The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-12-17
THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN.
Are Grown People Bound to Respect Them !?

little shoe into the floor and looked down.
What have you put on the board,
Tommy?" asked the teacher, again, evil
IDENTIFY little in doubt as to what the
child really meant. Tommy stood his
ground and read off dOggedly:
| Teacher is a thief"
What do You mean by that?" was
| asked sternly, and 'Fommy's courage rose
under the sense of his wrong.
| on stole my apple," he said, raising
his ewes to hers. The teacher. only
young girl, herself flushed scarlet. Tommy
had been slyiy lingering, in his desk, big
red apple that was to make part of his
| luncheon at recess. 1t had slipped from
his fingers and rolled on the floor, to be
picked up by the teacher, who impulsively
threw II into the stove.
NOW Tommy knew that the apple was
his. and not his teachers, and that she had
taken it from him by force. If he were to
DO the same thing by playmate he knew
1t would be stealing. and his small brain
found difficulty IN dealing with the prob
lem IN fine differences that presented
itself. In point of fact, myself fail TO
see how he could have come to any con-
| cIusf0D other than the one he arrived at.
He certainly had been unlawfully de-
| prived of bis property.
The worst case of this sort that | have
ever heard of is vouched for by friend.
| by some means or other, he, aged TO- had
become possessed of 81 so. Fourth of
| July was about six weeks off, and fearful
lest he should be led into tenn ptation to ex-
| travagance before the great day arrived,
he gave it to his mother to keep. On the
morning of the Sd of July, his mind full of
| plans for the next days celebration, he
| went to his mother and asked for his
money.
What money!" was the surprised
query.
Why. my 81 so gave you to keep"
What that money! Why. you ate that
up long agow
Moved at last by his indignant, heart
broken protests, the mother said
well, I'll ask your father for 81 for you,
but it is ridiculous for you to suppose you
have any money of your own when every
thing is being done for you"
L put this as hypothetical case some
time ago to boy year or two older than
the little victim. His comment was forci-
BILE. If inelegant.
'Jewhitaker!" he cried, "stood up an
robbed by his own motherr' and then he
told me how as a little fellow he had been
eating some pears from bag on the street,
when lady met him, an acquaintance of
his mothers, who took the pears, bag and
all. away from him, because she SAID she
was afraid he would make himself sick.
and gave them to three or four street boys
VINO were loungiDg on corner.
was on front seat of Powell-street
CdAs tuc utuoI udy, WIEN my dLt6UllO0 was
attracted to lacy and little boy in the
| opposite front seat. He was a pretty little
chap, snugly done up la forester in
green velvet and long tan leggins. As we
climbed hin and caught glimpse of the
bay ne arose to his feet and gazed de-
mother. He did so. and, the car turning.
he craned his neck around to see over the
partition of the seat beside him az the
| water. His mother jerked him down.
"Sit back. tell you," she said. Again he
subsidized. but presently peered out. across
his mothers lap, at the wide outlook Of
the city streets below. This time he was
shaken violently and again commanded to
sit back.
This was too much for his small brain
to accept unQuestioningiy.
"Why can't l look out?" he demanded
The answer was prompt and decisive:
| because | say you shan'ti Now sit still !"
Because say so" is a convenient for
muie that perhaps as much as any other
| Daternal trick shuts children out from a
large field OF intellectual rights.
| Mamma, why mayD't l 90 out and
jump rope with the girls?" l heard little
| girl ask once.
because if you do will punish you,"
| was the reply.
Now, in point of fact, this was not at all
| the reason why the child might not Jump
rope. but. because on account of weakness
|
clan had forbidden that form of exercise.
l asked the mother if she did not think it
would be we'll to let the child understand
the matter more clearly, but she said no,
she did not believe in reasoning with chill
dren, it made them impertinent and un-
reasonable.
my children know" she said, a'that
when say thing it is right because / say
! IL. They must obey me without Question:
ing." Such discipline as this is calculated
actually to weaken child's brain-power
by setting up an entirely wrong system of
| logic by which he shall conform
bis conduct to the order of things
Artificial consequences are substituted for
natural ones. The child comes to act we'll
or i'll. not because good or evil conse-
Quences in their nature will result from
l his acts. but because good or harm will
| result TO himself according as his parents
or teachers reward or punish his acts
| There can be no doubt but that children
have rights and that these are coming to
be taken into consideration. by teachers,
at least, In their dealings with the little
ones; but while We have parent associa-
tons aud books and magazines galore
devoted to the bringing up of children, by
lar he greater number of parents are still
under the impression that they themsel Ives
have certain proprietary right in their
| children that comes before the children's
| own rights.
| uO Oniiu 10 ininc, pIcSutuo you VIII
ackn0 Wedge. and have right to do with
him as think BEST" is the way one father
not long ago expressed this idea, and in o.
ing so he voiced very nearly the sentiment
| of the average parent
| Ii children were not boundlessly forgiv-
ing. measurelessly loving. it is fearful to
think of the boarded hatred and i'll feeling
that would fill their little hearts al the
| myriad ways In which we who are strong
Cypress their weak lives and walk rough
shod over their rights and their tender
| sensibilities. PENELOPE PoWELsoN.
The only instrument used purely for