Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-04-22
A plea AGAINST NarrinE.


MY dear child, do for PHYS sake hold
your shoulders back. I do declare! How
often have -
"Oh, mamma" and the rest Of the re-
Spouse depends on the disposition and
training Of the child. It will either be a
queruIous retort, a sulky excuse, or. at
most, a momentary Strengthening up and
immediate relapse-never a spontaneous,
willing response, never any lasting result.
This endless. weary nagging will never
do more than arouse the antagonism OF
child, or by its constant repetition cause
her to mentally label shoulders" as one
Of those things which someone is always
fussing about. but to which one need pay
no attention. says Health Culture Maya
zine. 1t will never convince her OF the
Importance OF holding herself UP and It
will never help her to do It. It will never
strengthen her back and so enable her to
sit up straight, unconsciously, without
constant effort: nor will 1t even tell her
how to make that effort, however willing
she may be to try. On the contrary this
popular phrase, Hold your shoulders
back" only imparts a wrong idea, and the
worst thing the child could do would be TO
try to follow out it's instructions. The
shoulders should be held down and not
back. To hold them back produces
strained, unnatural. suff position which is
almost impossible to maintain, and, more
over, it throws the head forward.
1t is useless to tell a girl to hold her.
self up, and Immediately follow the ad-
monition by querulous criticism or unfa-
'vorable comparison with others. There
may be physical response in the muscles
but that can only be temporary, as neither
the will nor the good will are behind IT,
nervous child win be made irritable. a
contrary child will be made more con
trary," and a shy, self-conscious child will
be made sulky.
How many times must tell your" is
the constantly reiterated phrase; but what
Is the use Of telling the same thing in the
same way so many times2 II the nine
teenth time of telling has no effect, why
should the twentieth have? The only thing
Is to find some other and more convincing
way Of presenting the subject.
AS she walks down the street a girl will
reflect, for all to read, the way in which
she is treated at home. the position she
holds there and the light in which she is
regarded by the others In It, self-esteem
comes hard to one who is always conscious
that other people have a poor opinion OF
her; self-confidenee seldom comes except
through the confidence OF others.
have seen little girl in school trans
formed in appearance and behavior by one
word OF praise from a teacher; a poor child
1t was only accustomed to scoldlng and pun.
ishment, and on whom the unusual praise
acted like a charm. The result OF this
was so quickly evident that It called forth
more praise; and the charm continued, and
the transformation became a permanency
Another case I remember is OF a girl OF
really exceptional beauty, the appearance
of whose superb form and striking face
came near being entirely spoilt by a shy
self-conscious nwkwardness. Added to thil
her head. statuesque though II was, was
always poked forward. and It was only
spasmodically that she Strengthened heI
back. She was strong. and had had suf
hcient training TO know how to hold her.
self correctly and to be able to do II, but
she lust couldn't remember" After on,
particular event IN her life she never
needed TO remember" It was only a PLAY
that did 1t, an amateur play in which sh,
took an important part; a splendid STATELY
part which only a superb and stately
woman could hll; and she filled IL with
brilliant success. She was the superb an,
stately woman that evening and has beei
ever since. Neither was she the only on
whose whole bearing was changed by tina
one evenings performance.
Have you ever seen men whose whole al
titude and carriage has been altered b.
the chance remark OF some woman2
1t is the power OF an idea.
But nagging is fatal.