The sun., 1897-07-25
SHOULD BOYS HIT BACKi
1rOTHBRs DISCUSS a QUHsTT0N or
BELJIGBRENT RIGHTS.

BELLI9BRENT RIGHTS.
Thrse Views sf the PFSSiera Whether o. Not
- Rpcourngs Boys - Fieht Upon Occasion
--Results of Teaching Them % stand Up
Tor Their niGhts-Disoipiine In Boyhsod.
"what made you 20 late Z" two women ex-
claimed in unison AZ . third Joined them In the
parlor Of club which is intended to acoomno-
date shoppers and suburbanites.
"Ive Just passed through one Of tho most try
ing experiences of . mothers lifo," answered
the newcomer with nervous trcmor in her
| voice, land IL you don't mind we'll sit here q
little while before we have our luncheon.
Really I'm too excited to eat now"
whats tho matteri Has the baby cut
toothr asked one Of her companions, q jolly
matron of about forty.
TELL us all about IL, DEAR" said the other, an
older woman by fifteen years, soothinEly. You
know we women are qucor folks. Our troubles
| often vanish while we are rectinR them. What
! has upset you soi
"Just this" replied tho worried mother. my
boy had his f1rst fight Just as I Iwas ready TO
| come to meet you horc, and encouraged him In
| 1t, too. Now I'm all broken MP, for perhaps did
wrong In telling him to defend himself. You
know ho is only seven. and the other boy was .
good deal bigger; but my boy licked him" sho
| added, proudly. "All the same, when the whole
| thing was over and was driving down, began
| to wonder whether children should or should
| not bo allowed to strike back, and I'm FREQ
| to confess that I am all ut sea con-
| cerning this much disputed question Of
| the manly art Of seltdofenoe. OF course, no
parents want their children to pick quarrels or
to become involved in disgrnoeful souabbling.
but after boy goes to school ho 10 at the mercy
| Of any rough fellow who chooses to attack him.
and then no mother or father wants to sec their
son take this bullying. Really I think I'd almost
rather have my son grow up to he @ knave rather
than coward. But still I'm afraid fell short
of one of the duties of motherhood whom called
out to him to pound and pummel his antagonist
with all his might awhile ago.
Sho seemed calmer after letting of this
speech. but the other women by this timo had
become deeply interested.
For my part" spoke up the jolly woman. e. I
think 1t is q dreadful thing to teach boys to
strike back. l have n nervous horror of fight
ing. and my two sons can never say that their
mother encouraged them to hit . blow. They
are 12 and Is now. and so far have never once
struck each other. Quarrel / should say so, for
hours at a time. Just like girls, but they never
come to blows. 1 think blows are 80 brutal. and
Two always taught them that two wrongs can
not make right. and that 1t is better for them
to suffer thousand wrongs than to do such an
ungentlemanly thing as to strike q playmate
back. When they have difficulties between
themselves with their schoolmates they SIM
ply quarrel it out. Sometimes they arc two or
three days getting matters Strengthened. but
they never have to resort to blows. and I've no
ticed that tho dear little fellows slip quiotlS
away when there are any signs OF fight"
"Idon't wonder that they sneak away" broke
out the elderly woman impulsively. why.
dear, you must excuse my plain speaking. but
you know love you like sister. You are bring
ing your boys up to be towards. and that is
one OF the most cruel things a parent can do. 1t
makes a mans life so hard to be coward.
Parents are often responsible for cowardice;;
: your great admiration for my brothers.
and you always odd They They seem ms SO
That's That nst @ what everybody says about those
. five men. III tell you the secret OF it. They
brought up to Sst IKE Turks Ess Snd they
ana nischisyops laugh, MY mother ah,s, never ever
pered and impulsive. and always fond of fight.
bigger boys than ems Victor
To-day they arc tho most loyal friends and
whore. 4 mother must have an uncommon
r amount of eelf-control who can cit inside
, side. And this is what my mo,her WAYS did.
She tsndsrly bandaRsd, daRs the the ToG he one
fes Ssp seltser.ro h and they saw Ina. L was
|
Ss ~
Ing ones self in hand is hIed in boy. then he is
Snss %y SS to ss IS psa ssas
! more and more enthusiastic But I've done
IS hns ssa a ssoS
. . never forget the first lesson in bravery that
iEsS 20 s sn BOZ HsEs %s
. agreed on this subject. Ono day my husband
a and were Just starting for our usual drive; we
= was only four, mind yoa-and said we had
It was was his turn @ to 60 It really was. by rights
l but 1T was part q our discipline when We had
3 when We drove of and left the little chap stand
blu blue 'a eyes. @ He % was @ screWinS his face into
y thousand wrinkles TO keep them back. suddenly
. takes to tell It the purse came hyinE after us
hbSrFy has she
n ~ was just going to jump from the dogcar,
when my husband t caught me. me saying.
9 He turned around and We drove back. Ther
thS Sa hi II. esFss asss Sh p..s
didn't even know that he knew his father had
cause yoa HooS woaldnt TT take Ike i me to ride 0'
Il An right answered his father. Shoot
| j III waiting 10 see YOU
= "Thc child looked very much surprised, ant
IA almost tainted.
n 80 Go on and shoot yourself said his father
~ Are you afraid to shoot
T "The little darling brandshed the pistol ono,
more around his head, but very weakly thi
10 time and then ho crawled down OF the bed an!
~ handed II to his father saying I don't thinl
N I'll shoot myself to-day His father locked th
70 pistol up and then we took our ride. and mourn
d fql enough occasion 1t was to me- too. Tha
n The boy was In a mood to receive Impressions
~ for he was thoroughly repentant. When / pu
- "a cowardly It was to take ones lfe and that e,
" on to my telling him how cowardly 1t was 70
an honest. fair-minded boy to fight over matter
that could be settled In a peaoeable manner
how contemplate 1t was to fiRht q boy weake
or smaller than himself, or to impose on any
:. body, or TO want more han his rights; how loy
TO and brutal and degrading 1t was to fight jus
for the sake OF fighting. On the other hand,
told him that It was inst as cowardly not I,
=, strike boy who insulted him or bullied him. o
In said anything about little girl or imposed on