Suggestions on a Problem of the Home Last week we wrote on this page' something about individuality in children, and referred to the spars of youthful genius as the fires of life. A friend who had read the article said to us—"It is all very well to remind us that we must carefully nurture such initiative, hut how are we going todo it! My child is so advanced for his years that I know he is different from other children. Our friends say he is a prodigy, but I hate the word it sounds so abnormal and alarming. On. the other hand, I am proud of his ability, and' T want him to make the most of it."
This is not an unusual situation in fact our friend has plenty companionship in her perplexity. For has not every child in the world genius of some kind? It oust be true because every mother admits it! Nevertheless, apart from levity, this friend has sounded a chord which vibrates through every family. We sce with joy the fain glow of budding personality and) are immed assailed by the eternal question—how shall we "keep the home fires burning"
Genius is analogous to fire more than one respect. Starting as a spark it may be gently fanned to a living flame, sending warmth and radiance to all within reach or it may be smothered to grey ashes: by too much gratuitous attention, Like the torch it may kindle a thousand lights that merely needed a touch to release their latent brilliance; or like the forest fire, untamed and uncontrolled, it may sweep good and bad before it in ruthless destruction. As with the gold refiner's fire, so with genus, this force may gently but powerfully annihilate only the baser elements in the human sphere. or in all-consuming white heat exterminate gold and dross alike.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.