The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-12-05
Deal Justly With
the Children,


one family. One is quite plain,
while the others are fine looking,
or one is dull, while the others are
bright. 1t is so easy to put the
pretty child and the bright child
in the foreground and keep the
plain child and the dull child back.
Parents have shown such partial
ity in this respect, oftentimes,
that the lives of the neglected
ones have been made most miser-
able. "For some reason or other
she has never seemed to be any
favorite with her father" said a
friend, in speaking of a child not
long since; che makes so much
more of his other children than
he does of her"
Children are quick to see parti-
ality shown by parents, and when
the recipients of it are particular
ly bright or pretty, the child who
has not received those gifts thinks
them the all-important ones, and
grows to be morbid and curious.
The pretty child is not always no.
ted for sweet traits of character,
by any means. Because she is
made so much of, she becomes
conceited and selfish.
There is a pathetic poem which
speaks of father calling his pet"
The footballs that fell on his ear
were from the child not in such
great favor, and as he called, the
little one responded, in a sad tone
of voice, "It isn't pet, papa. It's
only me-"
Some mothers get in a way,
perhaps unconsciously, of allow
ing the sweet tempered child to
give up his or her rights because
the brother or sister is imperious
and exacting, and if denied what
is wished for will make so much
trouble. We heard a mother say,
Let sister have it, dear. You
know what time | shall have
with her if you don't, and you are
always so unseltish that you
won't mind"
We were once in a family where
there were two sisters. One
was noted for her beauty and her
talents, and the other for her
plainness and sweet spirit. We
noticed that the first choice of
anything was always offered to
the pretty one. The other sister
always wished to have it so, al
though she was the elder. She
was perfectly unseltish and al
most adored Gf that word can be
used in this cOnnection) her
younger sister. The whole
household revolved around her,
and she grew to think that she
was entitled to the precedence
and preference, and she accepted
it as her due. We often wonder
ed what the outcome would be in
the years to come. We heard
nothing for ten years from that
family, as our lives were widely
separated, Then we were told
that the pretty sister was mar
ried, had three little children and
a good husband, but somehow
family cares We're not to her
taste and wearied her. The ell
der sister had not married, and
was devoting her life to her
! younger sister and her family,
lifting the cares from her selfish
pretty sisters shoulders. But
she loved these children as if they
were her own, aud her influence
over them, no doubt, was much
better than their mothers, who
preferred social pleasures to
home duties. No thought of APP
| preciation Of her sisters sacriti-
ces ever seemed to come TO her
mind.
Parents should be on the alert
to quell the tendency that one
child in the family has to demand
more of the others than is just
and right. The child who has
not the gifts of beauty and men.
tai attainments which the others
have, should be particularly no
ticed in loves sweet ways in con-
sequences. Never should one
child be allowed to domineer over
another.
Mothers will find the highest