The Picture Gallery
In the great home of the mind there is a room of unusual importance which can be known as the picture gallery. Here the great artist Imagination hangs the products of his efforts. Picture after picture is painted by this wonderful faculty and hung in this gallery. Each of these pictures becomes a force exerted upon the individual in whose mind it is hung. Thought and Desire wander in this gallery incessantly, and gaze upon the pictures there, using them as patterns for their efforts in future. From these pictures they get their incentive and inspiration.
The young child's picture gallery is a wonderful room with clean, white walls waiting for the artist to take up the task of painting and hanging the pictures. This artist is young and inexperienced and easily influenced and guided by one older and more accurate.
The parents should realize that this gallery is going to be rapidly filled with pictures, and that the choice of these pictures can be almost entirely under their control. You can help your child's imagination paint clean, wholesome pictures that will result in helpful and constructive influence upon his life. But remember that these pictures ARE BEING HUNG, whether YOU take time to help in the work or not.
If the pictures are negative in influence, or those suggested by wrong companions and vulgar thoughts, the result will show itself sometime in the future. The life will sooner or later reproduce these pictures in personal character and action.
Pictures which are objectionable can be replaced, or covered over by attractive ones, which will be helpful and lead Thought into right paths and create Desire that will be a future blessing. Remember, it is far more difficult to replace a negative picture than to paint a helpful one before the other has made its impression. It is very important that you place your picture first.
Imagination is the architect and his plans are hung upon the walls of this picture gallery, where other faculties use them for building the character and personality of the child. His future circumstances, success, or failure, will be the result of this law of nature. The contents of this picture gallery are great and powerful causes which help bring about the desired result.
If this truth can be sufficiently impressed upon the mind of parent and child, both will co-operate in an effort to hang the right kind of pictures in the gallery and the result will be a finer and more successful life.
Every parent should make it a duty to hang in this gallery beautiful pictures of all the ideals which they wish to see fulfilled by their child. Besides the ideals of growth, character, purity, etc., there should be such pictures as a home; a life of useful service; financial independence, and a happy old age. The details are a matter of individual choice and should be filled in as the years pass by the growing understanding and ambition of the child.