Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-01-06
THE HON E.
Errors Committed by Well-Meaning Par
ents in the Education of Children.

Inere is no SuDJect In Which man.
kind is SO deeply interested as that of
the home. It is the foundation of in
dividual and social prosperity and the
foundation of all the evils that aff1ict
mankind. This paradox is not difficult
to establish. 1t is not questioned at
all that the homes of vice and ignor-
ance send out the material that drifts
SO steadily toward our prisons, scat
folds and almshouses. But such homes
are not the only sources of such an un-
fortunate supply. Unfortunately
there is where the great difficulty lies
it is not at all realized that some of
the most respectable and even Chris
tian homes are as bad as any homes
we have, so far as the training of fu-
ture men and women is concerned;
and yet parents can not understand it.
Their boys and girls go out into the
world and go to the bad as rapidly and
easily as those that come from less IA
vored homes. What is the reason?
While admitting that there are excep-
tons to all rules, and confessing
that Satan is apparently born
in some children and never gets
out of them, it is a solemn
fact that thousands of well-meaning
parents are utterly incompetent to
bring up a child. Many times they
seem utterly to fail to comprehend
their responsibility, and other times
while realizing this, they have no apti-
,, tude for government. The child is
consequently spoiled, and what do we
mean by thatP Spelling may exist in
different degrees, but may combine
any or all of the following: Lack of
respect for mankind and the gentler
characteristics of human character;
disregard for authority, and if there is
disregard for parental authority, we
must not be surprised if in after years
there shall be disregard for govern
mental authority; a thorough belief
that protested regard for the princi-
pies of justice is hypocritical and be-
lief that might makes right.
All this may be drilled into the mind
of the child without the parents hardly
knowing it, and it will be unless the
parent is studiously careful in all that
he does or says before the child. If
the mother and father are so forgetful
of their influence as never to hesitate to
enter upon wordy warfare of crimi-
nation and recrimination in the pres
ence of their child, they must not ex-
pect that he will conceive any great
respect for mankind. When those
from whom he expects the most descend
to the level of broils, his estimate of
human character will be low, and he
will never be able to raise it in all his
life. No difference how loving they
may be to each other in the intervals
between the quarrels; no difference
how devout they may be at the family
altar or elsewhere, the harsh Earring
words and uncharitable opinions
at the times of disagreement wils
brush away the child's good opinions
as the broom removes the cob
web. Right at this very point he con-
ceives contempt for his kind which
he may not then understand, but which
will develop into well matured esti-
mate. And with that contempt comes
disrespect for human authority, both
in and out of the home. This disre-
spect is increased by loose parental
government which does not insist upon
prompt and full obedience to all proper
commands, and is equally increased by a
demand for obedience to commands in
judiciously made or commands that
never should be made It is a COM
mon weakness of mankind to have too
much government. That weakness be-
gins in the home and extends in every
direction. In many home the child
has no freedom or peace. 1t can not
move without being reproved. If it
makes a noise, it is commanded
to be still; if it goes here
it is told to 90 away, and if it
goes there it is ordered away. 1t is COM
mand after command from morning I'M
til night, and nine-tenths of the time
there is no need of any command at all.
The parent ought never to issue a COM
mand unless it is absolutely necessary,
and then he should enforce obedience;
and he certainly never should punish
the child unless there is some well-de-
fined object of punishment. Children
often do thing that they will never do
again as long as they live because it
may be of such a character that they
will probably never have another OPP
portunity to do it. Now, what is the
rule under such circumstances? In the
average home that child will get
whipping. What forP For revenge.
That is all there is to it. A great big
cowardly man is mad, and without any
system in his government, he whips a
little powerless, dependent child, be-
cause he can whip it, and because he is
unfit to be father. 1t is a very poor
way to teach the child respect for man
or mans government. Instead of sit
ting down quietly with the little often
der and showing him that through his
carelessness- are not supposing that
what he did was willfully aud often
sively done been very displeasing,
and an injury to friend who loves him
very deeply, and thus striving to induce
him always to think of and regard his
fathers feelings, that father does the
precise thing that will make the child
less careful of his fathers feelings and
interests.
And this heedlessness on the part of
parents extends in various directions.
to the GREAT injury of the disnosition Of