Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1868-10-09
Sorrows Of Childhood.

There arc parents who deliberately
lay themselves Out to torment th,ir
children. There are two Glasses Of
parents who a"t the most invxuraLIy
cr;icl and malignant; ii is hard t, say
which c!a>; rxcriS, hut it is certain
that both Glasses exceed AL cxtr#or-
dinary msrlais. One Is the utterly
black:cu"rd: t;ic parents about W hrm
thvrc is no Soo,i no prctrnsc Of good.
The other is the wrong ilv;'!c,,.y con-
scicniious and religious.
You may find parents who, having
started from an humble origin. having
attained to wealth, and who, instead
Of being glad to think that their cIi;l-
drrn arc better of than they them
selves were, exhibit Il di:hDl;cal ical-
ouSy Of thcir children. Iou viii find
such wrutchcd beings insisting that
their children will go through, need
less trials :inL notifications. because
they themselves went th"ou"!, tie
like. Why, do not hesitate 10 Say
:!::;t one Of the Thoughts; whi:i. wcu!I
most powerfully lead 4 worthy man
10 vaiic ma.cria! prosperity, wulsid
hc tic thought that his boys would
have taircr, happier start i'll Ei;'
tl!::n i:c hail, and would l.c saved the
many difficulties on which he still
looks back with pain. Icu will find
parents, especially parents of the
l'harsaical and wrony-hcadc,.ly re-
l;S:cus class, who seem to hold il Il ST
cred duty to make the little things in-
happy: who systematically cnicavor
torendcr life us bare, ugly, and wretch
cd \ thing as possible; who never
praise their children when they do
right, but punish them with great &C.
verify when they do wrong; who
sctm to hate to sec their children
lively or cheerful in their prc*cncc !:
who thoroughly rercl Ill sympathy
or confidence on the part OF thc"
children, and then mention IS proof
that their children arc possessed by
the devil, that their children nlwuv.;
like TO get away from them; who re-
.ioice to cut Oil any little enjoyment
rigidly carrying out into practice the
Fundamental principle OF tl:eir creed,
which undoubtedly is, that ':noLody
should ever please amy body else, be-
cause in either case he is sure to dis
please God"
Then a great trouble, always pres
sing heavily on many u little mind, is
tha. it is ovcrtaslicd with lessons.
You still! sec here and there itliotic
parents striving to mako infant phc-
nomcna Of their children, and rccor-
ding with much pride how their chill
| d:C:: could read and write at an ln-
naturally carly age. Such parents
are fools beyond question. The grca.
use to which the first six or seven
years Of life should be given, is the
laying the foundation Of hcalthful
constitution i'll body and mind and
the instilling Of those first principles
Of duty and religion which do not
need to be taught out Of any books
Even if you do not permanently in
Jjurc the young brain and mind prcma
turcly ovcrta$king thcm,-cvcn il
you do not permanently blight tho
bodily health and break the minds
cheerful spring, you gain nothing
Your child at fourteen years old is
not bit farther advanced in his cd
ucation than child who began hi:
years after him; and the entire rcsult
of your stupid driving has been te
ovcrcloud somo days which shoull
have been the happicst of his life.