[Sidenote: Donald Takes a Hand]
Donald was an obedient child, and closed his book promptly. He also,
with some satisfaction in the duty assigned him, sat himself down on the
rug near his baby sister, and his attitude of watchful waiting might
have struck an observer as purposeful and determined.
Margy held pussy firmly by the loose fur at the back of the neck. She
stroked her until she was fairly quiet again, then quickly gave the long
tail another hard pull.
Quick as thought, Donald reached over and pulled his sister’s hair
vigorously. She howled lustily, and the cat ran away. Donald let her cry
for a little while, then gave her back the recaptured cat and sat again
near her. Before long the pulling occurred again, and again Donald
pulled as lustily at Margy’s curls.
“Do you see what it’s like? Do you like to have your hair pulled? Are
you going to quit it?” he inquired. Margy adored Donald, and it did not
occur to her to resent his means of enforcing his lesson.
“Want the cat back? You can have her if you won’t pull her tail. Will
you let her tail alone?” he asked again. Margy said she would, and
Donald again captured the cat and put it into her arms. This time Margy
did not pull its tail. She stroked it, still holding it tightly by the
fur; but she had learned that pulling a cat’s tail had sad consequences
when Donald was near. She never repeated the act when her brother was
within reach, although she did it when alone or with her mother.
Pulling hair is not a good form of punishment, but Donald’s method was
based on sound principles, of which of course he was utterly
unconscious. A baby should not be asked to make judgments, but he should
be taught that pleasant consequences follow some acts and painful ones
follow others. This is nature’s method of teaching human beings, and no
one can improve on it as a method of last resort for the young human
animal.