Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-02-06
Written for The Herald
Home Training.

Written for The Herald
Home Training.
Filial submission to parental author
ity is not only an obligation, under tda
divine law, but a necessity to the we
fare of the child. Hisinfantile helpIess
ness, at first, requires both care and con-
troll. Without experience, he is in tla
midst of danger, and exposed to iniur
and death, and yet, he fears no evil
His hand mnst be forcibly withheldfr9u
the burning Goals, and though he cr
ever so bitterly, be must not be allowed
to play with edged tools, nor to eat
poison. The most strenuous advocates Of
moral suasion must admit that here ct
least, authority and force are proge-r
and necessarily exercised. And it IS
Just here that the child Is initiated
submission to the power above him "a
every instance positive and imme.a,-
danger, the parent enforces auth0ri-
prevent the evil. and yet. how uaa7
utterly fail TO administer positive --
eminent beyond this point Sul
course is entirely inconsistent and r.--
Gus. Discipline, 10 be effective z-s
be absolute and uniform, reaching ever.
case of danger and wrong doing, th--a
the period of minority. The child 4.
been described by some writer, a- "a
little crawling. creeping, picking. pm
pushing. climbing. t0ttling and tum' -
down piece OF activity"
As such. he is committed To the
er's care. Activity is. indeed. ac
ton of his mental and physical dev
mcnt. but II must be under c0rz
control. With a blind impulse. a-
moves in every direction. regardless
of his own safety and Of the rights ard
comforts of others. He may pu.
boiling teapot from the table sui rs
not the mother force him away 20 pre-
vent his death from scalding2 He -se
dash a china set upon the floor. and ar
She not, with equal propriety, inter
her authority TO prevent the destru1
Of the property and to teach the
the wrong Of such rccklessness
Suppose she meets angry wilfull--
and sullen resistance in her effOus
correct and restrain May she not. Ell
should she not, hold the little rebel uf
he is subdued to cheerful obedience
There must be fixed statute in cra-
domestic realm. and these must h
Yealed to the children as soon as they have
occasion to regard them. and as often
they are disposed to violate thH
Among these are the laws which arr -
dispensable to the safety and life Ct tn
needless little creatures. and. as I base
intimated. no mother hesitatcs TO emf -7-
such laws. But it is equally important ra
enforce laws touching the moral safety
and the habits that viii control the
of these same children.
The habit of disObedienCe which is --
ten found under parental misrulg. mr
result in some terrible, blighting cala--
ity 10 the family. Had that child beea
taught unconditional obedience 10 t-
authority of the parents he would
have entered the forbidden waite r-
played upon the brink of the precir5cs
If parents begin early to enforce oheii-
ence, and with a steady hand. firm pur-
pose and loving heart. meet and suhlua
every rebelliOUs effort on the part Of the
child, family government viii be con-
paratively easy, and the fearful c0nsa-
quences of insubOrdinatiOn will be avoid
ed. Immediate submission to separate
and incidental commands and prohibi-
ti0ns, is the only condition of absolute
parental control and filial security.
This should be insisted on from the be-
ginning. / don't believe in the ''divine
rights of kings, but / do claim the Gi-
vine rights of parents to love and control
their children, and that the future char
acter of these children, as pupils. as citi-
Zens. and as subjects of the divine gov
eminent, viii be determined largely. by
parental rule or misrule, as the case
may be. Are not our reform schools.
houses of correction, iails and prisons
filled from the ranks of children who
were ungOverned at home? 1t is surely
so, and that domestic training which
saves flOm such fearful consequence
begins in obedience to special directions,
and expands into cheerful compliauCH
with general rules OF right and duty. If
the child Is not required implicitly O.
obey a particular command, he will no.
conform to the general laws in the fam
ily. in the school or in the society.
Children even in maturer life. should
never be able to remember an instance Of
disObedience to parental commands
Were they always the case. the severer
tween parents and children. which cause
so much pain and grief, would be avoid
ed.
If the child is old enough 10 disobev.
he must be old enough to obey and if.
in every instance, from the first.
obedience is rendered. that strong will
which so often resists parental authority
and requires severe punishment, would
never be formed.
This early authority and submission
were evidently part of the Divine plan.
The child, at first, is not only ignorant
and impulsive but weak and easily con
trolled. Soon consciousness dawns, and
he begins TO recognize the mothers voice
and smile. Fear, love and reverence are
awakened, and become powerful aids to
maternal government. He next should
learn the obligation as well as the Ne
cessity of obedience And now should
be formed the habit and principle Of
filial submission which result from con
slant repetition.
Happy are those children who have
been reared under the rigid discipline Of
home; happy in peaceful submission 70
parental control, and in the enjoyment
of parental love. And happy are those
parents whose fidelity has trained for
their country and their God such a fam
lily; happy in their society, and in the
sunshine of their affections; happy in The
thought that they viii be sustained and
comforted in declining life, by the strong
arm and tender hart of their own loyal
offspring, and that they viii die not
among strangers but among their Owl
kindred, who viii shed bitter tears and
straw the choicest flowers uDOn their
graves and happy in the assurance that
their children viii honor their name and
bless their country. PARENs.