es, and another for private
moments? If so, why? Are we self-indulgent about trifles? Are we
truthful in spirit as well as in letter? Do we permit ourselves to
cheat the street-car and the railroad company, teaching the child at
our side to sit low that he may ride for half-fare? Do we seek
justice in our bargaining, or are we sharp and self-considerate? Do we
practice democracy, or only talk it and wave the flag at it?

And so on with a hundred other questions as to those small repeated
acts, which, springing from base motives, may put our unconscious
influence with our children in the already over-weighted down-side of
the scale; or met bravely and nobly, at some expense of convenience,
may help to enlighten the weight of inherited evil. Sometimes I wonder
how much of what we call inherited evil is the result not of heredity
at all, but of this sort of unconscious education.

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

THE SELF-DISTRUSTFUL CHILD.

"Your question is an excellent one. The answer to it is really
contained in your answer to the question about obedience. If a child
obey _laws_ not persons, and is steadily shown the reasonableness of
what is required of him, he comes to trust those laws and to trust
himself when he is conscious of obeying. But in addition to this
general training, it might be well to give a self-distrustful child
easy work to do--work well within his ability--then to praise him for
performing it; give him something a little harder, but still within
his reach, and so on, steadily calling on him for greater and greater
effort, but seeing to it that the effort is not too great and that it
bears visible fruit. He should never be allowed to be discouraged; and
when he droops over his work, some strong, friendly help may well he
given him. Sensitive, conscientious children, such as I imagine
you were, are sometimes overwhelmed in this way by parents, quite
unconscious of the pain they are giving by assigning tasks that are
beyond the strength and courage of the young toilers.

"At the same time, much might be done by training the child's
attention from _product_ to _process_. You know the St. Louis Fair
does not aim to show what has been done, but _how_ things are done.
So a child--so you--can find happiness and intellectual uplift in
studying the laws at work under the simplest employment instead of
counting the number of things _finished_."

COMPANY WAYS

"A boy who is visiting us is s