The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1865-03-23
FATHERS AND DAUGHTERS.

Every man VINO mas daughters is either
able to support them or he Is not. II he
is, he ought to do it in a way that shall
make them feel as little trammelled as
possible. He should so treat them from
first to last, that they shall feel that they
are dear and pleasant to him. his delight
and ornament. So far from wishing to
be rid of them, he finds his balm and
solace and zest Of life in their society,
their interests, and their ministrations
While he contempiates the contingency
of their marriage, and makes what prep
arations such contingency may require,
it should he we'll understood that he con-
templates it only as a contingency and
that all his wishes and hopes will be best
met by their happiness, whether it is to
be promoted by life away from him
or with him. If they are so deficient in
amiability, capability, or adaptability
that his home cannot be comfortable
with them in it-that, so far from being
a reason why he should be eager to part
with them, is the strongest reason why
he should earnestly endeayor to keep
them with him. Almost without fail
their faults lie at his door; and it is just
and right that, if amy home is to be made
miserable by them, it should be the
one that has made them miserifc. On
the other hand, if they wish to go from
his roof to follow paths of their own, he
ought to aid and encourage them as far
as lies in his power. 1t matters not that
he is able and willing to supply their
every want He is not able, if they
have immortal wants which the parental
heart and purse cannot satisfy-want of
activity want of a plan, want of some
work which shall engage their young and
eager energies However liberal, kind.
and fond he may be, in their father 5
house their position must be subordinate,
| and it may well happen that they shall
wish to taste the sweets of an independ
ent, self helping self-directing life. The
| wish to feel their own hands at the helm.
the wish to know what responsibility and
| foresight and planning mean. They are
drawn by strong, inexplicahle attrac
/ tion in certain directions; and as he
values not only their happiness, but
/ their salvation-their love for him,
health of body and mind-he shall give
them ample room and verge enough.
| He shall not abate one jot or little OF
| fatherly affection. He shall not attempt
| to persuade them from their inclination
till he finds persuasion of no avail, and
then in fit of angry petnlance bid them
20. 9Hu ltstNe tucilI W lueAI onA 0SSti QS-
ton. III shall give them such aid as can
be made available. He shall, above all
show them that his arms are always open
to them, if through weakness or weari-
ness they faint by the way,
II father is not able to support his
daughters in manner compatible with
comfort and refinement. he should see to
it that they have some way opened in
which they can do it, or help do it, for
themselves, in a manner consistent with
their dignity and selfrespect 1t is very
rarely that human being is born with
/ out possible power in some one direction.
That field which is traversable to women
is much more cireumscribed than that
which is traversed by men, yet l have
somewhere read statement that the
number of employments in which
women of the United States are actually
engaged is. l think, greater than Ave
hundred. Ii this is so. or anything
nearly so, men surely have no need te
"marry OFT their daughters as ar
economical measure" Outof Eve hun
T drcd occupations. . woman can certainly
choose one which, though not perhaps