For children, not far from the gates of birth,
are still strongly the victims of primeval and inherited fears, not
corrected by the habitual current of life. It is not a reason for
depriving children of the joys of the old tales and the exercise of
the faculty of wonder; but the tendency should be very carefully
guarded and watched, because these sudden shocks may make indelible
marks, and leave a little weak spot in the mind which may prove
difficult to heal.
It is not only these spectral terrors against which children have
to be guarded. All severity and sharp indignity of punishment, all
intemperate anger, all roughness of treatment, should be kept in
strict restraint. There are noisy, boisterous, healthy children, of
course, who do not resent or even dread sharp usage. But it is not
always easy to discover the sensitive child, because fear of
displeasure will freeze him into a stupor of apparent dullness and
stubbornness. I am always infuriated by stupid people who regret
the disappearance of sharp, stern, peremptory punishments, and
lament the softness of the rising generation.
Pages:
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51