Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-09-09


faults OF children 10 their bringing up.
Here's a story about young girl who
was iInpertinent TO her mother in pub
lie, and IL states that every one who
heard her remarked. justly, that it
wasn't her fault-it was her mothers,
who had not taught her properly There
Is, too, a Spanish proverb, There are no
ungrateful children which of course
means that bad children have had no
training 70 be grateful for. Now. | do
not believe that doctrine. II is cowardly
and unjust To lay the ingratitude and
undutifulness Of all children To their
parents. The argument leaves no room
for inherited endencies-inherited per-
haps from remote ancestOrs-nor for the
differentiation which makes every indi-
vidual unlike every other individual. If
training were al, why are not all the
children of one family alike? Perhaps
You viii say that parents often indulge
one child more than another; but how Is
il that those children who are reared in
asylums and refugees. and subjected TO
precisely the same training, influence
teaching and discipline, turn out to be
Just As different from each other as chill
dren reared in different families?"
"You have brought up several chill
dren of your OWN asked her listener.
Several of my own, and two or three
which We're not mine" replied the lady,
''and know that even the most careful
and watchful training will not turn
oil a1fl-a lfl-a ohD
clothespins. Why, in the very first
family that ever existed, according to
the Bible. one child was good and the
other bad. 1t is quite probable that
they We're trained very similarly. They
had no long ancestry to furnish them
with inherited tendencies Was it
training that made Cain a murderer, or
want of training?'
"YOu do not believe, then, that evil
tendencies may be corrected by advice,
precept and teachingy'
Sometimes perhaps. But all the
training in the world will not alter a
childs nature. You may perhaps teach
child Of a sullen, willful, obstinate dis
position TO keep it somewhat under con-
AIUl. Nut YOU CtAtl AtNt4
into cheerful. amiable, lovable person.
a tendency TO fippancy and self conceit
(the groundwork of this impairment
girls ordering her mother about in pub
lic) it Is next to impossible to train out
of child. Even those qualities which
would seem much more external, like
untidiness and Incidence for l have
often heard il preached that habits of
order and neatness are simply matters
of teaching and habit are very hard to
eradicate. Did | ever tell you about
the child that | tried so hard to make
into a trim, tidy. frugal, neat and eco
n0mical woman
mo, and | should much like 10 hear
how a woman who has all those quail
ties in so good measure as yourself could
fail to impress them on any child under
her control"
"Well, did fail miserably. and that
experience showed me the injustice of
laying all faults TO training, or the lack
Of it. | began with that child before
she was old enough to do the simplest
kind Of work-began by insisting on her
picking up her toys and putting them
in place every night; by having a row
Of hooks low enough for her 10 reach in
the wardrobe. where she was Taught TO
hang her clothes at night and her night
dress in the morning; by teaching her
10 have her small undergarments-h
and SO on--laid nicely in her drawer,
ready for her wearing. Despite all my
care. doubt if she ever put toys or gar
ments in place without being specially
reminded.
AS she grew up she showed an inter
lack of tidiness and order: her clothes
were scattered all about her room, her
schoolbooks were anywhere. wherever
she CHANGED 70 drop them: she could
never find her pencil. scissors or thimble:
her handkerchief was never az hand:
when she had half dozen pretty white
aprons for school they were always all
soilad ar once. If she had several cam
| brio. Bingham or muslin frOcks she was
sure ~ have no fresh one among them
unless I watched her dressing every dav.
How hard I tried 20 teach her 10 b. neat
and careful with her clothes. 10 show
/ her that she must always have clean
garments ready for need; that she must
not wear clothes which needed mend
ing. that she ulnst not pm patch that
+ she must not toss her clothes on chairs
and then st On them and press them
/ fan If wrinkles; That she must not use
pins where buttons should b. that she
must keep her room tidy. and that she
must brush her teeth night and morn
inEr
Then Tou think her headlessness
ard unatness were hereditary
t'No. I cannot see SOW that could D..