Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1866-02-16

i WI tidiAfA q 93uu& tttlF 9IaslHE1NSs years.
Take thatH she added, striking the boy
a heavy blow ON the sideof the head; and
j that and that repeating the blows as he
/ spoke the last of which knocked the boy
over a pl0w that was standing bV his side
Get up now and go into the house, con-
4 tinued the father, and see If you cant keep
Il out of mischief for whiep and stop that
| crying, or IL Ill give you something to cry
for. 'se gtsl e n
iii The boy started for the house, struggling
to suppress his sobs as he went. r 81 - s.
Tits astonishing, said Doringb adlres-
sing a neighbor named Hanford, who was
near by in barn, and of course had seen
and heard all that had passed, tihowi troub-
lesolne boys are. dust see those oats, now.
that I've got to pickup for that boy care
lessness, and he pointed to measure
of'oats which William had accidentally oyer
! turned. m e5 ~ .gs.-a
- And itwas for that trife that you as
saulted your child and knocked him down.
| replied Mr. Hanford, I'M serroWful tone,
Doring looked from the oats in surprise,
and repeated Assaulted my child and
Knocked him down. Why, what do you
mean, neighbor Hanford?
Just what | sayo Did you not knock
the child over the plow2 s re,s-.... $
= y
and fell over it,, doggedly replied Doring.
.sDoyou so against parental authority !?
Havn.t La right to punish my own child
ren ?i'5
Certainly you have. responded Mr.,
Hanford, in proper manner and a pro-
per spirit: but not otherwise. DO you
think that father has right to revenge
himself upon his child n
''0f course not but who's talking about
revenge hs
We'll, friend Doring, let me ask you
anotherquestion. For whatpuFpose should
child be punished r. a
why, to make it better, and to do it
good, of course, y quickly answered Doring.
For any other z quietly asked Han
ford. a
s'Well, no, not that 1 can think Of just
now, replied Doring, thonghtfully.
And now, my dear friend, kindly con-
tinued Mr.. Hanford, "do you suppose your.
treatment of your son few moments ago
did him any good, or has increased his
respect and affection for you2 The boy,
yeeture to say, is utterly unconscious Of
having done any wrong, and yet you sud
denly assaulted HIM with anger and violence,
and gave him beating which no peniten-
| tiary convict can. be subjected to without.
| latiye committee. Bat let me tell you a long
story. You know my son Charles
The one that is preaching in Charles
town r.
Yes; you have probably noticed that he
is lame
Il have noticed it, said Doring, 'and
| asked him how it happened, and he told me
he got hurt when a boy'
'FYes," responded Mr. Hanford with
emotion, ''the dear boy would never be
made to say that it was by his fathers bru-
| tality. But listen, he continued, as he
saw Doring was about to speak.
/ When Charles was about the age OF your
! son William he was one of the most active
and intelligent boys had ever seen. | was
fond of him, and especially of his physical
beauty aud progress. But unfortunately /
was cursed with an irritable and violent
| temper, and was in the habit of Furnishing
| my children under the influence of passion
and vengeance, instead of from the dictates
| of reason, duty and enlightened affection.
! One day Charles offended me by some boy
! ish and trihing misdemeanor, and | treated
| him almost exactly as you treated your son a
| few minutes ago. struck him violently,
aud he fell upon pile of stones at his side,
| and injured his left SIDE 50 badly that the
result was he was crippled for life, said
Mr.. Hanford, in tones Of deepest sorrow
and remorse, and covering his face with his
/ hands
4 period of oppressive silence followed,
which was at last broken by Mr.. Hanford
when l found that my boy not rise
| from the stones on which he had fallen, |
seized him by the arm and rudely pulled
| him to his feet, and was about to strike him
again, when something that / saw in his
face in his look arrested my arm, and [
asked him if he was hurt.
j am afraid that / am, pa, he mildly
answered, clinging to my arm for support.
'sWhere?' | asked in great alarm, for
Notwithstanding my brutality, | fairly ldoll-
zed the boy.
Here, he replied, laying his hand upon
his hip.
In silence / took him in my arms and
carried him to the bed, from which he never
arose the same bright, active, glorious boy
/ that had so cruelty struck down on that
pileof stones. But after many months he
| came forth, pale Saddened little fellow,
| hobbing on a crutch
Here Mr. Hanford broke down and wept
ike a child, and the tears also rolled down
/ Doring's cheeks When he resumed, Mr..
Hanford said
This is humiliating narrative, neigh
Dor Doring, and would not have related 1t
to you had / not supposed that you needed
| the lesson which it contains, 1t IS impossl-
! bic for me to give you an adequate notion
of the suffering that have undergone on
account of my brutal rashness to my boy.
But fortunately it has been oyerruled to my
good, and to that of my family also The
/ remedy, though terrible, was complete, and
no other child of mine has ever been pun
4 ished by me except when ! was in the full
4 possession and exercise of my best faculties,
1 and when my sense of duty has been chas-
1 tened and softened by reason and affection.
! [ devoted myself to poor Charley from the
! time he left his bed, and we came to under
/ stand one another as | think few fathers and
sons ever do. The poor boy never blamed
me for bighting somuch happiness for him,
and | sometimes tried to think that his life
had been made happier on the whole than
it would have been had | not been taught
my duty through his sacrifice. Still, neigh
4 Dor Doring, | should be sorry to have you
and your son William pass through similar
ordeal
Il trust that we shall not, emphatically
and gravely responded Doring. thank
you Tor your story, friend Hantord, and |
shall try and profit by it.
And he did profit by it, and we hope that
every parent who is capable OF striking his
child In anger or petulence, that reads this
eiyafab from life will urofit bV 1T