St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1890-03-08
THE BORN TEASE"
A Few Wise Words on an Au-Im-
portant Topic.
Why Children Who Manifest = Disposi-
tion to Tease should He Promptly and
Efeetually Broken of . Habit 50
DisaS recable and Disastrous.

81 want to be an angel." sang out .
sweet little voice.
stop. Elsie, stop! tell you stop!'
cried the irritable tones of little Elsie's
ten-year-old invalid brother Chester.
And with the angels stand, proceed
ed little Elsie; "a crown upon my"
''Stop that! Mamma, sham she stoF
:hat?" The poor boy, who was suffering
from a nerve-trying, incurable disease,
though he was able to play about mos,
OF the time, was evidently enduring real
agony from his little sisters noise.
The mother, who was entertaining a
visitor, looked around in an annoyed
way and said, sharply: Elsie, stop
teasing your brother! Chester, don't
make such fuss over a trifle!r'
Then she went on talking with her
friend, who was acutely disturbed by
hearing the little girl continue to tor
ment her brother by singing first one
thing and then another which he did not
want to hear. She selected. with a ma
licious sort Of sarcasm, the sweetest and
most innocent Sunday-school hymns
(which were. indeed, her chief resource),
thus intensifying, to the tortured lady
who was calling, the naughtiness of her
COURSE. Chester tried to catch her and
stop her by force: but Miss Elsie was
too quick and agile for him, and shouted
out her little hymns always just beyond
his reach. This so incensed him finally
that he threw a stone at her, and sent
her into the house sObbing.
My darlingw cried the mother.
Chester. you great, naughty boy, how
could you do such a brutal thing to your
little sister. Sit there, sir, and do not
stir till dinner time. Run out, Elsie,
and tell cook to put vinegar and brown
paper on the place"
II don't care." muttered Chester, sui
lenly. Il shut her up anyhow. She'll
drive me crazy with her singing. She
doesn't ever get it right. 1 don't mind
being punished now that she's got to
keep STILL
Aren't you afraid" suggested the
visitor, timidly, as she took her de-
parture, that Elsie will really injure
Chester? He is very delicate, and l
often hear her plaguing him."
Mercy. fancy you do.' returned the
mother, lightly. That child is born
tease. She torments Chester from morn
ing till night. and / can't help it. He
will have to get used to it."
Help it, cried the visitor to herself,
with flaming cheeks, as she took her
way homeward. Il would not allow
that poor. sickly boy to he made wretch
ed like that for all the gold in India.
Some way can he devised to prevent it."
But she could do nothing: and Miss Elsie
is probably teasing Chester to this day,
and every body else who crosses her
path when she is in teasing mood.
The visitor was right. Such scenes
can he prevented: and no mother who
has born tease" in her family should
lose moment about curbing. and, if
possible. stamping out wholly, this
odious. degrading desire which some
children seem to have to prick and
harry others.
MY mamma" said little hoy, when
might forget or let something 60 this
once" never skips a time"
In regulating" the tease. never s.skin
a time" Teach him or her that no such
trait as willfully making others uncom-
Portable will be tolerated in your family
for one moment Deprive the child first
of some small pleasure. If that does not
succeed. try more severe method. but
make it SO disagreeable for him that he
will be glad to stop soon. Oh. the weak
ness of mothers! What awful sorrows in
later life. as we'll as rasping minor trials.
might be prevented by a little more
f1rmness with children.
A woman testified to me. with stream
ing eyes. that her brother, a ..boru
tease, at whose jokes at her expense
the family were won't to laugh, had
made her girlhood miserable.
The one love affair l ever had, that
meant any thing to me-" she said. he
teased me about so numerically that I
let it all go. rather than endure his cut
ting ridicule. If had been older AMI
wiser might have stood up againss it.
but l was timid and gentle, and 1 simply
could not nerve myself for the ordeal"
Almost any mother Of a family will
testify that she detected in babyhood
the signs Of the ''born tease'-for there
is such q character. in a more or hess
pronounced form, in nearly every house.
hold.
One mother tells the following ANUS