St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-10-03
Telling Children Lies.
| was mild but firm ,

\ beautiful young mother sat by us
during three hours ride i'll the cars
the other day, and in her arms she held
what seems to It's the fairest ornament
a neither ever wears, her beautiful ba
by The little fellow was very noble
looking; somewhere near his second
birthday, we should fancy, sturdy and
strong, with great blue eyes like wood
violets, cunning little white teeth even
as kernels of corn, and rosy cheeks
that kept dimpling into smiles. Nat
urally the confinement of his position
made him restless. He grew tired of
sitting still on his mothers lap the
cakes and apples she rather unwisely
gave him lost their charm. and the
bright flowers lie kept begging with the
prettieSt pleading from the stranger by
his side at last grew wearisome. Ba-
by wanted to take turn on the floor,
and mamma was afraid to let him.
What do You think she did, gentle
reader
Why. she looked her little widea
wake boy straight in his innocent
face. and said gravely:
Harry. if you don't sit still, I'll
throw You out of the ear window -
In the plainest manner possible she
gave her child ii lesson i'll lying. No
earthly power would have made her
throw him ont, and nothing would
from her had danger menaced him but
She wanted to keep him quiet. and 81
She rushed to the resort of the weak
deception. If two OF three Years hence
Harry shall tell her lie, she will be
exceedingly shocked and panied, and
he will he punished and prayed for,
and his mother will glieve at his def
cheney of moral sense, quite oblivious
of the fact that us she has sown she
is beginning To reap.
The fact is that half the babies are
trained to tell falSehoods before they
are able to walk and talk. The thou
sands of poor little untoltunatcs, who
are blessed iii muslin and lace and Civ
en- over to the care and companionship
OF Ignorant hirelmgs, are SO practiced
upon and deceived and frightened and,
i'll short. lied to, that it is Il wonder
that after all most of them grow up
tolcrahly truthful. We think it speaks
we'll for that much maligned thing hui
man nature. But servants are not the
only chief offenders. We charge moth
ers and fathers with being very culpa-
hle and wicked in their sins of commits
sion i'll this regard.
Il have never deceived my child
says Mrs. Laura Love, who is reading
this number beside her baby's crib.
When you pretended. dear lady, the
other day that you were not going out
when You We're, and when you tiptoed
of with your bonnet hidden behind
You lest baby should cry to go, what
were you doing but deceiving him
When you pretended that the abomin-
ably tasting stuff you were about to
give him out of Il vial was good, smack
ing your lips as though you enjoyed it,
what were you doing but acting lie?
Children have very quick perception.
Very young children learn to see
through the ways that are dark and the
tricks that are vain of their foolish ell
der companions. Still as we look into
their soft eyes we seem to hear the sol
emn words that fell from the tenderest
lips that ever spoke to man: Take
heed that We offend not one of these
little ones. '-HearH and Home.