The child's mind is assuredly eager to acquire knowledge, and
exceedingly logical. A little lad, as soon as he can say something,
asks many questions. _Why, papa, is sea-water salt?_ _Why, mamma,
does fire burn silly children?_ _Why...?_ and still _Why...?_
And parents, bored by so many questions, often reply: _It is so,
because it is so._
A bad answer, which accustoms children to the unquestioned acceptance
of any dictum, and which stifles the natural analytical propensity of
their young minds.
Nevertheless, there are intelligent parents, who take pains to give
their children every possible explanation, yet these children, after
going to school a while, lose all their thirst after knowledge and
their inquisitiveness.
What is the cause of this regrettable transformation in the childish
mind?