Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-03-20
Written for the Rutland Herald.l
DiscipIIne.--The True Method.
40. VII.

Nor can we expect the child to know
anything of justice, right and duty, IN
til he has been instructed in regard to
the relations and obligations of human
society. To illustrate; two children are
playing upon the floor, and find a toy
which both very much desire. Each is
governed wholly by his own selfish wish
es, and demands the toy exclusively for
himself, and quarrel is, at once, inau-
guraten. But are these childrenin fault,
if they have never been taught the jus
tice, propriety and duty of yielding to
each others wishes? So 1t Is with
truthfuiness. Children know nothing
of the disturbances of truth telling, or
the wickedness of falsehood unless they
have been taught this important lesson.
How can they know even what truth is,
unless by instruction? And what is that
to the child? He is delighted with his
newly acquired power of expressing
ideas of external objects, by the use of
words. He comes in from his play, and
says to his mother, "We see a horse.
No, replies the mother, the horses are
all out of doors. You don't see horse,
here in the house. But ne treasures her
by a repetition of his childish express
sion Now, is that falsehood, or did
the child tell the truth He did see the
image of the horse. formed from the re-
atty, in his own mind And was not
that reality to him
Again, further to illustrate the lit
tie boy is about to join his sister, in the
yard, to play, and takes with him two
apples which his mother gives him, with
instructions to share them with his sis
ter. He resolves, as he goes ont, to d.
vide with her, but afterward changes
his mind, and eats both himself. When
he returns from his play, his mother
asks the boy if he gave his little sister
the apple, and he replies that he did
He knows that his answer viii please
her, and gives it on purpose TO please.
And as was in his thought and purpose,
in the beginning, the statement was true
Applied to the act, it was false. But
how can the child without more instruc.
ton and experience, be expected to an
alyze and distinguish between these
two cases? And especially, when he re-
members that only the day before, his
mother told him a ''bear story" that
had not one word of truth in it, simply
to please him. Indeed, what is the diff
ference between the imaginary truths
which children sometimes tell, and the
imaginary falsehoods which they hear
from their parents, or read in the Sab
bath school books, or other fiction pro-
vided for them, by professional story
tellers,
This view of the subject will, at least,
teach parents to deal gently and patient
ly with the early falsehoods of their
children, which are often nothing more
than fancies of their imagination. They
have no right to expect that young
children viii, at first, understand and
feel the obligation to speak the truth.
| and should be all the more in earnest
and faithful, in impressing upon their
| tender minds these great moral lessons.
They need instruction and encourage
ment, more than severe rebuke, or pun
ishment. Let every instance of truth
fitness be commended, and the pure
principles and precepts of the Holy BIZ
bic be brought to bear upon the heart
and conscience whenever any falseness
and wrong has been discovered In the
conduct of the child. By such means.
both truth-telling and truth-loving will
be inculcated until they shall ripen into
habits based upon settled principles of
integrity regulating and controlling
life.
Twill here repeat fundamental prin-
ciple in family government, viz: paren-
tai authority must be absolute. The on
ly question touching this point, that will
admit of discussion, is what means shall
be employed to establish and maintain
this authority.
have argued that gentle meas,,rao if
early and wisely employed. wo,1ld al
ways accomplish the object that deal
Ing properly and faithfully with the
mind and heart of the child, would an.
able the parent to avoid, for the most
part, the necessity of infiicting physical
pain. i
But such wisdom and skill are not tha
blrthright of all parents nor are thew
attalnable by au some lack the abili-
w.; others, the requisite knowledge; and
sun others, nrmness, patience and per.
severance, in the use of the beat methods
OF family government. AS conso-
quence, characterization reigns la MANY