He comes into the world helpless, and absolutely dependent upon those about him for nurture and culture.

From the very first breath that he draws, his education begins.

When a mother once asked a clergyman when she should begin the education of her child, then four years old, he replied: "Madam, if you have not begun already, you have lost those four years.

From the first smile that gleams upon an infant's cheek, your opportunity begins." But even in this case the education had already begun; for the child learns by simple imitation, without effort, almost through the pores of the skin.

"A figtree looking on a figtree becometh fruitful," says the Arabian proverb.