, 1881-06-12
SPARE THE ROD.

SPARE THE ROD.
Consequences OF Whipping a Dellcotes
Nervous Chlld-A Fancy Sketch-Per-
haps.
We hear frequently from certain class Of
moralisrs a 1amentation over the decline OF
strict family government in this country,
ind a dismal foreboding of the deluge OF
wickedness, chaos, and destruction which Is
to result from sparing the rod. Both the
lamentation and prophecy are idle. The age
does what is right in its own eyes, and very
Justly: its collective wisdom is surely more
worthy of trust than are the opinions OF
single individuals, is more likely to have the
breadth, hight, and depth to meet all the
1nultiform exigencics Of the case than are
| the views and theories Of isolated persons.
| Barbarous methods may do well in baroarous
times: the great evil is in continuing them
| by force of blind obedience to Tradition long
| after their fitness has ceased. Il striking IL
lustrat,on of this is given by writer IN tie
t New York Tribune, which we commend 10
the attention OF believers OF the rod:
4 father in New England town mad
| son: Il little, large-teatled boy OF nervous in,
teusity, with eyes Of startling wonder, anu
| long, curling eyelashes, which started like
| his fawn-like eyes with Qillck apprehension
and timidity; a boy who played with all ~
wirhon1 he power to rest walked off alone,
| and even when alone spoke with himself,
chased the geese with little legs as ; iean an1 a1
! swift. and ut the table eating his meals could
notsit very still. nor bear to sit all the morn
| ing in church hearing the sermon because
! his heart was too rapid in his narrow llttle
chest, where every rip conld ne c9un.fn o.. ,ha
| morning lie was awake at earliest ilghI, at
| eye1ln, his tired nature yielded 10 the oeep
sleep Of exhaustion. His mother feared me
could never raise nm 70 }o oe ha"m;in9 nam ans
man in gravity, sobriety, anu 1orlnal ooeol~
SWhat ais my sons" the father ; ,s!,,nhy stsrnly
stability. fear for him DO you chas.Ee
him enough? Spare not the rod lest negro"
beyond you and your rule!'
.Alas!'' exclaimed the mother, "he has M
is growing and sensitive. The doctor says
we must not push lin at MS studies, ont Iee
him play all he can, till his frame Is equal 10
| his BRAIN"
" to the boy, and feared he was going 70 give
them all trouble growing up so seldom molu-
All day the little boy vas doing something. rsa ta,
under his arm, making pictures On paper OF
engines and steamboats, anu Indians anu oel-
'iie will be an artist" said his mother
T s'ile si viii spoil the library" exclaimed the
Antasonis1n grew up between the father
and the boy born, on the boys part, o. rear: Hsh::
on the fathers, Of criticism anu severity. IAo
bow ran to his mother and asked her protgc-
ton from his fathers suspecting eye, Inc
father feared his wife was spelling the SON
with mistaken gsneIosity anu s'snic;o
broke away IKE the eloHd hGovG nis rpdrons a1a
books of theology down to take his boy walk
ing, and they grew lttie nealet oi,t,,nna nnnn
tendency in the SON which started MS leass
anew; some taste for worldly, passing modes
~ Wife" ssid he, "do you ever give our
~ * little" she said; "a few pennies to
buy drawing materials and colors; lie Will
be an artist, think"
Money, exclaimed the sire, us TIE root p
| of every evil. You had better give him fire
or poison. Tie will become wild. ruined
spendthrift,"
The idea that his wife gaye the be-, ehild tilLi
money operated IL the tathe1s t;' tbiS5 meaa ,iSe
about Ills sons conduct, and he believed his
wife had deliberately set to work to indulge
her child at the expense of his soul;
One morning, thinking Of such things. the
| father lay awake in bed and a genilt:: noise
disturbed him. The sun was nearly t, np,
though it was scarcely o'clock, and the
light and air striking through the chamber
gown stealing along the floor toward tht
| foot Of his fathers bed. Lying perfectly
still, with eyes almost closed, the father saw
that small, laree-headed child, unable per
haps to sleep, yet careful not to awake MS
parents, turn an eye of timid covetousnesa
upon his fathers trousers and vest hanging
upon nail. lie glanced sharply toward
his father to see IT he was M quite asleep ana
| y ala ;r and ran his lean white fingers into
SLAP thought the father My son In
my pockets BY stealth, before L am AWAKE @ais
who often, perhaps, searches unautllorizedly
As lie said this dreadful idea crossed his
mind. The son, spoiled by MS motners m
diligence, already corrupted by spending
moIey, was a thief,-a thief while yet 4
child! He rose in bed and spoke IN soice
Of thunder:
.i;obcrt, you are stealing my money!.
nurror froze the boy; he dropped from the
| chair like a cat, aild was into his own beo Ill
the next room and covered his face with the
sheets. Anguish and stern resolve possessed seti
Ieiaye1 too long to chastise his hayward
son, now gliding into ruin. 1t must De done.
hard though the thought should be. Ho
awoke his wife, and. snppressng teT repties
prayed child. .llencefortil," he said, II
must be tile magistrate and mother instead
| Of you! Robert, come, dress yourself! +
lie thrust the frightened mother back; me
boy fell on his knees but coulu n9t SPEAK 9mo
little throat, so resolute the startled, fawn-
like eyes, rs if agony and perversity worked
together to make him obdnrate. Down TIE
the father bore lis child, and making him
, kneel upon the grass, struck hard and slow
with switch Of the apple-tree, telling hls
boy to confess; yet DUMP as isaaG e. upon nte'