The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-11-05

reasonable, and to the point, but 1t
seems to me that the most important
factor is not consulted at all-that is,
the child. There is just as much diff
ference between some folks as others,
and l find that while one child will take
a punishment many are only rendered
more obstinate. more irritable. and even
more disobedient by being punished
"Of course where tie child has had
its own way from the first and come to
school age without training there is g.
hard case, especially IL the child has a
stubborn nature to begin with. Yet II
animals can be trained without punish
ment. why cannot children? Mothers
should study themselves and their hus-
bands and then their children and see
what traits are reproduced in the little
ones and find out how to correct them.
I'm the case OF small children. II
they are busy they are happy and gem
orally too much engrossed to be in mis-
chief, but the older ones are those who
usually get the spanking. Usually the
more stubborn the nature of the child
the brighter it's prospects will be for
success in life, and such child should
have the appeal made through the
mental rather than the physical. 1t is
for the mother to find out where and
how this appeal should be made.
Eel p"
This is only brief extract from a
long letter. AS rule. the advice given
is excellent, but it amused me little
to find that the writer. while an oppo-
nent of spanking. seriously advises
burning a child's finger on the hot stove
in order to teach him what fire means
and the danger of playing with 1t. She
goes on to say:
If every mother could realize that 1t
might be the means of saving her little
ones life she would burn it at once,
just trifie-it must be only slight
touch and not enough to blister. An
ounce of prevention in such q case is
worth thousand pounds of cure
True, and have known instances in
which sue a measure seemed the only
way to instill a dread of fire, but it can
hardly be called more humanitarian
than spanking as a penalty for rum
ming into other sorts of dangers that
are no less of a menace.
Another writer has this to say
at is hard to believe that the writer
of that letter on spanking can he in
earnest. How can she advocate a sys-
tenn which proved such a failure in her
own case? 1t seems that although she
was spanked soundly and egularly
every time she was naughty, she was
not cured of her naughtiness until she
was ~ years old. and that could hardly
have been a radical cure. 1t Is not likely
that the disposition to We impairment
and saucy was rooted out at 1nce.
Then the story Of the boarding school
is worse yet. If 1t was necessary to as
semble class of about a dozen girls
from to II years of age every week
to receive their chastisement in the
presence of each other. that proves the
inefficacy the system. according to
my way Of thinking. Can any one pre-
tend to think that such school was
well governed?
q Naughtiness is disease common
among children. 1t may be caused by
bad feeling, lack of sleep, lack of work
or play, or any number of local causes
Probably the greatest cause of all is not
being born right. The remedy should
be to remove the cause. If possible, and
resort to harsh measures only when all
others fail. B."
l wish 1 could print more of this long
and interesting letter, especially the