Willie 'fraid of dark." On the tenth
night as we entered the room as usual, repeating, "Nice dark, restful
dark; we go to sleep in the dark; we're not afraid of the dark, no,"
his little mind responded. Suggestion had at last routed fear and
given birth to faith. We had won! But it had taken ten nights of
constant work to undo one moment's work of a thoughtless girl. Every
night since he has gone to sleep in the dark without a murmur.

THE FOLLY OF MAKING THREATS

Threats only show weakness on the part of the disciplinarian. Most
school teachers early learn the folly of making threats. When I was
teaching school I recall that a number of slate pencils had been
dropped on the floor one afternoon. Thoughtlessly I threatened, "Now
the next child that drops a pencil will remain after school and
receive punishment!" My fate! The weakest, most delicate girl in the
room was the next to drop her pencil, and she was a pupil with a
perfect record in deportment. The reader can imagine my embarrassment.
I had threatened punishment, and so had to get out of the predicament
as best I could. This experience effectually cured me of making such
foolish threats.

Most of us live to regret the threats we make. "Your father will
thrash you when he comes home tonight," or, "You'd better not let your
father see you doing that," or, "You wouldn't behave that way if your
father was here," etc., are common threats which we hear directed at
headstrong and willful boys. What is the result? Do such threats cause
the love of the child for his father to increase? They make the child
actually afraid of his father.

"I'll 'bust' your brains out," said a four-year-old to his pet lion,
because it wouldn't stand up. Now it should be remembered that these
things do not originate in the minds of the boy and girl. They only
repeat the things they hear others say. It betrays both cowardice and
ignorance to undertake to secure obedience by such threats as "I will
box your ears if you don't mind," etc.

Obedience that is worth anything at all is only secured by suggestion
and love, never by promises of reward or threats of punishment.

CHILDREN WHO ARE CALLED "COWARDS"

Recently we overheard a little fellow say, "Father says I'm the only
coward in the whole family." Looking him straight in the face we said
to him: "You're not a coward. Such a fine boy as you couldn't possibly
be a coward." The boy was greatly amazed, and, as we left him, he was
sa