and declining in the other; it is being formed in the one and destroyed in the other; one is moving towards life, the other towards death.  The failing activity of the old man is centred in his heart, the child’s overflowing activity spreads abroad.  He feels, if we may say so, strong enough to give life to all about him.  To make or to destroy, it is all one to him; change is what he seeks, and all change involves action.  If he seems to enjoy destructive activity it is only that it takes time to make things and very little time to break them, so that the work of destruction accords better with his eagerness.

While the Author of nature has given children this activity, He takes care that it shall do little harm by giving them small power to use it.  But as soon as they can think of people as tools to be used, they use them to carry out their wishes and to supplement their own weakness.  This is how they become tiresome, masterful, imperious, naughty, and unmanageable; a development which does not spring from a natural love of power, but one which has been taught them, for it does not need much experience to realise how pleasant it is to set others to work and to move the world by a word.

As the child grows it gains strength and becomes less restless and unquiet and more independent.  Soul and body become better balanced and nature no longer asks for more movement than is required for self-preservation.  But the love of power does not die with the need that aroused it; power arouses and flatters self-love, and habit strengthens it; thus caprice follows upon need, and the first seeds of prejudice and obstinacy are sown.

First maxim.—­Far from being too strong, children are not strong enough for all the claims of nature.  Give them full use of such strength as they have; they will not abuse it.

Second maxim.—­Help them and supply the experience and strength they lack whenever the need is of the body.

Third maxim.—­In the help you give them confine yourself to what is really needful, without granting anything to caprice or unreason; for they will not be tormented by caprice if you do not call it into existence, seeing it is no part of nature.

Fourth maxim—­Study carefully their speech and gestures, so that at an age when they are incapable of deceit you may discriminate between those desires which come from nature and those which spring from perversity.

The spirit of these rules is to give children more real liberty and less power, to let them do more for themselves and demand less of others; so that by teaching them from the first to confine their wishes within the limits of their powers they will scarcely feel the want of whatever is not in their power.

This is another very important reason for leaving children’s limbs and bodies perfectly free, only taking care that they do not fall, and keeping anything that might hurt them out of their way.