When under these circumstances the children come under a new charge, whether permanently or temporarily, the task of re-form in or their characters is more delicate and difficult than where one can begin at the beginning; but the principles are the same, and the success is equally certain.  The difficulty is somewhat increased by the fact that the person thus provisionally in charge has often no natural authority over the child, and the circumstances may moreover be such as to make it necessary to abstain carefully from any measures that would lead to difficulty or collision, to cries, complaints to the mother, or any of those other forms of commotion or annoyance, which ungoverned children know so well how to employ in gaining their ends.  The mother may be one of those weak-minded women who can never see any thing unreasonable in the crying complaints made by their children against other people.  Or she may be sick, and it may be very important to avoid every thing that could agitate or disturb her.

George and Egbert.

This last was the case of George, a young man of seventeen, who came to spend some time at home after an absence of two years in the city.  He found his mother sick, and his little brother, Egbert, utterly insubordinate and unmanageable.

“The first thing I have to do,” said George to himself, when he observed how things were, “is to get command of Egbert;” and as the first lesson which he gave his little brother illustrates well the principle of gentle but efficient punishment, I will give it here.

Egbert was ten years of age.  He was very fond of going a-fishing, but he was not allowed to go alone.  His mother, very weak and vacillating about some things, was extremely decided about this.  So Egbert had learned to submit to this restriction, as he would have done to all others if his mother had been equally decided in respect to all.

The first thing that Egbert thought of the next morning after his brother’s return was that George might go a-fishing with him.

“I don’t know,” replied George, in a hesitating and doubtful tone.  “I don’t know whether it will do for me to go a-fishing with you.  I don’t know whether I can depend upon your always obeying me and doing as I say.”

Egbert made very positive promises, and so it was decided to go.  George took great interest in helping Egbert about his fishing-tackle, and did all in his power in other ways to establish friendly relations with him, and at length they set out.  They walked a little distance down what was in the winter a wood road, and then came to a place where two paths led into a wood.  Either of them led to the river.  But there was a brook to cross, and for one of these paths there was a bridge.  There was none for the other.  George said that they would take the former.  Egbert, however, paid no regard to this direction, but saying simply “No, I’d rather go this way,” walked off in the other path.