Litchfield enquirer., 1858-11-04
From Arthur's Home Magazine SUCH A TEMPER.

HIom hItuuT aOuc MdSazluC ' SUCH A TEMPER. "That child will be the death of me yet Oh he has such temper Just see how he acts. You John :! Hush this instant, and do as tell you 1"
 These sentences were uttered in an excited voice, by mother who had come suddenly upon her little boy, bright, busy, active little fellow, three years old, who had discov cred new amusement, and was enjoying him self up to his full capacity. That amusement was rude attempt at castle building. The materials used on the occasion were books from the library shelves. His mother, in company with an aunt, who had arrived that day on short visit, happend to come upon him in the midst of his pleasant sport.
 Dear little fellow P was on the aunts lips, as her eyes fell upon the child's animated face but ere the words were spoken, his mother hal started forward, and seized him by the arm. With sudden jerk she drew him several feet away from his mimic buildidg, exclaiming, as she did so, in angry tones,
 "You bad boy How dare you do this Just see your fathers books scattered all over the aoor."
 A moment or two she held him with firm grip then, pushing him from her, she added,
 "Put every book in it's place on the shelves, and don't you dare to touch them again."
 Released from his mothers hand, John, in- stead of obeying her, threw himself upon the floor, and commenced kicking and screaming in an uncontrolled passion.
 "Just see how he acts, Mary P repeated the mother. That temper will be his ruin. John, hush this instant, and get up as tell you."
 But the childs passion was a whirlwind, and subsided not until its force was spent. In her blind anger the mother stopped over the when her sister drew her back, aud whispered,
 Don't. Anna! A blow now will do harm." And she drew .he excited mother from the room.
 Mary This is not right" said the latter, with somo severity of manner, as soon as they were out of the library You must not come between me and my children. If you take their part when reprove or punish, all my control over them will be gone"
 Dear sister P replied Mary, with much feeling, and great tenderness of manner, !" for give me if have erred ; and let the pure love feel for you and your child by my apoL ogist." There was silence for nearly minute. A calm was falling upon the mothers spirit.
 He has such a dreadful temper, Mary 1! If it is not subdued now, it will curse his whole life. You don't know how how it troub- les re-"
 "Your duty, it seems to me, is very plain, sister," was the answer.
 "I must break that temper while he is 8 child"
 You cannot. It will only gain strength by conflict" replied the sister.
 Is the case, then, so hopeless? will not believe it, Mary"
 Oh, no; not hopeless by any means. How does the oak gain strength and vigorous life :? look at it's rugged trunk its gnarled and twisted branches, and read the history of it's strife with tempest and tornado through half century. So it is, by action, resistance and conflict, that our passions are matured Do you imagine that the excitement through which your child has passed will weaken the bad temper of which you complain ? Has it not, on the contrary, given it increased strength p The sister paused.
 There was not sign of evil in his happy little face when we entered the library" 1 But he was doing wrong," said the moth CT.
 "Had you told him that he must not build houses with books p
 "Yes, forty times There isn't an hour in the day that don't have to check or reprove, or punish him for one kind of mischief or au- other. He knew it was wrong"
 Maybe you check, and reprove, and pun ish him too much, Anna" suggested the sis ter. There is danger of error in this direc- tion, when the chid's mind is unusual active The stream that glides along smoothly enough through the level meadow, will fret, and chate and dash madly forward if rocky Instructions come in its way"
 But children must not be permitted to do as they please. They would soon be ruined" l" said the mother.
 If you put dam across the stream, or throw huge rocks into the midst of its gently gliding current, you do not stop it's progress, but only swell it's volume until it overfows the banks, or distort its surface with swirlng ed dies. Mere opposition to child's desires eff fecta about as little good. It only gives them a morbid force. We should not repress ac- tivity, but seek to give it right direction. l will venture to affirm, Anna, that if, when we went into the library just now. we had entered with some manifestation of interest into what John was doing, and then pleasantly explained to him that the use he was making of his fa- ther's books was injuring them, and that he must return them to the library, he would have replaced them on the shelves without a word of objection. There would have been, in that case, no mental injury sustained through excitement of passionate temper. The sky of his mind would have remained clear, and sweet peace would now be in his heart, instead of sullen rebellion. Dear sister, child's i'm mortal soul is more precious thing than whole libraries of costly books, or even the rich fur n!ture in kings palace. While we guard hls external surroundings with. g due regard to order, and prevent, as well for his sake as for these dsordoe axa bl;al po..et