The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-06-10
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President Hoover asserted in his
Memorial day speech that the dead
hest human calamity Is fear"
Dr.. George A Dorsey. one Of Amer
icA's leading scientists and behavior
lists, and author Of "Why We Behave
Like Human Beings" declares in q re-
cent article. "You can't do. act. or look
your best II you don't feel right in
side: ana you can't feel right II you're
scared"
These two statements are the sum
and substance Of the e principle III
child training. And yet I receive many
protests from mothers who cannot re-
linquish the old idea Of "sparing the
rod and spelling the child" although
the rod, Of course, may take many
other varieties Of form than the
switch off the birch tree. Punish
ment, scolding, if-you-do.this-youll.
get-that sort of discipline are all rods
off the old tree.
The Penalty of Fear
And as long as they compose about
% per cent Of child training as In
the past, we'll continue to be q race
which succumbs early to nervous dis
orders, dyspepsia" heart trouble, and
other vital physical ailments, due to
emotional unhappiness in childhood,
chiefly fear. that becomes a habit and
continues to ride us like an Old Man
Of the Sea through adolescence and
maturity. This is only a part Of 1t
at that. No man or woman who
hasn't been freed from the soul-de-
stroying element Of fear In youth
ever can be wholly efficient In his
work afterward. He loses not only the
foundation Of health. which means
q good nervous system, but also con-
fidence, and II he has not confidence
In himself in his early years he GER
tainly can never develop 100 per cent
later on.
OF course, children should be con-
trolled! It would be silly to make the
slightest declaration contrary to that.
And punished too when necessary. But
discipline and punishment need not
comprise 30 per cent Of training as
the old method demanded. That's
about all that parents used to think
of. They broke their children's wills
to theirs and their duty vas done!
Scared -to-death. afraid -to-move chill
dren! That's what half Of them were,
and they were called good. Our fin
est parents are the ones who can
control their children without arous-
ing fear: almost without exception,
these never punish at all. They make
friends and confidants Of their ons
and daughters. and a code of honor
takes the place of the fear" subsidy
that used to exist.
why Children Are Bad
When you see a bad" child of six
or over, who will not obey, who knows
no law. no control. and wilfully. even
criminally. does as he pleases. that Is
because nearly everything In his home
life and training has been wrong. Not
always, but usually. I've seen such
children ~transplanted into homes Of
love and trust-who right-about-faced
for the better, almost instantly.
OF course. parents must be a child's
government. They represent city,
state. and country to him, and he
should obey the laws they make. But
II he Is started right, and early
| enough, he will naturally fall into a
reasonable and ready obedience with
out a constant wrangle and warfare.
Laws should be reasonable and en-
forcement governed by circumstances.
Just as q country expects and must
have the cooperation Of It's citizens.
just SO parents should have coopcra-
ton Of children. They won't get hon.
est cooperation by fear.