The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-08-12
Euening Chat

BIZ RpTH CAMERON

Practice Versus Preaching.
The little boy sided up to his mother.
put his arm about her neck and shyly
whispered to her,
His mother listened, then laughed.
What do you suppose he says?" she
asked her caller. He says he thinks
you are a very pretty lady and he
wishes you would come here to live"
The caller laughed. too, and the little
boy in the glare of this unwelcome pub
licity ran away and hid his head In a
sofa pillow in an agony OF embarrass-
ment.
What a strange surprising world this
must seem to little people, and what
strange incalculable creatures big folks
must appear the them.
And how hard it must be for them to
learn principles Of right and honor and
justice when that which is taught them
as principle IL SO often contradicted In
action.
The little boy will be taught some day
that it is honorable to respect a con-
will have learned that those who teach
him do not always respect his confid-
ences.
| A child's whisper should be as sacred
as a grown man or woman's guarded
confidence. A whisper is the child's
yourself And yet again and again. !
have heard mothers answer child's
whispered request In a loud tone which
shared the matter with everyone within
hearing, or as this mother did. promptly
betray some whispered confidence for
the amusement Of her guest.
! Again what idea of honor and right
must a child get who hears his sacred
| feelings made the subject OF Jest
once knew a little girl Of eight who con-
fided in her mother her deep admtra-
ton for a certain small member Of the
| xvnnt6nW thAI10hf this
youthful love affair hugely amusing and
promptly told everyone about it. II
would be hard to make anybody who
does not keenly remember his OWL
childhood realize how that little gir
| suffered when she heard people joking
about a feeling that to her was sacred
Again the Injustice which even intelii-
gent parents show in Furnishing not &C
cording to the real Nervousness, but &C
cor1ing to the Inconvenience 1t causes
them must give children strange ideas
| Of Justice.
Parent and child is the only relation
ship between which corporal punish
ment is permitted in this country. A
master cannot strike his servant:
mistress may not lay the tip OF her nm
ger on her maid The right TO use
brute force 10 q dangerous power. II
tends to breed lack Of self control IN
the ruler and rebellion. or fear. sycho-
phsncy and deceit in the one governed
OF course the fact that there IL q
bond of strong natural love between
parents and children curbs the power
and lessons the danger. Nevertnetess
many . child has learned the wicked
Ilesson that might makes right from un-
just punishment
I Do you think it does not matter
whether you are just and honorable t.
/ the child because it does not under
i atand these Qualities? 1t matters very
much indeed.
He who helps a child" says Phillips
/ Brooks, helps humanity with dis
i thickness and an immediateness which
NO other help given to human creatures
y in any other stage OF their human ME
n can nossfbly efve.s And the opposite Il
true OF him Who failing to be honorable
i and just toward the little folks. harma
In child