Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1863-10-29
have fred up, and that he should have been

nave uTeu up, anu tnht ne hnOuiu nave DeeH
driven on like one unpossessed Of Himself. =
Had the mother possessed but small share
Of observation, and even less amount ol
common sense, she would have inquired 10
TO all the circumstances OF the Ease, and be
gan the history by extolling the nobleness
Of their son; then it would have calming,
compensating effect on the fathers mind; il
would have been drawn away from business,
and would have nestled itself lovingly amid
the darling ones around him.
Eyen il there had been no extenuating
circumstances, she ought TO have had wit
enough to have respected the humor Of her
husband; she ought to have seen in mo-
ment that something had gone wrong with
him, aBd should have studiously kept from
saying or, doing anything which could by
any possibility have reused him into atem-
pest Of uncomfortable passion. There are
many other just such thoughtless, hare
Drained WOMEN, who deserve neither the
name of mother nor wife, who seem to glory
in dashing at their husbands the instant
they open the door, on their return fro II a
hard days toll. of body or of mind, and with
amazing volubility pour out the mishaps.
in way, too, as if the husband was wholly
W OtdtuCt dNhbukh uDt udNt udu
the slightest connection with them, in the
remotest manner possible.
Another inexcusable folly was the father
threatening to punish the child next day,
leaving the little boy to exaggerate it in his
fears, and be a living torture until the end
came. Not long ago We read an account OF
an editor who sent his little son to an up.
stairs room, and had the door locked, with
the threat that he would be fogged at the
end OF certaH number of hours. True to
his word. he went to the door at the ap-
pointed time, aud in the unlocking OF it the
child was so alarmed that he ran to the
window, jumped out. and broke his neck. -
1t is the limit of folly and refinement Of
cruelty to threaten punishment to child
for thing DONE punishment is merit
ed, it should be inflicted aud then dismissed;
yet there are parents not few who seem to
have q malignant pleasure. after children
have been reproved or otherwise punished
for specific fault, in reminding them of it
on every possible occasion for month af-
terward-the certain effect of which is to
induce kind of desperation in the mind of
the child, and don't care" feeling, which
cannot fail to have a most unfortunate in-
fuence ON that child's character for all its
life thereafter.
Let parents, then, who would avoid an
old age of agony, in connection with harsh
ness, injustice, and even cruelty to their
children, remember to never punish or even
threaten child under the influence of a
passionate state Of mind. because the NOR
row may bring death, and no compensation
can ever be made.
There ia physiological view to be taken
ofttiis case, which may be Communicated
with profit. Even if the child had been
ever SO much to blame, he should have beeo
tenderly dealt with as to the present. His
mind and body had been most intensely ex-
ercised, and the re action had left the sys-
TEN in state Of complete exhaustion. In
addition, the body was chilled. He should
have been cleansed and redressed; warm
supper and some hot drink should have been
given him, and he should have been put to
sleep tenderly iu warm bed. But instead
of all this, he was cold. wet, hungry, 'shiv-
ering" sent to bed, his feelings hurt to an
extent which words cannot express. We
almost feel as if the father of the unfortu.
nate boy was entitled to the designation of
Savage" and his wife poor, hasty, weak
minded nonentity-worse tLan no wife at
all