The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1855-03-23
Governing Children.
BY T. S. ARTHUR,

peace; and make the house a bedlam, in
stead of n quiet home. Tom !".she spoke
sharply to bright little fellow, who was
pounding away with woolcn hammer on
CHAIR and making most intolerabe din ;
-"stop that noise, this Instant! And you.
En-, not word more from Your lips. II
you cant live i'll peace with your sister I'll
50 raratc you. Dye hcar Hush, this in
; 'tant!"
"1hen make julie give me my pincusl,ion
She 5 got it in her pocket"
! ITS no such thing; l lavn't," rctorted
Julia.
"Iou have, say"
81 tell You havn't"
"Will you huSh?" The face of Mrs.
Lyon WIS fiery red and she stamped upon
the floor, rs she spoke.
81 want my pinrrshion. Make JuIc give
me my pirll>hi"n."
Irrtatr,l. beyond control, Mrs. Lvou
caught Julia by the arm; and tl,rus,ing
her hand into her pocket, drew out II thin
hlr, piece of lace, and Il penknite."
81 told YOU it wasn't there! Couldn't
| you b"lirvc me-"
This iniprrtinrnce was more than the
mother could hear and acting from her in
,'iynant impulses. she hoXed the ears of Ju-
lin, s"undly: conscious, at the same time,
that Emily was chiefly to blame for all this
trouble. lay Il wrong accusation of her sister; =;
! she turned upon her, also, administering an
equal punishment. Frightened by all this,
the Younger children, whose incessi,nt noise.
for the last hour, had contributed to
! tn" overthrow Of their mothers temper
became suddenly quiet, and >kulkcd away
INTO rorncr'- and the baby. that was seated
on the floor, between two pillows curved her
qnivrrlng lips. and glanced fcarfully up ut
| the distorted face in which she had been
used TO sec The lovclight ,llat made her
! heaven.
4 deep quiet followed this burst Of pas
sion; like the hush which succeeds the
storm. Alas, for the evil traces that were
left behind. Alas, for the repusive image
OF that mother, dagucrreotyprd in all in
stant OH the memory Of her children, and
never to be eilaccI. How many, many
times, in after ycars, will not sigh hcave
their bosom, as that painful reflection looks
out upon them from amid the dc.rcr renlcm-
branccs Of childhood.
a woman of gooh impulses, but with
scarcely any sslt-control, was Mrs. LYON.
She loved her children, and desired their
good. That they Showed but little Eorhear-
ance, one with the other, manifested so little
tr;.tcrn"l affection, grievcd her deeply.
; My whole life is made unhappy by it ="
she would often say. "What is to bc done? !?
1t is dreadful to think of family growing
up in discord and lisnnion. Sister at vari.
ance with sister; and brother lifting his hand
against BROTHER;
As was usual after an cbulltion of pas
sion, Mrs. Lyon, deeply depressed in spirits,
rs well as discouraged, retired from her
family to gricvc and weep. Lifting the
| frightened baby from the floor, she drew its
head tcndcrly against her bosom; and lcav-
ing the nursery, sought the quiet of her
OWN room. There, in repentance and hui
initiation, she recalled the stormy scene
through which she had just passed; and
blamed herself for yielding blindly to pas
sion, instead Of meeting the trouble among
her children with quiet discrimination.
To weeping, calmness succeeded. Still
she was pcrplexed in mind, as we'll rs griev-
ed at her want of self control. What Was
to be done with her children? How were
they to be governed Alright? Painfully did
she feel her own unfitncss for the task. BY
this time the baby was asleep, and the moth
cr felt something of that tranquil peace that
every true mother knows, when young
babe is slumbering on her bosom. A book
lay on shelf, near where she was sitting,
and Mrs. Lyon, scarcely conscious of the
act, reached out her hand for the volume
She opened it, without feeling any interest
i'll its contents but she had read only a few
sentences when this remark arrested her at
tention: - =
."Al right government. of children begins
with seIf-governIncnt."
The words seemed written for her; and
the truth expressed was elevated into per-
ception. She saw it in the clcarest light
and closed the book, and bowed her head in
sad acknowledgment of her own errors
Thus. for some time, she had been sitting,
when the murmur of voices from below
grew more and more distinct, EEid she was
soon aroused to the painful fact that, as usu-
al, when left alone, the children were wrang-
ling, among themselves Various noises, aa
! Of pounding on, and throwing about chairs,
and other pieces ofsfnrniture, were heard
and, at length, a loud scream, mingled with
angry yociferations, smote npon her ears =
hdignatipn swelled instantly in the heart
4 sff9f Mrs Lyon; huftiedly placing tbessleep.
ling haBssin its crib, ,she started for tile scene
of disorder, moved BY an impulse to pnnisf,
!. severely the young rebels against all authors
IIiiy; and. was, half way down DE. sstaiirs,
II ,yEao ho, conx e. II L. !