SIN AND FOLLY OF SCOLDING.
1. It is a sin against God. It is evil and only evil, and that continually. David understood both human nature and the Law of God. He says, "Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil." That is, never fret nor scold, for it is always a sin. If you cannot speak without fretting or scolding, keep silence. 2. It destroys affection. No one ever did, ever can, or ever will, love an habitual fretter, fault-finder, or scolder. Husbands, wives, children, relatives or domestics, have no affection for peevish, fretful fault-finders. Few tears are shed over the graves of such. Persons of high moral principle may tolerate them, may bear them. But they cannot love them more than the sting of nettles, or the noise of mosquitoes. Many a man has been driven to the tavern and to dissipation, by a peevish, fretful wife. Many a wife has been made miserable by a peevish, fretful husband. 3. It is the bane of domestic happiness. A fretful, peevish, complaining fault-finder in a family is like the continual chafing of an inflamed sore. Woe to the man, woman or child, who is exposed to the influence of such a temper in another. Nine tenths of all domestic trials and unhappiness, spring from this source. Mrs. A. is of this temperament. She wonders her husband is not more fond of her company. That her children give her so much trouble. That domestics do not like to work for her. That she cannot secure the good will of young people. The truth is, that she is peevish and fretful. Children fear her, and do not love her. She never gained the affections of a young person, nor never will till she leaves off fretting. 4. It defeats the end of family government. Good family government is the blending of fear and love. Indeed it is the great secret of managing young people. Now your fretters may inspire fear, but they always make two faults where they correct one. Scolding at a child, fretting at a child, treating a child as though it had no feelings, inspires dread and dislike; and fosters those very dispositions from which many of the faults of childhood proceed. Mr. G. and Mrs. F. are of this class. Their children are made to mind, but how? Mrs. F. frets and scolds her children. She is severe enough upon their faults. She seems to watch them in order to find fault. She sneers at them. Treats them as though they had no feelings. She seldom gives them a command without a threat and a long running, fault-finding commentary. When she chides, it is not done in a dignified manner. She raises her voice, puts on a cross look, threatens, strikes them, pinches their ears, snaps their head, &c. The children cry out, pout, sulk; and poor Mrs. F. has to do her work over pretty often. Then she will find fault with her husband because he does not fall in with her ways, or chime with her as chorus. 5. Fretting and scolding make hypocrites. As a fretter never receives confidence and affection, so no one likes to tell them anything disagreeable, and thus procure for themselves a fretting. Now, children conceal as much as they can from such persons. They cannot make up their minds to be frank and open-hearted. So husbands conceal from their wives, and wives from their husbands. For a man may brave a lion, but he likes not to come in contact with nettles and mosquitoes. 6. It destroys one's peace of mind. The more one frets, the more he may. A fretter will always have enough to fret at, especially if he or she has the hump of order and neatness largely developed. Something will always be out of place. There will always be some dirt somewhere. Others will not eat right, look right, talk right. And fretters are generally so selfish as to have no regard for any one's comfort but their own. 7. It is a mark of a vulgar disposition. Some persons have so much gall in their dispositions, are so selfish that they have no regard to the feelings of others. All things must be done to please them. They make their husbands, wives, children, domestics, the conductors by which their spleen and ill nature are discharged. Woe to the children who are exposed to their influences. It makes them callous and unfeeling, and when they grow up, they pursue the same course with their own children, or those entrusted to their management; and thus the race of fretters is perpetuated. Any person who is in the habit of fretting or sneering, taunting their husbands, wives, children, or domestics, shows either a bad disposition or else ill breeding. For it is generally your ignorant, low bred people that are guilty of such things.—Sel.