The Christian education of children: according to the maxims of the Sacred Scripture, and the instructions of the fathers of the church / written and several times printed in French, and now translated into English.

10. Maxims touching the correction of Children.

YOu must let pass no faults with∣out punishment: but you must not equally punish every fault. The blemishes which dust makes upon a garment is cleansed by shaking it off, and not by casting water upon it or by applying fire to it. You are to employ remedies according to the strength and the nature of the con∣stitution and complexion of the disea∣sed person.

As nothing but love ought to move you to punish them, it were to be wished that they could be perswaded that you acted towards them only by that principle, and that you should always appear rather their Mother than their Mistress, according to these pithy words of the Authour of that letter to Celancia.

You ought to be have your self, says that excellent man, towards all them of your house,

and rule them in such sort, as that they may consider you rather as their Mother than as their Mistress; and it must be rather the goodness and the sweetness you testify to them, than your rigour and your severity, which must oblige them to render you all the respect they owe you.

Above all, beware of treating them amiss, when you are in choler; and take heed of entring into passion a∣gainst any one in their presence; to the end they may not lose the natu∣ral fear they have of angring you, and that they may always apprehend the effects of an irritated power, whereof they never have had the ex∣perience.

Because a childe stands in awe of you, do not reprehend him, nor threaten him upon all sorts of occa∣sions, but only in such things as are absolutely vicious, or which conduce to sin. Leave them in great liberty as to things indifferent, and which will pass away as they encrease in

age and in judgement: and remem∣ber that there's nothing more dan∣gerous than to accustome children to chastisement, because thereby one hardens them rather then corrects them.

It were to be wished that children had never heard the mention of blows or of rods; that the sole desire to please you, or the sole dread to anger you, regulated all their motions; and that, following the Counsel of a great Bishop, you could bring them to respect you rather by your sweet∣ness and by your goodness, than by a harsh and severe carriage.

For my part, I conceive that the rigour which the sacred Scripture, in those many passages which I have before-cited, ordains to follow in re∣gard of children, is exercised much more perfectly, and even according to the spirit of God, by the refusal of a kiss or of ordinary cherishings, than by whippings or other bad treat∣ments of the body; and that the

greatest dexterity of Fathers and Mo∣thers consists in rendring their chil∣dren so jealous of the marks of good∣ness they give them, whereby they become much afflicted at the least coldness appearing in their counte∣nance; that they fear nothing more than to be deprived of their presence; and that nothing is to them more sensible, than to see their Father or their Mother prefer the service even of an underling upon occasions when they were disposed themselves to o∣bey them.