s that in adult life this
early teaching comes to mold the character and shape the religious
beliefs of the individual.

To the child who has been reared to dread God, who has come to look
upon the Creator as an ever present "threat," how is it possible to
convey the beautiful teaching of His fatherhood?

FEAR OF NOISES

How frequently some unusual noise leads a parent to say: "Keep still!
What was that? Did you hear that noise?" The little folks of the
family are startled, their eyes grow large and their faces pale, while
they cling to the frightened mother. Of course, investigation usually
shows that the strange and alarming noise was merely the slamming of a
cellar door, the rattling of a curtain in the wind, some one walking
about downstairs, or the action of the new furnace regulator in the
basement. But meantime the harm is done to the children--fear, the
worst enemy of childhood, has been unconsciously planted in the mind
by the thoughtless and nervous parent.

FEAR OF DARKNESS

Consider for a moment the thousands of children who are early taught
an abnormal fear of the dark. Even when the child is absolutely free
from such a fear, when sent into a dark room some member of the family
will thoughtlessly remark, "Do you think it is quite right to send
that child into that dark room? Suppose something should happen." The
child quickly catches the suggestion that something is supposed to be
or happen in the dark, and in his mind is sown the seed of fear.

When our boy was about two years old he was carried one night to the
window by a caretaker, and as they looked out into the darkness the
young woman said, "Boo! dark!" The little fellow shuddered, drew back
and repeated, "Boo! dark! Boo! dark!"

That night, as was our custom after the evening story, we tucked him
in his little bed, turned out the light, and saying, "Sweet dreams,
Darling," closed the door. Imagine our surprise to hear, "Mamma,
Mamma, Willie 'fraid of dark, Willie 'fraid of dark," and it was with
difficulty that he was induced to go to sleep in the dark. Immediate
inquiry revealed the occasion of his fears, and the next night we set
about to eradicate the fear of darkness from the little fellow's mind.

For ten successive nights we took his hand, and, leading him into a
dark room, said, "Nice dark, restful dark; we go to sleep in the dark;
we're not afraid of the dark, no." Each night, save one, we were met
with, "No, no, naughty dark.