Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-03-31


parent. 1t seems as though the head was made
sacred as being the palace of the immortal soul.
This may seem a small matter but that which
is capable OF setting on fire the passions as
with the flames of hell, cannot be small.
There are abroad two kinds of infections
stripes for enormities, and for petty offences
another method which seems to me most unwise
and pernicious. How many parents indulge in
swapping the heads of their children. How
many parents indulge in pinching their chill
drens ears. How many parents indulge in
slapping their childrens cheeks. There is no
child but feels this to be ignominous The
pain is only sufficient to excite the temper
And believe | may say such punishment, if it
does not arise from mere fretfulness, produces
it. The petty sufferer resents it he reddens in
the face his gestures are short and quick his
eye is downcast and fierce; his heart is full of
rage.
may allude to my own recollectons Of oc-
curcnces that took place when was governed,
not by parents, but by injudicious persons to
whose care | was entrusted. | often had my
head snapped and stricken. / have expert
enced not little of such government. And
can testify that the most resentful and bitter
feelings that ever possessed my heart, and the
bitterest and wickedest language that ever
crossed my lips, were produced by these vexa-
tious appliances to my head. And after an
effort to remember, | think | can say that l
never, in single instance, was benefited by
such punishment, but always and greatly in
jured. | looked upon my governor as tyrant,
and upon these strokes as cruelties.
And | will add that whether it be from its
superior nervous sensibility or not a blow on
the head, at any period of life, goes quicker to
the temper, and irritates more, than on any
other portion of the body. 1t is not right Of
family hnt an o,traUn and on
abomnation, to strike a child anywhere on the
head. Providence has made other arrange
ments for family government
Neither should punishment ever be the re-
suit of anger. There are some parents who
can never bring themselves to inhict pain upon
a child until their anger makes them blind and
then most certainly, they are not fit to meddle
with child. Our temper never corrects, but
always kindles like feeling. A child thus
disciplined bears up under it, plumes itself for
its endurance, and mentally defies YOU
Whatever may be thought of employing the
rod at ALL it may be laid down as an axiom
among those who do employ it, that it should
never be put into the hands of anger, but that
if welded, it should be welded always by the
hand of indulgent kindness.
My father used to make me believe that the
end of the rod that he held in his hands was a
great deal more painful to him than the end
which / felt was to me. 1t was a strange mys-
terry to me, but | did believe it and it seemed
account. used to think that If he would NOT
tall m mo brt ,roulJ hi, mo 7 oo,,ld s,ord
il n great deaI better So could have stood Il
be,ter ord No, hoo, banost,od r. oh;ld
;s nnt vb;nned iii tho sorso,;or COOS 20 ,ha
bear, and toncbos tho faaI;n@ p,t ,rhou n,,,
father made me cry by talking to me, and then
whipped me, and then made me cry by talking
70 me ooa;n I thouobt Il was TOO had Ana
vat !, was tbe r;abt NOV
have bn, I, s;nals o,hor ,ho,u,+ e. ,,roson.
Where there ;s ono ovtran,o ,bsra aro aj,a,,.
two Where some are found Who viii M. go
ern ot all some will nusb aovern,,ont boS5ord
all bounds Home hec mes a nr;son The
children are slaves Tho huovant freedom of
Childhood ;s tntored AID talLsd and ,yb;rned
into tho dull nrorr;o,,, of n Lii o. lo,,dih,or
is bnsbed ro rpn and a;na tho orn,s ;s ,n
graceful To sbow a baort of ,loa r,nn;n,
over with wild but harmless laneuoge ;s not hee'
fitting the child of solemn parents So ali the
bloom of childhood ;S ruhbod Of. all ;ts alas1
t;citv is evtractaJ and that Tho oh;iJ nov ha a
prodigy. early lessons ms are ref forced unon Il and
It is Brought nm as God never meant Il should
be. and as only foolish men wish il N he~an
infant momer;st--an infant bvnocriteNan in.
FAINT student-an infant man in short n nrod;-
ov--a monstros;ty
Make the br;5ce from the cradle n manhood
inst as lone os Won can Leave vour child a
Child inst as lonG as Won con~esnec;allv ;f Won
live in n city. Re not in haste to force vour
child into nremature deyelonment bv ;nielI-
pence or Inv anvthng else 1et II he n child
and not little ane Of n man running about the
town. Love the child in its childhood. and
for its childisbness II would he he,ter for us
If we had more childishness about ourselves
Masons know that the work ;s never GOOD
which sets too ouick. Ifmanbood sets too on;ck
il is ant to he stiff and brittle And The more
there IS in vou of childhood the better will Won
he fitted 70 understand vonr children 70 rear
them intelligiblv to hear with them to nrerore
them for tbis lie and the life which ;s ,d come
I close by saving. as 7 have already said
that the mystery of human lfe to me- ;s in ,hs
parental relation. That Cod should have r,ade
things ne bn has in the family ;s move aston
isbing to me- than the doctrines of Chr;st;an;tv
resnectng the or;g;n of sim tbe fall Of ,hn t;rs,
narents the ,r;n;tv o,c doctrines ,rh;oL
men know So much about without lnow;nn
anvtb;nc ahont them That ,vh;eb ,o do InntS, IS
is his That the child denends mon tbe az rnrent
for cultnrc that the narapt ;s ;Gnorant ps ths