The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1863-12-24
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
a Lesson to Parents.

but Providence had preserved US from want
and We had learned that 40 contentInent without
wealth. is better than wealth without content
mens."
Ii was my custom when returning home at
night, To drop into one of the many shops that
are Constantly open IN the business streets OF
tine metropolis, and purchase some triaiDg dain-
ties, such as fruit or confectionery, to present
u mother and the children. L need not say
how delighted the little ones were at this slight
expression of paternal consideration. On one
occasion I had purchased some remarkably fine
apples. After the repast, half a dozen were left
untouched. and nv thrifty compaSion forthwith
removed them to the place of deposit, where it
was her custom to preserve the nick-nacks. a
day or two after, when L had seated myself at
the table to dine, she said to me smilingly:
80, father has found the way to my safety
box. has he2'
4 was at a loss to understand the meaning,
and desired her to explain
Have you not been IN my drawer ~
q What drawer?,
The upper drawer in my chamber bureau.
Did you not take therefron the largest of the
pipPins 1 had put away for the girls?"
MOI did not"
You did not?''
mot Il I have not seen an apple since the
evening / purchased them"
\ slight cloud passed over the countenance of
my wife. She was troubled. The loss of the
= apple was in itself nothing but We had care
fully instructed our children not to appropriate
TO their use, any article whatever of family con-
sumption, without permission and as permission,
when the demand was at all reasonable, had
never been denied them, she was 10th to suspect
any one of them OF the oGense. We had a ser
vant-girl in the family, but as she was supposed
to know nothing of the apples, my wife hesitated
to charge it upon her. She at length broke the
silence by saying
We must examine the affair. I can hardly
think one of the children would SO act. IF we
lind them guilty. We must reprove them. VIII
you please look into itT'
The girls were separately called into my
presence the eldest first.
"Eliza, did you take from your mothers
drawer an apple?"
No, SIR"
Maria, did you take from your mothers
drawer, an applet"
4" No., sir"
MARY, did you take from your mothers
drawer an apPle?"
"No, SIR"
Z" 1t must have been taken by the servant call
her to me, !" said l., addressing my wife.
"Nell, how came you to take from the drawer
of your mistress, without permission, the largest
of the apples she had placed Thereof
Wot a~pples?"
Did you take ne apple from the drawer of
your mistress?"
a" No sa."
Now, it was evident that falsehood existed
somewhere. Could it be that one of my children
had told me a liz? 20 The thought harassed me-.
L was not able to attend to business. / went to
the store but soon returned again Meanwhile,
the servant-girl had communicated to her mistress
that she had seen our youngest go into the gar
ret with n large apple the morning before. On
examination, the core. and several pieces of the
rind were found upon the floor. / again called
Mary to me, and said to her afectionately:
MARY, my daughter. did you not go into the
garnet yesterday"
q. Yes. sir"
90 Did you go there with an apple?''
- No, sir"
d you notice anything on the 1oor?'
Z" No, sir"
was unwilling to believe my sweet child
capable of telling me q falsehood but appear
ances were against her. The fault lay between her
and the servant, and while L was DESTROYS to
acquit my child, / did not wish to accuse unjust
ly the negro. L therefore took Mary into a room
alone, L spoke to her of the enormity of lying
of the necessity of telling the truth-of the
severe punishment | should be compelled to in
hict upon her, if she did not confess the whole
to me, and with tears in my eyes urged her to
say that she had done it, il indeed she had.
Gradually, l became convinced of her guilt and
now [ felt determined she should confess it. My
threatenings were not without effect. After
weeping and protesting her innocence, and
weeping and again protesting, my threatenings
seemed tc alarm her. and falling upon her knees,
she said : &. Father, ! did take the apple"
Never shall 1 forget that moment. My child
confessed she was a liar, III my presence,
SURPRISING my emotion. L retired and Mary,
rising from her position, ran to her mother, and
in n paroxysm of grief cried out:
Mother, I did not take the apple. But
father has made me confess that L did,
Here was a new aspect Of affairs. Lie multi
piled upon lie. Could it be possible! My dear
Mary, who had never been known TO deceive us
80 afeetionate-so gentle-so truthful in all
the past-could it be possible that she was a
confirmed liar Necessity was stronger than the
tenderness of the father. l chastised her for the
first time in my life-severely, severely chastised
her 1t almost broke her heart-and | may
add. it almost broke mine also.
Yet Mary was innocent After-eyents proved
that the negro was the thief. She had conjured
up the story Of the garnet, knowing that Mary
would not deny having been here, and to make
the circumstances strong against her, had strewn
apple-rinds on the floor. [ never think OF the
event without tears. But il has taught me Il
useful lesson, and that is never TO threaten Z
child into a lie, when it may be he is telling the
truth. The only lie [ ever knew Mary to tell
me, / myself forced upon her by threatenings.
It has also fixed in my mind the determination
to employ no servant in my family, when L can
possibly do without.
The foregoing is a continuation of the article
on Parental Corrections in the September num-
Der. The author is unknown, but if such i'm
pressive lessons have their due effect on the minds
of parents, it will save many q pang in after years.
"I read your September number article on Paren-
tai Corrections" said Il sunny-faced. energetic
business man the other day. 81 had just such a
case in my own family. The mother was extremely
impatient at the child; but | took him TO his room,
soothed his spirits as much as possible, and slept
with him In his own little bed all night" A
neighbor of ours, one of the very best of men in
all the relations of domestic, social. and business
life, corrected a little son of his with great harsh