a treatise on parents and children(父母与子女专题研究)-第19章
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maintaining order than those they had always seen practised and approved
of。 From children and animals it extended to slaves and criminals。 In
the days of Moses it was limited to 39 lashes。 In the early nineteenth
century it had become an open madness： soldiers were sentenced to a
thousand lashes for trifling offences； with the result （among others less
mentionable） that the Iron Duke of Wellington complained that it was
impossible to get an order obeyed in the British army except in two or
three crack regiments。 Such frantic excesses of this disgusting neurosis
provoked a reaction against it； but the clamor for it by depraved persons
never ceased； and was tolerated by a nation trained to it from childhood in
the schools until last year （1913）； when in what must be described as a
paroxysm of sexual excitement provoked by the agitation concerning the
White Slave Traffic （the purely commercial nature of which I was
prevented from exposing on the stage by the Censorship twenty years ago）
the Government yielded to an outcry for flagellation led by the Archbishop
of Canterbury； and passed an Act under which a judge can sentence a man
to be flogged to the utmost extremity with any instrument usable for such
a purpose that he cares to prescribe。 Such an Act is not a legislative
phenomenon but a psychopathic one。 Its effect on the White Slave
Traffic was； of course； to distract public attention from its real cause and
from the people who really profit by it to imaginary 〃foreign scoundrels；〃
and to secure a monopoly of its organization for women。
And all this evil is made possible by the schoolmaster with his cane
and birch； by the parents getting rid as best they can of the nuisance of
children making noise and mischief in the house； and by the denial to
children of the elementary rights of human beings。
The first man who enslaved and 〃broke in〃 an animal with a whip
would have invented the explosion engine instead could he have foreseen
the curse he was laying on his race。 For men and women learnt thereby
to enslave and break in their children by the same means。 These children；
grown up； knew no other methods of training。 Finally the evil that was
done for gain by the greedy was refined on and done for pleasure by the
lustful。 Flogging has become a pleasure purchasable in our streets； and
inhibition a grown…up habit that children play at。 〃Go and see what baby is
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A TREATISE ON PARENTS AND CHILDREN
doing； and tell him he mustnt〃 is the last word of the nursery； and the
grimmest aspect of it is that it was first formulated by a comic paper as a
capital joke。
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A TREATISE ON PARENTS AND CHILDREN
Technical Instruction
Technical instruction tempts to violence （as a short cut） more than
liberal education。 The sailor in Mr Rudyard Kipling's Captains
Courageous； teaching the boy the names of the ship's tackle with a rope's
end； does not disgust us as our schoolmasters do； especially as the boy was
a spoiled boy。 But an unspoiled boy would not have needed that drastic
medicine。 Technical training may be as tedious as learning to skate or to
play the piano or violin； but it is the price one must pay to achieve certain
desirable results or necessary ends。 It is a monstrous thing to force a child
to learn Latin or Greek or mathematics on the ground that they are an
indispensable gymnastic for the mental powers。 It would be monstrous
even if it were true； for there is no labor that might not be imposed on a
child or an adult on the same pretext； but as a glance at the average
products of our public school and university education shews that it is not
true； it need not trouble us。 But it is a fact that ignorance of Latin and
Greek and mathematics closes certain careers to men （I do not mean
artificial； unnecessary； noxious careers like those of the commercial
schoolmaster）。 Languages； even dead ones； have their uses； and； as it
seems to many of us； mathematics have their uses。 They will always be
learned by people who want to learn them； and people will always want to
learn them as long as they are of any importance in life： indeed the want
will survive their importance： superstition is nowhere stronger than in
the field of obsolete acquirements。 And they will never be learnt
fruitfully by people who do not want to learn them either for their own
sake or for use in necessary work。 There is no harder schoolmaster than
experience； and yet experience fails to teach where there is no desire to
learn。
Still； one must not begin to apply this generalization too early。 And
this brings me to an important factor in the case： the factor of evolution。
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A TREATISE ON PARENTS AND CHILDREN
Docility and Dependence
If anyone； impressed by my view that the rights of a child are precisely
those of an adult； proceeds to treat a child as if it were an adult； he （or she）
will find that though the plan will work much better at some points than
the usual plan； at others it will not work at all； and this discovery may
provoke him to turn back from the whole conception of children's rights
with a jest at the expense of bachelors' and old maids' children。 In
dealing with children what is needed is not logic but sense。 There is no
logical reason why young persons should be allowed greater control of
their property the day after they are twenty…one than the day before it。
There is no logical reason why I； who strongly object to an adult standing
over a boy of ten with a Latin grammar； and saying； 〃you must learn this；
whether you want to or not；〃 should nevertheless be quite prepared to
stand over a boy of five with the multiplication table or a copy book or a
code of elementary good manners； and practice on his docility to make
him learn them。 And there is no logical reason why I should do for a
child a great many little offices； some of them troublesome and
disagreeable； which I should not do for a boy twice its age； or support a
boy or girl when I would unhesitatingly throw an adult on his own
resources。 But there are practical reasons； and sensible reasons； and
affectionate reasons for all these illogicalities。 Children do not want to be
treated altogether as adults： such treatment terrifies them and over…
burdens them with responsibility。 In truth； very few adults care to be called
on for independence and originality： they also are bewildered and
terrified in the absence of precedents and precepts and commandments；
but mo
