The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-11-06

are not wrong to him until after l
have chided him and made him feel
that he is in disgrace. There is 80
much that | am forced to correct,
that 1 assure you l do not see any
thing that l can possibly avoid"
This was wonderfully wise moth
er. We have known child to be
seriously harmed 10y being constantly
blamed for things that were an in
convenience and annoyance to his
parents, while the thing that was
morally wrong, if it made no trouble,
was allowed to pass unheeded. If
it is wise not to see two-thirds OF
the deficiencies and mistakes, in the
other third it is wise to discri riminate
between the errors in manners and
in habits, and the actual moral sins.
The little lad who rebels against be-
ing washed and combed, whose voice
is compromise between shrek
and a 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 nicety-may be all this and yet be
so sweet and sound in his heart, SO
lovable and true, that he is charming
to you, even with all his racket and
wayward quirks. And ten to one his
defects in these particulars are due
to the training or the lack of training
that you yourself have given him.
Be that as it may, the chances are
that this is the same boy who later
will polish himself until he shines in
every particular, and find no trial so
severe as spot upon his immaculate
attire. This rough stage, when moth
ing irritates him like being forced to
take time to be tidy, is usually the
chrysalis of the stage of the dude.
Let him be guided as gently through
it as possible. The one thing of real
importance is that the inward nature
remain tender and manly and true
that the mind be kept in healthful
activity and the heart full of genuine
love.
Above all things, in this time,
when there is "more in them than
there is room for" and his life tries
in every way to find the freedom of
expression that is natural, do not
cramp and confine 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. We all re-
member the story of the little boy
who had it SO impressed upon him
that God was following and watching
him every minute that he could not
bear the watching of anything or
anybody else. So when going out
from the house his pet dog followed
him, he roughly sent him back and
went on alone. Looking back few
minutes later, he found the dog still
stealthily creeping after, and again
said: "Go back, Rover; go back
home! l won't have you following
mel" Still a third time he heard the
patter of the dogs paws upon the
pavement behind, and, turning an
grily upon him, he stamped his little
foot with, $50 back, tell you; go
back homel l won't have you fol-
lowing me. It's bad enough to have
God tagging after me day and
night!'
The story sounds exaggerated.
The feeling that it expresses we have
actually known to exist in the heart
of more than one child. 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 | cover up my head in
the bed because over the bed there
is always rolling the great all-seeing
eye. The eye didn't have any head
and it didn't have any face, but it
frightened me, and / didn't like to
think about God" And yet this was
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, and that this is loving
presence watching over him for his
protection, and in tenderness, even
greater than that of his mother. The
thought of Gods eve watching for
the evil and sin that he may commit
fails too often as restraining influ-
ence in the life of little child.
Whatever line our thoughts may
taka with rafarenca IN this euhiaot