Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-04-10
Written for the Rutland Herald
character and Habits.


1t is not in receiving benefits from our
fellow-men, or from God, that we ex-
perience the greatest happiness, but in
laboring for their good and His glory
in the exercise of the benevolent spirit.
And this important lesson can be easily
| impressed upon the tender hearts OF
children, by teaching them to share
their food and playthings with each
other Unfortunate is that mother who
has only one child to train for her coun-
! try and her God unfortunate, indeed,
/ that child who has no brothers or sisters
to call forth his generous sympatbies
| and self-denying actions He may on
this very account grow up a " spoiled
child, " through selfish indulgence. But
that child who has learned this impor-
tant lesson in early life may have begun
a journey across the continent, or a Yoy-
age across the ocean, to carry civiliza-
ton and christianity to tie destitute and
needy.
To the same end, children should be
trained to habits of industry. "The
idle brain is the devils workshop" And
this is not all. Industry. rightly under
stood and directed, calls into exercise
the benevolent feelings. Children
should be taught 10 work voluntarily
and cheerfully, and for the sake Of help
ing their parents and doing good to all
around them. And this helpful service
may be rendered still more extensively,
as opportunity offers, by earning money
not to be spent for their own gratif-
cation, but to enable them to contribute
of their own means for the relief of suf-
fering humanity. To forget self and
love others is God-like, and this is most
important lesson for childhood to learn.
How instructive the answer of our
Saviour to the bigoted Jews, who sought
to slay him because he wrought mira
Gle on the sabbath day "My Father
worketh hitherto, and 1 work. The
Father workethl' He is never idle.
Prompted by infinite love, He works
for the welfare of His creatures, and it
is only through the working of His
power that His love is manifested.
Jesus worked-to relieve the suffering
poor. to comfort the afflicted, to bind up
the broken heart, and to breathe into
the benighted soul conscious Of sin and
guilt the sunlight of hope, Joy and
blessedness. And he is our example
The spirit he manifested ard the lessons
he taught should be impaired TO our
children, that they may become CO.
workers with him in the worlds eleYa-
tion and redemption. For the want of
such training, how many young men of
our day are spending their lives in indo-
lence, and wasting their energies, both
of body and mind, in useless or ruinous
indulgence; and how many young
women, lost to every noble sentiment
and aim in life, spend their years in the
cold fOrmalities of etiquette, in frivo-
lous gossip among their equals, and in
dressing and pleasure hunting. Let
parents, if they can estimate the con-
sequence of such habits to their children
and to the world, and they will have a
measure of their own guilt in neglecting
duties so important
good manners. Manners and morals are
intimately connected. One is the coun-
terpart of the olher, and both are indis-
pensable to constitute the true man or
woman. TO quote an illustration which
/ have used in another connection,
"Morals are the basis of human charac-
ter. and manners are its decorations
which serve to make il more attractive
and lovely. Morals are the staple of
human laws, and the regulators Of hu-
man governments and refined manners
serve as gildings to make laws more
effective and governments more secure.
And while | urge the necessity of train
ing children to habits of integrity and
virtue. claim that il is also the duty of
parents to give special attention TO their
manners. Ii is a mistaken notion that
morality. or even even piety alone, will
so far regulate the conduct that social
culture will be unnecessary. How
often do we have occasion to regret the
lack of refinement in those whose char
acters we admire, and all the more do
we pity them, because of their geneT-
Osity and goodness. Such persons
would not violate the laws of good
breeding if they knew how 10 avoid II,
but to their sorrow they have learned
that cannons of etiquette are not found
in creeds and codes Of Christian morals.
They are liable to come to our table
with dirty nails, or to mop their fore
heads with their napkins, and yet they
would be utterly ignorant that they had
given offence by so doing.
Good manners must be taught in the
family, both by precept and example, II
we expect our children to become true
I 20 mir
in refined society. 1t is not sufficient
occasionally TO tell them how they
should behave, and to rebuke them for
some grave offence. They must be
trained to habits of pOliteness with as
much care as to habits of obedience and
integrity. No father would expect his
son to understand practical engineering
without much study and practice upon
! the principles involved. No mother ex-
poets her daughter to become a skillful
pianist without critical instruction and
long continued recitatiOns. And how
absurd to suppose that gracefulness of
manners can be acquired by the hearing
of the rules of good behavior, or the
reading of manuals of etiquette. But
many children do not enjoy even these
! privileges. They grow up entirely ig-
! norant of the first principles of polite
ness. and when compelled TO go into so
ciety they experience an indescribable
pain from the consciousness of their
own deficiency This is not their fault,
| but it is none the less the source of
| their torture In other families the
theory of civility may be taught, and
rudenesS sometimes rebuked, and yet
! the laws of politeness are practically
| disregarded. To illustrate: The mother
goes out to make an evening call, and
takes with her little son; and she Is
mortified to see him standing in the hall
aoith his hat on conversing with the lady
of the house, and she rebukes him Sc
yerely for his rudeness. Now, If this
mother had required her son to Uncover
his head whenever he came into her
presence. would he have been guilty Of
| such a mistake? The children carry
their home ha6its into society. If the