In an extreme case, the family may unite in disbelieving the child who lies, not merely disbelieving him, when he is lying, but disbelieving him all the time, no matter what he says.  He must be made to see, and, that without room for any further doubt, that the crooked paths that he loves do not lead to the goal his heart desires, but away from it.  His words, not being true to the facts, have lost their value, and no one around him listens to them.  He is, as it were, rendered speechless, and his favorite means of getting his own way is thus made utterly valueless.  Such a remedy is in truth a terrible one.  While it is being administered, the child suffers to the limit of his endurance; and it is only justified in an extreme case, and after the failure of all gentler means.

JEALOUSY.

[Sidenote:  Justice and Love]

Too often this deadly evil is encouraged in infancy, instead of being promptly uprooted as it ought to be.  It is very amusing, if one does not consider the consequences, to sec a little child slap and push away the father or the older brother, who attempts to kiss the mother; but this is another fault that grows with years, and a fault so deadly that once firmly rooted it can utterly destroy the beauty and happiness of an otherwise lovely nature.  The first step toward overcoming it must be to make the reign of strict justice in the home so obvious as to remove all excuse for the evil.  The second step is to encourage the child’s love for those very persons of whom he is most likely to be jealous.  If he is jealous of the baby, give him special care of the baby.  Jealousy indicates a temperament overbalanced emotionally; therefore, put your force upon the upbuilding of the child’s intellect.  Give him responsibilities, make him think out things for himself.  Call upon him to assist in the family conclaves.  In every way cultivate his power of judgment.  The whole object of the treatment should be to strengthen his intellect and to accustom his emotions to find outlet in wholesome, helpful activity.

One wise mother made it a rule to pet the next to the baby.  The baby, she said, was bound to be petted a good deal because of its helplessness and sweetness, therefore she made a conscious effort to pet the next to the youngest, the one who had just been crowded out of the warm nest of mother’s lap by the advent of the newcomer.  Such a rule would go far to prevent the beginnings of jealousy.

SELFISHNESS.

This is a fault to which strong-willed children are especially liable.  The first exercise of will-power after it has passed the stage of taking possession of the child’s own organism usually brings him into conflict with those about him.  To succeed in getting hold of a thing against the wish of someone else, and to hold on to it when someone else wants it, is to win a victory.  The coveted object becomes