Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-01-20
ADVICETO PARENTS.
A Word Of Sage Couasoi.iro1n that
Victorian pnr:cnt, Mark Twain.

A Word Of Sage Couasoi.iro1n that
Victorian par:cnt, Mark Twain.
From the Buffalo Express.
Having reflected deeply. for half
an hour, upon the subject Of domes-
tic discipline, l feel like sparing a
few suggestions relative to the best
method Of bringing up children.
Being a bachelor without children,
my suggestions are as likely to be
disintercsted us if had never seen
a child.
According to my observation the
most difficult time to bring up chill
drcn il in the morning. You can
sometimes, though seldom, bring
them up in the ninrning by yelling
at them; but the effectiveness Of this
process diminishcs with it's repeti
ton, even when not entirely neu-
trallzed by the children's trick Of
stopping their ears with the bed
clothes. The only prompt, effective
and absolutely reliable method is to
bring them up by the hair. If your
child has good, healthy scalp,
without any tendency to premature
badness, this method will work
with most gratifying efficiency. Try
it about once week, and yon will
be surprised to observe how its in
tiuence Will extend through the six
days interval, inspiring your child
with the liveilcst possible interest
i'll the resplendent payeantry OF sun
rise. 10 bring up Il darling child
by the hair requires the exercise of
some energy and iirmness; but no
ahectionatc parent viii hesitate at
any little sacrifice Of this kind for
the welfare OF his offspring.
Nothing can be more fatal to your
discipline than to allow your chill
dren to contradict you. ifyou hap
pen to be betrayed into any mis-
statement or exaygeration in their
presence, don't permit them to cor
rect you. Right or wrong you must
opsti,ately Insist on your iniallibil-
ity, and promptly suppress every
symptom OF puerlle skepticism, with
force II need be. The moment you
permit them to doubt your unerring
wisdom, you will begin to forfeit
their respect and pander to their
conccit. There can be no sadder
spectacle than Il parent surrounded
Uy owe branches VINO think they
know more than he does. l vlvIdly
remember how my tatner-who was
one OF the most rig Il and successful
Of 'disciplinarians-queiied the as
plrlny esousm that prompted me to
he was reckoning prooiem Ill sml-
lings), that live tlnes twelve was
slxty-two anu Il hali. 80, said he,
climbing over his spectacles, and
surveying me grllnly, ''ye think ye
know more II yer latner, nay: Come
ere TO me!' Ills invitation was too
pressing to be ueclined, and Tor a
lcw excruclaiing moments rePosed
in Dlttcr humiliation across his lett
knee, with my neck i'll the embrace
ot his lett arm.
didn't see him demonstrate his
mathematical accuracy, with the
palm OF his right hand on the lar
gest patch o1 my trowsers, but .fen
mat lne old man was right; and
when, after completely eradlcating
ms lalth in the multiplication table,
ne asked me how much five times II
was, Insisted, with tears III my
ewes, that it was siXty-two and
halt. That's right" SAID he; "l'll
larn sc to respect yer father, IT
have to thrash ye IL times day.
Now go'n water them hosses, n be
lively too!' The old gentleman
didn't permit my respect Tor him to
wanc much until the intiammatory
rheumatism disabled HIM; and even
then he continued to inspire me with
awe until 1 was thoroughly convin-
ced that his disability was perma-
ncnt.
Unquestioning obedience is the
crownlng grace OF childhood. When
You tell your child to do anything,
and he stops to inquire how, it is
advisable to kindly but firmly fetch
him Il rap across the ear, and in
form him "tllat's whyw He will
soon get in the way of starting with
charming aiacrity, at the word OF
command.
O.c of the most invcterate and
annoying traits of children is i'll
qusitiveness, if you are inconsider-
ate enough to attempt to gratlfy
their omnivorous curl, sity, you may
as well prepare to abdicatc, for yo"
will be nonp!usscd BY their ques-
tions dozen times II day, and III a
week your sagacity will be hopeless
" compromised. An average child
is a magazine of unanswerable and
disconcerting conundrums. You
can't expect children to have much
reverence for a parent whose isno-
rance they can expose twice out OF
three times trying. 1t is well enough
to answer an easy question now ana
then, lust to convince them that you
can when you choose; but when
they come to you with a poser, tell
them, ooh, you never mind. or
"shut upw and then they will grow
TT independent and selt-reliant and
restrained. only by veneration, from
s,ltting your head open 70. find out
how it holds so much information
without letting some out.
would be difticult-very difficult
to estimate the beneficial effect
that would be entailcd upon their
children if parents generally would
adopt the method here vaguely IN
dicated.
Tho Origin of Phrases.