Year: 1874

Mark Twain is entitled to the lasting
gratitude of all fathers and mothers,
present and prospective, for the follsw-
ing valuable hints:


Havining reflected deeply for half an
hour upon the subject of domestic dis
cipline, l feel like sparing few sug-
gestions relative to the best method of
bringing up children.


Beng bachelor, without children,
my suggestions are as likely to be dis
interested as if l had never seen q
child.


According to my observation, the
most difficult time to bring up children
is in the morning. You can some-
times, though seldom, bring them up
in the morning by yelling at them, but
the effectiveness of this process dimin-
ishes with its reputation even when
not entirely neutralized by the chill
dren's tricks of stopping their ears
with the bedclothes. The most prompt,
effective and absolutely reliable meth
cd is to bring them up by the hair.
If your children have good healthy
scalp, without any tendency to prema-
with most gratifying efficiency. Try
IL aUOul oIlCC u NCCh anu .you Will
surprised to observe now its influence
will extend through the six days in
terval, inspiring your child with the
liveliest possible interest ia the re-
splendant pageantry Of sunrise.


To bring up darling child by tho
hair requires the exercise of some en-
ergy and tirmness; but no atfectionate
parent will hesitate Mt any little sacri-
! flee of this kind for the welfare of his
offspring.


Nothing can be more fatal to your
discipline than to allow your children
to contradict you. If your happen to
be betrayed into any misstatement or
eXaggeraiion in their presence don't
permit them to correct you, Right OF
wrong, you must obstinately insist Oh
your infallibility, and promptly sup
press every symptom of puerile scepti-
ccism, with force if need be. The mo-
ment you permit them to doubt your
unerring wisdom, you will begin to
forfeit their respect and pander to their
conceit.


There can be no sadder spectacle than
a parent surrounded by olive branches
who think they no more than he does.
| vividly remember how my father
who was one of the most rigid discip-
linarians-quelled the aspiring egotism
that prompted me to correct his care
less remark (when he was reckoning
problem in shillings) that five times
Twelve was sixty-twO and half. 49,"
said he, climbing over his spectacles
and surveying me grimly, "ye think
We know mOre'n yer father, hey?
Come here to me-" His invitation
was too pressing to be declined, and
for few excrutiating moments / re-
posed in bitter humiliation across his
| left knee with my neck in the embrace
of his left arm.


| didn't see him demonstrate his
mathematical accuracy with the palm
of his right hand on the large patch Of
his trowsters, but I felt the old man
was right, and when, after completely
eradicating my faith In the multipli-
cation table he asked me how much
five times twelve was, ! insisted, with
tears in my eyes, that it was sixty-two
and a hall. ''That's right" said he,
"pll learn we to respect your father, If
have to thrash you twelve times
day. Now go'n water them horses,
an' be lively toS~ The old gentleman
didn't permit my respect for him to
wane much until the inflammatory
rheumatism disabled him, and even
then he continued to inspire me with
awe until / was thoroughly convinced
that his disability was permanent.