, despite his many years' training in the law, was almost certain to
decide a case in favor of the litigant who made the strongest appeal to
his sympathies. The parent who knows nothing but the persuasive power of
corporal punishment, will have little success in disciplining a child
blessed with unusual fighting spirit, independence, and tenacity, just as
the parent who appeals only to a love of approval will fail in handling a
child who does not care what people think about him.

PERSUASION IN DISCIPLINE OF CHILDREN

We once knew a woman who lived near us who had two little boys. One of
them was sensitive, timid, affectionate, and idealistic. Being a healthy,
active boy, there was a great deal of mischief in him, and in her attempts
to discipline him the mother scolded, berated, and often cuffed and
slapped him, occasionally administering a whipping. It was plain that the
scoldings and whippings only made the boy more shy, more self-conscious,
and less confident of himself, which, in one sense, was the worst thing
that could have happened to him. The qualities he most needed were courage
and self-confidence. With his ideals, his responsiveness, and his
affection, he could have been handled easily and would have developed a
splendid intellect and a fine character normally and healthfully.

The other boy, although somewhat younger, was more than a match for his
older brother. He was practical, matter-of-fact, shrewd, courageous, too
self-confident if anything, always ready for a fight, aggressive and
wilful. The mother did not scold or whip this boy for the simple reason
that she could not. He was too active and too willing to fight. Being thus
deprived of the only means of discipline which seemed to her to be
effective, she permitted the boy principally to have his own way, her only
appeals being to his reason. Unfortunately, this is the very type of boy
who will not listen to reason. In this case, as in the first, she would
have been successful if she had appealed to the boy's affections, for he
had a very strong love nature and would have responded instantly.

It is plain enough to any thoughtful mind that it is not safe to judge of
other people's motives by their conversation. "Language," said Talleyrand,
"was invented for the purpose of concealing thought." Many people conceal
their real motives under a very alluring curtain of language. It seems to
be the most natural thing in the world for the thief and swindler