Cruelty To Children

Too often, from ignorance of signs of approaching disease, a child is punished for what ia called idleneps, listlessness, sulkiness;. and punished, too, in the I wisest way, by an increase of tasks and conflnement to the house, thus overtasking still more a brain already overtasked, and depressing still more, by robbing it of oxygen and exercise, a system already depressed. Are you aware, I ask again, of all this ? I speak earnestly tipon this point, because I speak with experience. As a singlo instance : A medical man, a friend of mine, passing by the schoolroom, heard one of his own little girls screanaing and crying, and went in. The governess, an excellent woman, but wholly ignoraiit of the laws of physiology, complaired that the child had of late become obstinate, and wouldnotlearn; andihat, therefore, she must punish her by keeping her in-doors over the unlearned lessons. The father, who knew that the child was usually a very good one, looked at her carefully for a little while, sent her out of the schoolroom, and then said, " That child must uot open a book for a month." " If I had not acted so," he said to me, "Ishould have had that child dead of brain disease within the year." Now, in tlie face of such facts as these, is it too much to ask of mothers, sisters, aunts, nurses, governesses, alï who may be occupied in the ;reof children, especially girls, that they should study thrif t oí human health and human hfe, by studying somewhat the laws of hfe and healÜi?-