, 1882-06-17
To Spank Or Not to Spank.

An Eastern exchange, edited by an old
maid, says:
"Never whip children Just before they
retire to rest Let the fathers caress.
the mothers kiss be the last link between
the days pain or pleasure and the nights
sleep Send the children to bed happy
II there Is sorrow, Punishment or dis
grace, let them meet it in the daytime
and have hours of play and thought in
which to recover happiness, which is
childhood Alright Let the weary feet.
the busy brain, rest in bed happy"
Thsts all right, Of course, TO some ex-
tent We used 20 talk that way before
We were parent We knew a good deal
more about children anyhow before We
had To grspple with them than We do
now. We used to b. grester stickler
for moral suasion and love and parental
gush than VT are now
Our theory now in relation To children is
changed from wha. 1t was formerly. We
maintain now, after several years study
of the primary biped, that Their. is a style
of child dthat cannot GO to sleep at night
unless spanked.
We have in our mind little child Of
the masculine style Of architecture. who
will lie and sob, and kick the clothes of
and be mean and restless for two hours at
a time if you forget about him. bat If you
60 and turn DOWN the coverld and fan
his person with an overshne he will quiet
down and be asleep in tiye minutes.
He is not to blame for being the victim
10 this habit. bur he is that way, and he
can't help it. lie is tied to his spank
Just as you, gel lie reader, are tied to your
maturer habi,s.
Strange freaks do often grow into con-
frm-d habits that it is almost impossible
t. shake eff Children are often the vie
tins of strange and unnatural customs,
like older people.
This child, for instance. did not at first
apparently care whether he had his spank
ing at p NJ or earlier, but later he WIS
so regular in his demand for corporeal
punishment that you could set your watch
by him. He vas also So attach; d to a
certain style of overshae that you couldn't
accomplish anything by padding him
with any other style Of chastisement
Love Is good thing, and We often wish
that more of it had been lavished on us
during our past life, hut after all, there
are children who DO NO. yearn for atfec-
tion half so much as they do for armed
AZ sgression. OF course your conscience
smirss You at Intervals when You 60 past
the little bed after the conflict is over and
peace and slumber are the yictors- Some
thing may come up IN your throat when
you see the little rebel lying with his feet
On the pillow and his head at the foot of
the cot, and little tear on his eyeiashes.
You feel, perhaps, as though It looked
ike taking all undue advantage for 300
pound man to catch three year cd hoy
"i4S5E. 80 a. -''-I--~r----- -----i
with an overshoe, and Yet sometimes il
has to be done.
We know that in our own case cnrpor-
cal punishment was resortel TO while all
the other boys escaped by moral snasion.
The result is Just what might have been
expected. We are the only one of all the
boys whose promissory notes have gained
a widespread circulation to-day. While
the other boys weIe contented to piod
along and run up little petty accounts at
the store, We struck out boldly toward
fame and insolvency.
You can encourage a child with 4 press
board sometimes, and thus give him an
impetus which will All him all through
his hte.