Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-03-06
written for The Herald
geisCipIine---The True Method.

DisCi psiDe--~shG Eruc "ethoH'
The certainty that merited punish
ment will follow eUery transgressiop, is
the surest remedy for INSTRUMENTATION.
To illustrate the child approaches
too near the fire, or puts his fingers into
the blaze of the candle, and he suffers
pain in consequence; and every time he
thus disobeys the prohibition, he suffers
the penalty. The result is, he soon
learns obedience to natures law, and
keeps at proper distance from the fire.
A sZiqht pain and the positive certainty
of suffering it, have accomplished the
object.
Now let the mother see to it that
egeyy time her child disregards her wishes,
or disobeys her commands, he will suffer
for the wrong, and she will seldom, ii
ever. have occasion to administer other
than the mildest penalties. 1t is the
certainty and not the seueTtty of the pun
ishment which makes it etfectual. L
call this kind of management mild se0er-
tty, and commend it to every thoughtful
parent. Lett be attended by steadiness,
frmness and decision, and 1t will accom-
plish much more than the scOlding and
threatening and fogging which have
been made necessary by parental mis-
management.
Another important thought, in this
connection. As far as possible, let the
punishment be the actual consequence
of the fault which has been com
mitted. For instance, suppose the
child has never learned to ''shut the
doors" he has opened, and his mother
wishes to correct the habit. She should
require him to return and shut the door.
For the first offense, detain him five
minutes, before he is allowed to return
to his play for the second, offense, ten
minutes; and so on until the habit is
cured. Here, it will be seen, the priva-
ton is associated with the fault, and
seems naturally to result from it. The
child has opportunity for reflection, and
a strong motive to correct the habit.
Or, suppose the child is allowed a re-
cess from study, say of thirty minutes,
but he remains at play forty minutes,
under the prohibition of his mother Let
her punish him by shortening his recess
to twenty minutes, for the first offense
ten minutes for the second, and allowing
him no time for play, for the third; and
the next time he is released he will be
likely to return promptly.
All such punishments are designed to
correct and cure the evil, for the future
benefit of the child. They may be mild
or severe, as the case requires, but
should never be vindictive, nor admins
tered in anger. Promptness and firmness
are demanded in correcting the faults of
children, but harshness and ill-temper,
never.
Affection and sympathy are also pow
erful disciplinary agencies, and should
always accompany every act of severity
or reproof. Let the child understand
that every look of disapprobation, every
word of rebuke, every penalty inflicted
is prompted by maternal love, and the
very fact will tend to subdue and over
come this rebellious spirit.
Mutual sympathy between the parent
and child, is another powerful agency
in family discipline Look at the natu-
raj effect of human sympathy, in its ma
terial and mental aspects. The gaping
of one individual is, through sympathy,
impaired to the whole company; cheer
fulness and JOY, or sorrow and sadness |
expressed by any person, carry either
happiness or gloom to the hearts of the |
circle in which he mingles
1t is through sympathy that mankind /.
gain control over each other, in the COM /
mon affairs of life. They cherish the /.
feelings and embrace the opinions of /
those they love; and if these opinions /
are changed in maturer years, it is more /
the result of sympathy than argument |
Hence, we can easily understand the |
power of this principle over childhood. !
The child is in full sympathy with the /
true mother; clings to her in the hour .
of danger, believes and confides in her, |
with unwavering confidence, initiates her
actions, treasures up her words, and inn
bibeS her very feelings and emotions
this results partly from the intimate re-
latiOns they sustain to each other and
partly from judicious training. The de-
gree of the Child's love and confidence
for the mother, depends upon the amount
of sincere sympathy she manifeSts in his
childish hopes and fears joys and sor-
rows; recrcatiOns and amusements; ideas
and fancies. The more childlike the
parent. the better qualified she is to man
age and guide her household Hence,
the great importance of gaining the con-
fidence and love of our children, and the
S i'll greater necessity Of being ourselves,
in character and life, what we desire our
children to become.
We have no right to expect that these
children will be naturally inclined to do
right, rather than wrong. Facts are
against such aconclusion. Indeed, ac-
c0untability presupposes instruction as to
what is right and wrong; and when they
begin to recognize this distinction, both
the good aud the bad in their conduct,
should have our attention. We should
not only rebuke and punish the wrong,
but c0nlBJ6Hd the right with equal fidelity.
And this encouragement of children
when they have done well, is highly i'm
portant. This thought will be further
presented hereafter.
PARENs.
TIE CANAL on THE IsrHMUs.-A COM
from Panama dated Feb
ruary II, says: A small boat arrived at
Panama this morning from Chiri-Chiri,
the scene of the laborJ Of the Dalian
Expedition, under command
M y,fia 81 !
The expedition left here on the United
States steamer Tuscarora in the latter
part of January. After examining the
coast Of the Darian for week or more
they selected the bay named above as
the most suitable base for this years
operations. The bay is located some
fifteen miles south of Limon bay, which
was the base of last years surveys. The
expedition had already commenced its
work, and had penetrated some distance
into the interior. The line of survey