.

A few days ago, W---- (three years old) who was learning his letters,
was let sow an _o_ in the garden with mustard seed. W---- was much
pleased with the operation. When the green plants appeared above
ground, it was expected that W---- would be much surprised at seeing
the exact shape of his _o_. He was taken to look at it; but he showed
no surprise, no sort of emotion.

We have advised that the judgment of children should be exercised upon
the objects of their senses. It is scarcely possible that they should
reason upon the subjects which are sometimes proposed to them: with
respect to manners and society, they have had no experience,
consequently they can form no judgments. By imprudently endeavouring
to turn the attention of children to conversation that is unsuited to
them, people may give the _appearance_ of early intelligence, and a
certain readiness of repartee and fluency of expression; but these are
transient advantages. Smart, witty children, amuse the circle for a
few hours, and are forgotten: and we may observe, that almost all
children who are praised and admired for sprightliness and wit, reason
absurdly, and continue ignorant. Wit and judgment depend upon
different opposite habits of the mind. Wit searches for remote
resemblances between objects or thoughts apparently dissimilar.
Judgment compares the objects placed before it, in order to find out
their differences, rather than their resemblances. The comparisons of
judgment may be slow: those of wit must be rapid. The same power of
attention in children, may produce either wit or judgment. Parents
must decide in which faculty, or rather, in which of these habits of
the mind, they wish their pupils to excel; and they must conduct their
education accordingly. Those who are desirous to make their pupils
witty, must sacrifice some portion of their judgment to the
acquisition of the talent for wit; they must allow their children to
talk frequently at random. Amongst a multitude of hazarded
observations, a happy hit is now and then made: for these happy hits,
children who are to be made wits should be praised; and they must
acquire sufficient courage to speak from a cursory view of things;
therefore the mistakes they make from superficial examination must not
be pointed out to them; their attention must be turned to the comic,
rather than to th