St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1885-05-09
FAMILY DISCIPLINE.
Theory va. Practice In the Matter a
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, l 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 lust as
the twig is bent the trees inclined.r
do not remember whether this is origi-
nal or not. l 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 a parent, all his daz-
Zling smartness goes away and he stands
there in the presence of that extremely
fiorid 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 q
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-
ative of spanking. Finally the time
own house, and has spanked his own
flesh and blood. How proud he feels,
How he wishes that he could 90 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 a 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 a gallon of kerosene into the
sugar barrel and salted the hens. and
the poor man says: THANK Godr' and
his wife says: George. have YOU lost
that cunning little mind that YOU used
10 amuse yourself with?"
Her sarcasm falls harmlessly on his |
happy heart. He then resolves that |
discipline may 90 to grass; he will not |
have the sightless eyes of his dead baby |
hNenting him during business hours; he |
prefers live Apache savage to pale,
silent and well-behaved ghost looking
over his shoulder while he is trying to |
.hink of hard word.
And as, for one cause and another.
he proud and defiant young mugwump
If 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,
,ut it is not the kind he had advertised
o make feature in his home life.
An old friend said to me not long
lgo: 81 thought when you became a
parent you intended to have discipline
n your family. Instead of that you
AVE to play horse or make a jackass of
'ourself every time your children want
ou to. Seems to me if had announced
or years that was going to have dis
ipline in my family I'd have it now or
ust."
James," said to him, in q musical
one, II don't believe you recognize
iseipline when you see it. The fact is,
re have more discipline in our family
han we know what to do with. l am
citing grown persons dose twenty
even times per day and thirteen times
night, and / feel that it is making me
betterman. We have large amount
discipline at our house. There it is,
here any of the family can use it. The
hildren do not seem to crave it, so I
m using it myself. l don't like to see
nything wasted. Blu Nye, in Ingtc-
de.