The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-01-11
EDUCATIONAL.
SPOILED CHILDREN.

tive of much good. But the first diff
Guilty that lies in the way Of its proper
study is the fact that parents seldom see
spoiled children among their own flock,
while they observe them at the homes of
most of their neighbors.
Spoiled children generally owe their
misfortune to two prime causes the
blind love of their parents, and the per-
nicious examples of home. The blind
love of parents causes the bad traits Il
child is acquiring to remain unobserved
and uncorrected it also causes the child
to be brought up too tenderly and there
by prevents it from learning early to
take care of itself. The love of some
species of American apes which causes
them to caress their Young to death is no
more injurious to their offspring than is
the apish love of some parents to theirs.
That example is an important element
in education is universally conceded.
But few, however, seem to bear thor
oughly i'll mind that-as the teacher so
the school; and-as the parent so the
child. There are, no doubt, many ac-
tons that are proper for older persons
and improper for the young; but vices,
whatever their form, are improper for
both. The propensity for imitation is
especially strong in childhood; and what
mamma and papa do and say is in the
child's mind good and right. How i'm
portant then that the actions and words
of parents should be worthy of imitation.
A father with q foul mouth must not ex-
pect his boys to obtain language free
from obscenity and profanity; nor a
mother with a gossipy tongue, that her
girls shall learn to think and talk Of their
own affairs chiefly.
The spelling of children generally be-
gins during infancy. Baby soon learns
that discomfort followed by crying COM
pels comfort; and as a consequence when
Baby is no longer baby with regard to
size, he is still baby in actions. He
cries and frets when he caunot have his
own way Or when things are not so pleas
ant about him as he would like to have
them. Mamma, SO as not to have any
crying and because she is such dar-
ling" let's her little fellow have his own
way generally. When he asks for any
thing she may sometimes refuse at first,
but as the little one cries she is ready
to imagine that his heart will break and
his whim is satisfied. TO the request to
do this or that he needs only to say I
can't, and he is free from duty. Thus
the child through habit becomes head
strong aud disobedient and is fast ac-
curing qualities that make the posses
sor unfit for life, though the loving moth
er may be pleased to think that her
child has such q strong aOiW and is 50
sensitive.
One Of the first things child should
learn is Observation-Disclosures to parents,
to teachers, to law, to nature, and to
God. He who does not learn to obey,
will not learn to command. Another i'm
portant thing for them to learn is the
endurance of disconforts and the depri-
Walton of pleasures. Children should be
made glad and merry, but intemperance
in the bestowal of pleasure has an effect
opposite to that designed. A child
brought up on field of roses, will, when
a man, walk On a field of thorns.
That parents should speak Of their
well-bred children with pride is pardon
able, but if they praise their children too
frequently in the presence OF others,
they are very apt to acquire the habit Of
self-admira5ion. We see these children
every day. They may be known by their
trying to do something GINNING to at
tract attention. Such child afterwards
learns little from others it has no time;
! its attention to itself consumes all.
One Of the most dangerous periods in
child's life is when it is made acquaint-
ed with falsehood. Happy the child that
first finds falsehood not in those that if
! has learned to love and respect, especi-
ally not III its parents, who sometimes
| give commands not intended to be exc
! cuted, make promises not to be fulfilled,
| and threats from which experience takes
away all terror. Vices observed by q
child IL the degraded deter it from evil,
while vices observed by the same in the
respectable entice it to imitation.
| ~, 4 |, VT ~
parental love shown them. 4 child's
faults should be reprovcd /; but it is just
as essential to its morals that it's good
acts be appreciated. There are many
children, especially boys, who, at an
early age, lose all aspiration to become
good and useful, because their good in
tentions are not rewarded, and are treat,
ed like SO many tools about the house,
or are looked upon as a sort of hinder
ance, which nature has imposed on par
ents. The words frequently uttered by
such children are 81 don't care.
Some boys and girls are spoiled at the
age they are pproaching maturity. Boys
have the aspiration to become ''smart
men y and girls to become accomplish
/ ed ladies'" Now the danger is in per-
hitting either to act as grown folks be-
fore they can form proper idea of what
they only understand in name. In this
| way boys ideal often is street loafer
who can smoke cigars by the dozen. and
| a girls ideal ball demoiselle.
II children are always properly train
! ed, they never need corporal punish