The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-11-02
TOO LITTLE ATTENTION
TO EARLY RESTRAINT
Continued from fifth page.)

request he gives about as much heed Al
to the twittering of the sparrows which
like himself, are basking in the sunshine
and dust. The efforts of an older chilt
sent to bring him back are treated Will
like contempt, while all the time he
digs his hands and feet deeper into the
dust and dirt. Finally the parent come.
and, amid cloud of dust with vehement
outcries and deprecatory protests from
the young irrepressible, whose legs and
arms are striking out in every direc-
ton, he is rescued by main strength
and awkwardness from the public street
Now there is in this world force
which is called authority. II is real and
as necessary to the moral sphere as the
/ force which we call gravitation is, to the
physical universe. 1t is the birthright
OF each child to know that there is such
a force and that he must submit TO it.
| To oppose it or TO throw himself against
/ it is only to work his own destrue.
| ton. The place for him to learn this
most wholesome lesson is in the home.
He should have the alphabet of obedi-
euce well mastered by the time he il
two years old
y
and sorrow in The Times week ago
to-day concerning the arrest Of two OF
our local boys for bold bnrgiaries and
petty thefts perpetrated here in the city
during the past few weeks
Concerning this matter, | wish to
say, first Of all. that Barre does not
possess monopoly OF such boys. from
a more or less extended knowledge of
different sections OF our country, and
especially of New England, | know this
lawlessness of youth to be quite wide
spread. ! have never found a locality
entirely free from IT, The cause for this
condition, therefore, must be fund in
some general defect. or defects. in our
social system After serious considera-
ton and looking at the subject rom
many points of view, I believe it to b.
question of great local and national
moment this growing want of rever-
ence and respect for authority in Amer
lean children, leading TO open disrespect
for law.
Society is at its best when individual
rights and rights held in common are
scrupulously respected and the good cit
izen first governs himself BE eacn,
pray God gentleman was the COM
prehensiye ideal of Thackeray for the
of England, and any standard
short of that is unworthy Of consIdera-
ton But gentleman does not spring
full born out of every home or any en-
vironment He is the product of disci- |
pline, OF restraint, for boys are like /
trees that grow straight or crooked as
the twig is inclined or directed, If need /
be bound aud held The freedom of /
modern conditions may be abused-ls !
abused when youthful wills are not I
bent at home, and doubly so when the I
school fails to make up the lack in extra /
measure. if SO be the case demands.
1t seems to me that in our training
Of children we have ignored too much
The "twig" and devoted too much atten
lion to the sapling which is simply the
wig more fully developed. 1t is per-
'ectly natural for the twig, in its nor
nal growth and development, to unfold
Ill its twiglings. 1t is these twiglings
We need to look after. for the sap;ing.
y the boy, is simply the product ~, the
discipline, which these twigiings have
Undergone.
1t is fact that neither teachers,
PREACHERS nor civil officials have any
hing to do with pruning, disciplin'ng,
raining or restraining these twigs, or
hildren, in the first few years of their
An eminent philosopher has {
aid, "A child learns more III the first