San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-09-01
PERSONAL RIGHTS.

If, as stated one week ago, the
personal rights of the babe in its
cradle are to be respected, and this
because of the endowment of mind
and moral nature and physical
characteristic entailed upon it in
its birth, then must these rights
be carefully considered and justly
dealt with as the child grows. 1t
is not to be supposed for an instant
that the peculiarities that are the
growth of generations, showing
their marks and strength in the
child, are going to yield easily to
educational process. The natural
order will be that these will grow
with the child's growth and
strengthen with its strength, and
any attempt to root them up bodi-
ly will give such a wrench to the
whole nature of the child that it
will be a dangerous process. Wis
dom points out better way.
The physical wants Of children
are too little regarded. These lit
tie creations have their likes and
their dislikes as to what they shall
eat and drink and wear, as their
larger creators have, and it is one
of the inalienable rights of child
hood that these tastes should be
considered. 1t Is not meant that
these should be given unrestrained
indulgence, but that they should
be wisely considered and gratified
as far as the health of the child
and its future development Justify ;
the ability of the parent to do this
being also cepsjd Tered. While pro-
the practical en-
yvtyemeh0 Sldren, the protest
is equally stronk against bringing
parents into boItdage to the unrea-
soning and unreasonable requests
or demands of their offspring.
The child is an unreasoning emit
ty, in many things at first, and I'M
til its rational faculties are some
what cultivated, educated and de-
veloped through exercise, the pa
rent is depended upon to do its
thinking and reasoning for it. Here
is where the trouble lies. Too fire,
quently the parent does not or can
not put herself into the shoes OF
the little one and look, or try K
look, at things with its little eyes
Failing in this it is impossible t.
do the child justice or to prOperl!
respect and grant its rights. While
it is true that the child is an un
reasoning creature at first, to A;
great extent, it is not wholly so
and it will be wise mother wht
will say just when the little one il
its crib is governed by reason anC
when by pure caprice.
Nature is wise guardian, anC
it is not unwise to trust largely t.
the instincts of the child. But
that instinct is largely the result
of those endowments in mind ant
body given in it's birth, and thes
may be the very things that are t
be educated out of the substance c
person and character. Inherite
tastes that are destructive may b
there, for as is well known the sin
of the parents are visited upon tn
children to very late generations
Making due allowance for thes'
in the little ones likes and dislike'
its appetites and tempers, it wi
soon be seen that nature is nal
ing its voice heard in the move
mentS OF that little MIND, ana ina
some lessons of wisdom, som
directions independent of wha
come through the voice and han
of nurse and parent, are bein
given to it. The wise mother wi
carefully note these and acceE
them as lights by which to dire'
the movements, physicAl and mel
tai, of the growing intellfy ence: 4
How frequently the 60
child eats is arbitrarily
it in the ignorance Of
without the least