St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-05-05
Discipline of Children.

Every right minded person will agree
that ;IS there Is discipline in Gods gov
ernment. 81 there must be discipline in
family government but there will he
found much variation of opinions rs t"
the right modes of exercising this dis
ciplinc. Children are not all alike.
neither are all parents. and the differ
ent tcmperamcntS and qualities of mind
of both must he considered. in order to
secure happy. well-regulatcd homes
Children are tender plants. and need
>killful handling 10y trained gardeners.
if they are to grow int" beauty and
fragrance lis their life unfnldS Should
not these gardeners first have perfect
selt-c"ntrol, ere they can hope to train
Alright the delicate clinging vines on the
home trclliS ! No one is fitted for the
duties of gardening he he parent
or teacher. 81 long us this first great
duty is neglected.
Some children are naturally so sen
Sitive and tender arted that word
of gentle repr""f for wrong doing is all
they require. Others are Self-willed
and high spirited. calling for tirmness.
and 1t may he Il strong compelling
force, To secure their obedience. In all
discipline. the spirit of the one who
intlictS it influences the child for good
or evil more strongly than the disci-
pline itself. These waXtn natures are
impressed by Il tender, loving spirit.
and return love for love, even under Il
sentence which is listastetul and pain
full in itself. And on the other hand, Il
harshness in dealing with the fresh.
Young, opening mind is apt to mould
II into its own image, making it harsh.
careless. and rebellious.
Never. on any account, frighten IL
child into obedience This habit is
very common among nursery girls, and
far too prevalent with young parents
Never make your child afraid of the
attic. the cellar. dark closets, or dark
ness any where. No ugly fears should
he associated with home, in which of
all places there ought to he IL feeling of
perfect security. Many one has car
ried in his heart a lifelong fear, deeply
implanted in childhood. How well |
remember the visit of little city boy
to my country home. As we were sit
ting, the tiIst evening of his arrival. in
the parlor. my aged father fell asleep
and began to SnOre. The little fellow
turned very red in the face and WAS
evidently in the greatest agitation
Presently he burst out with the excla-
nation, IL guess it's the bears ~
Give only needful commands to YOUR
children. and he sure that these COM
mands are obeyed. A child soon learns
what a command means and knows
whether it will be enforced. Do not
threaten to punish, unless you are
ready to fulfill the threat. The hasty,
thoughtless giving of commands and fire.
quent threatenings. as often nnfultlled.
beget Il lack of confidence in the parent,
a feeling which it is sad should ever
find home in the heart of Il child If
children are governed by impulse, they
in turn will be impulsive, and it may
he, impudent and disobedient.
If you wish the youthful, mature and
enduring love of your children, avoid
injustice. Parents little realize at how
early an age an act of injustice is keen
ly felt by the little watchers around
them. Sometimes little one may say.
"mother wasn't fair" or ''father didn't
do right then" and we may be sure