Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-06-10
Mark TWaiR's Advice on Domestic
Discipline.

Discipline.
According tc my observation, the
most difficult time to bring up a child
is in the morning. You can sometimes.
though seldom, bring them up IN the
morning by yelling at them; but the
effectiveness of the process diminishes
with It's repetition, even when not en-
tirely neufralized by the children trick
of stopping their ears with the bed
clothes, The only prompt, effective
and absolute method is to bring them
up by the hair. IF your child has a
good, healthy scalp, without any tend
ency to premature badness, this
method will work with the most graft
flying efficiency. Try it about once a
week, and you will be surprised to
observe how its influence will extend
through the six days, inspiring your
child with the livelest possible interest
in the resplendent pageantry of sun
rise. The firing up of darling child
by the hair requires the exercise of
some energy and frmness but no pa
rent will hesitate at the little sacrifice
OF this kind for the welfare of his off
spring.
Nothing can be more fatal to your
discipline than to allow your children
to contradict you. If you happen to
be betrayed into mistatement or ex-
aggeration in their presence, don't per-
init them to correct you. Right or
wrong you must obstinately insist on
your own infallibillty and promptly
suppress it with force if need be. The
moment you permit them to doubt
your unerring wisdom you will begin
to forfeit their respect and pander to
their conceit. There can be no sadder
spectacle than a parent surrounded by
olive branches who think that they
know more than he does. ] vividly
remember how my father-who was
one Of the most rigid and successful Of
disciplinarians-quelled the aspiring
egotism that prompted me to correct
his careless remark (when he was reck
oning problem in shi,lings) that five
times twelve was sixty-tw and a half.
so, said he, climbing over his spec
tacles, and surveying me grlmly, ',ye
think ye know more'n your father,
hey come ere to me !" His invita-
ton was to pressing to be declined,
and for few excruciating moments I
in bitter humiliation across his left
knee, with my neck in the embrace of
his left arm.
[ didn't see him demonstrate his
mathematical accuracy with the palm
of his right hand on the largest patch
on my trowsers, but [ felt that the old
man was right; and when, after COM
pletely eradicating my faith in the
multiplication table, he asked me how
much five times twelve was. [ Insisted
with tears in my eyes that it was sixty
two and half. That's right" said
he. "Ill learn ye to respect your
father if [ have to thrash ye three
times 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 infam-
matory rheumatism disabled him, and
even then he continued TO inspire me
with awe until | was thoroughly con-
vinced that his disability was perma-
nent
Unquestioning obedience is the
crowning grace of childhood. When
you tell your child to do anything
and he stops to enquire why, it is ad-
visable to kindly but firmly fetch him
a rap across the ear and inform him
That's why He will soon get IA
the way of starting with charming
alacrity at the word of command.
One OF the most inveterate and
annoying traits of children is inquisit-
ivness. If you are inconsiderate
enough to attempt to satisfy their ON
niverous curiosity, you may as well
prepare to abdicate, for you will be
nonplused by their questions a dozen
times a day, and in your weak sagacity
will be hopelessly compromised. An
average child is magazine Of uncon-
querable and disconnected conundrums.
You cannot expect children to have
much reverence for parent whose ig-
norance they can expose twice out of
three times trying. 1t is we'll enough |
to answer an easy question now and
then, just to convince them that you
can when yOI choose but when they |
come to a poser, tell them: ''Oh,
never mind u or shut up, and then
they grow up Independent and self-re-
liant and restrained only by veneration
from splitting your head open-to find
out how it holds so much information
without letting more Of it out.
1t would be difficult very difficult
to estimate the beneficial effect that
would be entaiIed upon their children
if parents generally would adopt the
4 ka.I