The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1875-07-01
MARK TWAINS ADVICE ON Do
MESTIO DISCIPLINE.

According to my observation, the
most difficult time to bring up child
is in the morning. You can sometimes,
though seldom, bring them up in the
morning by yelling at them, but the ef
fectiveness of the process diminishes
with It's REPETITION, even when not en-
tirely neutralized by The children's trick
of stopping their ear with the bed
clothes. The only prompt, effective
and absolute method is to bring them
up by the hair. If your child has agood,
healthy scalp, without any tendency to
premature badness, this method will
work with the most gratifying efficiency.
Try it about once q week, and you will
be surprised to observe how its influence
will extend through the six days, inspir
ing your child with the iveliest possible
interest in the resplendent pageantry of
sunrise. The pulling up OF darling
child by the hair, requires the exerciso
of energy and frmness but no affection
ate parent will hesitate at the little sac
rifce of this kind for the welfare of his
offspring.
Nothing can be more fatal to your
disci pline than to allow your children to
contradict you. If you happen to be
betrayed into any misstatement or ex-
NIT them to correct you. Right or
wrong, you must obstinately insist on
your own infallibility and promptly sup
press all opposition, 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 sad
der spectacle than a parent surrounded
by olive branches who think that they
know more than de does. / wildly re-
member how my father-who was one OF
the most rigid and successful of disci-
phnarians-quelled the aspiring egotism
that prompted me to correct his careless
remark (when he was reckoning prob
lem in shillings) that five times twelve
was sixty-two and a half. $780," said
he, looking over his spectacles and sur
veying me grimly, &c Ye think ye know
more'n n your father, hey Come ere to
me - His invitation was too pressing
to be declined, and for few excrutiat
ing moments I reposed i'll bitter humi-
iation across his left knee, with my
neck in the embrace of his left arm.
didn't see him demonstrate his math-
ematical accuracy with the palm of his
right hand on the largest patch of my
trowsers, but I felt that the old man was
right and when, after..completely erad
icating my faith in the multiplication
table, he asked me how much five times
twelve was, I insisted, with tears in my
eyes, that it was sixty-two and a half.
''That's right" said he. 'tI'l learn ye
to respect your father, if 1 have to
thrash We twelve times day. Now go'n
water them hosses, n be lively, too |"
The old gentleman die not permit my
respect for him to wane much until the
infammatory rheumatism disabled him,
and even then he continued to inspire
me with awe until I was thoroughly
convinced thai his disability was perma-
nent.
Unquestioning obedience is the crown
ing grace of childhood. When you tell
your child to do anything, and he stops
to inquire why, it is advisable to kindly
but firmly fetch him rap across the ear
and inform him 'sThat's why! He
will soon get in the way of starting with
charming alacrlty at the word of COM
mand,
One of the most inveterate and annoy
If you are inconsiderate enough to at
osity, you may as well prepare to abdi-
cate, for you will be nonplussed by their
questions dozen times day, and your
weak sagacity will be hopelessly com
promised. An average child is maga
zine of unconquerable and disconnected
conundrums. You cannot expect chill
dren to have much reverence for par
ent whose ignorance they can expose
twice out of three times trying. 1t is
well enough to answer an easy question
now and then inst to convince them that
you can when you choose but wher they
come at you with poser, tell them
thenthey will grow up Independent and
self-reliant, and restrained only by ven
Grafton from splitting your head open =
to find out how it holds so much infor-
nation without letting more out of it.