Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1875-04-29
SUCH a TEMPER.

THAT child will he the death of me
yet! Oh, he has such temper Just
see how he acts. You, John! Hush
this instant and do as l tell you!"
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 a new
amusement, aud was ENJOYING himself
mp to his full capacity. That amrse
ment was rude attempt at castle
building The materials used on the
occasion were books from the library
shelves His mother, in company with
IN aunt. who had arrived that dav on
short visit, happened to come upon
him in the midst of his pleasant sport.
"Dear little felow!" 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 a sudden jerk she drew
him several feet away from his mimic
building exclaiming as she did so, iii
angry tones:
"You bad boy! How dare you
do this7 Just see your fathers books
scattered 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 obeyingi her, threw
himself upon the floor, and con meaced
kicking and screaming in uncontrolled
passion.
"Just see how he acts, Mary!" res
peated the mother "That Temper
will be his ruin. John, hush this in
slant, and get up as tell you"
But the child's passion was whirl-
wind, and subsidized not until its force
was spent. In her blind anger the
mother stopped over the boy, and was
raising her hand to punish him, when
her sister drew her back and whisper.
ed:
"Don't Anna! A blow now will do
harm Aud she drew the excited
mother from the room.
"A1ary, this is not right!' said the
latter, with some severity of manner,
as soon as they were out of the library.
''You must net come between me and
my children. If you take their part
when / reprove or punish, all my cons
troll over them will be gone
Dear sister!" replied Mary, with
much feeling and great tenderness of
manner, "forgive me if I have erred ;
and let the pure love that I feel for
you and your child be my apology
There was silence for nearly min
nte. A calm was falling upon the
mothers spirit.
-'He aas such % dreadful temper, Ma
ry! If it 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
81 must break that temper while he
is a child.
"You cannot. 1t will only gain
strength by conflict" replied the Sis
ter.
as the case then so hopeless? l will
not believe il Mary
ooh, no-not hopeless by any means.
How does the oak gain strength and
vigorous life? Look at its rugged
trunk, its gnarled and twisted branches,
and read the history of its strife with
tempest and tornado through half a
century. So it is, by action, resistance,
and conflict that our passions are ma
tured. Do you imagine that the ex-
citement through which your child has
passed will weaken the bad temper of
which you complaint Has it not, on
the contrary, given it increased
strength =
The sister paused.
's1here was not sign Of evil in his
happy little face when we entered the
library.
s.But be was doing very wrong" said
she mother.
'-Had you told him he must moi
build houses with books E