The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-07-06

yin the good old-fashoned ru1e-'Do as
}teIl you. or I'll know the reason why.
{Soiomon says: Spare the rod and spou the
child In my young days my mother
Zone OF the good od-fashoned sort-was
too busy baking. brewing. washing and
SECURING. making and mending. to waste
Stine arguing with her six children. It
$was a lick and a promise. as the South
{erners say The lick came first. the
promise was that we would catch an
other lick and that plaguey soon II We
}didnt look out
My wife is teuder-hearted little thing.
5and she is all for reasoning with our boy
%She talks with him when he has been
naughty and carries her rule OF forhear-
vance so far as to say that no parent
{should strike a child punish him In
}any way except in cold blood, as one
{might say And she is cocksure that Mar
Sion IIarland is on her side: that you are
too tender-hearted to believe in beating
babies. etc, etc
Won't you speak your mind and settle
}our dispute? Show Your hand. without
: fear and without favor. in this matter or
B hngguC in the nursery.
ITO spank or not to spank That Is
}the question. JOHN
Johns wife is right IN so far as she
maintains that hasty chastisement is al
ways blunder in paternal government
John Juniors father has not stated the
$ruestion quite fairly. When 70 spank
{and how 10 spank would have been more
taCcurate.
{ One of the few domestic rules which Is
}absoIute In general and in particular
}cases-a regulation that has no margin
Sis that to strike a child In anger is a sin
}agafnst human and divine laws The ssngu
}larlr iudicious father OF four fine boys tol Z
}me the other day that, while he beiter
}that most children occasionally need
}poral punishment. ne had never FRI
himself 70 administer It,
II am utiick-tempered. and a hasty
{does not gauge the weight of his Ia
The said The mother does what ntt.c
whipping IS required.
: Happy he whose heart can safely trust
{ in his wife TO this EXTENT Happier she
whom self-coutrol has fitted to assume the
$training of others, II human legislation
$were a perfect science the parent or guar
dian who should beat child IN the heat
: or passion would answer for the outrage
: TO Offended justice. 1t is torture 10
the sympathies to compute what proper
}tiou of corporal punishment inflicted IN
our Christian land by so-called Christian
people IS the outcome of love and con-
$scence. and how much the outbreak OF
$pe.uarce or of downright rage, excited by
$other causes than childish aggression. AS
( [ have heard mothers OF the so-called
Flower class phrase It, They get that
{stirred UP that they have to take it out OF
$somebodyt' In brutality there Is always
TO take it out of a child than a child's
father, uncle or aunt that the wretchel
$innocent becomes a fetish. upon which the
consequences of others iniquties are
}wreaked The stages OF the wicked wors
; are as sure as they are common. Tha
lbeaten babyS walls deepen into the yells
}of the logged boy. When he Is big
), $enough to strike back. he. too will ..take
: Sit out of somebody. First. out OF chill
}dren smaller than himself; then. the lust
}for fighting keeping pace with his grow III
E $out of men OF his own ase-then sxs Dt
t society.
r John says truly. IN effect. that as Mr..
{Bagnet has It, discipline must be main
Claimed in the family. But it should be-
gin with the commanding officer. He is
Irresponsible to nobody but himself? There
: 8 is ali the more reason why self-dscipline
3 should be perfect-if this be true: the fact
? being that the parent Is as responsible to
; the child as the child to the parent. \
}spoiled mother makes spoiled baby. 1t
! is quite possible for parent 70 love a
{child fondiy. to desire, a heart. his best
, }good to be willing 10 devote toll and
3 {strength and. II need be. life itself to
i gain that good. and yet TO be unjust 10
r }barbarty.
= VIII John let me Illustrate what I mean
l by little incident OF which I wrote, years
5 ago. with the impression of the scene
~
my heartstrings vibrating like the rough
/ by stricken chords of harp?
/ Ny charwomau, at that time. was stall
%wart widow OF reputable. If brief. stand
ling The 20-month-old she must bring
with her when she came to me for the
{day was born after the fathers death I.
was ''all she had to live for she re-
minded herself and me daily, willis she
vas about the business that was to fill
the plump boy with bread and milk,
}clothe him and keep q tight roof over her
head and his. After the manner OF her
}class, she spoiled Dicky in every fashion
}known 70 the lliterate and dotinS mother
3 had asked her that morning IL shs
thought it good for him TO eat pickles and
}candy. He had truncated cucumber In
Zone hand. 1olly-pop in the other. both
}having been produced from the mothers
$aprou pocket at his demand
He can say 'pittle' and 'tandy as plain
Gas can" she hoasted. tying a bib under
his chin and setting him in a corner out
}of her way. And. in reply 70 my query.
81 dare say they amt overly healthy for
MIN! But he is the very vein OF me-
{hairrt. mem. and 1 Just can't deny him
}anytning he wants. II twas hairrt's
blood. he'd get it. It's all I have to 1--we
for. 20 see him comfortable and happy.
She meant every syllable OF 1t. Every
$:weep of the scrubbing brush upon floor
Sand paint. every polishing rub upon the
}windows. was informed by energy bor-
rowed from uaternal devotion. Watching
}them through the open door OF my room.
: I coudoned pickle and candy and believed
I the proteStation aneat her hearts blood.
) 1t would be but opening one vein to feed
another.
s Diclsy. wearying OF his corner or surteit-
$ed by alternate suction upon acid and
&sweet, Jared forth presently in quest OF
}other game. He crept yard or two. then
s got himself upon his duupy legs and wad-
2dled across the room III the direction OF
}his mother. Her back was towards him:
the swish of her soft cloth upon the
glass mutiied the pattec of his feet With
"a COO of unalloyed bliss he sa. down sud-
}deniy and heavily upon the floor, both
; fists cienched upon the rim or the scrub
! binEs pail. and pulled IL over- Not drop
s of the soiled suds was wasted. His clean
}starched froclk OF pale blue Bingham, his
white skirt and the flannel beneath II. his
pretty striped blre-and-white socks and
new russell shoes got IL all before I could
I'm The nNINsr tGrE around