Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-11-04
TRAINING CHILDREN.
A SOUTHERN LAoY'S METHOD or
BRINGING UP THE YOUNG.

tertour TO All Her recommendations
ley Was n Good Boy simply because
No Wasn't Preached To.
Mankind Is rendered more or less misera-
bic by the enfant terrible. Bad children
swarm all over the land. and il is an open
secret that persons In search OF peace and
harmony refuse TO buy homes on blocks in
habited by little people, and make their alb
sence positive consideration in fiat and
hotel life. Something Is radically wrong,
and after meeting Charley Brown and his
clover mamma at the seashore. one house
hold at least became convinced the trouble
all lies In faulty maternal management
Charley was Just turning years old,
with the brightest baby face and manifest
figure In white fiannels one could lind In
riding from the southern end OF Mississippi
all the way up 20 its far northeast corner. He
had never brother OF sister to share dominion
In the hearts " group OF adoring relatives,
and by the canons OF infantile spoilation,
ought 10 have been an insufferable nuisance
before cutting his pretty white teeth. But
when fortune placed the young man ut such
q sad moral disadvantage she made things
tolerably even by giving him by all odds the
wisest OF mothers.
WATCHING THE BOY.
Mrs. Brown never posed rs the ideal
mamma Indeed, of all the people she would
have been most surprised had any one told
her OF her differences from the ordinary run
Of mankind. Rather shy than otherwise,
with no professed mission in life, she was ut
terly unconscious OF illustrating the lost art
OF combining sugary goodness with unRlloyed
happiness In the career OF one small, healthy
boy.
At first, when strangers met him, they
simply believed Charley had been better
coached than the majority in maintaining
his company manners. Never for moment
did they credit his uniform gayety, sweet
ness and good breeding as every day facts.
Such thing was too far out OF the common
70 be true. As rule, . weeks intimate in.
tercourse was necessary TO convince doubters
that the child had, as regards his behavior,
no recognition of time or personages He
was an agreeable surprise In the morning, a
pleasant reality Mt noon, and when evening
came turned in like a blue eyed seraph to
sleep fast as dormouse all night long Be
tween daylight and dark be was good, better
and best.
The mystery OF this angelic union OF phys
ical, mental and moral perfection remained
unsolved, until one of the guests more enter.
priSing than the rest, determined TO watch
the handsome little enigma one whole day,
and see where he differed from the balance Of
his kind Her attention was rewarded, for
pretty soon Charley's plump legs were dang.
ling over the arm Of a chair, while he sucked
peppermint drops and whistled at intervals
as the candy allowed-nor did be hold TO one
attitude, but wriggled about ia orthodox
child fashion, squirting all over the scat a.
his active young body prompted, with never
a correction 10 trouble his peaceful mind.
Exhausting this amusement, be announced
his desire 10 fish, and ran of 10 get the short
pole and small hook provided for his special
use
A chorus Of voices on the gallery rose In
wonder that Mrs. Brown could permit him
20 have a genuine steel hook, and a dozen
prophesied Of horrors TO follow an accident.
She bad explained all its dangers, she said,
very quietly, and be must take the risks.
Yes, he could 60 barefooted, yes climb the
gate II he preferred, certainly 90 In the
shallow water, where IL was safe; none Of
these Irritating useless injuuctions, whereby
mothers think they ars fulfilling duty, and
Ia reality rendering their children wretched
When the pretty baby was fast asleep some
ons observed how rarely fortunate Mrs.
Brown was In having 50 seldom 70 correct
tho young master. NO" the judicious lit
tie mother replied, lit Is not that, but, you
80, have raised my boy not TO need it,"
Begged. for the sake Of a couple OF anxious
hearted young matrons sitting near, 20 eK-
press her views on the perplexing question,
she continued:
"A long time ago, when a girl growing
up, noticed how CONSTANTLY parents fretted
their children by that utterly hateful Of al
ana ap1a Ne III Il
enough 10 call my Charley paragon OF
goodness, and he u a dear little monkey,
but. believe me, the principal cause Of his
smiability and obedience is that he Is never
corrected by word or look save under ex.
IRENE circumstances. For my part doubt
babies being born In sin and the children OF
wrath. We are the ones, then, who make
them So Look at baby; It's tiny fingers
just as naturally reach out for IA flutteriug
ribbon or convanisnt lock Of hair as the
dew falls from heaven, and yet right there
the little hand Is slapped and it first hears
that odlous Don't Now a child In proper
environments does not do three things day
for which 1t should be reprluanded II YOU
don't give useless orders, II will never dis
obeI
I'm fact, one-haf Of its misdemeanors are
by the maternal commands, like
the proverbial children who put beans I'D
their noses simply because their too prudent |
mother had issued hitherto undreamed Of
orders to the contrary.
II remember one day when Charley was a |
crap Of a child, this truth being borne In |
ipon my mind by comparing the difference |
10 wisdom, human and divine. There were
over 10000 Of the chosen people In that viii |
ierness recently out Of the bondage OF slavery,
and yet when Moses went up in the mountain 1
70 receive Jehovah's laws, he was given inst
ten commandments, the Lord laying down |
less than a dozen rules whereby the Israelites
were charged for ali time 10 live and die.
Only the very gravest crimes were explicitly
forbidden Il appeared divine Judgment
recognized tho folly Of over burdening fran
humanity aud curbing naturally healthy in
stincts, seeing with the powers Of Omnipotence
that those who adhered In letter and spirit
TO tbs great laws would come out all right in
lesser matters II occurred TO me then that
with my baby would strive after the Lords
brevity rather than tho proiI rulings Of
Moses, who half tue time seemel 10 issue his
orders simply that the people might enjoy
the fun of breaking them and being punished
In consequences. Ny methods, as you all are
pleased 70 dignity them, are simplicity itself.
IL begins and ends with banishing don't ~
Nav~