Year: 1859

.
HER FAMOUS LETTER ON THE GOVERN


MEST OF CHILDREN.


goa Published BY Request .-l


This letter should be printed in large
letters, and hung in the house Of every
Christian Family, aud read daily, until
the important principles it contains are
burned deeply into every parents heart.
The letter is dated Espworth, July, "a,
1882, and was written at the earnest So
licitations of the Reverend John Wesly;


'sDEKR SoN-According to your re-
quest, l have collected the principal
which / have observed in educating nv
family. The children were always put
into a regular method of living; in such
things as they were capable of, from their
birth. When turned a year old, they
were taught to fear the rod and cry soft


y, by which means they escaped much
correction, which they might otherwise
had and that most odious noise, -of the
crying of children, was rarely ever
heard in the house. As soon as they
grew pretty strong, they were confined
to three meals day. As soon as they
could handle knife and fork, they were
set TO our table. They were never suf-
fered to choose their meat. Eating and
drinking betweenmeals was never allow
ed, except in case of sickness, which was
very seldom. They were so constantly
used to eat and drink what was given
to them, that when any one was Ill, there
was no difficulty in making them take the
most unpleasant medicine, for they dare
not refuse It. uuae feaL


In order to form the minds of children
the first thing to be done is to conquer
their lciH. To inform the understanding
is a work of time, and must, with chill
dren, proceed by slow degrees; but the
the will is thing that mustbe
done at once, and the sooner the better;
for by neglecting timely correction, they
will contract a stubborness and obstinacy
which are hardly ever after conquered
In the esteem Of the world +, they pass for
kind and indplgent, whom / call cruel, pa
rents, who permit their children to get
habits which they know must be after
wards broken. When the will Of the
child is subdued and it is brought to revere
and in awe of its parents, then a great
many childish follies and inadvertenCies
may be passed by. But no wilful trans-
gression ought ever to forgiven children,
without chastisement, less or more. /
insist upon conqueriug the will Of chll-
dren beumes, because this Is the only
strong and rational foundation Of re-
ligious education, without which both pre-
precept and example will be Intellectual.
But when this is done, then the child is
capable of being governed by the reason
and piety Of It's parents, TIL Its own ull-
derstanding comes 10 maturity, and the
principles of religion have taken root in
the mind, l cannot dismiss the subject.
As SeIf-lCiH IS the root of all san and mas
erg, so whatever cherishes this IN chill
dren, insures their wretchedness and ir-
religion. Whatever checks and norli-
fes it promotes their future happiness
and piety. This is still more evident
if we further consider that religion is
nothing else than doing the will Of God
and not our own; that the one grand i'm
2ediment to our temporal and eternal
happiness being this self-will, no indul-
gence Of it can be trivial, no denial un-
profitable. Heaven or hell depends on
this alone, so that the parent who studies
to subdue it in his child, works together
with God in the renewing and saving
soul the parent who INDUCES it does
the devils work, and makes religion i'm
practicable, salvation unattainable. and
does all that in him lies to damn his
child, soul and body forever! Our chill
dren were taught the Lords Prayer as
soon as they could speak. They were
early taught to distinguish the Sabbath
from other days, and to be still at family
prayers. They were quickly made to
understand ",hey should have nothing
they cried for"