The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-04-04
FAMILY DISCIPLINE.

Theory vs.. Practice In the Matter OF
Maintaining Parental Authority.
/ have just brought to the surface a
brief essay, written by myself at the age
of nineteen, and which shows that was
a good deal smarter. then than am
now. Now, am little bothered about
what to do with children, but at that
time valuable information oozed out of
my elastic yet massive skull at all times.
The essay goes on to say that ..just as
the twig is bent the trees inclined.' /
do not remember whether this is origi-
nal or not. / am inclined to think it is
not. Several other startling theories
are enunciated in this paper, among
others that the child is father to the
man. This may be true generally, and
yet there are exceptions. The child
may be father to the woman, or, in rare
cases perhaps, the child may be. mother
to the man or even mother to the
woman.
When the right kind of man wakes
up to find himself parent. all his daz-
cling smartness goes away and he stands
there in the presence of that extremely
dorid chunk of squirm, abashed and
anxious, solicitous and ratified. He
finds that he knows less about this
genesis business than he supposed. He
can not conceal the fact that he is green
All the Family Physicians and Every
Man His Own Doctor books that he
has been reading lately have not taught
him how to pick up his own child with
out making the most common plug of a
parent laugh himself to death.
Later on the work of discipline comes
in. He looks forward anxiously 10 the
day when the child will be large enough
so that he can exercise the great prerog-
alive of spanking. Finally the time
comes. He has asserted himself in his
own house, and has spanked his own
flesh and blood. How proud he feels!
How he wishes that he could go and
drown himself somewhere. All day
long he knows that his wife will meet
him at the door with the dead child in
her arms. He sees the little fat hands,
resting SO still and so white on the
baby's breast, that they seem to clutch
his own heart-strings and res. cold and
heavy on his heart.
If the baby is dead when he gets home
he will be murderer. People will
point him out as he goes along the
street and say; There is the man who
spanked his little child into an early
grave
He goes home early from his bootless
days work, trembling to know the
worst. His wife tells him that the baby
has poured gallon of kerosene into the
sugar barrel and sailed the hens, and
the poor man says: Thank God!" and
his wife says: George, have you lost
that cunning little mind that you used
to amuse yourself withp'
Her sarcasm falls harmlessly on his
happy heart. He then resolves that
discipline may go to grass; he will not
have the sightless eyes of his dead baby
him during business hours; he
prefers live Apache savage to a pale.
silent and well-behaved ghost looking
over his shoulder while he is trying to
think of hard word.
And as, for one cause and another,
the proud and defiant young mugwump
Of nineteen at last becomes the quiet,
gentle, loyal serf with the pink and
chubby foot of baby across his neck.
There is still discipline in the family,
but it is not the kind he had advertised
to make feature in his home life.
An old friend said to me not long
ago: II thought when you became q
parent you intended to have discipline
in your family. Instead of that you
have to play horse or make a jsckass of
yourself every time your children want
you to. Seems to me if had announced
for years that was going to have dis
cipline in my family. I'd have it now or
bust"
"James." said to him, in musical
tone, II don't believe you recognize
discipline when you see it. The fact is,
we have more discipline in our family
Bhan we know what to do with. I am
getting grown persons. dose twenty
seven times per day and thirteen times
\ night, and feel that it is making me
! better man. We have large amount
If discipline at our house. There it is,
where any of the family can use it. The
children do not seem to crave it, so |
Am using it myself. don't like to see
anything wasted. Bill Nye, in Ingle-
,ije.