great focial virtue taken notice of, and rectified and that in things of the leaft weight and moment, both to inftruct their ignorance, and prevent ill habits; which from fmall beginnings in pins and cherry-ftones, will, if let alone, grow up to higher frauds, and be in danger to end at laft in down-right hardened dishonesty. The first tendency to a ny injuftice that appears must be fuppreffed with a fhew of wonder and abhorrence in the parents and governors. But because chil dren cannot well comprehend what injuftice is, till they understand property, and how particular perfons come by it, the fafeft way to fecure honefty is to lay the foundations of it early in liberality, and an eafinefs to part with to others whatever they have or like themfelves. This may be taught them early, before they have language and understanding enough to form diftinct notions of property, and to know what is theirs by a peculiar right, exclufive of others. And fince children feldom have any thing but by gift, and that for the most part from their parents, they may be at first taught not to take or keep any thing but what is given them by those whom they take to have power over it. And as their capacities enlarge, other rules and cafes of juftice, and rights concerning Meum and Tuum, may be propofed and inculcated. If any act of injuftice in them appears to pro

ceed

ceed, not from miftake, but a perverfenefs in their wills, when a gentle rebuke and shame will not reform this irregular and covetous inclination, rougher remedies must be applied : and 'tis but for the father or tutor to take and keep from them fomething that they value and think their own, or order fomebody elfe to do it; and by such instances, make them fenfible what little advantage they are like to make by poffeffing themselves unjuftly of what is another's, whilst there are in the world ftronger and more men than they. But if an ingenuous deteftation of this fhameful vice be but carefully and early inftilled into them, as I think it may, that is the true and genuine method to obviate this crime, and will be a better guard against dishonesty than any confiderations drawn from intereft; habits working more conftantly, and with greater facility, than reafon, which when we have moft need of it, is feldom fairly confult ed, and more rarely obeyed.

§ 111. Crying is a fault that Crying. fhould not be tolerated in children; not only for the unpleasant and unbecoming noife it fills the house with, but for more confiderable reasons, in reference to the children themselves; which is to be our aim in education.

Their crying is of two forts; either flub

born,

born, and domineering, or querulous and whining.

1. Their crying is very often a ftriving for maftery, and an open declaration of their infolence or obftinacy; when they have not the power to obtain their defires, they will, by their clamour and fobbing, maintain their ti tle and right to it. This is an avowed continuing their claim, and a fort of remonftrance against the oppreffion and injustice of thofe who deny them what they have a mind

to.

S 112. 2. Sometimes their crying is the effect of pain, or true forrow, and a bemoaning themselves under it.

These two, if carefully obferved, may, by the mien, looks, actions, and particularly, by the tone of their crying, be easily diftinguished; but neither of them must be suffered, much lefs encouraged.

1. The obftinate, or ftomachful crying, should by no means be permitted, because it is but another way of flattering their defires, and encouraging thofe paffions which 'tis our main business to subdue: and if it be, as often it is, upon the receiving any correction, it quite defeats all the good effects of it; for any chaftifement which leaves them in this declared oppofition, only ferves to make them worse. The reftraints and punishments laid on chil: dren are all mifapplied and loft, as far as they

.

do

do not prevail over their wills, teach them to fubmit their paffions, and make their minds fupple and pliant to what their parent's reafon advises them now, and fo prepare them to cbey what their own reason fhall advise hereafter. But if in any thing wherein they are croffed, they may be fuffered to go away crying, they confirm themselves in their defires, and cherish the ill humour, with a declaration of their right, and a refolution to fatisfy their inclinations the firft opportunity. This therefore is another argument against the frequent ufe of blows: for, whenever you come to that extremity, 'tis not enough to whip or beat them, you must do it till you find you have fubdued their minds, till with fubmiffion and patience they yield to the cor rection; which you shall best discover by their crying, and their ceafing from it upon your bidding. Without this, the beating of children is but a paffionate tyranny over them; and it is mere cruelty, and not correction, to put their bodies in pain, without doing their minds any good. As this gives us a reafon why children should seldom be corrected; fo it alfo prevents their being fo. For if when. ever they are chaflifed, it were done thus with out paffion, foberly, and yet effectually too, laying on the blows and smart not furiously, and all at once, but flowly, with reafoning be tween, and with obfervation how it wrought, ftopping

ftopping when it had made them pliant, penitent and yielding; they would seldom need the like punishment again, being made careful to avoid the fault that deferved it. Befides, by this means, as the punishment would not be loft for being too little, and not effectual; fo it would be kept from being too much, if we gave off as foon as we perceived that it reached the mind, and that was bettered. For fince the chiding or beating of children fhould be always the leaft that poffibly may be, that which is laid on in the heat of anger feldom obferves the meafure, but is commonly more than it should be, though it prove less than enough.

§ 113. 2. Many children are apt to cry, upon any little pain they fuffer, and the leaft harm that befals them, puts them into complaints and bawling. This few children avoid: For it being the first and natural way to declare their fufferings or wants, before they can fpeak, the compaffion that is thought due to that tender age foolishly encourages, and continues it in them long after they can speak. 'Tis the duty, I confefs, of those about children, to compaffionate them, whenever they fuffer any hurt; but not to fhew it in pitying them. Help and eafe them the best you can, but by no means bemoan them. This foftens their minds, and makes them yield to the little harms, that happen to them; whereby they