The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-04
NAUGHTY CHILDREN
md THEIR TRAINING
Views of a Child Specialist on a
Popular Fallacy-He Believes
in the Switch.

LONDON, Jan. 81 have been talking
TO a doctor who, for many years past, has
been recognized in England, and far beyond
1t. as the greatest child specialist of the
day" says a writer in the Daily Mail, "a
man who. when he received Q well-earned
baronetcy some years ago, was described
by a famous Paris surgeon as the only doc
tor in Europe whose diagnosis of u child's
illness he would accept before his own
THE doctor refuses to allow his name to
b published. as he has a morbid horror of
anything resembling advertisement, and
declines to perceive that the world would
smile at the notion of advertisement in
connection with himself. He must, there
fore, remain anonymous here. Curious read
ers are advised to rest satisfied with the
trst name that comes into their heads.
This talk about nervous children is
wildly exaggerated he tells me. so far as
England is concerned. If you want to study
IL you must go to America or France; pre-
eminently America. There you have chill
dren living always with their parents and
living their lives, and, of course. breaking
down under the strain. French children are
naturally more e~xcitable-a racial matter.
ST Vitus's dance is extremely prevalent in
France.
I'm districts OF England. however, where
a strenuous life has been lived by the
greater part OF the inhabitants for a long
time, nervous children are more common
1p and around Birmingham, for instance,
St VttuSS dance is seriously prevalent and
very acute. / hear Of several deaths from
IL In that neighborhood-a rare event; it is
not often fatal.
'But a great deal of nonsense is talked
about nerves among the children of the
Engl.sh upper classes. Such small patients
are brought TO me, of course, and / hear
the tales OF their tempers. screams and other
sins; but, except In a very few cases of in
hertted failings, / have not found anything
which would be the better for scientific aid:
and, do you know, once or twice l have
recommended a little smacking? 1t is not a
bad thing IN its wayI don't mean a solemn.
long-deferred whipping, but a good smack
or two at the momen
Writing from Windsor, Mrs. Berens
strongly d~enounceS corporal punishment.
and suggests an alternative the point of
which / do not quite catch.
Parents he says, are strong. deveI-
oped and able TO endure, and should with
far more reason be held responsible for the
delinquencies OF their children. If bows
and girls who gave way to passion were
such outbreaks, we should be amazed at
the lettering effect When Tommy felt like
cuffiing his sisters. the thought OF raising
an tmpiouS hand on an adored father after
wards would often give him pause. while
the parents would escape remOrse i'm after
life for the breaking of small spirits and
the injury TO small systems.
In point OF fact says the writer in
conclusion, all children are moral imbe-
Giles. l well r~ecollect a medical man pass
Ing his holiday with a sister, the pOssessor
of a quiverful OF children. The doctors
business was q care OF the insane. and he
studiously avoided the nursery. because it's
inmates. by reminding him OF his patients.
disturbed a hard-earned rest"