Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1868-07-01
For Parents,
"I'Il take what Father takes ''

"What will YOU take to drink y asked
the waiter of young lad who, for the first
time, accompanied his father to public din
ner. Uncertain what to say, and feeling suro
that he could not be wrong If he followed his
fathers example, he replied" I'll take what
father takes"
The answer reached his fathers ear, and
instantly the full responsibility Of his position
flashed upon him. lfhe said, "Ill take ale"
as he had always said before, his son would
take it also, and Them And then the father
shuddered, as the history of several young men
who, once promising as his own bright lad
had been ruined by drink, started up in solemn
warning against him. Should his hopes also
be blasted, and that opentaced, noble lad be-
come a burden aud curse, a. they had be-
come? But for strong drink, they would have
become active earnest prosperous men; and
If it could work such ruin upon them, was his
own lad safel Quicker than lightning these
thoughts passed through his mind, and in a
moment the decision was made. "If the boy
falls. he shall not haveme to blame !" and then
in tones tremulous with emotion, and to the
astonishment of those who knew him, he said
" Waiter, III take water" and from that day
to this strong drink has been banished from
that mans home.
The Young lad, in this brief utterance, was
really the representative Of the generation to
which he belongs. God has so deerecd it,
that father is the highest authority in the
world to his child. Who does not know that
" Ny father said so, is the end of all eontro-
versy with the little ones around us? Who
does not see the parents tones, and gait, and
manners reproduced continually in the chill
dren. whose nature is now soft as wax to re-
ceive an impression and rigid as marble to
retain III" and who watch with quick aud
initiating eye those who, to them, are Gods
vicegerents
Would that we could impress upon the
fathers and mothers of this country the solemn
/ fact, that the future character Of the children
is being formed by them. That if they are
trained up in the way they should 60 when
they are old they will not depart from it.
/ But ifthey become vain, sensual and degraded
the seeds will have been deposited, and the
bias given in the early morning of their lives
I If we teach them that strong drink is good
creature of God, they will believe us; and
when, depending upon our Judgment and
truth, they shall have taken it, and it shal
have shown itself to be the devils master
piece, and have bitten, and crushed and drag
ged them down to ruin, we may weep an,
pray as we please--the blame will be oui
own and we must not accuse God or cast re
Elections upon the gospel. We shall hay,
sown to the flesh, and Of the flesh have reapeC
corruption God will have visited the sin
Of the father upon the children. They onl.
took what their fathers took" If, on thu
other hand, we Danish the fend when thei
young and trusting hearts are most open Il
our teaching, we tell them that wine is a mock
er, that strong drink is raging, and warn then
that no serpent is so dangerous, no adder s.
much to be dreaded, then we shall be co-work
ers with an an all-merciful and wise God who
to preserve them from taking it, has sent then
into the world with a loathing of its yer,
taste-our children will believe us The
will grow up with their natural instinct forti
fed by our instruction and example. Their
will be bridgeless gulf between them an
their companions who are most likely to lea
them into the ways of sin. They will be pre-
served from habits of ofextravagance and waste
They will have no companions hut those VIII
walk in the ways of God no employment 70
their spare time but that which is elevatin
and purifying, aud when We pass to our re
ward, they will rise up and call us blessed
for they took what their fathers took