The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-05-01
THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN

THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN
Tho formation and direction of human
character in its growing period ia one of
the MOBILES. and most responsible Of lsbors
And this whether il be by the minister in his
pulpit, the journalist in his paper, the psrent
at his hearthstone, the teacher in his school,
or tho individual by the example Of his
admirable life. How best to accomplish
most is question which, in IFS details, may
be the sube of controversy; but of ono
principle there can DO no discussion, and
that is that brutal treatment is the
supremest failure. and he who practices i.
is the supremest fraud. 1t is with the child,
as 1t is with man or woman or an insane
person, or even dumb beast, the HUI
MANNING law Of kndnes, the principle of
inducement, Is the one that wins. A wife
maltreated, man wronged, lunatic injured
or beast abused, will as certainly seek ito
revenge in some shape. as the shadow follows
the outline Of the suni.nterceptiug form.
To say nothing Of brutal treatment, even
love and coercion cannot live together; they
are Is repellant as the poles. and cannot co
exist. II 10 In the recognition of these truths
that the worthy teacher 10 day governs by
the rule Of sympathy rather than BY coercion,
by suasion rather than by rude force, by conf
dence rather than by fear. Therefore the rod
and the ferrule, the stock and rhe handouts
and all such iniquitous methods and appli.
ances for obedience are numbered among
the things of the past in the treatment of the
growing minds. the imprisoned body or the
guarded lunatic, save only when some brute
OF teacher, overseer or superintendent, uses
his fists or his feet 10 batter the person be
had promised TO better by correct training
and decent example. Granted, that child
is obstreperous, no is either fit to be returned
to bis home as beyond ability to manage, or
to be retained and improved. Frowns and
threats and the stick and the pitching of
states and books and inkstands of an rate and
dangerously impetuous pedsgogue, at
the heads of little boys and girls, are
not of those humsnizing, not to say
refining, processes that accomplish
a work for which payment is made. Such
severity will make hypocrites, but 1t can never
make converts, though it may make cripple
or corpse on some fatal day. A child's con.
duct may be highly reprehensible, his .dispo
sition bad, but it Is his character that ia to be
changed rather than his immediate conduct
The root Of the disease has to be eradicsted,
and that parent or teacher who does not
comprehend tina. sympathy and love are the
dissolving powers is Is unfit for his post and
as far back in the career Of an advanced civil
lizstion as those peoples Of the East who be.
lieve that "women have no souls" or who
"treat them as beasts Of burden" or with
with whom "the status of the child
10 that Of the bears cub,
They remind one of the dscsyed fsudsl
social state which preceded the French revo-
luton, when young ladies of even tie great
families, Chsteaubriand tells us,were brought
up so 'yrannically that they transformed like
statues, had to stand or kneel in trembling
silence in the presence of thor very "lordly'
parents, when spouses were chosen by these
latter for tho womsn Of twenty-five and the
man Of thirty years Of age, who, with their
"sir" and "msdam,' were under
severer subordinStion than is the
girl of sixteen to-day. The
true way to control the child is by demon.
strating your friendship to him. by 10 com.
p!otely winning his confidence that you are
entirely his friend, by proving to him tina,
you are wiser than he, by pointing GU. to
him his errors. Having done this, 20 use
some writer's expression, you have won the
key 10 his heart and are lord of his affections
Your slightest nod of disapprobation of bis
conduct will have more weight and bring
moro tears to him than the most violent ex-
hibition of the most vindclive OF your pas
sions. "You little wretch" and N will b, vt
you TO DEATH" and II will kill you, you,
good for nothing little villain"
expressions TO a child, rs 10 a woman. is the
Language Of man that would strike his
wife II he had an excuse and a chance, pu,
In the black hole his teebler servant, NAL.
treat to starvation tho beast that daily serves
him, and yet at the same time bandly fawn
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