Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-10-07
From 1be BALANCE.
ON EDUCATION.
No. XIII.

eitaoilh equality at Athens, ne replied,
" Flrt make trial OF IN your own family
Every family is little commonwealth, or
a government in minialure and every
head of a family is ruler, in whom IS
yeaed, 70 a certain extent, legislative,
judicial and executive authority. This
important and venerable fation requires
prudence, benevolence and happy mixture
OF moderation and irmneis. The two
extremes of boundlefs indulgence and ~
rannical {everisy are equally pernicious to
the intereAs of children.
The child that is always INDUCED Is 10
the way 10 be fpoiled. An sneryated tate
of mind, together with reitleis d'ipoiitlons
an, diio5derly habits are commonly the
effects of roo great degree OF parental
INDULGENCE. Efop's fable CT the monkey,
thar IN the warnings of her mosherly tond-
NETS. iaueezed her young one to death,
sptly denotes the blind affection OF thoie
parents who lay no rearaint upon their
eh!drcn, bat devote ,hemielves to the
.eratificasion of all their abfurd whims an,
,neryerfe huynouls. Such parents, while.
they make themfelves the ilayes OF thoie
whom they ought TO govern, commonly
reap the bitter fruits OF their mligriaea
soadne(s, in the undutiful behaviour OF their
Clipping towards them; which often IN
creates With the increafe of age. Charac-
ters of difingulihed piety and worth have
fome,imes been marked with this tolole.
Two very remarkable and melancholy
in}auccs are given in facred hiitory.
II is there a,teited by the reproving
voice Of Heaven concerning Eli, that " his
foas made the.ntelyes vile, and ne refrain
Cd ,hem nos.'' His extreme indulgence
towards them feems TO have been the fatal
cau!e Of shat horrid proaigacy which niu-
cd in their utter deArLttion; and this
tfands on record as folemn waning to
all who fufam the parental relation. he
fcnior part of the saniiy Of David iesms
alfo to have been ruined BY the extreme
indulgence OF father, Whole talents, IN
4one refpects, were incomparaoie; VINO
polefIed, in foperIativc degree, the h"er
feelings of the human heart; and yet,
under peculiar temptations, fell INTO crimes
of the blacket hue, which were iucceeded
by the lowel prottrations OF ilncere re-
pen,ance, the exerciies whereof he exprei,
ed in language the moe patheucal, the
mott humble and contrite, that, perhaps,
ever flowed from the lirs or the pen OF
man. The conduct of Ammon, Abfolem
and Adoniiah evinced the mott fhocking
depravity; and the lacred penman remark
ed concerning the latter lthc other mott
likely experienced firnllar indulgence
that /" his father had not Duplicated him
at any time,' in iayirg, why halt thou done
fo?" To this unlimited indulgence OF
their childhood and early youth may be
fairly traced The rebellious diipohtions and
atrrocious conduit of thofe young men ;
which overwhelmed their father ndloods
of anguifh, and I" brought down his grey
heirs with iorrow TO the grave
~
the oppoite extreme. An UNREASONABLE
rigour, in parental government, has
tendency TO benuInb the faculties OF tome
children, while it aimulaees others to
plunge with greedinefs into fcenes of diff
patton. as ioon as they set free t'om the
lomeGic yoke.
SeUerus was a clergyman of respectable
talents and irreproachabie morals. An
enemy to vice, and fearing shat ms Chill
dren nigh, be infe6tei with the pollu'ions
ola licentions age, he kept them, as much
as pofible, from joining their equals even
in the innocent amulenenss OF youth. In
the mean while, his manners towards them
were auGere aud torbldding, lniomuch
that they were ready 10 trenb'e at his
prerence. It-has been frequently remark |
ed, thar, whenever Severus entered
i. l. T. Sk.