Year: 1868

day, suddenly refused to say A. All the
other letters he repeated again and again,
unhesitatingly; but A he would not and
| persisted in declaring that he could not
say. He was severely whipped, but still
| persisted. 1t now became a contest OF
wills. He was whipped again and again,
and again. In the intervals between the
whippings the primer was presented to
him, and he was told that he would be
whipped again if he did not mind his
mother and say A. I forget how many
times he was whipped; but it was almost
too many times to be believed. The fight
was terrible one At last, in paroxysm
of his crying under the blows the mother
| thought she heard him sob out "a" and
the victory was considered to be won.


A little boy whom know once had a
similar contest over letter of the alpha
bet but the contest was with himself, and
his mother was the faithful Great Heart
who helped him through. The story is
so remarkable thatI have long wanted all
mothers to know it. 1t is as perfect an
illustration ofwhat mean by educating''
the will as the other one is Of what is
called breaking" it. 4&


Willy was about four years old. He had
a large, active brain, sensitive tempera-
ment, and indomitable spirit. He was and
is an uncommon child. Common methods
Of what is commonly supposed to be
discipline" would, if he had survived
them, have made a very bad boy of him.
| He had great difficulty in pronouncing the
letter Csc much that he had formed al,
most a habit of emitting it. One day his
mother said, not dreaming of any special
contest, "This time you must say G." "It
isan ugly old letter, and amt ever going
to try to say it again" said Willy. repeat
| ing the alphabet very rapidly from begin
ming to end without the G.. Like wise
mother, she did not open at once on a
struggle; but said, pleasantly, "Ah! you
did not get it in that time. Try again go
more slowly, and we will have it." 1t
was all in vain /; and it soon began to look
more like real obstinacy on WHY'S part
than anything she had ever seen in him
She has often told me how she hesitated
before entering on the campaign. "I al
| ways knew" she said "that WHY'S first
real fight with himself would be no matter
of few hours; and it was a particularly
inconvenient time for me, just then, to
| give up day to it. But it seemed, on
the whole, best not to put it Off"
So she said snow, Willy, you can't
get along without the letter G.. The
longer you put off saying it the harder it
will be for you to say it at last; and we
will have it settled now once for all. You
are never going to let a little bit Of q letter
like that be stronger than Willy. We will
not go out of this room till you have said
it," 49, .@
Unfortunately, WHY'S will had already
taken its stand. However, the mother
made no authoritative demand that he
should pronounce the letter as a matter
of obedience to her. Because it was a
thing intrinsically necessary for him to
| do, she would see, at any cost to herself
or to him, that he did it but he must do
| it voluntarily, and she would wait till he
| did, sr a@


| The morning wore on. She busted her
self with other matters, and left Willy to
| himself; now and then asking, with q
smile: Well, isn't my little boy stronger
than that ugly old letter."


Willy was sulky. He understood in that
early stage all that was involved. Dinner
| time came.


"Aren't you going to dinner, mamma ?"
"Oh no dear; not unless you say G.,
SO that you can 60, too. Mamma will stay
| by her little boy until he is out of this
| trouble" ~


The dinner was brought UP, and they
ate it together. She was cheerful and
kind, butso serious that he felt the con-
stant pressure of her pain.


The afternoon dragged slowly on to
night Willy cried now and then, and she
took him in her lap, and said; "Dear,
you will be happy as soon as you say
that letter, and mamma will be happy too,
and we can't either of us be happy until
you do" ~~


"Oh mamma, why don't you make NE
say it?"


lThis he said several times before the
affair was over.)


because, dear, you must make your
self say it. am helping you make your
self say it, for shall not let you go out of
| this room, nor go out myself, till you do
say it; but that is all | shall do to help
you. am listening all the time, and il
you say it in ever so little a whisper,
shall hear you. That is all mamma can
do for you"


Bedtime came. Willy went to bed un-
kissed and sad. The next morning, when
WHY'S mother opened her eyes, she saw
Willy sitting up in his crib, and looking
at her steadfastly. AS soon as he saw that
she was awake, he exclaimed Mamma
|
and you don't love me-" Her heart sank
within her but.she patiently went again
and again over yesterdays ground. Willy
cried He ate very little breakfast. He
stood at the window in listless attitude
of discouraged misery, which she said cut
her to the heart. Once in while he
would ask for some plaything which he did
not usually have. She gave him whatever
he asked for but he could not play. She
kept up an appearance of being busy with
her sewing, but she was far more unhap
py than Willy. -.a'7a


Dinner was brought. to them. Willy
said Mamma, this amt bit good din.
ner."


She replied: " Yes, it is, darling; just
as good as we ever have. 1t is only be
cause we are eating it alone And poor
papa is sad, too, taking his all alone down
stairs"


At this Willy burst out into an hysteri
cal fit of crying and sobbing.


shall never see my papa again in this
world"


Then his mother broke down, too, anG
cried as hard as he did ; but she said; ooh
yes, you will, DEAR / think you will say
that letter before tea-time, and we viii
have nice evening downstairs together


"I can't say it. try all the time, an6
1 can't say it; and, if you keep me here
till die, shan't ever say it."
The second night settled down dark anC
gloomy, and Willy cried himself to sleep


His mother was III from anxiety and con
4 q r y a