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distressing it may be, your child is not ac- countable; for carelessness let him be re- proved; for wilful neglect or disobedience let him be whipped. Let your children clearly understand that you punish them not to gratify your own humour, but to per- form a necessary though painful duty to them, and that you chasten them because you love them. Neither promise, nor threaten at random. What you promise, punctually perform; what you threaten rigorously indict. Let not your child say in his heart, 'My father deceives me.’ I know you too well to suppose that you would be guilty of the meanness of a lie in your in- tercourse with your equals, but I fear you have not been accustomed to be so nicely scrupulous in your management of your children; and yet you cannot commit a greater error than to tell them an untruth. If, for your own convenience, you fall in- to a habit of alarming them into obedience by frightful stories or other falsehoods, they will not fail to find out the deceit, and they will learn both to imitate and despise you. All trick and cunning in education is detestable. Children, after the age of in- fancy, become rational creatures. Your two older children are old enough in many in- stances to be governed by reason. Let them learn to respect your judgment, as well as
