The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-04
Punishment of Children.

Punishment of children.
There must be some punishment fol
wrongdoing. But for this there could
be no government, either in the state
or in the family, upon which the ex-
1stence of the state depends.
There are many who say that child
should never be punished. Most OF
these mean that the child should not be
whipped. They have in mind the
brutal treatment of children. Some
may really mean that they think g
child should never be punished in any
way. This class is generally composed
of those who have had little or nc
experience in the management of their
own children or of the children OF
others.
In the divine economy it has seemed
necessary to provide punishment fol
wrongdoing. Does it not appear sense
less for mortals to attempt to improve
upon His methods? While some pun
ishment seems absolutely necessary
too great care cannot be taken by par
ents in order that their mode of pun
tshment may be such as will reach the
desired end, without any of the evil
consequences which are sure to follow
injudicious or ill-considered punish
ment.
Legitimate Objects of Punishment
The one great object which justi-
f1es parents furnishing a child is the
honest desire to reform the child and
to lead him to do what is right. In
every case Of doubt the parent should
ask himself the question, as this the
best way to influence my child to do
better?"
Another legitimate object of punish
ment is found in the fact that if prop
erly administered it condemns the
wrong and upholds what is right.
If there are several children in the
family another very important object
of punishment is it's effect in deterrine
all from doing wrong. Punishment
may be inflicted upon one child in such
q way as to make it unnecessary to
punish other children for similar Of
lenses. Happy the child who lives in
family where the parent makes such
use of it,
Characteristics of Proper Punishment.
Every child should understand clear
~ the cause of the punishment. Too
often children are punished in anger
before an explanation is given. I'm
der such circumstances punishments
cannot possibly do good, but will GER
tainly do harm.
Punishments must be just. A guilty
chlld may seem to resent a punish
ment; but, in his heart, he does not.
When 1t is properly administered. Pun
ish an Innocent child, and, in spite of
love and respect for his parents, he
can scarcely ever forget it.
Punishment should be certain. Much
more depends upon certainty than
upon severity. To overlook an Of
tense at one time and punish it Sc
Verely at another time is an excellent
way to encourage children in wrong
doing.
Punishment SHOULD be mild. It
should never be more severe than is
necessary to reach the desired end. It
IS a klnd of medicine, the virtue of
when depends upon it's being used
sparingly.
Punishment should be deliberate. If
time is taken for reflection, it will fire.
quently be seen that the parent. and
not the child, is deserving of the pun
ishment.
When possible, punishment should
De natural For example: If a boy
uses his knife to cut the furniture, he
should be deprived of the knife. Pun
1snmentS which are natural follow as
the results of actions and are ALWAYS
powerful as correctives. This Is the
fundamental characteristic of divine
punishment
Punishments should not destroy self
respect. Such as do are fiendish. The
great object of moral training is to de-
Velop self-control and self-respect.
not destroy them.
Punishments should be inflicted In
Kindness. BY word and manner the
parents should show that It is an m
pleasant task. Nothing will cause the
lesson to sink more deeply and be re-
membered longer.
The Severity of Punishment.
AS before indicated, parents should
use the smallest amount necessary to
reach the desired end, and should take
great care not to magnify offenses.
Unnecessarily hard punishments tend
to make hard hearts.
The severity of the punishment
should depend upon the motive. If
there is mo intention to commit a
wrong, there can be little, if any, guilt.
Very many cases of seeming dis
obedience are simply the result of
thoughtlessness, which is, and will
continue to be most natural until there
Is found some approved plan of plac-
Ing an old head upon young shoulders.
May the plan never be found!
The severity of punishment should
depend upon the frequency of the Of
tense. 1t is, indeed, very seldom that
the child should be punished for its
first offense upon any line; unless it's
attention has been called to it in other
ways.
1t is also very important that par
ents remember that the severity of the
punishment should be determined by
the age, the sex, the temperament and
the physical condition of the child.
What would be very little punishment
for one child would be very severe for
another. The young child Will be more
easily reached than the Older: the
child of nervous temperament by. much
less than one who is of the phlee-
matte temperament.
Improper Punishment.
There are some methods of punish
ment frequently used, yet for which