The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-04-28

! it proved to be a pleasant and proht-
able meeting for those present
Mrs. E. Davidson Worden read an ex-
! cellent paper on Discipline, after
| which the subject was Thoroughly dls-
| cussed by the mothers present Mrs.
Worden said in part:
THE kindergarten attempts a ra-
tional, respectful treatment of children,
| leading them to do right for rights
sake, abjuring all rewards, save the
working for others and the delight
that follows a good action and all pun
ishmentS save those that follow as nat
ural penalties of broken law: the OBJ
vious consequences of the special DIT
of wrong doing, whatever it may be.
THE childs will is addressed in such
a way as to draw it on if right, to turn
is willingly, if wrong. Coercion in the
sense of fear, personal magnetism, nay
even the chi1d's love for the teacher
may be used in such a way as to weak
en- his moral force.
With every free conscious choice of
right human beings moral power and
strength of character increase and the
converse of this equally true.
The attempt to instil an idea OF
seIf-government into the tiny slips of
humanity that come into the kinder
garten is most useful and Infinitely to
be preferred to the most implicit, blind
obedience to arbitrary command
In the former case we may hope to
have, some time, or other an enlighten-
ed will and conscious struggling after
the right, failing often, but rising SUI
perior to failure, because OF an ever
stronger joy in right and shame for
wrong.
IF a child is physically strong but
morally weak, let the parent hold up to
view the two sides of its nature until
the physically strong child shall be
ashamed of it's moral cowardice: to
make the higher nature shrink from
the lower nature, and feel unconforta-
Bile in it's presence: to make the dis
cipline self administrative is the beau
ty of obedience
Goodness has been defined as activ-
ity and love. The mother should be
careful what actions she shall praise or
blame in her child. We hear much of
the danger of praising children and the
unworthiness of all conduct grounded
in the love of appreciation. we are
told that we foster vanity by giving
praise; this view ignores the fact that
it is through the approval and con-
learns to distinguish between right and
wrong False praise may be d1Stlng-
uished from true, in that II approves
the acts, rather than motives, ana con-
POUNDS promise with performance.
In the kindergarten we recognize
the value of training the child by
means of retributive punishment rath-
er than by arbitrary punishment, TOO
often used with children.
.sThe former appeals to the child's
Unborn instinct of justice; the child
knows that the inconVenlence or o1s-
comfort he feels is the natural conse-
ol1euce of his deed. 1t is this way that
nature teaches her law to each child.
A child soon learns that no wrong do
ing can be committed that does not
bring its own punishment. Another
advantage of the retributive method OF
punishment is, that each deed is pun
ished or rewarded upon it's own plane;
that is, material defeats or conquests
bring material loss or gain, and spirit
ual defeats or conQueSts bring spiritual
suffering or reward
LET me enter an earnest protest
against the white lies which many
peopIe tell children without a thought
of the mischief which they do. 1 can
not but believe that the practice
springs from cowardice or weakness on
the part of mother or nurse. By the
miserable deception of sneaking out OF
a child's sight when she cannot take
him with her, many mother tears out