Piney Woods planter. (Liberty, Mi. [i.e. Miss.]) 1838-1840, 1839-08-10


over love of parents for their children
Before they will be willing for their chill
drcn to submit TO the restraints of the
school room, which are actually necessa-
ry in the acquisition of knowledge, they
will yield their entreates to remain at
home, only for one day. The child thinks
this ono great cictory gained over his tea
cher, and more especially when he finds
he can so easily enlist the susceptible
feelings Of his parents in his cause. One
whm humored creates pretexts for ano-
Their, which, being humored likewise, sell
dom fails of making that child a naughty,
idle, impuden fellow. His character is
now being formed. Prejudices are taking
possession of his mind. The fact is, he
has already become n sort of childish
man; his parents recognise him as being
capable ofjudging, choosing and doing for
himself, and whose business is it what he
does? whether he goes to school or not,
whether he plays or works? Docs it re-
qure any gift of prophecy to foretell the
part that that boy is to act in life? Veri
ly, the laws which are made to restrain the
vicious and punish the guilty, are made
for him. This boy will not disappont the
expectations Of the close observers of hui
man nature. Ills over-fond parents have
taken tie proper course TO initiate him in
the practices Of the drunkard, the gambler
and the thief, by encouraging him in his
habits of idleness VIXEN he should have
been at school reciting his lessons and
listening to the admonitory advice of his
teacher
We sec, in this world, the young, who
are the pride Of the fond and tender moth
err, and the hope of tho boating father
We see, too, those who have passed the
years ofinconsiderate youth. and have en-
tered upon the busy scenes of life's way
ward current We see, also, the aged,
whose youthful days have long since been
buried in the waters Of oblivion's time, and
who have become wise from experience.
And VIC are ready to exclaim, what is hui
man life? Will you tell it, aged fathers
and mothers, to the youth of our country,
that they may guard against the thousands
of troubles and dangess that lie thick along
the walks Of life? To-day we are here
tomorrow we are gone. And yet, man
is the same Needless compound of mind
and matter. Whilst every thing around
him is undergoing the sad consequences
ofchange and alteration, his nature is the
same that it was when he was placed in
the garden Of Eden, and enjoyed the spe-
cial guardianship of God, and the society
ofangels.
OF all erected beings, man is the most
ignorant IIe is not like other animals,
endowed by nature, with instructive know
ledge Of the dangers that surround him.
Yet he bears the image of his God, and is
the noblest workmanship Of creation, and
consequently is the proper study of man.
kind If, therefore, we would study man,
we must study him in his infancy. He
then possesses the real nature Of his spe-
cics in its purity, uncorrupted and uncon-
tamnated by the diversity of circumstan-
cos which slrround him in the progress Of
life, and which work as many different
changes in his character as the circum-
stances themselves differ Could the full
force of the truth of this remark be deep
" impressed upon the parents mind, and
duly appreciated as an important item in
the catalogue of means to improve our
condition, we should not see the heart
rendng scenes, SO often witnessed, Of pa
rents going mourning to the grave in con-
sequence of the disgrace and degradation
of beloved son, or the disobedience ofan
untoward daughter. When our life begins,
our education begins, and it is continued
through the period allotted us to remain
upon earth. Every day presents US with
new incidents and new subjects for the
action Of our minds. The most powerful
desire implanted in the mind ofman is that
acknowledge, and it is this which distin-
cuisines him more than any thing else from
the irrational creation The thoughts,
desires and affections Of otheranimals
to have stopping place. beyond which
they cannot reach, but those of man are