Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-06-06
TRUTHFULNESS IN CHILDREN.

would wish to call attention to the
fact that many children are forced into
habits of untruthfulness by a want OF
righteousness on the part of their par
ents. Nothing is more common, when
a child has committed a fault, and IS
under punishment, than to require OF
it to say that ii is "sorry," or that 1t
will edo so no more Now, as we
are very well aware, a child, while it is
being punished is very often not onlynot
sorry, but frequently in a state OF bitter
rebellion against the one by whom the
punishment is inflicted, and when,
forced by pain to yield, it sacrifices
truth to escape further suffering, IT'S
pressions OF penitence are hypocrlflcal,
and therefore most dcmorallzlng.
Parents who wish to preserve a NICE
sense of honor in their children should
also be careful how they lightly de.
mand pledges for the future; and yet
how constantly you hear the words,
"Now, promise mother you will not
do so again" and when he fault re-
ours, a few hours later it may be, the
child is punished for the ofenSe, and
little stress is laid upon the broken
word.
The little rebel who will not say
he is sorry when he is not, and will not
promise not to do what he fully intends
to do when opportunity offers, and is
therefore punished for his obstinacy,
is often a martyr to that innate sense
of truthfulness which is usually very
keen in children; and happy is that
parent who early learns to discriminate
between principle and contumacious-
ness.
remember, just here, an incident OF
my childhood, which made a very deep
impression upon me. In the school
that l attended, the teacher had been
much annoyed by the carelessness 1
some of the girls in scattering nut
shells around the play-roOm during re-
cess, and more than one reprirnand
had been delivered on the subject.
Finally, one day he told us decidedly,
that usless wewould pledge ourselves to
better behavior we should not 60 down
to recess at all, and asked all the girls
who were willing to promise obedi-
ence, to rise. Every girl sprang to her
feet at once, except one, a child of
about nine years of age, one of the
gentlest and most obcdient children i'll
the school.
Every BYE turned instantly toward
her, and the teacher looked at her in
much surprise. "Nina," he said, twill
you not give your promise p
"No sir" came falteringly from her
trembling lips. A look, almost of
dismay, came into his face. Open de-
fiance was a thing unknown in that
well governed school. Thele was a
moments pause, and then he said very
gravely:
Every well. the rest of the scholars
can 90 down to recess; Nina may keep
her seat"
When the room was cleared, he call
ed the child to him. "What does this
mean? ?" he asked very kindly. "Why
are you not willing to obey 2"
"Oh, oh, OH" cried the sobbing
child, 81 am willing, but | canuot
promise, for some day | might forget,
and then my word would be broken"
Our teacher was a man of rare judic-
~iousness, and he fully appreciated the
heroism of the effort the child had
made, and with a few comforting
words soon sent her, smiling and hap
py, down to join her playmates.
have often since thought of that
brave little girl, who endured SO stead
tasty for conscience sake, and that
remembrance has taught me to be very
careful to seek to understand the mo-
tiyes of children before cOndemning
them.
Reticence is a peculiarly of child
hood, and so also is a keen sense of
justice; and, often, a child's best feel
ings are trampled upon, and that
of justice outraged, by those to whom
it is dearest, because it will not, or can
not, explain the reasons that have
prompted it to action.
The most important thing, then, for
a parent to guard, is the conscience of
a child. Remember that honor is a
gem that is %valueless, if a flaw be found
in If