Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-08-12
Sl0yenly Girls.

had two little girls, OF ten and twelve
years-bricht. winning children, but OF
ganized quite differently from their
mother.
My friend, Mrs Jackson, and myself
were often panied during the visit by the
tone Of criticism and GOODNESS that charac-
terized almost everything said by Mrs.
French to her. children. One day the
mother complained openly to us Of the
carelessness.Qf the little girls, saying:
They are 50 different from what was
If their age that / cannot understand them
or have any patience with diem. Why,
when [ was twelve years old [ made a
dress for myself and | used to keep my
room and my RTeau-drawers so neat that
everybody praised me for my good order
/ am really afraid Belle and Annie will
grow up slovenIy and idle, III spite of all
that | can do"
Mrs. Jackson heard her through, and
then she said:
Ny dear Mrs French, did your mother
never feel dissatisfied with you on some
other score, or were you perfect in every
respect:o
"Oh, no! Satisfied? No, not by any
means. Mother was great student, and
she was worried to death for fear | should
grow up Ounce"
Then suppose she made you misera-
bic by perpetuaIly mourning over your
duIIncss."
You are wrong there; she was the
most patient woman in the world She
gave all the opportunity wanted to prac-
tice my housekeeping and dressmaking
skill, and then she coaxed me to study; if
she hadn't led me gradually to take an in
terest in books never should have known
anything"
Your mother was a wise woman, -" re-
piled Mrs. Jackson; " but you must par
don me if say that you are taking ex-
actly the opposite course with your daugh-
ters."
My daughters! Why, they are crazy
for books; they take after their grand
mother"
Very true; but can't you see what I
am aiming to show you? You were I'm
developed in one part of your nature and
developed in another; your mother kept
you happily and usefully employed by al
lowing you to do that which was easy and
natural for you to do; then she skillfuIly
and gradually encouraged the part Of you
which had the poorer start if [ may so
express it. Now if you were to pursue
the same course in regard to your girls
you would encourage and praise them in
their studies, and then when they were
glowing with the delight of congenial
labor you would direct their attention
gently to the necessity Of cultivating every
part Of the character. Instead of that you
assume that your daughters are to blame
for not being developed as you were"
you are right" said Mrs French; |
am not acting as my mother did; but it
has always seemed to me that it was I'M
natural for a girl to be careless about her
room and her Clothes"
. l don't think we well understand what
we mean when we say unnatural. There
are many gradations and phases of ma
ture ltis also unnatural, if you will use
that expression, for a girl to be dull at her
arithmetic and botany. We are to consid-
er our, children and our friends as farms /;
the productive parts we must profit by, the
rest we must cultivate; that is the way
your mother acted, and that is the way
you must do if you would not harden
the soil till it is too late for seed-sow-
ing
Mrs. French was silent butdeeply atten-
tive, and Mrs. Jackson went on:
have known many cases Of sad alien
alton in families from the lack of wise
sympathy with the order Of nature in chill
dren. Some children develop one Quality
or set of qualities first, and some another
What is wanted is sympathy and tender
ness with the actual child. You cannot
produce new growths by fault-tinding; in
stead, you. must concentrate the sun of
love upon the very places that are most
sterile Suppose the sun should refuse to
shine except upon blossoms and fruit?"
At thee end of this speech Miss Bell came
rushing in, her apron full Of flowers for
Analysing, her dress torn, and her boots
muddy. The mother opened her mouth
to speak, but, warned by look, she was
silent
Mrs. Jackson called the sweetfaced girl
to her side, helped her to classify her
specimens, and then asked her gently how
she got so torn and soiIed Belle looked a
little ashamed, and, meetings smile from
her mother instead of a frown, she owned
that she had been very careless, and had
been practicing leaping bitches with her
sister, without thinking anything about
her nice boots.
Then it was her turn for a lesson; and
Mrs. jackson explained to her how neces-
sary it was for a lady to adapt her actions
to the occasion and to her dress. 1T is
really a serious fault, " she said, to spoil
your expensive boots in this way
. You must wear your old boots when
you go botanizing," said Mrs. French, in
diligently.
AT this Belle ran to her mother, and
throwing her arms around her neck prom
iSpd RI try very hard TO be all she wished