Year: 1860




spiritual being, we must remember. The
range of motives which, in the early period
OF its existence, can be brought to bear up
on it is very limited. lis thoughts are few,
and in a small circle. It's interests are few,
and very simple. On the other hand, the
powers of passion and will ara In some re-
spccts tremendous. Where it happens tina.
the child sets itself TO do wrong under all
the winds Of anger and Of passion, the or
dnary motives of restraint snap like threads
You cannot reason with it, nor pursuade it,
Only two courses seem TO be before you
one is to yield yourself; the other is to
bring in animal gain to secure obedience on
the part Of the children.


With some dispositions this resource Of
family goyernmen, need almost meyer be
drawn upon. There is as great variety
of dispositions as of features. Some chill
dren are mild, easy and facile; and when
the parent is cool, mild, and of prudent
judgment, | can conceive of instances
where in the rearing of a child, not sin
gle blow need be struck. Let it be noticed
that the admission here is not that the child
may be well reared without being subdued,
but that child may be subdued without
corporeal pain:


Petty punishments infuse deviltry into
children, They are simply irrita,ions. If
you ever punish child, you should do it on
the philosophical principle-that the pun
ishment fora time should take possession of
every disposition. You punish child TO
counterbalance wrong state of mind as
well as to make an impression on the i'm
agination and the memory. And if it is
worth while to punish a child at all, it is
worth while to do it heartily. Never re-
sort-except where you find that kind of
moral plaster is necessary, 10 promote in
ward inflammation, or to draw it off!-to
those snappings and pinchings and slap
pings and degrading annoyances, which are
v
up against you little tyrannic will that
must be subdued, if by patient reasoning
and pursuasion you cannot subdue it, there
is way which you can do it through the
skin; and when you do it, do it thoroughly,
and be done with it.


have no doubt that in all cases the ne
cessity OF punishment arises as much from
the imperfection of the parent as from the
fault of the child. Were it not for the i'm.
perfections of parents, they would move
springs in the child without Knowing it
which in many eases, would prevent hi.
coming TO such pass as to need furnishing
But when paren. is ignorant, weak-minded
and unapt to teach, low can he govern ex
cept by force As fast as the parent be
comes able to govern by reasoning pursua
sion, the necessity for corporeal punish
ment decreases but it is often the case
that the parent cannot successfully employ
his milder method, and then the element O
force must be applied. This rigorous meth
cd when compared with better, is poor
enough; but when compared with no gov
ernment at all, it is superlative. The very
lowest degree on the scale of real govern
ment is immeasprably above absolute neg
lect


Let me speak, however, of one applica


lion of punishment, with reference to whicl
much judgment is required, and little i
usually employed.


No child should be suddenly struck ant
no child should ever be smitten upon th
J face, upon the head, or upon the ears an,
if was a magistrate / would make it a pen


al offence to indulge in such mode of chas
! tsement. 1t is an outrage to the child, an
5 disgrace to the parent. 1t seems a
5 though the head was made sacred as bein
/ the palace of the immortal soul. This ma
seem a small matter: but that which is ca
{ pable of setting on fire the passions as wit
= the fame of hell, cannot be small.
e And will add that, whether it be fror
i, its superior nervous sensibilites or not,
: blow on the head, at any period Of life, goe
d quicker TO the temper and irritates mor
e than on any other portion of the body,
: is not the right of a family governmen
0 but an outrage and an abomination, TO strik


child anywhere on the head. Providenc
e has made other arrangements for famil
t, government.


n There are abroad two kinds of infictior
/ stripes for enormiiies, and for petty o
5 fences another method which seems to m
d most unwise and pernicious. How man
n parents indulge in swapping the heads
5, their children. How many parents induls
/ in pinching their children's ears. Ha
G many parents indulge in slapping the
/, children's cheeks. There is na child bl
y what feels this TO be ignominiaus. I'll
It pain is only sufficient to excite temper
d And believe that may say that sue
n punishment, if it does not arise from mel
d fretfulness, produces it. The petty suffer-
d resen,s it he redJens in the face his ey
r is downcast and fierce; his heart is full
IT rage.