"The case is not supposable," said Laura, who could not be serious half an hour at a time.
"Don't, please, make a jest out of everything," said Belle; "I have got mamma agoing and I want to hear her talk."
"Then let me call Hatty if we are to have a treatise on education," said Laura, who rushed off and brought back her young sister-in-law with great zeal.
"Go on, mamma," said Belle. "We are talking about the way to deal with such little folks as yours, Hatty."
"I was saying," Mrs. Grey went on, "that my little child disobeys me; I may refuse to punish it under the delusion that I love it too well, or I may rudely shake or strike it. Both acts would proceed from selfishness and want of self-discipline. A hasty shake or a hasty blow, means anger, and does not mean love. It means something un-Christ-like, and is, therefore, unholy. Now, there is yet a third course before me. I may refuse to act from impulse, and resolve to act from the principle of love to the child, not its mere emotion."
"The principle of love?" Hatty repeated, in a low voice to herself.
"Yes, my dear. Love, as a principle, can make God its supreme object, while the emotion is, or appears to be, wanting; and this is true of all our earthly relations. Now I love my child better than I do myself, and I am going to hurt myself for its sake. It must learn obedience for its own sake. Therefore, whenever it opposes its will to mine, some penalty shall invariably follow."
"What, for instance?" asked Hatty, eagerly.
"Oh, there can be no one rule. The gentler the punishment the better, if the object desired is gained. We are dealing now with a child under two years of age. The tender little creature will not need the thunder of the law. Put it in a corner; seat it in a chair apart from the rest; it may be safe to shut it up in a closet, but it may not be; it depends on whether it is of a timid or a courageous character. The point is to make it aware that it is under law. With some natures this is easily taught."