The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1875-07-16
Mark Twain's Advice on Domestic Dis
cipline.

According tn my observation. the m 'st
difficult thing to bring up CHILD is in the
morning. You can sometimes, Though
seldom, bring them mp in the marning by
yelling at them; but the effectiveness of
the process dimnisles with its repetition,
even when not entirely neutral,z, 10y the
chldren's tricl: of stopping their ears with
the bed-clotlles. The only prompts Effective.
aud absolute method Ia To bring them up
by the hair. Ii your chIld has Il good heal
thy scalp, without any tendency t" pr
mature badness, this method will work
with the most gratifying etiici, nc,. Try
it ab mt once IL week, and suu Will be sur
prsetl To observe how its influence will ex-
tend through tine six days, inspiring your
child with the llvelitst possible III crest in
the iespicnd, MT p ptseantry of sunrise. The
pulling up ut II darlilg child by the hail
requires the exercise of energy and firm
Hess but not atfertionate parents will ies-
iiate at the little s.cl ltice oil tins kind fol
the welfare Of his offspring.
Nothing Can bc mHe fatal to your dis
ciplne than Ia allow your children TO Con-
tra.il,t you If You happen to be 6etray' d
iuto amy misstatement or exaggeration III
tneir presence, don't permit ti,em To COR
rect You. Right or wrong. You must ob-
sIliiately Insist on Your own lnf..lblllty
and promptly suppress all oppnsitiun, with
force if need be. The moment you permit
will begin tu forfeit their respect and pam
der to their conceit. There can be no
sadd.r spectacle than parent surround Ii d
by olive branches WAC think that they
know more than he does | vividly le-
member low my iather-who was one oi
the most rigid aud successful of dl>clplim-
ari,ns-qu.l lied the aspiring egotism that
| prompted me to correct his careless remark
llnss) that tive times twelve is sixty-tw"
and half. $50" said he, looking ovei
lis spectacles and surveying me erlml.,
| ',e tLink We know nore'n Yer father, hey !?
Tome ere to met His invitation was too
resSing to decline, and !or u few excruci-
.,ln2 moments | rep,sed III bitter hunili-
ti,un across his left knee, with my neck Ill
| The embrace of his left arm.
| didn't see him demonstrate his mathe-
,nAiical accuracy with the palm of his right
and Oh the lalgess patch on my trowsers.
nut felt thst the old man WAS right ami
| WHEN. after completely eradicating m,
18th in the multiplication table. lie asker!
ne how much live times twelve was. in
listed with tears in my eyes, that it was
s,x,y-two and a half. g That's right,
said he. I'm learn ye to respect y"ul
father if have to thrash ye twelve times a
day. Now go'n water them hosses, n be
lively, too!' The old gentleman didn't
permit my respect for him to wane much
until the int1ammatory rheumatism dis
abled him, and even then he continued te
nI>pile me with awe until was thoroughly
convinced that his disability was perma
nent.
Unqnestioning obedience is the crownine
grace of childhood. When yon tell you1
cHld IT, do anything and he stops to in
luile why, it is advisable to kindly bu
irmly fetch him rap across the ear ane
inform him e That's why y He will s"o1
get in the way of starting with charming
iacraty at the word of command.
One of the most inveterate and annoyin,
rats Of children is inquisitiveness. I
'u are inconsid-rate enough to attempt t.
>atisfy their omniverouS curiosity. you M
ss well prepare To abdicate, for you will b'
nonplussed by their questions d,zrr
times day, and your weak sagacity vii
be hopelessly compromised. An average
child is a magazine of unconquerable and
disccncerted conundrums. You canno
expect children to have much reverence
for parent whose ignorance they can ex
pose twice out Of three times trying. 1t i
well enough to answer an easy question
now and then, just to convince them tina
you can when you choose but when the.
come at you with poser, tell them : d" Oh
never mind ~ or "Shut up" and thel
they will grow independent and self-reliant
and restrained only by veneratlon from
splitting your head open-to find out hoS
Y it holds so much informotion without let
ting more out Of it.
It would be dificuh-very difficult
estimate the benifcial effect that would b
entailed upon their children if parent
generally would adopt the method her
vaguely indicated.