The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-05-26
(CopyTight, l9l5.)


| age propensities OF the average small
boy, docs il not, dear mothers? And for
the unkindness of his little sister, as
well, although I believe she generally
DISPLAYS the natural man" less in
tenscly than her brother does. Mothers
are often distressed by the cruelties of
their children. Many refuse to let them
have pet DOGS or kittens because of the
suffering inflicted upon the hapless ami
mails by the youngsters
| A mother in a small town in New Eng
land wrote the other day to ask me If
1 thought her children were hopeless
savages because OF their treatment of
their kitten.
Dear Aunt Chatty." she wrote, "how
am l to teach my babies to be kind
to animals? was Mortified a short time
ago by something my little James and
Janet did. stray kitten came to us
tiny thing, just a few weeks old. The
children were delighted at first and
played with it very nicely. Then one
day kitty, in playing with some paper
dolls the children had cut out and left
on the floor while they went elsewhere.
scattered them and perhaps tore them.
That made the children angry and they
carried the poor little thing out on to
the brick walk in the back yard AMI
actually killed it. Jamie got a brick,
I anu Willie Iluc janet Htlu
it down on the kittens head. he pound
ed 1t with another brick until the head
was crushed.
| Il saw them out there, but thought
they were at play. and did not realize
what they were doing until it was too
late to save the kitten. I talked to them
very earnestly and told them what a
cruel and sinful thing they had done
They both wept bitter tears at the time,
but few moments later. when they
were in their big swing on the porch.
heard Jamie say in a low tone: Well.
we got rid Of that old cat. anyway, didn't
We. Janet?"
This propensity to savagery is one of
mothers real problems. for since We
are not living in the day of the cave
man, We are obliged to conform to the
habits of civilization. And you, dear
mother. are the one who must
teach him to be gentle and help
him In the process Of becoming SO.
1t may help you to know, what the
scientific men ask you to realize. that
You are contending with prehistoric an
cestral inheritance and not with your
child's own inherent. individual wicked
ness. At any rate, when it manifests
itself you need not feel discouraged, for
you can console yourself with thinking
that as the race has outgrown 1t to an
extent. so there is hope for your baby.
How to hasten their cure. you ask?
One way is to teach. both by precept and
example, kindness and consideration for
everything about you. both animate and
inanimate. Do you. mother. when your
baby falls and strikes its head on the
chair leg. for instance. beat the chair
and say. Bad old chair" If you do,
you are teaching him yourself to be
cruel and revengeful. Did You ever sion
to think Of that?
l have told you several times in our
club talks Of the next-door neighbor
from whom I learned many valuable
lessons In my younger days. She taught
her little girl to feel sorry for the chair,
too. when 1t was bumped.
Poor chairw she would say. when
Clara and the chair came into collision.
And one day when I was In her house
Clara ran against the edge of door and
had hard knock. Two handkerchiefs
were brought. one to tie up Claras sore
head, the other to tie over the door
knob. because the poor door was hurt.
too"
If you will give just such systematic
teaching of sympathy for all pain, am
sure your child will not long be cruel to
anything
Children's clubs are organized in many
towns to train the little folks into habits
Of kindness and consideration. That IL
an excellent plan. for by reason Of their
great imitativeness children will very
readily do what the crowd does.
Apropos of such an external means of
grace. one mother tells . story of her
boy. who belonged to the Band of Mercy
in their Village. Willy was very proud
of his membership and wore his badge.
a silver star, with great boasting. He
zaalOus rnevnhor apd of<~n
heard reproving the other boys and girls
for their cruelty to cats and dogs.
One morning his mother heard the cat
yowling outside and went out to ind
Willy tormenting it
"why. Willy" she exclaimed, what
are you doing to that poor cat? didn't
think my little Band Of Mercy boy would
do anything like that"'
well, you see. mother" Willy explain
ed. 1--WE lost my star"
Older persons than Willy sometimes
'backsiide" in their attempts to be good,
and We shouldn't be too hard on him.
You must remember tho old saying Of
Line upon limo and precept upon pre-
cept'' In training your children. especially
when dealing with deeply ingrained traits
like an inherited ancestral throw-back
to cruelty.
There is another phase Of the subject
We must cOnol0cr ana tnat ID the natural
cruelty of boys to each other. Boys who
love their pets and are kind to animals
will often exhibit the most astonishing
savaEery to their own kind. All your
efforts at intoxicating kindness in your
son are set at naught by his treatment
from the other boys. and by the neces-
sity for self-defense when set upon BY
them.
"But, Aunt Chatty." Hothers often say
to me, boys are so mean to each other:
I try to teach my son not to hurt tho
others. but he's got to fisht when the big
fellows Jump on him. I can't mako .
coward. Of him!
No more you should. dear mothers.
self-defense II - natural and proper a.
any other virtue. only Be sure that you
make the distinction very clear In your
bows mind between legitimate self
defense and too quick resentment Of In
iuries. And. above all. caution him
sfronRiy against Wanton, unprovoked e.
eression on his own part Do the best
YOU can, day BY day. and wait patisntly
for the time when your earnest. prayer
eul efforts viii Be sure 70 bear fruit
AnswerS 70 Correspondents.
Mrs.. n. J. writes: NY boy has whoop-
in~ coush: there y no installing T. He
has been quite IN With Il But I an not
.ara ahouf NJ NH sister. she has hnd