The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1877-03-15
TRIMMING CHILDREN.

Children's lives should be made as
happy, day by day, as it is possible to
make them without undue indulgence.
They should never be thwarted for the
sake of conquering their will, as we
speak of "breaking" a colt. The most
iudicious and successful managers of the
equine race now contend that a horse
can be thoroughly trained and taught to
obey solely by kind treatment, and that
1t is not necessary to rouse all the vi
cious elements of horse nature m rely
for the sake of gaining mastery over
him.
For the first few years OF child's life
guide him in the way of the right by |
kind and gentle means; with added years
his own judgment will convince him that
the right way is always the best way.
When the child's will is in danger of con-
fiicting with yours, if possible lead his
mind into some other channel and restore
his happiness, and not, for fear you will
lose your authority, have an encounter
wherein you conquer solely because you
have more physical strength than he. My
word tor it, your authority over your
child will not be weakened but, every time
that YOU overcome the little rebellious
by kind measures, you are storing Tor
yourself future blessing; your boy will
not, as you fear, think he has conquered
you; the nlementary strife will be for
cotton by him, and the pleasant remem-
brance will remain. Suppose the child
cries for the possession of some fragile
ornament. Call his attention away by
taking a book of entertaining pictures
(of which every house should have a
liberal supply, and describing them in
manner that to awaken intense interest,
as every mother can do if she will. In
a few moments tears are exchanged for
merriment, and the baby will only re-
member that he has had a good time with
mamma. A day or so after this take
this same article which he coveted, and
while holding it carefully in your hands,
allsw him to examine and admire to his
hearts content After one or two ex-
periences of this kind your boy will learn
that you do not refuse his requests from
desire to deprive him of pleasure, but
that you are willing to crafty him.
Amongour flock of boysis one of whom
we used to say in his infancy he was all
combatiyeness and destructiyeness,sp speak
ing phrenoIogically. Books. toys, every
thing upon which his baby hands coule
fasten, would have to yield. AS soon as
he could hold anything secured,
, he began to pound and pull, til
we were nearly distracted. W.
were blessed with happy inspiration
He was provided with hammerand nails t.
, his hearts content BY the time he wa
a year and half old he could hit mai
on the head every time. After this h
was no more trouble. He would ham
o mer and pound by the hour together.
little later in life his genius found ven
+ in mailing together boxes OF every sol
!. and kind, chiefly Intended as cages 70
t grasshoppers. Fortunately for the occu
i pants, there was always some flaw in tn
construction, and they invariably escaE
q ed. This boy now, though full of energy
!. is gentle and tender towards everythin
v small and delicate, whether animate 9
inanimate bodies is careful Of his booi
b and toys, and possesses a very happ
If temperament. How much Of this is du
l. to judicious management ! am Of coun
unable to say, but my theory is that
e his active, energetic boy-nature had bee
,e depressed in his earlier years, ne woul
a. now be altogether more than we cou
a. manage. He knows that bis parents a
his best friends, and we never have
g. say "you must not" Il think shaA n