ing the story not to deny the germ of truth which it
will contain, or the child may conclude that she is talking against the
facts, and is either ignorant or trying to conceal the truth. Many a
mother has said in despair, "My boy of nine knows more about these
things than I know myself."

It would be a great mistake to let the boy hear such a confession, as
his very best safeguard is his confidence in the knowledge of his
mother, or whoever assumes the duty of instructing him in these
matters.

IV

TELLING THE TRUTH

Should the mother tell pleasant but totally false stories as to the
origin of the child,--or should she tell the truth?

It is generally safer to tell the truth. Excepting with very young
children the fiction is not long believed, and a course of deception,
having been entered upon, oftentimes proves a stumbling block in the way
of later veracity. It is so much easier to go on telling fairy-tales.
Moreover, the truth, properly conveyed, is far more beautiful than any
fairy-tale.

The parent must not forget that the child's mind is a blank page upon
which any picture may be drawn, and that the child sees only what is
presented to him. The thousand problems, the thousand troubles and
fears, and all the knowledge of evil that burden the mind of the adult
are entirely absent from that of the child. He sees only the one
shining fact, that he was once a part of his dear mother, nourished and
protected by her until he was ready to open his eyes on the big world.
The child has very little interest in details as a rule; and how to meet
the demand for them, should it arise, will be considered later.

If the mother tells the story of the stork bringing the newcomer to the
home, or of the doctor carrying him in his pocket, or the apothecary
selling him over the counter, the child very soon learns that this is
not true. He gets an inkling of the truth, understands that he has been
deceived, and according to his age, his nature, and what he has heard,
he will draw his conclusions as to why his mother did not tell him the
truth.

Mothers often ask whether there is any more reason for refraining from
the stork fiction than from the Santa Claus one. When Santa Claus is
found out, the whole thing is generally understood as a joke, a pleasant
sort of fairy tale. There was nothing hidden behind the fiction. In the
other case, if the child chances somewhere to hear the facts stated in a
coarse manner, he will