The child becomes forever alienated, and bears the curse of its
maltreatment upon its character and destiny. "Ye parents, provoke not your
children to anger, lest they should be discouraged."
The following quaint anecdote is a good commentary upon such discipline: A
blacksmith brought up his son, to whom he was very severe, to his own
trade. The urchin was, nevertheless, an audacious dog. One day the old
vulcan was attempting to harden a cold chisel which he had made of foreign
steel, but could not succeed; "horsewhip it, father," exclaimed the youth,
"if that will not harden it, nothing will!"
Nothing justifies such cruel discipline. It results in depravity of life.
The most notorious criminals began their career under the lash of parental
cruelty. If rods and stripes and cries and tears and cruel beating are the
first lessons of life we are to learn, then we shall be educated in as well
as by these. The Europeans surpass all other nations in cruelty to their
offspring. The Arab is tender to his children, and rules them by kindness
and caresses. He restrains them by the corrections of wisely exerted love.
Cruelty does not become the Christian home. It is revolting to see a parent
stand with a rod over his child, to make him read the bible or say his
prayers. You cannot whip religion into a child. This is opposite to
humanity and religion.
Home-discipline from the standpoint of love without law, is the second
false system which we have mentioned, and involves the principle of
parental libertinism.
Pages:
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218