To which every one would say "Amen," if they could believe Mrs. Pipchin's statement to be actually true.
Mrs. Pipchin combined in her "system" many of the evils of child training.
She was not good-looking, and those who train children should be decidedly good-looking. They need not be handsome; they ought to be winsome. Her "mottled face like bad marble, and hard grey eye" meant danger to childhood.
She was gloomy in appearance, in manner, and in dress, all disqualifications for any position connected with child development.
She was "a bitter old lady," and children should be surrounded with an atmosphere of sweetness and joyousness.
Her one diabolical rule was "to give children everything they didn't like and nothing they did like." This rule is the logical limit of the doctrine of child depravity.
She was generally spoken of as a "great manager," simply because she compelled children to do her bidding by fear of punishment in the "dungeon," or of being sent to bed, or robbed of their meals, or by some other mean form of contemptible coercion. These processes were praised as excellent till Dickens destroyed their respectability. His title "child-queller" is admirable, and full of philosophy. Many a man has been able to form a truer conception regarding child freedom through the influence of the word "child-queller." Every teacher should ask himself every day, "Am I a child-queller?" It will be a blessed thing for the children when there shall be no more Pipchinny teachers.
The environment of the ogress was not attractive. The gardens grew only marigolds, snails were on the doors, and bad odours in the house. "In the winter time the air couldn't be got out of the castle, and in the summer time it couldn't be got in." Dickens knew that the environment of children has a direct influence on their characters, and that ventilation is essential to good health. These lessons were needed fifty years ago.
Mrs. Pipchin made children dishonest by putting on collars for parade.
"The farinaceous and vegetable" diet, the "regaled with rice" criticisms show that Dickens anticipated by half a century the present interest in the study of nutrition as one of the most important educational subjects.