The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1897-12-24


made him so nOisily naughty, said
( he would burst IL he didn't be bad /:
/ be had got so much more in him
than there was room for.
| believe this having "mOre in
I him than there is room for" is the
secret of a great deal of sO-called
naughtiness. II make it a rule, :"
said a wise mother, "tO only see
One-third of TOmmy's mischief, for
| believe in the theory that it is on
. ~ the wickedness that we are con-
scious of that affects the character.
III my boy knows he is doing wrong,
he is SHINING against his conscience,
and that is hurt to the moral ma
ture, but about twO-thirds of his
/ performances are not wrong to him
until after | have chided him and
made him feel that he is in disgrace.
There is so much that l am forced
{ to correct that | assure you | do not
see anything that l can possibly
avoid"
This was a wonderfully wise
mother. We have known a child to
be seriously harmed by being con-
stantly blamed for things that were
an inconvenience and annoyance
to his parents, while the thing that
was morally wrong. if it made no
trouble, was allowed to pass IN
needed. If it is wise not to see two
thirds of the deficiencies and mis-
takes, in the other Third il is wise
\ TO discriminate between the error in
manners aud habits aud the actual
moral sins. The little lad who
rebels against being washed and
eOmbed, whose voice is a cOmprO-
mise between a shrek and shout,
who fills his mouth too full at the
table, who doesn't answer when he
ought to and talks whenever we
wish he would be silent, who seems
/ to love dirt for dirt's sake, and
whose behavior keeps you On pins
and needles in the face and eyes of
your friends whose little boys are
models Of nicely, may be all this
and vet be 50 sweet and sound in his
1 heart, so lovable and true, that he is
a splendid character
I Be that as it may, the chances are
that this is the same how who later
will polish himself until he shines
Z IL pal NAAAA1A AAlA AAAA AlU AGl
I so severe as spot upon his immacu-
late attire. This rough stage, when
nothing irritates him like being
l forced TO take time to be tidy. Is
usually the chrysal is Of the stage of
the dude. Let him be guided as
gently through it as possible. The
I one thing of real Importance Is that
Y the inward nature remain tender
and manly aud true; that the mind
be kept in healthful activity and
/ the heart full of genuine love.
7 Above all things in this time,
when there is more in them than
4 there is room for, and his life tries
in every way to find the FIRE edOm of
expression that is natural, do not
cramp and cOntine the nature more
than must be for his highest good.
On no account let him have the
sense that it is necessary to watch
him in order to keep him right.
One little fellow said: Thou God
seest me" was the "baddest text"
he ever had to learn, and when
questioned as to the reason for his
dislike, he said: Every night l
cover up my head in the bed be-
cause over the bed there is always
rolling the great. all-seeing eye.
The eye didn't have any head, aud
it didn't have any face, but it fright
ened me, and l didn't like to think
about God" And yet this was a
conscientious child, who didn't
need to be constantly watched.
Let the child be taught that the
whole life is really lived in the pres
ence of God, aud that this is a low
ing presence watching over him for
his protection, aud in tenderness
even greater than that Of his moth
er. The thought of Gods eye
watching for the evil and sin that he
may commit fails too often as a re-
straining influence in the life of a
little child.
Whatever line our thoughts may
take with reference to this subject,
we come back constantly to the one
great thought that in these early
years, while the boyish nature is
struggling &c find expression for the
great forces shut up within it. love
is the one restraining force and the
one developing force that on no
account must be allowed to fail.
The child heart is not like a beef
steak-all the tenderer for being
pOunded-and they must be loved
into grace and goodness if we would
hope TO see them gracious aud good