The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1873-10-25
AwORD FOR PARENTS.
How Children should be Traises

Morals and Manners, or Hints for
Our Young People" by Miss Sedgwick,
is little volume that would form an
addition to a select Sabbath school
library. 1t advises the young to cult
yste neatness, reverence, gentleness,
gravity-in other words advises them
not to be children. 1t ia clear that the
author draws her material from the
dephts of an innocent consciousness, and
not from experience. 1t is plain that
the book was written by Miss Sedg|
wick and not by Mrs. Sedgwick:
1t is very easy to manage children on
paper; but it ia not go easy to do it in the
flesh. tits not very difficult to lay down
rules for the discipline Of little folks;
but it is very hard to get those rules
observed. For children are like grown
folks in many respects, and one OF those
respects is disposition to break rules.
Which OF US, potent. grave, and rereren.
ed seiguiors does notssknowingly and
whantonly do what we know is lmpru-
dent, or foolish or wrong? Can we ex-
pect the little ones. who have not had
our experience, to d. any better2 Let
him who is without Gin cast the first
stone at the bad children. People who
have not children OF their own, or OF
others very near to them, usually know
very little about them. They do not
see what delicate and highly complex
little organisms they are. They do not
study them lovingly, and 80 they fail to
see how infinitely they vary in tempera-
ment, faculty, inherited tendencies, in
bodily strength and aptitudes, in gentle
ness, cruelty, cowardice, nobleness
and generosity. To cramp them by
rules, restrain them, and check them,
and silence them, is the pinnacle OF
stupidity and selfshness on our part.
The freer they grow, the better. We
honestly believe that if a catalogue
were made it would turn out that larger
number of noble men and women have
grown up from what have been called
"bad children" than OF the other sort.
A "spoiIt child" is certainly dissgreeable
in the house, but he grows in his own
way, and is the better Tor 1t. We think
that such should be restrained IN the
same way that men are restrained-ior
the general comfort. For the sake OF
neatness and repose, children should be
kept quiet in the sitting room or at the
table, but they shonld have reasons-
bic and wholesome freedom to let OF
steam. They love to make a noise !;
they love mischief; they love TO run
risks OF life and limb; they love to break
rules for the sake Of breaking them
Where child is not of this sort be is
the worse for it. "a good, quiet, we'll
behaved child" 10 weakling, who is
never going to come to any good. We
are stronger than children, but not bet
ter. We can beat them for offences
not half 80 bad as what we do daily IN
their sight; and we can imagine that
when we are go beating them we are
valiant soldiers in the cause OF virtue.
But the little ones have keen eyes, aud
they know that we are tyrants and
DULLES. We can force sort OF outs
ward respect and submission, but the
child sickens under deadly sense OF
wrong. And we must not suppose that
when he ceases TO cry he torgets 1t.
Children are forgiying; but there are
some things that cut deep. We think
that force should he applied to children
for pure policy purposes-'0r the pres
ervat:on of order AMI repose-hut &c
enforce any sort OF moral discipline by
force of any kind is worse than useless
There is q deadly danger, IN rulef
and severe punishmeuts, that we may
work moral hurt that lasts through
lie. We teach our children &c
lie by fear OF punishment; and OF al
the vices, living ia most destructive to
the moral dignity of the child or man,
Better far that he should escape al
punishment than that be should learn
to lie. Better far tbat he should have
q mother whom lie does not fear, and
who "spoils' him and INDUCES him as
God intended that she Ell ould when He
made q mothers love. Brute force
goes such little way in managing
child. and does go much harm. 1t i;
like setting your watch with crow
bar.
We think that il Miss Sedgwick, and
the other Dracos and Lycurgusses @
juvenile morals and manners would
take some little child and study it, she
would come to the came belief thai
most parents 90, that it is "a very pc
cullar child-so different from other
children" And when she found how
much that little child suffered under
restraint, what bitter tears it shed at
Injustice and disappointment, how ii
numbed and dropped under "discip'
line" and how beautifully it blossomec
out under little spelling
we think that she would soften
her MeGe and Persian code. AND
if, after she came 20 love the
Child, it should fail sick and suffer, and
she should watch over its dying bed
and feel how unaYailiug are deep love
and keen sorrow 10 soften even one O.
the pangs that knit 10 torture the
patient little tacc; or should she lee
that yearning to give to the little one
some of her own strength, or to bear
for it the shocks OF pain that rack the
tiny body-snd feeling this, remember
the discipline, the crosses, the injustice
aud restraints, the selfshness, the re-
Dukes, the suppressions; and remem-
Der the tears, the meekuess under
punishment, the p.esding locke anC
the esd eyes-we think that then she
would feel regret that she should have
ever laid down the law with iron hand
or have warred with the broken bios
som aud che would come thereafter
to lean little less upon laW, aud
little more on love.