St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1872-04-12
Threate ming Children.
BY UNCLE WILLIAM.


\ few days since called on little
matter of business at the house of my
acquaintance, Mr.. Rasphoy. As | sat
for few moments alone i'll the parlor,
| unfortunately heard Il voice SAYING Ill
sharp, passionate tones, ''lf ever find
you doing so again | will punish y"n
within an inch of your life
No reply to this awful threat reached
my ear. but il moment or two afterwards
| heard ii door shut with heavy jar,
and SAW his son pass the window with
il look of anger on his face not pleasant
to behold. Mr.. RaSpboy came shortly
atterward into the room seeming t" he
somewhat embarrassed us he Saw me,
and discovered that | had been there
during this uncomfortable cScapadc.
He, in an apologize way, said some
thing about these boys being SOME
times exceedingly provoking" and |
passed To the business on which | came
ut once, so us To relieve him.
went away thinking somewhat after
this fashion: Mr.. Raspboy, if he only
would reflect, has done just now IL fool
iSh and even bad thing for himself and
for his son. He evidently has allowed
himself to get into Il passion. That of
itself is bad enough. He lowered him
self in the eyes of his boy hy losing
command of himself. Then he conn
municated his passion to his son. The
sullcn and lowering look of the boy
showed that very clearly. SO there WAS
ii breach made between father and son.
1t will take time and care to bridge it
over. 1t has made Il wound that will
l. lnhinI l
he healed \ father cannot repeat that
process very often without ut length
separating his son very far from him.
The sight of that father will not be vel
coined when they next meet; and 1t Is
very sad when no pleasant greeting he
tween parent and child is possible.
do not know what this provocation
was. Very probably the boy was great
" ut fault. but it was not necessary that
Mr.. Raspboy should lose his temper
and riv, threat which by its very
tone and language was fitted only to
provoke the boy. know that the re-
proof could have been given i'll such IL
way as to have held his son to him.
even while his displeasure was clearly
exhibited.
Besides all that. the threat was eX
aggeratrd. and the father never meant
to fulfil it. He never intended to pun
iSh his son till he was nearly dead.
within an inch of his life" would bring
death pretty near. The boy knew per
fectly well that it meant far less. In
deed suspect that he understood it to
mean almost nothing 1T all. He had
probably heard pretty much the same
thing very often before, and had known
il to result in not much diminutiOn
even of his comfort. The only effect,
fear. of the threat was ii diminished
confidence in the words of his father, a
feeling of anger aroused, and of aliena
ton and heart burning.
once found my brother John look
ing annoyed. troubled, and even anX-
ions. one would have supposed that
some matter of very grave consequence
WAS depressing him. | asked him what
was on his mind. "Well,r he replied,
Harry has Just been to me and. in Il
quiet and Subdued way, has been ex-
pressing his regret ut something he did
Il day or two since. He is. You know.
unaccountahly careless, and | hastily
and angrily threatened him with Il whip
ping on the repetition of the OtfenSc.
->pN III Has ltpt'tltt II. llt II 'ltdllN
Sorry for it, and do not know exactly
what to do. | do not want to whip the
hoy. Iou know what noble fellow
he is and our system has been to use
tie rod for only two offences -deliber-
ate diSobedience and falsehood. 1t has
not been necessary to come to this for
years. ought not to have made the
threat. was provoked and foolish, or
| would not have gotten myself in this
predicament."
pitied him, but did not see how to
help him. | think that John will not
make hasty threat again. His boys
know exactly what their father and
mother mean when they declare ii pen
atty. 1t follows upon the fault like the
laws of nature. There is no escape.
But threats are almost never heard in
that household.
Indeed, threatenings ought not to he
familiar i'll the family. 1t is little TO
say that they Danish sunshine from the
home. They do more. They irritate
and ALLEVIATE the child, while they weak
en-, and, byand-hy. destroy the au-
thority of the parent. Love. that holds
in firm and enduring embrace, does
not live in their atmosphere.