er
whole life in a small Western village, absorbed in petty cares, and
yet who could stand before us[56] with a calm dignity, telling us
searching truths in simple and strong words." The only lecture I heard
my mother deliver was in the church of our village. Her subject was
the rearing of children. A calm light rested on her silver hair and
broad brow; her manner was the earnest manner of a woman who has
looked into the heart of life. Blessed is the daughter to whom it is
given to reverence a mother as I reverenced mine that night. A quiet,
but deep attention was given to her words, for the fathers and mothers
who were listening to her knew that she was speaking on a subject to
which she had given long years of careful thought and faithful
endeavor. It would not be possible in the space allotted me to give a
detailed account of my mother's teachings with regard to the rearing
of children; but I will state a few of the more prominent
theories--theories proved by practice, which I remember.

Self-government was the primary principle, the broad foundation. She
held this qualification to be the only guarantee of success in the
broadest sense of the word, and that to be effectual and never-failing
it must be interwoven into the very fiber of the child. During the
earliest years our mother administered punishment, or rather she
invented some means by which the child should be made to feel the
result of its bad conduct. Injuring another was held to be a cardinal
sin. For this misdeed our hands were tied behind us for an
interminable length of time; for running away we were tied to the
bed-post; for eating at irregular hours we were deprived of dainties
at the next meal, etc. But as soon as we reached the age of reason,
she exerted, not a controlling, but a guiding hand. We were restricted
by few rules, for our mother believed in the largest possible liberty,
and she held that it was better to pass over the smaller shortcomings
unnoticed, than constantly to be finding fault. She maintained that
scolding should be indulged in most sparingly, as much of it was
detrimental both to the temper of the child and the dignity of the
mother. She believed that too little allowance was made for the
heedlessness growing out of pure exuberance of spirits. But when a law
was once established it was unalterable, and no child ever thought of
resisting it. For instance, no one, large or small, was allowed to
exhibit a peevish ill-nature, eithe