Part 20 (1/2)

”Not a bit of right,” says the boy

”But then there are sos to be considered,” says the h they do not show that it would be unjust towards his?” asks the boy

Thecandidly admitted whatever there was of truth in the boy's view of the subject, and thus placed herself, as it were, side by side with hi to point out to his observation--not as soonistic to what he has said, but as so which is _also_ to be taken into the account

”In the first place,” continues the mother, ”there would be the body to be disposed of, if you were to shoot hireat difference in such a case in respect to the danger of putting the boy's ainst his mother's presentation of the case, whether she says, ”How shall _we_ e about that?”

”Oh,” replies the boy, ”ould send to where he lives, and let his people come and take him away; or, if he was in a city, ould call in the police”

”That would be a good plan,” says his mother ”We would call in the police, if there were any police at hand But then there would be the blood all over the carpet and the floor”

”There would not be any carpet on the floor in a store-room,” says the boy

”True,” replies the ht there; so that there would not be, after all, any great trouble about the blood But the ht be some time before the police and struggling in dreadful convulsions, which would fix horrid i tio on to explain that, if the man had a wife and children, any one who had killed the husband and father would pity the as he lived, and could never see the pain, and even soh, so far as the ht be that no injustice had been done

After the excitein tothat perhaps he was poor, and his children were suffering for bread, and it was on their account that he was teht in soree palliate the act for which he was slain; or that he had been badly brought up, having never received any proper instruction, but had been trained and taught from his boyhood to pilfer and steal

These and ht be presented to the child, going to show that, whatever the rule of strict justice in respect to the cri-doer merely to prevent the conizes this principle, and does not justify the taking of life except in extreer

A friendly conversation of this kind, carried on, not in a spirit of antagonis information novel to him in respect to considerations which were to be taken into the account in addition to those which he had hireat effect not only inhi a decisive opinion on any subject, we must take care to acquaint ourselves not merely with the most direct and obvious relations of it, but s and results, so that our conclusionupon as ht really to affect it Thus, by avoiding all appearance of antagonism, we secure a ready reception for the truths we offer, and cultivate the reasoning powers at the same time

_General Principles_

The principles, then, which are meant to be illustrated and enforced in this chapter are these:

1 That thethose which are the earliest developed, and they do not attain, in the first years of life, to such a degree of strength orany serious reliance upon thely, not put them to any serious test, or impose any heavy burden upon them; but should rely solely on their own authority, as the expression of their own judgment of the child, in important cases, or in those where its inclinations or its feelings are concerned

3 But they reatly promote the healthy development of these faculties on the part of their children, by bringing to their view the less obvious bearings and relations of various acts and occurrences on which judgs and inclinations are not specially concerned--doing this either in the fore theree of actual power commensurate with it, in cases where it is safe to do so; and,

4 They e of the children's ideas, and accustom them to take wider views of the various subjects which occupy their attention, by discussing with them the principles involved in the several cases; but such discussions entle, and consideratealways upon what the child says in thethe best construction upon it, and ad such additional views as ought also to be taken into account, with moderate earnestness, and in an unobtrusiveshort and easy steps hiress to the still imperfectly developed capabilities of the child

In a word, it is with the unfolding of theas it is with the development of their muscles and the improvement of their bodily powers; and just as the way to teach a child to walk is not to drag hi hurriedly and forcibly by the arm faster than he can hio slowly, acco yourhi him perceive that his own efforts produce appreciable and useful results--so, in cultivating any of their thinking and reasoning powers, we must not put at the outset too heavy a burden upon theently into action, within the liree ofa little aside, as it were, in doing so, and encouraging the it out of their hands and doing it for them

CHAPTER XVIII

WISHES AND REQUESTS

In respect to the course to be pursued in relation to the requests and wishes of children, the following general rules result fro, or, at least, are in perfect accordance with them--namely:

_Absolute Authority in Cases of vital Importance_