National Republican., 1877-12-18
Breaking tho VIII.

Thank Heaven, this phrase is growing year
by year less familiar, but not until tho tyranny
which 1t represents also bccophes obsolete may
we hopo for nobler and stronger race of men
and women. There are still conscientious pa
rents who, in their sublime stupidity, insist
upon applying Solomons old saw literally, in
stead Of adapting 1t TO modern civilization by
the more sensible transpositiOn, Spoil the rod
aud spare tho child" II Is astonishing how
often Scriptural texts arc misquoted, not only
in this hisconncction, but in all others how every
imaginable "ism" and "ology' is based upon
the Bible, and passages are misconstrued and
| twisted to prove them, with a glibness that OK
| hausts all patience.
The Good Book says, children, obey your
parents'-but II also adds "in the Lord" and
because II Is right, not because they are bigger
and stronger than you. We have no sort Of
assurance that spare the rod" means simply
| spare blows, for everywhere els in the samo
| volume the words are used to indicate punish
mcnt Of any sort. Nowhere in all the sacred
| pages are we commanded TO train up child"
to have no will of his own-far from it-but
''in the way he should Co." to the end that
when he Is old he will not depart from it,"
because by that time his will shall have be-
| come
so WISELY EDUCATED
that he will choose of himself to walk in tho
right way You say, There Is no way to
make child mind but to break his will in
the beginning pretty state of things it
would be indeed II children were allowed to
think they know rs much as their parents"
But what do you mean when you speak Of
breaking your child will ~ Is he TO yield to
your will simply rs the weaker yields to the
stronger, rs matter yields to force, or because
you are his natural guide over road which
you have Travelled and he has not, and there
fore you know best what 10 needful for himf
Of course you insist that 1t Is the latter, but IL
IL Is not TO your will as WiH that he Is to yield,
Il hut IN that lxy IL
not breaking his will, 1t Ia educating 1t for
him 1t is teaching him
now TO WILL.
Suppose a child's will be actually broken
and he be so trained as to have no will but to
obey. What will become of this helpless
machine in after days? Can you stand by him
every minute and hour Of: future years and say
to tho automata go here, go therer Can you
be sure Of living as long as he, or will you
wind up your machine like q sevcnty-year
clock and so leave 1t to the tender mercies Of
life,
Thank Heaven, It Is not in tho power Of
mortal man or woman to utterly break hu-
man will They may kill the child's body in
the attempt, like that wretch OF clergyman
still unhung in New York. who whipped his
baby son to death, breaking the little fngerf
and bruising the tender flesh, till strong mon
wcpt at the piteous spectacle in the tiny coffin
and demanded swift retribution on the rever
!, end murderer.
Bodies are frail things, and there are more
child.martyrs than will be known till the
bodies terrestrial arc done with. Sooner or
later, by one escape or another, the will-ths
soul-goes free, and every man and woman
comes to prove in his own estate that freedom
of will is the only liberty for which no chains
are possible. II the emancipation comes late
1t is hard-bought by days of battle.
1t should come instead with the in
fants first dawnins of comprehension.
like the kingdom Of God, without OBJ
, seryation," gracious as sunshine and sweet
as the den. He should be taught from his
cradle that there are two courses Of action
one wise and the other foolish; one right and
the other wrong. childs moral perception
may be madel so clear and his will so upright
that before one decade of his little life is over
he will see and choose the right way through
, all common days, and this without a'blow.
viii he always act up to his highest moral per-
1 ceptonsf No; do youH Does anybody? But
one right decision that he makes voluntarily,
unbiased by assertion Of authority or threat oi
punishment, Is worth more to him in develop
ment Of moral character than thousand In
which he is compelled to choose the right by
, outside pressure. You may whip YOU
cbild's feet into the straight and mar
row way, while his cowed but rebellioui
soul is describing strange flights and CROOKED
j, paths" in ways you know not of. By blow
i upon the frail body SO completely in YOU
power you may gain a slaves abject submis
. sion but beware that you do not by the SAINT
means teach the helpless victim to lie and de
= cieve through fear Of you, and bs sure that l
he does not grow up to absolutely hate you, il
is only because God has implanted in ever
childish breast such well-spring Of affection
and angelic forgiveness, that II washes 0u
even the memory of carly wrongs.
Tn the Gtawa RI stnro pnrpnr NJ nroa 4 vv,x, -.