wilfulness.

I recall the case of a father who brought his boy of 16 to see me some
years ago. At that time, the boy represented one of the worst cases of
stammering I ever saw. He could scarcely speak at all. He made awful
contortions of the face and body when attempting to speak. When he
succeeded in uttering sounds, these resembled the deep bark of a dog.
These sounds were totally unintelligible, save upon rare occasions,
when he would be able to speak clearly enough to make himself
understood. I gave the boy the most searching personal diagnosis and
very carefully inspected his condition both mental and physical, after
which I was convinced that he could be cured, with time and persistent
work. The father was given the result of my findings and told of the
boy's condition. He decided to take the boy home, talk the matter over
and place him under my care the next week. Ten days later he wrote me
saying that the boy had secured a job in a garage at $6 a week and
could not think about being cured of stammering at that time.

Two and a half years later--the boy was nearing twenty--I saw him
again, and even after all my experience in meeting stammerers, could
hardly believe that stammering could bring about such a terrible
condition as this boy was in at that time. His mental faculties were
entirely shattered. His concentration was gone. This poor boy was
merely a blubbering, stumbling idiot, a sight to move the stoutest
heart, a living example of the result of carelessness and parental
neglect. Needless to say, I would not consider his treatment in such a
condition. There was no longer any foundation to build on--no longer
the slightest chance for benefiting the boy in the least.

THE WILFULLY DISOBEDIENT CASES: Taking up the fourth class of
incurables, those who refuse to obey instructions--I can only say that
such as these are not deserving of a cure. They are not sincere, they
are not willing to hold themselves to the simplest program no matter
how great might be the resultant good. They spend their own money or
the money of their parents foolishly, get no results and disgust the
instructor who spends his or her efforts in trying to bring about a
cure, against obstacles that no one can overcome, viz.: unwillingness
to do as told. The old saying that "You can lead a horse to water, but
you can't make him drink" applies most forcefully to the case of the
wilfully disobedient stammerer. You can instruct this individu