River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-07-07
TALKS TO MOTHERS,
BY ONE OF THEM.
u.-sowIso TIE WIND.


Copyright by Cambridge Literary Bureau and
Press, iSJ2.
baby want to go out?" says the I'M
thinking mother as she puts on the out
of-door wraps of her child. Baby want
a nice drink of mike" as she holds the
cup to his lips. Baby want this or that.
she continually asks as she ministers to
his needs.
II is done, of course. without thought,
but it indicates a blindness to conse-
quences that is truly marvellous. What
she is really doing is cultivating his
will, sowing the wind to reap whirl-
wind indeed. A baby naturally accepts
what is gwen To him, and goes where
he is carried without thought of pro-
test. But after little training of this
sort, this constant suggestion that he
may have an opinion produces one in
iis mind. Sooner than one would
imagine he begins TO think whether he
wants to go or come, and from that to
express wishes before he can speak by
shrieks and slaps and various other
ways familiar to the nursery. DO not
say he is too young. We see such chill
dren every day, screaming when put
into or taken out of their carriage, and
annoying a whole neiShborhood by out
cries because they want to be carried
instead of riding, or 10 go this way in
stead OF that We have all seen these
little monsters of tender years, utterly
beyond control and n terror to all who
know them. We call them-with rea.
sons spoiled children"
Beside the irreparable harm to a
child S temper, and, in consequence, TO
his whole character, caused by this
premature will development, there is
his physical health to be considered.
We all know that a mothers fit of
anger will make her baby ILL how
much worse must be the effect GA his
delicate organization of fit of anger
in the baby himself. Moreover, tenn
pers as well as other bad things grow
by indulgence, and what is merely
pitiful in the child becomes dangerous
in the mantle fruitful cause of disas-
ter and crime.
The mother who has let her child get
beyond her control almost inevita bly,
resorts to management to render
life tolerable in the house with him.
Managing is done by promises or by
threats. ''lf you'll be good and not
cry mamma1l bring you something
nice" is perhaps the most common
promise. The child believes, fer natural
faith in a mothers truthfulness is hard
to eradicate; he is good, perhaps, and
she leaves him.
Now, the mother is exceedingly apt
to forget her promise, given without
much thought, just as she might give a
sugar plum to keep him quiet mo-
ment, and here creeps in another dan
ger. lie claims his reward the moment
he sees her. She ought, of course, at
whatever sacrifice, secure something to
keep her word; at the very least she
should explain seriously that she for
got, but is sorry. lie will be disap-
pointed. but he will credit her with for
getfulness only.
But what does the mother do in most
cases? She looks upon 1t carelessly as
a matter of no Importance, and says:
20, well. never mind! I'll bring you
two next time To a child, next
time" is the same as never. and there
follows the dreadful sight of a child in
fearful temper, carried off screaming,
possibly whipped, protesting out
ragged little soul-''Iou promised! you
promised! you said you wouldn'
Threats are-if possible-worse,
when, as is usual. they are not scru-
pulously carried out. Even if they are
mild, as threat to deprive him of
something if he does so and so, they
are bad enough, but what shall be said
of the mother who deliberately threat
ems what she knows she will not do?
"If you don't stop that instantly I'll
take your head Off" ! once heard from
the lips of refined, lSly-lille looking
woman on her own door steps as /
passed her hoasc. Did the boy of six
stop playing in the gutter and run for
for his life? by no means,-he went
calmly on; he knew his mother was tell
ing an untruth.
When this mother punished him for
a falsehood, as she doubtless did when
his prevarication was announcement to
her, what did she indelibly impress
upon the indignant soul in the poor lit
tie tortured body? No less than this
fearful lesson: that beside being IN
truthful, his mother was unjust, that
She punished him for what she herself
dii, therefore that it was not wrong for
a grown person TO lie.
If any mother thinks n child of that
age incapable of drawing an inference,
She underestimate his intelligence.
Last of this IN lancholy crop is fear.
This is the weapon of the servant to
manage the child. and she is not SO
much in fault Us the mother who has
let him get the upper hand by clltivat-
ing his will The terrible and lifelong
results of chil'i's fear of the ''bogy out
side the window, the ''beggar man who
would carry him off, the bears under
the bed that would devour him ii ne did
not lie still" can never he known.
Many persons have passed all their
days in a state of nervous dread of they
knew not what, Others live the lives OF
towards. because of terrors instilled in
to their minds in infancy. ! have heard
a grown man tell. with shu11ers of
horror, of the suffering of his child
hood, when left in his he'd to go to
sleep, or when waking at night in
the dark. and he had conscientious
and most devoted mother, too.
Grown-up people do not re alize the
powers of an undisciplined Imagination.
That a child wants a light at night, or
is afraid of the dark, appears to them
a foolish within. not % be gratifed. 1t
IS, on the contrary, an indication that
he has been frightened; he should al
ways have the light and a mother
should spare no pains To soothe and re-
assure him, anil, rs much as possible,
to undo the evil that has been done.
We have TINS seen that the shocking
crop harvested by this thoughtless
- Dwing of the wind is first, violent
temper; secondly, an imperfect body;
thirdly, training in falsehood, and last
ly, cowardice.
OLIVE THoRNF MILLER.
Honesty of Africans.
No one who has come into contact
with the Africans reports them to be as
savage as they were represented To be