The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1852-07-29
Parental Injuries.

ance of all whose misfortune it is to be afflicted
with the care of school. But the annoyance
of the instructor, the interruption of the order
of recitations, the inevitable injury done to the
class and to the whole school by the frequent
absence of one and another, in. unsettling the
minds of al, serious as they are, are of minor
Importance compared with injury which you in
fct your child by each indulgence.
Why was he absent yesterday from school
cousin had come visit, perhaps, or some
member of the family was going on a journey
some changes were being made in the family, IN
which he persuaded his parents that his services
would be very important or he was sent on an
errand after breakfast, which, by little activi-
ty, he might have accomplished in time for
school, but by being studously dilatory, and ii
ming well every delay, he managed to return too'
late for school, he was seized with violent re-
pugnance to going in late. His class would have
finished their recitation before he could have
joined them, and altogether he gained his point,
and staid away from school. To-day he is IN
prepared not knowing what the lesson is, it ne
yer having occurred to him at home that it would
Immediately succeed the lesson of yesterday,
and he has taken good care mot to inform him
SELF since returning to school Such capital he
makes out trife by which to staye off the les
sons of two days. The third day he will, of
course, be found quite unprepared in his lesson,
because it depended upon the lesson of yester-
day and the day before-it a continuation
of preceding lessons lost, and it is quite unrea-
sonable to expect him to be prepared on it
Thus he adroitly escaped from study for three
days by your careless indulgence.
| To-day, again. he goes to school very quietly,
| but with a distinct understanding between him
and his mother, that tomorrow he is to be need
! ed at home. Whatever lessons he should pre-
| pare for the recitation of tomorrow are care
| fully neglected on the foreseen fact that he is
not to be present when they are recited
! The loss of time and interruption of your
sons studies are but single moiety Of the mis-
chief resulting from his frequent absences
| While he has, by his tactics, managed to elude
recitations and gain time to himself, he has not
| been idle in school. 1t is not in the nature of
! such a child to be idle but he has been busily
occupied in maneuvreing with the commander
in-chief, and adroitly waging guerilla with his
| seat-nates and companions. This puts him and
his instructor in a false position, and creates
mutual distrust, antagonist parties instead
ofthe mutual confidence and interest which ought
| to subsist between them, as having common in
terest in the occupations Of the school.
Why is your child absent to-day? He has
had slight pain by fall, it may be, or had a
pain, or thought he might have and indulgently
obtained consent to remain at home, as if this
would relieve pain, heal bruise, set a
limb And yet it has the influence to do all
this to your child: for though too i'll to attend
school, he spends the day in sport or wandering
about from place to place.
Why again the request for him to leave school
before it is dismissed? A ride or walk has
been planned by the mother some member of
the family, which he is to join, or an early din
ner for the family, and he must leave school to
partake of the pleasure with them.
Now what is the ready inference Of the child
/ from all this I? Obviously that the school and
his studies are but secondary objects of inter
est, which may be set aside on any trifling oc-
casion Taught to regard his books as of no
interest or Importance, he soon regards them
| with disgust, continual interference. Such
n course of treatment will defeat the best efforts
of any teacher to give your child taste fol
study and effectually prevent all just prDfcien-
cy This backwardness and aversion to study
viii cause you modification and grief through
! life, and yet the whole course of your training
of him is suited only to bring about this result.
But even this is not the worst result of such
| indiscreton. child soon becomes a great
tactician in practising upon the indulgence of
! his parents. The instincts of his nature set
him diligently to counteract the discipline of the
school The problem his life is every day to
learn the least possible, and to escape from a
/ lesson is an achievement attended with the most
undisguised satisfaction but it has been ac-
complished by dexterous evasions, by deceptive
| arts exaggerated misrepresentation, chiefly
employed in special pleading, and artfully prac-
tising upon the credulity and indulgence of his
parents. You unconsciousy smile at the dex-
terity of the plea, and lend to it an indulgent
ear You make false show of resistance, just
sufficient to give him conscious triumph IN
carrying his point, as he is sure to do in the end
Whatever deficiencies your child may be certain
of his proficiency in all the low arts of cunning
evasion, and deception. You are educating him
to become SLY, deceptive evasive, indolent, self
indulgent, self-wlled, averse to all that is good
| and prone to every evil.