South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1875-04-09
So CHI A TEN Err,

Wv. Oh, hc Has SuCH II temper Just
see how he acts. You, John Hush this
instant and do as tell your
! These sentences were uttered in an
excited voice by mother who had come
suddenly upon her little boy, bright,
busy, active little fellow three years old,
who had discovered new amusement.
and was enjoying himself up to his full
capacity That amusement was q rude
attempt at castle building. The mate.
rails used on the occasion were books
| from the library shelves. His mother.
m company with an aunt. who had ar
rived that day on a short visit. happen
ed to come upon him in the midst Of his
pleasant sport.
Dear little fellow - was on the aunt's
lips, as her eyes fell upon the child's
animated face; but ere the words were
spoken his mother had started forward
and seized him by the arm. With
sudden jerk she drew him several feet
away from his mimic building, exclaim-
ing as she did so, in angry tones:
You bad boy! How dare YOU do
this? just see your fathers books scat
tered all over the floor
A moment or two she held him with
firm grip; then pushing him from her,
/ she added
PUT every book in its place upon the
shelves; and don't you dare to touch
them again
Released from his mothers hand,
John, instead of obeying her, threw him
selfupon the floor, and commenced kick
ing and screaming in uncontrolled pas
sion.
Just see how he acts, Mary ~ re-
peated the mother. That Temper will
be his ruin. John, hush this instant,
and get up as 1 tell you
But the child's passion was whirl-
wind, and subsidized not until its force
was spent. In her blind anger the moth
er stopped over the boy, and was rails
ing her hand to punish him, when her
sister drew her back and whispered:
Don't Anna A blow now will do
HARM And she drew the excited moth
or from the room.
MARY, this is not right - said the
latter, with some severity of manner, as
soon as they were out of the library
You must not come between me and
my children. If You take their part
when / reprove or punish, all my con-
| VIZ wv OiSiii VIII DC SOllC.
Dear sister - replied Mary, with
much feeling and great tenderness of
manner, forgive me if have erred |;
and let the pure love that feel for you
and your child be my apology"
There was n silence for nearly n min
ute. a calm was falling uponthc moth
er's spirit.
lie has such n dreadful temper, Ma
ry. Fit is not subdued now it will curse
his whole life. You don't know how it
troubles me-
Your duty, it seems to me, is very
| plain, sister" was the answer.
II must break that temper while he is
child"
You cannot. 1t will only gain
strength by conflict" replied the sister.
us the case then so hopeless? l will
not believe it Mary
''Oh, no-not hopeless by any means.
How does the oak gain strength and Wig
orous life? Look ut its rugged trunk.
ITS gnarled and twisted branches, and
read the history of its strife with tenn
| pest and tornado through half century.
30 1t is, by action, resistance, and con-
flict that our passions are matured. Do
you imagine that the excitement through
which your child has passed will weak
EN- the bad temper of which you com
PLAIN? Has it not, on the contrary, Civ
en- it increased strength"
The sister paused
There was not sign of evil in his
happy little face when We entered the
library.
But he was doing very wrong" said
the mother.
Had you told him he must not build
houses with books?"
Yes, forty times. There isn't an
hour in the day that | don't have TO
check or reproye or punish him for one
kind Of mischief or another. lie knew
it was wrong
Maybe you check. and reprove, and
punish him too much, Anna" suggested
the sister There is danger i'm this di.
rectlon. when the child's mind is unusu-
ally active. The stream that glides n.
long smoothly enough through the level
meadow, will fret. and chafe. and dash
madly forward if rocky distinctions
come i'm its way"
But children must not be permitted
to do as they please. They would soon
'N ihlhtNt Hilil iuc mOJNcT.
IF you put a dam across the stream.
or throw huge rocks into the midst ofits
gently gliding current. Won do not stop
IFS progress but only swell It's volume
until it oycrHows it's banks. or distorts
its surface with twrling eddics. Mere
opposition 90 a child's desires effects n.
bout rs little good. II only gives them
n morbid force. We should not repress
activity but seek 10 give it a right al.
rection. ! will venture 10 affirm. Anna
that IT, when we went into the library
just now, We had entered with some
manifestation ofinterest into what John
was doing. and then pleasantly explain.
ed 20 him that the use ne was making
OF his fathers books was iniuring them.
and that nc must return them 10 the II.
brary. he would have replaced them on
the shelves without n word Of objection.
There would have been, in that case. no