The Christian education of children: according to the maxims of the Sacred Scripture, and the instructions of the fathers of the church / written and several times printed in French, and now translated into English.

17. Maxims touching the Plays and the Recreations of Children.

Permit them such Divertisements as are honest and not dangerous, but moderately; for fear lest if you should keep them over-long embusi∣ed in serious exercises, they should be disgusted with them: and lest on the contrary they should become Idlers if you should suffer them to play continually.

It would be a great good so to order it, that their very recreations might contribute to exercise their Judgement and their memory; that according to the counsel of all the Fathers of the Church, they were

taught to sing Psalms and Hymns. thereby to clear their spirit in form∣ing their voice, and to untie their tongue in pronouncing the prayses of God; and (as St. Jerome says) that they had no Pastimes which were not to them a study.

'Tis thus that this great Doctour counsells a Roman Dame, to cause letters to be made of Box or of Ivo∣rie, thereby to teach her Daughter by playing with them, and mixing them together, to know the Letters, and to joyn them, and so to form Syllables: And 'tis thus, that after children can reade, one may as it were for a divertisement shew them the Map, and as they grow in age and understanding give them a taste of the pithiest passages of the sacred and profane History, and oblige them to repeat the same, and to remember the sacred Genealogies and the Suc∣cession of Monarks;

to the end, (says this Father,) that by such very things which will be perhaps

useless unto them, their memory may be disposed to conserve those they are bound to know.

It would be also much to the pur∣pose to make them play sometimes before you, and to let them recre∣ate themselves in your presence; be∣cause the inclinations of children are more easily discovered in their Play. In effect, as they stand then less upon their guards, and that joy fills their hearts, their other passions are more free to shew themselves, and they quickly manifest the eagerness they have to gain, the desire they have to overcome others, and the discontent they have for being con∣quered; so that you may thereupon manage, (as one may say) these di∣vers passions, and make use of their play to instruct and teach them not to apply themselves to it with so much heat, not to have an eager∣ness for gain, not to set themselves against others when things succeed not to their wish, not to be dejected

at their losses, to preserve a certain indifferency which is necessary to practise justice and fidelity, and to avoid cheating and petty-cousenings which are very common among chil∣dren, and which oftentimes pass a∣long with them in their more advan∣ced age.