American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-02-24


| The most important and the most sacred
| work committed to human hands is the cul-
| ture of children.
Itself, the sweetest and most beautiful
| thing in all the universe, coming to this
| lips, and light, as of heaven, beaming from
| its eye blessed gift of the Father, breath
| ing a new fragrance over earth's impurities,
! giving to life holier purpose and deeper
| sOlemnity to its duties, childhood is-sent
! into the world. The words "mother,"
father" from its lips, go deeper into human
hearts than any or all Others. What mighty
| and sublime affections are moved by them !!
| What infinite and inspiring hopes come with
their Inference. What splendid and bound
| less visions they picture in the future What
| a magic energy they have to transform the
selfish woman into the steady martyr, and
the careless man into the hero of lifelong
struggle.
And while childhood thus fulflls its pecu-
liar mission, ennobling life, and bearing per
petual testimony to the Infinite Affection, it
gives birth to a thousand new and trcmen-
dous responsibilities responsibilities which
are often not half accepted responsibilities
of guidance, instruction, the careful develop
ing of the expanding seed into the beautiful
flower, fit to be transplanted to the upper
| and SUMMER regions.
On the character of its parental training
hang the worlds future destinies.
We mourn over the decay of virtue. We
say Inat the reverence IOr aye, ana the sdnc-
titles of religion, are dying ont that in the
childhood Of these latter days, modesty and
| respect are giving place to effrontery and
self-assertion. And yet, if this be true,
childhood is not altogether to blame for it.
If absurd fashion forces parents, or they
think il does to engraft the customs and airs
of maturity on their children, whose innocent
simplicity and noieefe are among their chief
charms, we need not wonder that the lowell
ness which naturally belongs to that period
is wholly destroyed, and that hard deadening
conventionalities crush the throbbing i'm
pulses and change its beauty and purity into
deformity-
This matter of the infinite responsibility
that is involved in the parental relation can
not be overestmated. The later life of our
nationality even is contingent more on the
precepts of the nursery, the teachings OF the
mothers of the land than on the deliberations
of Cabinets. The after growth of our civil
cation shall be rather the unfolding of pa
rental guidance than the realization OF the
statesman's schemes. The Church, too, of
the next century is being built on the Sun
day-schoOl teachings of this very Sabbath
morning.
These thoughts, presented as merely
suggestive, are brought to mind by de-
scription of fashionable child's party,
which we find in one of our New York eX-
changes. As long as such things are encour-
aged by parents, we may look in vain for a
healthy moral development of the rising
generation. Nothing, in our judgment, could
could reveal more clearly one of the worst
tendencies of this land and age, than the scene
described below. We copy from the New
York Standard:
"Much of the affection and shallowness at
tributed to our girls of the period is due
to the unwise management OF vain mothers,
who, in haste to display the charms and ac-
complishments of their children, bring them
out in society almost in their infancy.
Among the recent holiday parties given to
children we describe one which is not exag-
gcrated, and which is a fair specimen of hun
dreds. This entertainment occurred in one of
the most fashionable streets in Brooklyn and
at the residence of one of the wealthiest
men. The mother is one of the most cultured
women who grace our land, and is, in the
main, a common sense, practical woman.
But she has gone fashion mad-a prevalent
disease. 1t n full dress party. The
hours appointed were from to IL p. m.
About one hundred guests were present,
who were received by the young hostess,
"a miss of ten years) with as much ease and
self-possession matrOn could assume.
The dresses consisted of white, pink, vel.
low, and blue silk, deliberately trimmed and
decked with spangles. The little misses had
their hair dressed in the latest style, frizZed,
puffed powdered, and adorned with flowers.
White kid gloves were generally worn. Only
one thing was lacking in the minute repre-
sentation of an adult party, viz, enamelcd
faces Powder, however, was freely used.
One little girl Gf she could be recognized rs
such) particularly engaged attention. She
apparently ten years OF age III
to the powdered hair and dazzling costume,
she sported, with true appreciation, a pair of
diamond earrings, a gold chain and locket
studded with diamonds. Upon each arm
was a bracelet of elaborate workmanship,
which she eldup for display, exclaiming, as
she did so to her admirers There's no
sham about these; they're the real thing"
which her auditors We're quite willing to be-
lieve. If the above seems incredible. what
will the following be? A little girl of seven
summers was arrayed in a rose-colored silk
81 per yard, point applique flowers, galaxy
of diamonds, and other expensive jewelry
A gold belt, the buckle of which was studded
with diamonds band of gold encircled the
head, and from pendent on the forehead
sparkled a solitaire of greet value. Her
mother was beard to eXclaiu exultinelv,
that the price of her child's outfit, for that
evening was s., 600. Another mother, iealous
of the sensation caused by such display,
remarked that ''upon the next occasion mine
shall be dressed in a tea silk, which is
by all means less common than pink, my
chid's compile Xion is such that she can wear
anything" If children at the tender age of
seven and ten represent the follics of fashion,
what win they require at twenty-five 2-Onid-
hd Rtp"btican.
SCHOOL. teacher near Boston, while
discussing the planets with class of
Youngsters, asking one OF them what he
lived on cXppctel the answer "1hp