604 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



reason find out how often they are baffled, and the child comes 

 off victorious even when the parents are wholly in the right. 



There is one other method of training in obedience, namely, 

 the method of giving very few commands, and practically none 

 which are as unalterable as the laws of theMedes and Persians. 

 Of course, it is impossible and undesirable for any child to be 

 brought up without daily and hourly commands of "do this" 

 and "don't do that." But these commands and requests may 

 usually be of passing interest only and may not be allowed to 

 become "test situations." 



I know a little boy whose father said to him, "Johnnie, put 

 away your book now, it is bedtime." The childish act is often 

 inexplicable — and Johnnie threw his book to the floor in perfect 

 good humor, saying "I won't put away. my book." He was 

 not a bad boy, he was on the whole of the docile type. So 

 his father paid little attention, saying, however, "Yes, put it 

 away now." But John wouldn't. He sat. He grew stubborn. 

 He was willing to go to bed or do anything else — but he wouldn't 

 pick up the book. He did not cry — he did not laugh. Being 

 only four years old, and docile, the situation was unheard of. 

 The other children went to bed. The mother reasoned, plead, 

 loved him, promised rewards. The father joked, commanded, 

 threatened finally; Johnnie did not and would not pick up the 

 book. 



After two hours he was put to bed and the book left where 

 it was. Less wise parents would have left the book on the 

 floor and in the morning the battle would have been resumed. 

 But these parents gave up. They realized that their docile 

 son had a will of his own which they must respect. 



These sudden, intense, disciplinary situations appear to 

 be more frequent when children are tired or ill. Rarely, in- 

 deed, have my children had serious difficulties before five o'clock 

 at night. But several serious battles were fought about bed- 

 time before I realized that it must be only the children's fatigue 

 and my own which was responsible. Since then I've been able 

 to let morals go after six o'clock, and we've all been better and 

 happier for it. 



And so far I have never punished the children when they 

 are sick, but have begun already to explain matters to them. I 

 say, "Mother knows you don't -feel very well, and the germs in 

 you make you want to be cross and to stamp your foot and to say 

 "I won't." So I'm not going to pay any attention to the germs, 



