The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-10-17
ideas for q1Lo1nen.

currences are not common, If one could
but learn the facts of the case in the
many Instances where little children meet
with accidents. And still the old practice
of frightening children seems 10 be gen.
orally practiced by thoughtless mothers
everywhere
.sDon't go there, Freddie!" said a friend
whom I was visiting the other day. to her
sittle four-year-old boy. eFreddie, mind
me, or TN send for a big black man 70
come and carry you Oft in his bag"
I looked up 70 see what effect this
threat would have upon the child, ana Il
had-none whatever. He simply opened
the door of the forbidden cupboard yet
further, and proeeeded to investigate It's
contents without paying the slightest az
tention to his mothers words.
.He is the cutess little rogue; you can
not brighten or cheat him a Bit" con-
tinued my friend. not at all disconnected
by her sons lack OF obedience.
And this was the secret Of her sons
disobedience, II such II could really be
called. He had never been governed by
anything except the threats of "a black
man with a bag" "a biz bear coming to
eat you," "a big rat" and the numerous
other threats which too many mothers
use as the most easy wey to insure their
children's obedience.
.srhey must be remarkably weak moth
ers!. did you say. wei,I agree with you.
"A mother who Will deliberately tell a lie
land can we cali such threats anything
else than lies) must be very weak indeed.
The words may be thoughtlessly uttered,
but the mischief is soon done The chill
dren win soon cease 70 believe an-or be
frightened by-such foolish threats.
AT frst the man in the cellar" the
bear in the attic. and the rat coming
out of the hole may be firmly believed
in. And who shall say how much injury
may be done to}& nervous. trusting child
by such threats2W can tell or count
the nights Of horror that are passed by
so many little ones, who, with their
heads covered UP by the bedclothes. lie
awake, expecting every moment that
some terrible form will spring upon them
and carry them off In the dark?
But the majority of children soon awake
to the fact that the bugaboos exist only
In Imagination. Mamma is only trying to
ITsgQJCu TleIu. VA htAVUo li46 ttS
not any such thing; and sthen-well, can
we expect children to respect a mother
whom thew cannot trust? When a
mother loses her chiidss innocent loving
trust in her she loses her greatest hold
over the child. It cannot believe her;
she has tried to frighten It TO often. And
then. sometime when 1t ms be in real
danger a she may utter a timely warm
ing, the child may consider it as one of
yarns and run still further into
danger, until it is too late to retreat
Ii was the result of just such threats
as these that the accident occurred which
brought to our notice the pitifui little
story. Birdie" as they always called
her. WA my friends only child-a bright.
beautiful, golden haired girl, the idol OF
her parents. Near her home was an uu-
used railroad, beyond which lay a deep
swamp. Birdie had always been fright
ened away from the railroad by the
threats that the cars would come to run
over her, although the mother knew that
cars never passed over this unused pcr-
tan of the road In course Of time the
little girl became fearless. She watched
others crossing n recrosstug the track,
and discovered that the ears never came
After q time her parents took her tc
visit in a distant town. One day she
started out IN company with her mother
on a shopping expeditions an before they
had proceeded far they came in sight Of
a railroad which they would have te
cross.
The little girl had been skipping or
rhard 49, -
the railroad and heard the whistle of tbs
locomotive she called to Birdie to sror
and wait for her.
But Birdie, laughing gleefuily. dances
Ahsad in spite OF her mothers frantic or,
TO her to stop The mother, running a
full speed, tried to catch her, at the sam
time calling out the old-time warning
The cars. Birdie; the cars will run owe
YOU" But the child had heard the warn
ing too ofteu-to heed IT. Ever since shI
could remember she has been threatene,
with the cars that would run owe
Birdie but the cars had never come OF
that old unused railroad, and how wa
h to understand that this was differ
ent? With a mischievous laugh sh
sprang upon the rails, The agonize,
mother had a feeting vision of a littl
blue-robed figure dancing on the rails
shaking her golden curls fearlessly at he
mothers warning. The words. Tar
won't run over Birdie, were waited t
her ears, and then a roar and a crash an
the train had stopped, but too late t
save the little innocent life crushed GU
beneath the cruel wheels. Tender hand
lifted the little mangled form from tn
iron rails The golden curls were covere
hastily from sight, and the father. VIII
was Immediately sent for. arrived only I
n his little daughter dead, and tn
mother, who a realized too late tn
harm of her thoughtiess training, hope
leszly insane.
Birdie had never been taught obedience
The threat Cars will Gomez had bee,
used or all occasions, and when the
had been used in case of real danger sh
did not believe in them. but thought nam
ma was only trying to frighten her.
II mothers could only be made to rea
lie the great danger from this cours
Of training there might be some hope q
stopping this ignorant, foolish practice q
threatening children into obedience. eve
when the moral side of the question
not X into consideration.
II you want to give q thoroughly .up-tc