Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-07-25
HAROlO'S WAY.
Hes Charming Boy, His Mother Says,
but Is She Correct!

Hes . Charming Boy. His Mother Says,
but Is She Correct!
Harold isn't an ordinary child, by
any MEANS" observed the fond moth
er. He has tremendous energy and
1t Is sometimes quite problem for his
father and myself to keep it properly
applied. Only the other day he got
a can Of red paint that the men had
been using to paint the back fence
with and daubed it in stripes all up
and down the front of the house as
high as he could reach, and when he
mad done that he went next door and
did the same thing to the front of
their house. OF course. he didn't
mean any harm. but they We're quite
ill-natu about it.
Il thought it showed an artistic
tendency-to a certain extent. though,
of course, crude. 1t needs develop
ment. that's all.
Il was going to say that the woman
was mean about it. She scolded the
poor child and then she came and
complained to me. told her that |
was very sorry and that | would ask
MIR. Ridley to see that it was cleaned
off, but | let her see by my manner
what ! thought of her making a fuss
about little thing like that.
But the amusing part of it was
that Harold, poor child. took her
scolding to heart so much that she
had hardly got back into the house
when he ran out and flung Il stone
through one of their windows. He
was going to throw another when
called to him and made him come in.
] told him that it was very wrong to
throw stones through peoples win
dows Harold is very sensitive, you
know, and he wasn't used to being
talked to in the way that woman
talked to him. and, being child of
spirit, it was quite natural for him
to resent it. What Harold needs is
kindness.
He has such an inquiring DISPOSE
ton. Why, he'll sit and ask me
questions by the hour-oh. on the
strangest subjects. ! always make a
point Of answering him. think a
child should be taught. And he's
thorough. He isn't content with SUI
perficial knowledge. The other day
he was asking me what was in the
sofa pillows and | told him some of
them were stuffed with down and
some with feathers and the green fiat
one had pine needles inside OF
course, he wanted to know then what
down was and | told him it was little
feathers and the other feathers We're
just feathers. and that they didn't sew
things with pine needles and that the
other kind Of needles didn't grow on
other kinds of trees. and | went into
the subject as thought, quite thor
oughly. But Harold wasn't satisfied
and while | was ont Of the room lie
took my scissors and cut open two of
the pillows, and when l came down
he had the feathers scattered all over.
He wanted to see for himself, you
know. l think that is such splen-
did trait in boy, don't you know.
1t shows an analytical turn Of mind
II he makes the law his profession it
will be valuable to him.
He's got lots Of spirit and will of
his own. We can't make him do any
thing he doesn't want to do unless we
can make him see that it's for his own
good. always reason with him and
just as soon as l convince him you
never saw q more obedient and docile
little fellow. You see. what Harold
needs is some one who can under
stand him and deal with him inteli-
gently. Excuse me a moment and III
see what he's doing now"
AS the fond mother left the room
one of the visitors turned to the other
and said: What Harold needs is a
nice, large. smooth backed hairbrush
laid OIL hard where it will do the most
good, and Id like to be the one to give
it to him."
The other visitor nodded. Chicago
Daily News.