The Washington herald., 1918-12-06
REFORMATION OF PARENTS
By DOROTHY DIX
THE WORLDS HIGHEST PAID WOMAN WRITER

Not long ago in discussing the
question of corporal punishment in
schools, the superintendent OF edu-
caton OF an Eastern school declared
IL was the parents of bad children
VINO should be whipped instead of the
childreh themselves, for it was the
parents who were responsible for
sending TO school the unruly and un-
controllable boys and girls, the i'm
possibility of dealing with whom on
any other platform than that of phys
ical fear had brought up again the
proolem Of reinstating the rod in
the school room.
Never was there a truer or a wiser
thing said, and the most crying need
of the day is for some humanitarian
TO start movement for the reform of
parents. They need it more than
any other class of people in the world.
NO other such crime is being COM
mitted as the way in which children
are being reared. and life offers no
other moral phenomenon SO strange
and so inexplicable as the attitude
that Intelligent, refined, upright, no.
BILE people take on this subject
One can easily understand that
criminal parents might raise Up a
brood of young criminals TO prey upon
society, without giving the wrong
they are doing to the community a
single regretful thought. One can
understand how the ignorant. unre-
fined mothers and fathers of the
slums, where a whole family is herd
ed together in one room, might rear
up children who are little savages
with no regard for anybody else's
right, or comfort, or property.
One can understand how hoodlum
mothers and fathers can bring up
hoodlum children with neither man
ners nor courtesy, nor any regard
for the amenities of life.
But when men and women who
are gentlemen and ladies them
selves, who are schooled in all the
graciousness of civilization, permit
their children to faunt the decen-
cies of life in the face and to
ruthlessly trample upon the comfort
and peace OF everybody who is un-
fortunate enough to come within
their range. the matter becomes
one for the investigation of the
alienist. and the interference OF the
police.
So far as the victim OF the mod
ern child can see, when people pass
into the blessed estate of parent
hood a miracle is wrought whereby
they become deaf and blind TO
what their own children do and
dumb so far as correcting them is
concerned.
Every woman who has to ride
in the street cars has daily illus
tratiOp or how willing mothers are
to sacrifice the good clothes Of
other women if it affords their
own children the slightest enjoy
ment. Children with muddy little
shoes are encouraged to kneel on
the seats and wipe their feet on
the froCks of every passcrbY.
Children eating bananas and candy
smear their devastating way as
they 90, and mothers smile serenely
at the wreck they leave behind.
johnny and Susie have a good tim".
AS for the travelling public. mothers
should worry.
That no one has any rights that
parents feel that their children
should respect is too familiar a fact
to argue here. Wha has not agOn-
lied while mothers sat calmly by
and PERMITTED their children TO
SCI dNtil plSNhl'S 'tl NAA'Al iA'EN'''N'
mahrgary table? Who has not seen
mothers give thci rchildren costly
illustrated books belonging to
some one else to play with? Who
has not had children deliberately
take the soup out Of their plates
and pour il on the cloth at. dinner,
with never word Of reproof from
the 'besottcd parents?
~, sc thigS Nnnn nf these
women would have been vandal
enough to destroy your property them
selves but they are mortally offend
ed when yoI rise for the protection
of your household gods and Chattcls
against their children.
People always speak with the loud
nst condemnation of landlords who
refuse to rent their property to ten
ants Who have CHIldren. But H'e Cn2s
who should be indicted at the bar OF
public opinion are not the landlords,
but the parents whose children have
been so badly brought up that they
are a menace to the public welfare
and n danger TO property.
The worst feature OF parental en-
of terrorism. and fright
fitness in children is not the harm
that they do to property, or the
nuisance they are 10 grow n people, |
but it is the injury that IS done the
,hild itself. For it is these children
who are never controlled. who are
never taught to obey. who are never |
.aught to respeCb the old, or regard |
he rights OF others. who grow up
INTO the hoodums that break their |
parents hearts. and bring their gray
hairs down in sorrow to the grave.
We talk lot about environment, and
we have societies for the improve !
nent of the environment OF the poor. !
but we fail to reflect that the en- !
rironmcnt Of millions of children in |