American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-08-17
The DefOrmities of Children.

No CHILD is more tenderly loved than
the unfortunate one, if the misfortune be
blindness, or deafness, or physical NAL
formation. The mother who could come
to hate a child on account of his natural
misfortunes would be a brute indeed. But
few mothers reflect that the child's i'll
temper, irreyerenee, or even grayer
faults are also the result OF natural de-
formity, and that the child who is always
under censure for bad qualities is in real
ity an object of pity. Not until the par
ent can be brought to see the matter IN
this light, can there be Alright relation be-
tween parent and child. Temper is an
inherited quality, and cannot be broken
all at once. The child whose blood is
poisoned by some ancestral faint, winch
may have lain dormant in the generation
Immediately preceding, needs the comfort
and sympathy of father and mother, and
gets the rebuffs only.
We knew a family in which the father,
in spite of every restraining influence,
died of intemperance, two sons per1shed
from delirium tremens, and third Was
an inebrate There was one sober son;
and sister, a refined lady, confessed to
her physician that she dared not take any
prescription having alcohol in it, her ap-
petite for it was so ungovernable. Here
was clear case of hereditary dipsomanla-
the sufferers were objects for pity and care
more than for apprehension. But unruly
tempers and other unpleasant qualities
are likewise inherited. We would not
relieve any person from a sense or ac-
countability for their failure to govern
their passions; we are only reminding
parents that the child with the most VIC
lent disposition deserves less reproach
for a rebellious temper than one nat
urally more tractable. If you were blam-
ed for not curing the child's fault, your
excuse would be that you had done your
best. How do you know that the chlld
has not?
Ingrained traits can only be combatted
with any success where they are combat
ted with infinite patience and Kindness.
That "grievous words stir up anger" is as
true now as in Solomons time, and as
true when the grievous words are spoken
by a parent as by stranger. but L
cannot wink at the child's badness"
Certainly not. That would be Incidence.
But YOU can show the child that you have
a full appreciation of his misfortune, that
you have a sympathy with his struggles
and his difficulties. When you have done
this, you have taken grand step toward
helping him out of his trouble.
Nothing is of more importance, in deal
ing with n difficult child, than prompt
praise of his earliest endeavor to over
come his fault. Do not measure your
commentator by his success but by MS
endeavor.
The selfish or indolent parent pities
himself. THAT child will kill me-" u
have got to endure his temper year IN ana
wear out" Ali yes; but what has he
got to endure! If he live until he is
hundred there will be something lett
of the old battle yet. If you work Tor
no higher motive than to relieve yourself
of annoyance, you cannot succeed
But if YOU so develop the self-control of
your child that he will have permanent
advantage in the lifelong warfare with MS
besetment, you have delivered him from
ii lifelong bondage
Consider the patience of teachers IN IN
situations for imbecile children. In some
cases. weeks are spent in persuading
child To make one awkward mark with II
niece of chalk Reflect on the time spent
in taking the successive steps that bring
the drooling idiot up to the level of IA man
able to care for himself. And is not the
victory worth the battler Is not your
patient endeavor to cure n moral defect
rewarded by any measure OF success,
however small? Wherefore checrfully
take YOUR share of the heavy burden of
Your child, and by bearing it bravely,
help him to bear his lifelong load.-HeaIth
and Home.