tion to something else, or pretending that it was not his fault 

 that his head was bumped by the " naughty chair" or the " bad 

 table that hit him." Let him rather face his difficulties like a 

 man and help him to conquer of his own strength ; he will learn 

 to take better care also to avoid accidents in future. Equally 

 reprehensible is the inveigling him into doing what we want or 

 going where we wish, by a pretence that he and we, dear friends, 

 are going to do something quite different. I knew a 

 child of three once who said "No" to almost everything, 

 from pure fear of being inveigled, gathered from the sad 

 experience of even his small life. What must be the state of 

 that mind to which, by our acts, we say : I cheat you ; but I 

 hope you will be honest ; and I expect you to put great faith in 

 me ; I wheedle and bribe you in the interests of manliness ; I 

 rule you by fear in the name of love ? Yet it was said by one 

 who was called beloved "perfect love casteth out fear," and 

 surely fear cannot dwell with perfect love. 



A child should be treated with respect. It is manifestly 

 absurd to hope that he should have self-respect if he be con- 

 stantly treated disrespectfully ; moreover, if no disrespect be 

 shown to him it will not occur to him to treat others disrespect- 

 fully. He has consideration for others because no other plan has 

 been shown him. A common infraction of this rule is the mak- 

 ing of personal remarks about children. Why should they be 

 subjected to a rudeness which we should not dare to indulge in 

 with older persons ? Another is the forcing of children to 

 make advances to people they shrink from. A child politely 

 treated will be naturally polite to anyone, but it is as injudicious 

 to try to force him further as it is absurd to expect him to like 

 everyone he meets. Another is the " showing off" of the child 

 as a pretty automatic toy, which can recite poetry, play some 

 simple air, or answer a difficult question. The fond parents 

 are amused, and their friends pretend to be : for the child the 

 result is a cultivation of vanity, self-conceit, and a false idea 

 that what he has done is admirable for its own sake, whereas 

 he will later waken to the sad fact that the applause was a 

 tribute of politeness exacted by his parents. A child is too 

 holy a thing to be made a fool of in this way. 



