Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1868-12-31

after all" said the child, cheerfully.
The parent seemed to me rather graft
fed at so kind a recognition on the
part OF his son.
l remember another brave little fel-
low of four years old, who set near me
at dinner on tall, slim nursery chair,
wiping his mouth after the, e,course, and
saying: "Give me some OF that tart,
mamma, and ring the bell tor Emma
want some fresh water..n
| This is only one case eut Of many
that help to explain what New Eng
land lady meant wheu she SAID, 81 am
learning to be docile parent Par
ents, obey your children in all things"
is the new idea. 1t is not, after all SO
great astretch to anticipate as somebody
suggests, that we shall by-and-by see
on the signboard of some American
store-"Jo Smith & Father"
Another incident occurs to me in
connection with the same littlefellow
who directed his mother to ring the
bell. One day, when dinner was over,
his mother said to him, Wipe your
mouth, darling" 'Say please. well,
darling, please" Precocity wiped his
lips solemnly, as if an important NOR
al lesson had been given, and reques-
ted to be lifted down from his chair.
There is much less OF this in the
South, where subordinatlon is more
recognized. and where the modes OF
thought and feeling are more like our
own. But this is the growing idea in
the n neutrality-suspicious., reciprocity,
the sinking of old and even natural
distinctions in democratic equality. Do
to me whatever you expect me to do
to you.
Let it not be supposed, however,
that American children are rude, or i'll
behaved On the contrary, they struck
me as more polite, more considerate,
more orderly, as a general rule, than
our own; but they need to be dealt
with in different way. You must
treat them as persons who have will
of their own, and right to exercise it.
You must appeal to their reason and
good sense. 1t you appeal merely to
your own authority, you are apt to
get pert answer.
Remember who you are talking to,
sir" said an indignant parent to
ffactious boy; Il am your father, sir"
F"Well, who's to blame for that.n said
the young impertinence; sstaint me.''
One little boy, to whom / have al
ready referred, was making himself
very disagreeab'e on one occasion
when his mother had him with her on
a visit to some friends. She took his.l
to the bedroom, and told him that if
he did not behave himself she would
shut him up in the closet. "You can't.
There amt a closet here,n said the
child triumphantly. ssI'll put you into
that wardrobe, then. n"No, you WON'T
/" Twill" "You try it!' She took him
instantly, put him in, and turned the
lock. Thereupon Young America
began to kick up tremendous noise
inside, battering the doors Of the
wardrobe as if he would have knocked
them off their hinges. His mother,
.eariul that he would do mischief,
either to himsslt or to the furniture,
and remembering that the house was
not hers, took him out and said, in
great distress: 30, George, don't
know what to do with YOU Don't
yoa?:" said he, looking up in her face.
no, indeed, l don't.n Then said
he, III that is so, III behave;H wh,c',
he accordingly did, marching into the
other room with her. and conducting
II nlf tny hn of hn
a little gentleman. She haG capitu-
Iated-given up the struggle for auth
GRITTY. He was now behaving on his
own responsibility.
This case suggests another which
illustrates the same po.nt, but has
grotesque feature of its own. A gen
tleman in Northampton, Lwith whom
| spent very delightful week, and
who belongs to one OF the Puritan
families, told me that for several years
he had tried whipping with his boy, but
found it Intellectual. On one occasion
the boy VS. caught in his Oft repea-
ted fault. His iather took him to his
room, upbraided him tor his persistent
dlsobedience, reminded him (which
was probably unnecessary that he had
several times been obliged, in the way
OF parental duty, to apply the rod Of
correction; that it .eemed as yet to
have been in vain; that he was much
dishcartened; and was at loss what
to do with him. A. bright thought
occurred to the boy. Father" said
he, suppose you pray" The father
was a good man, and could not refuse
to do this. But having strong sus-
picion in his mind that the boy had
suggested this Christian exercise in
order to escape punishment, he pray
ed for the young rcprobate first, aud
whipped him afterwards. lie told me,
however, that he had never been able
to make any thing out OF the boy till
he gave Up dogging and Appealed to
the boys sense OF what was right AID
proper.
This seemed to bea general exper-
ience III the States. In most OF the
American schools, whipping Is dlscon
tinued, and, in many places, prohlbi-
ted by law; and yet, can testify from
my own observation that the order
maintained in these schools is more
perfect than l have seen in similar
schools elsewhere. The precocitv OF
American children and the democrat
ic ideas that prevade society and filter
down even into the minds OF the
youngest, account, probably, tor three
tacts-tirst, that American parents,
guardians and teachers do not expect
the same reverence and unquestion-
able obedience that is looked tor and
inculcated with us; second, that the
children there will not be governed
by mere authority and force; and third