Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1862-03-14
Sorrows of Childhood.

| There are parents who deliberately Law
themselves out TO torment their children.
There are two classes of parents who are
the most inexorably cruel and malignant
II is hard to say which class exeels, but it is
certain that both classes exceed all ordina-
ry mortals. One is the utterly blackguard !:
the parents about whom there is no good
nor pretense of good. The other is the
wrong-headedly conscientious and religious /:
probably, after all, there is greater rancor
and malice about these last than about any
other. These act upon system of unnat-
ural repression, ard systematized wedding
ont of all enjoyment from life. These are
the people whose very crowning act of
hatred and malice towards any one is to
pray for him, or to threaten to pray for him.
These are the people who, if their children
complain of their bare and joyless life, say
that such complaints Indicate a wicked
heart. or Satanic possession and have re-
course to further persecution 10 bring about
happier frame of mind. Yes: the wrong
headed and wrong hearted religionist is
probably the very worst type of man or
woman on whom the sun looks down. And.
oh how sad to think of the fashion in
which stupid, conceited, malicious block
heads set up their own worst passions as
the fruits of the working of the Blessed
Spirit and caricature, to the lasting injury
of many young heart, the pure and kind
ly religion of the Blessed Redeemer =
These are the folk who inflict systematic
and ingenious torment on their children
and, unhappily, a very contemplate parent
can inaici much suffering on sensitive
child.
You may find parents who, having start
ed from humble origin, have attained to
wealth, and who, instead of being glad TO
think that their children are better off than
they themselves were, exhibit diabolical
Jealousy of their children. You will find
such wretched beings insisting that their
children shall 60 through the needless trials
and notifications, beosuse they themselves
went through the like. Why, do not hesi,
tate to say that one of the thoughts which
would most powerfully lead worthy man
to value material prosperity would be the
thought that his boys would have fairer
and happier start in life than he had, and
would be saved the many difficulties on
: which he still looks back with pain. You
will find parents, especially parents of the
pharisaical and wrons.headed religious'class
who seem TO hold it a sacred duty to make the
little things unhappy; who Systematically
endeayor TO render life as bare, ugly, and
wretched thing as possible who never
praise their children when they do right,
but punish them with great severity when
their children fvely or cheerful in their
presence who thoroughly repel all sym
pathy or confidence on the part of their
children, and then mention as proof that
their children are possessed by the devil,
that their children always like to get away
from them; who rejoice to cut off any lii
tie enjoyment-rigidly carrying out into
practice the fundamental principle of their
creed, which undoubtedly is, that " nobody
should ever please himself, neither should
anybody ever please anybody else, because
in either case he is sure to displease God.'
No doubt, Mr.. Buckle, in his second vol
ume, caricatured and misrepresented the
religion of Scotland as country but he
did not in the least degree caricature or
msrepresent the religion of some people in
Scotland. The great doctrine underlying
all other doctrines, in the creed of few
unfortunate beings, is, that God is spi,efully
angry TO see his ere; lures happy-and of
course the practical lesson follows, that they
are following the best example, when they
are spiIefully angry to soc their children
happy.
Then 4 great trouble, always pressing