Winchester journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1862-1863, 1863-06-12
FRAMING OF CHILDREN.

Incidentally committed by par
ea;s who undertake TO rear their
children with an entire Ignorance I
OF what their children are, seek I
ing TO make them what they can
not be made May disagree
inents between parents and chill
dren arise from the fact that the /
wsIl-mesning and ignorant parent
attempts 10 warp anu bias the
child against It's nature, and TO
hinder the child from that which
is according 10 lis nature. You
are slow-molded and your child
is 1.-the and quick as a cricket. I
Your idea OF order and obedience
~ the child is that it should be
still. God saws to 1t, "Sing, sing!
chirp, chirpl" He obeys the d.
vine Injunction, and begins to-
sing, when you say, IL have told
you ten times this morning 10 be
still" And the child is angry.
His pride and self-respect arc
wounded. And if he does not
utter an oath, he thinks one :
Who made him swear? You did.
because YOU took the law of YOUR
being, and tried 10 bend him to
that, not recognizing that he had
n nature Of his own. Parents
are perpetually saving 10 their
children, 4" When was OF your
age ! used TO do such and such
things" Ii YOU can show that
your child was born out of the
sane mold that his father was,
and that his circumstances in lie
are the same that his fathers
were, then 10 talk thus NAV all
be very well, but ii YOU cannot
show that, then il is not fair
Every child must go according to
what is in him, and not accord
ing TO what Is In the father.
Though a man may be good
father, the changes that have
been wrought in society are such
that the circumstances of the
Child IN lie ought to be different
from what his were. IL is a part
Of the law of evolution of plants
that the top leaf l. not bound to
develop itself as the bottom leaf
did. And the attempt of parents
TO train their children according
10 themselves, is one of the mis-
takes that lead 10 the conflicts
that take place between parents
and children.
Thousands of parents govern
their children simply and solely
for their own luxury and conve-
nleace, and take no pains TO
smooth the tones of their voice,
or TO measure their action. The
thought of courtesy in their deal
ings with their children is almost
dismissed from their mind. |
have seen children insuItcd so
grossly 10y parents that nature in
Inc said, 1.-The parents ought to
be severely punished" while
grace in ire said, "No, no; they
only ought to be reproved and
taught better" Because God
lent a little child to you, he did
not lend it to you to be a rug for
YOU to wipe your feet on; he did
not lend II 20 YOU to be slave to
run of errands, merely; he did
not lend 1t TO you TO practice your
cruelty and irritableness on
Tha. child was Gods before il
was yours. 1t was placed in
your hands for n little time; and
II every parent felt, on addressing
a child, "There is something OIL
divinity in it as we'll as in me-
] think II would purge our fami-
lies of much of the ilI-govern,
ment that is in them.
You will see the folly OF an,
other mode Of training children
according to an extravagant the
DRY of manhood Many thai
have read sentimental books anc
magazines have an idea that q
good child is u child that doc;
not do this. or that, or anything
except 10 die and have a Sunday.
school book written Oh his mem,
ory! To their mind, gooC
child is one of those marvels thai
nay be, like a marble, turned
with equal facility In any way
They have their ideal Of what i
shall be. And behold, when :ney
come to carry their plan into tx
ccutlon, that little depraved mon.
ster will no; do one of the thing;
that they expected Of him!
Imagine, If You please, spider
attempting to bring up humble
bee according to a spiders ma.
ture. What work would tie make
Imagine a dove in whose nest he'd
been left a little eoglet attempting
TO bring it up as though it was a
dove, and according to a dove:
ehao-.. - ,ot,on lr,avipa "a