New-York tribune., 1918-07-13
Training a Child
By Haywood Broun

ro" ho s% e,y.n ss" ssrss % ass' ss the ssa
pectus. Do you know how al
ways to obtain cheerful obedience" 2" it con-
tnued. "To suppress the fighting instinct?
To teach punctuality? Perseverance? Care
fulncss? Honesty? Truthfulness? Cor
rect pronunciation ?"
We pondered. Obviously, our rejoinder
must be: "In reply to questions No. l, 2, 3,
a. S, 6, 7, 8 and the answer is in the mega
tive"
The prospectus said that all this would
be easy if you bought the book
"Instead of q hardship" the ADVERTISE
ment said, "chid training becomes genu-
inc pleasure, the parent shares every con-
tdence, every joy and every sorrow of the
child, and at the same time has its unqual-
flied respect This is situation rarely pos
sble under the old training methods. And
what a source of pride now as we'll as in
after years! To have children whose every
action shows culture and refinement-per-
feet little gentlemen and gentlewomen."
This gave pause After all, we were
not certain that we wanted little gentle
man who washed behind the ears, wore blue
velvet and took his baths with broad "a"
We felt that he might expect too much from
us. 1t might cramp our style to live with
person entirely truthful, punctual, perscver-
ing, honest and careful. Also, we were a
little abashed about sharing condolences.
The privilege of becoming a contidant would
involve a return in kind, and it would not
be a fair swap. 1t seemed to US that the
confessions of the TRUTHFUL honest. careful
and persevering child could never be half
so interesting as our own.
We were also little bit discouraged over
the promise to suppress the fighting in
stlnct We did not feel qualified for the
job of making it up to him by chastisine
the parents Of the various boys along the
block who drubbed him. And yet we were
not entirely dissuaded until we read some
thing of the manner in which the now
method should be applied. 1t was hard to
thrust aside the knowledge of how to keen
the child from crying But, then, the book
said: mo matter whether your child is
still in the cradle or is eighteen years old.
this course will show how to apply the right
methods at once. You merely take up the
particular trait, turn to the proper page
and apply the lessons to the child. You are
told exactly what to do"
1t wasn't that we were afraid that soue.
body else around the house might get hold
a RI %,,rr
we might have faced. But quotation from,
Aoraham Lincoln in the prospectus itsele
brought complete disillusion "All that
am and all that l ever hope to be owe t.,
my mother" That's what Abraham Lincoln
SAID, according to the prospectus It seemed
perhaps, like halving the proper acknowl-
edgments, and yet it lay in the right direc-
ton. But what of the punctual. Dersever;n,
and truthful child brought up under tho
new method? We could see on]v one
acknowledgment open to him. We pictured
MS hrst inaugural address, and seemed to
near MN say "All that am TODAY owe
10 Professor Punkhouser's book on .The
framing of Children If am honest Won
nave only to look page 20 to know Tho
reason. 1t is true that have nersavarod+o
gain this high office, and why should nat
seeing that was Graded in mare 1872,
VI course, ii we had not overlooked the
chAp'ef on proper gratitude he might upon
n'A'urity return the purchase price of Pro-
iessor Pnnkhouser's volume That seemed
almost the most to be expected.
And so we let him cry, and are going on
III the old, careless way, hoping to be able
uhscientlfically enough, to lick workin.
amount OF truth and general virtue into him
at such time as that becomes necessarr
however, VIC did write to the publisher to
ask nm If by any chance he had hal
A'o"s the same lines about Aredale puppies.
Was Mail Lost With the Lincoln,