The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1868-07-03
A MOTHERS INFLUENCES.
A Mothers Manners Mold the Child.


There is no disputing this fact-it
shines in the face of every little child.
The coarse, bawling, scolding woman
will have coarse, vicious, bawling, fight
ing children.
She who cries on every occasion,
"I'll box your ears-I'll slap your jaws
PHI break your neck" is known as
Thoroughly through her children as if
her unwomanly manners were openly
displayed in the public streets.
These remarks were suggested by the
conversation in street car-that great
institution for the students of men and
manners-between a friend and a
schoolmaster. Our teacher was caustic,
mirthful and sharp. His wit flashed
like the polished edge of a diamond,
and kept the car in roar.
The entire community of insiders
and whoever is intimate with one of
these conveyances can form a pretty
good idea of our numbers, inclusive
of the one more so we'll known to the
fraternity-turne their head, eyes and
ears one way, and finally our teacher
said-"I can always tell the mother
by the boy. The urchin who draws
back with doubled fists and lungs at
his playmate, has very questionable
mother. She may feed him and
clothe him, cram him with sweat
meats, coax him with promises, but if
she gets mad she fights.
"She will pull him by the jacket
she will give him knock in the back;
she will drag him by the hair; she will
call him all sorts of wicked names,
while FASHION plays over her red face
in lambent flames that curl and writhe
out at the corners of her red eyes.
"And we never see the courteous lit
tie fellow with smooth locks and gentle
maners-in whom delicacy does not
detract from courage or manliness, but
we say that boys mother is true lady.
Her words and ways are soft, loving
and quiet. If she reprOves, her Ian
guage is my son'-not you little
wretch-you PLACE ofmy life--you tor
ment-yOu scampH
"She hOvers before him as pilIer of
light before the wandering Israelites,
and her beams are reflected into his
face. To him the word mother is syn
onymous with everything pure, sweet
and beautiful. Is he an artist? In af-
ter-life, that which with the holy radi-
ance shines on his canvass will be the
mothers face. Whoever fits across
his path with sunny smiles and soft,
low voice will bring mothers I'M
mage freshly 10 his heart. she. is
like my MOTHER will be the highest
need of his praise. Not even when
the hair turns silver and eye grows
dim will the majesty of that life and
presence desert him.
"But the ruffian mother-alas, that
there are such-will form the ruffian
character of the man. He in turn will
become a merciless tyrant, with a
tongue sharper than two edged sword,
and remembering the braWIing and
cutting, seek some meek, gentle victim
for the sacrifice, with the condition
that he shall be master. And master
he is for few sad years, when he
wears a Widower's weed till he finds
victim number two"
We wonder not that there are so ma
ny awkward, ungainly men in society
they have all been trained by women
who knew not nor cared for the holy
nature Of their trust. They hal been
made bitter to the hearts core, and that
bitterness will find vent and lodgment
somewhere. Strike the infant in anger
and he will, if he cannot reach you,
vent his passion by beating the door,
the chair or any inanimate thing with
in reach. Strike him repeatedly, and
by the time he wears shoes he will have
become bully, with hands that doub-
bic for fight as naturally as if especial
pains had been taken to teach him the
art of boxing
Mothers, remember that your man
ners mold the child. Who will not
say that mothers ought to be thor
ougly educated, whether their sons are
or not?