Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-05-08
The Training Of Children.

Judge AudenTied of the juvenile court
Of Philadelphia has original methods Of
dispensing justice to juvenile offenders.
lie mas great faith in the efficacy of
the slipper properly applied. and a few
days ago ordered spankings to be ad-
ministcred in the cases of four differ
ent offenders. at is only the last
three or four years" he said to a
inccrrigiblc ana asked that he be sent
to a reform school. that parents have
given up the management of their
children and come crying to court for
help. Your mother managed you; your
husbands parents managed him, why
cant you manage your child?"
Quite apropos To this stand Of Judge
Audcnricd is a spicy article in the Bos-
| ton Journal by Peggy Quincy" who
declares that children are suffering to-
day from lack Of the old time spank
ines Possibly this is true; certainly
there seems to he in these modern days
a growing lack Of the parental dignity
and gt"rnncss which was characteristic
Of "thc good old times" Society seems
to be trying to rule the rising genera
tion through love alone. 1t is posi-
ID" that this may be carried too far:
certainly ovcr-indulgcncc with a child
may oftcntimcs be anything but a
Kindness. it may, in fact, be posi-
tive wrong and work Il permanent in
jury. However much we may criti-
ciz" th- austcre ana unyiclding rule Of
| the fathers in dealing with their chill
| drcn We cannot overlook the fact that
out Of these homes of rugged and rigid
discipline came strong, sterling. upright
men ana women. accustomed to self
control and capable of the self-denal
| that rounds character into lines of
frmn"ss and beauty; men and women
accustomed to right living and to sane
views of life. 1t was not the habit of
these earlier fathers and mothers to
coax, much less hire, children into
obedience to their expressed wishes.
If their methods were more heroic they
were at least consistent and certainly
productive of results. 1t is undoubt-
cdly bad thing to buy obedience
from children, for this system once in
auGuratcd is exceedingly difficult to
discontinue and certainly has a de-
mor1lizinC influence upon the develop
mcnt Of the child.
Peggy Quincy tells Us OF a child
which she saw who took advantage of
trip on the elevated railway to be-
have in very disGraccful manner to
the deep cmharra ssinent of her mother.
1.-THE child" she says. "was one of
those who had had things all her own
way since her birth and who had
learned to gage her power. The mother
coaxed. and wheedled. and scOlded and
threatened. but without avail. She
promised this and that, but the little
girl could not be persuaded to sit up
and act as young lady should. She
only kicked and screamed the more.
and all over nothing as far as I could
ascertain. 1t was anything but a COM
Portable position for her mother. and l
have no doubt that il may have flashed
across the mothers mind that she was
in error to have permitted her child to
become such a little tyrant through in
diligence. | saw her face grow very
stern and determined, and as she bent
over the little form. she very quietly
and without betraying anger or excite
ntent of any sort. told the child that
she should spank her when she reached
the city. As can be imagined. this had
no effect upon the child. She had
heard this many times before. though
do not believe the mother had ever 50
thoroughly meant what she said. The
mothers patience was worn out. and
think she came to the quick conclusion
during that disgraceful exhibition of
temper that she must do something be-
sides coax and threaten if she ever
hoped to make anything out OF her lit
IT, girl"
Ii might have been t" the pelma-