Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1871-02-24

these. together with tha permissions, the
rewards, the smiles, the genial inlu-
ences, that constitute government
The question of rigor, of severity, Of
ply steal chastiscment, is often treated rs
if that peculiarly was government. 1t !
is the least part and the lowest Iorm OF it.
Some say that physical punishment should
never be cInpoyed. All iudicious persons
agree that il should bc employed just rs
little rs possible and that when employ.
cd at all it shoud tend upward ahd not
ownward--ilat is. that the rod should
be so used as to destroy the necessity for
using i, again or often The habitual and
frequent resort 20 physical pain in govern
ing children is brutal and bruLalizing.
1t Injuries both parent and child. teacher
and pupil. Without saying that there is
no case in which the rod should be re
sorted 10, we believe thai tho old notion,
that every child should q, one time feel
is quickening influence, is barbarous.
There are thousands Of children thai
never need it. In well regulated FAM
lily, with children of average moral eX
cclloncc, the rod ought to be unknown.
Other means Of government may be
found, requiring perhaps more patience
and ingenuity on the part of the parent,
but of vastly greater benefit to the child.
Many parents once supposed that the
rod was n divine ordinance; that debt
was owed to il by every Christian parent, :
which must be settled on the child ut one
! time or another Solomon is responsible
| Tor whole thicl;tts OF switches religious ~
cultivated, cut and used The most lib
era Interpretation was given TO his rod.
But people moro wisely interpret the rol
TO mean simply government, whether
with or without physical clastiscmcnt.
1t is qnite easy to discourse upon FAM
! ily government. and TO exhort and advise
parents touching the bringing up of their
children but it is quite another thing to
do it well yourself.
/ No one can take m abstract rule or
scheme of family government and pro-
cecd upon it without regard TO The cir.
cumstanccs of both sides. governors and
governed
Very few stop to consider that the ca
/ pacily of the parents To govern has very
much to do with the mode OF government
to bc adopted in any instance. II i, Ger
iainly better to govern by bringing
moral influence To bear on the children
But what if that is tho very thing the
parent does not know how TO do? The
gifts of governing are not alike in all
SO ii comes - pass that many parents
are obliged to employ the second o; third
best. simply because they do not know
how to do better. Abstraclly they may
be wrong; but relatively to their Own
gifts they may be right.
1t is precisely nj this point that much
OF the modern writing on the subject Of
government fails. Everybody considers
the right and welfare Of the children
Few pause to consider that parents need
pity aud sympathy. They must work
according 10 their gifts. A lc3blc wo
man, rendered excessively sensitive by
sickness sometimes reduced by the very
birth oi her children to \ tangIc OF nerves
over. weighed with cares and bodily
Ioil, fud, herself surrounded with Il
crowd OF ncrvously organized children,
/ quick. combalive, sensitive, restless.
| WHAT can the mother do ? II is not an
answer To say, that these super.eXcitabIc
children need Il calm and even treatment; {;
/ that they need liberty and room 10 work
off their supcrtlupus excitabiIity. That
/ is very true. But that is not the qucs-
ton. What shall this mother, in strai
tened home, with shattered health, do
for her children? Her capacity is us
much 10 be considered rs the chil,irc rs
necessity.
The same question arises in sch ools.
That hicb i5 best for scholars cam not al
ways be had Schools must be managed
according TO the capacity of the manag-
crs. as well as the needs Of the scholars.
There is 4 case in medical practice.
What would be best for 4 patient is often
out Of the reach of his friends. What,
of those things wi hin reach, is best, is
the question which every physician asks
himself every day. Schools and families
have analogous necessities and limita-
ton. But this does not justify any and
crery method. There are some practices
now quite common that should never be
allowed. At another time we will. per-
hapc, suggest thcm.-N. Y. Ledger.