Guest post below by my wonderful sister Gretchen, enjoy :) (Hopefully this will not be the last post on this subject)
Flame of Jah
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First off before I start on this post I will lay down the rules of engagement.
No edged weapons are allowed; blunt weapons are permissible, but it is preferred that you are only armed with pillows.
Now for the post. I don't like the Elsie books. I think they have a lot of serious faults and I don't think any young girl should be reading them. But, that's just my opinion.
In this post I will cover one flaw in the books. Later I will cover some more. So here it comes!
Elsie is Wiser Than her Father.
That may seem a ridiculous accusation for books that are held up as a model of filial devotion, but hear me out.
When she was fifteen or so her uncle Arthur (Who was only a few years older than herself, for those who are unfamiliar with the books) met her when she was riding home. He wanted money from her to pay for his secret gambling debts. She wouldn't give it. He gets angry, swears at her and eventually strikes her horse, frightening it. Elsie decides it is permissible to not tell her father because he would be very angry with Arthur and it wasn't like she had done anything wrong.
A second time Arthur meets her wanting money. This time in his passion at her refusal he goes so far as to strike her. Mr. Travilla comes to her rescue and canes him and she still won't tell her father!
A third time Arthur meets her. She is alone in her room at a friend's house and he comes through the window and confronts her. When she again refuses to give him money he grasps her roughly by the arm. He may have done more, but hears someone coming and leaves. Of course, she doesn't tell her father.
Now, I want to ask, Is that really an example of filial devotion? Or is it a fifteen-year-old girl thinking she knows better than her father? At this point her father has been a Christian for some years, but even if he were not a Christian it still doesn't justify this course of action. God can use unsaved parents to protect you. Elsie obviously thinks that her father would have an inappropriate response, but should she be the judge of that? Is that really honoring her father? Throughout the books you get the impression that Elsie believes her father is much wiser than her, and yet in this situation she obviously does not. I don't think it is a good idea for books to promote children hiding anything from their parents.
I think this situation in the Elsie books stems from the belief that it is wrong to tell on someone. You can tell on yourself, but never on someone else. I don't think that is a good idea; you completely lose accountability in a family if no one can tell on someone if they are doing something bad.
When I was growing up there was telling on someone and then there was tattling. If a sibling was doing something wrong we were supposed to tell on them. But if we were telling on them to get them in trouble we were punished, too. That was considered tattling. Our parents always knew the difference.
What are your thoughts? Do you think Elsie acted properly in this scenario?
Flame of Jah
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Elsie: A Critical Review
First off before I start on this post I will lay down the rules of engagement.
No edged weapons are allowed; blunt weapons are permissible, but it is preferred that you are only armed with pillows.
Now for the post. I don't like the Elsie books. I think they have a lot of serious faults and I don't think any young girl should be reading them. But, that's just my opinion.
In this post I will cover one flaw in the books. Later I will cover some more. So here it comes!
Elsie is Wiser Than her Father.
That may seem a ridiculous accusation for books that are held up as a model of filial devotion, but hear me out.
When she was fifteen or so her uncle Arthur (Who was only a few years older than herself, for those who are unfamiliar with the books) met her when she was riding home. He wanted money from her to pay for his secret gambling debts. She wouldn't give it. He gets angry, swears at her and eventually strikes her horse, frightening it. Elsie decides it is permissible to not tell her father because he would be very angry with Arthur and it wasn't like she had done anything wrong.
A second time Arthur meets her wanting money. This time in his passion at her refusal he goes so far as to strike her. Mr. Travilla comes to her rescue and canes him and she still won't tell her father!
A third time Arthur meets her. She is alone in her room at a friend's house and he comes through the window and confronts her. When she again refuses to give him money he grasps her roughly by the arm. He may have done more, but hears someone coming and leaves. Of course, she doesn't tell her father.
Now, I want to ask, Is that really an example of filial devotion? Or is it a fifteen-year-old girl thinking she knows better than her father? At this point her father has been a Christian for some years, but even if he were not a Christian it still doesn't justify this course of action. God can use unsaved parents to protect you. Elsie obviously thinks that her father would have an inappropriate response, but should she be the judge of that? Is that really honoring her father? Throughout the books you get the impression that Elsie believes her father is much wiser than her, and yet in this situation she obviously does not. I don't think it is a good idea for books to promote children hiding anything from their parents.
I think this situation in the Elsie books stems from the belief that it is wrong to tell on someone. You can tell on yourself, but never on someone else. I don't think that is a good idea; you completely lose accountability in a family if no one can tell on someone if they are doing something bad.
When I was growing up there was telling on someone and then there was tattling. If a sibling was doing something wrong we were supposed to tell on them. But if we were telling on them to get them in trouble we were punished, too. That was considered tattling. Our parents always knew the difference.
What are your thoughts? Do you think Elsie acted properly in this scenario?
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