MUST I?

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIII, Issue IX, 26 August 1899, Page 47

MUST I?

“Tommy. button your eoat before you go out.” "Oh. mother, must I?” "Please. Tommy, shut the floor.” "Need I? Can't somebody else do it?” "Put away your book. Tommy, if you have finished with it." "Oh. why should 1? Must I really, mother—must I—must I?” All this in a tone as if some terrible piece of work is being imposed upon him. and he feels that it is really too hard to bear. Expect him to shut the door when he comes in or goes out — what cruelty! To put away his books and toys —how unreasonable! To run errands for mother —oh. no! “Must I—must 1?" he says, just as if he was the worst treated little boy in the world, and makes such a fuss about doing the smallest thing that it is always far easier to go and shut the doors and put away the toys one's self than make Tommy do it. But that isn’t good for Tommy. He must be made to understand that quick obedience is the best thing in the world, and that if he goes on arguing with those wearying “Must l's?” he will grow up a bother to himself and everybody who is unfortunate enough to know him. Just think what would happen if we all put on faces of woe and despair and said "Must 1?” instead of doing our work in the world? Do you think any of those brave men you read about in story books, and hear tales of in school and at. home and at church, or wherever you go. would have done one brave action if they had got into the habit of saying "Must I?” and waiting to see if someone else would do it first? I don't fancy that they would. Prompt obedience without arguing is the most useful thing we can learn, because if we don't learn how to obey other people now we shall never learn how to obey our best selves in the future, when there is no father or mother or nurse to tell us what to do. "I'll tell you another thing about Tommy. He says that the lesson he hates most is drill. He has an old soldier to drill him at school, and all the boys worth anything like drill time better than any other. Not so Tommy. “la*ft. right! left, right! Right-about turn! Attention!” commands of that kind don’t please him at all. He is wanting all the time to turn round and say. "Must I? Oh. why need I?” instead of obeying orders. And so he never does it well, and I am afraid he does no work well; he can't even play well. People who try to shirk work never enjoy themselves at play as they should. So please get into the way of obeying promptly, just as if you were soldiers learning to drill, and don't say “Must 1?” when you are asked to do something. What is the good of arguing, if the work has to be done? People like Tommy waste all their time over "Need l's?" and "Must l’s?” when they might have done the work and had a good play. And if the something to be done is not very nieee, far better get it over than groan and worry and fuss and bother to know' if you must.