Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-08-28
Fault-Finding.

says:
Grown people are so apt to forget that
they were once young. 1t IS a most Ia
mentable forge'fulness. There is no need
of the heart growing Id. Gray hairs may
be the glory of old age, but freshness OF
heart and soul are its beauties.
"What dear, precious old man is that
Father E. as YOU call himm exclalm-
ed lively young girl, after my dear,
precious" elderly friend had bid US good
night: che seems to know just how young
folks feel, and don't pooh" and look
nonsense at our ambitions and likes. I'd
like to have him for my father, would ;
he isn't always finding fault about every
thing, know
How MANY young men and women do
YOU suppose are annually driven from the
parental roof by the fault-findmg of father
or mother, or both? We know of no sta
tisticS to resort to to ascertain the number,
but using our own personal observation as
"A basis, the number is large. More boys
leave than girls, because they are boys. 1t
is not uncommon for girls TO marry be
cause they can have no peace at home.
That is one outlet to them. 1t may give
only change" of cultivation, however.
Only few mornings ago, we had young
!
eternal wrangling and fault-tinding OF her
parents.
If we wanted to make a child deceitful
or liar we should find fault with him
about great as well as small things. If he
broke, or lost, or destroyed anything, we
should give him such lingual castiga-
ton that if a similar accident befel him
again, he would rather lie, steal or run
away, than to encounter the parental or
deal the second time.
When "A child, we had great number
of very prominent "traits" that were caTa-
logucd off as faults" AS we had pro
pensity for climbing trees and scaling
fences, we naturally made considerable
havoc with our calico dresses. But being
def with the needle we usually managed
to make the rents keep mum" until iron
ing day came, when the quick eye of
mother or Bridget would ferret out the
mischief So ironing day became a sort
of Day Of Judgment to us. We never
could get used to being found fault with,
and were often put to our wits end how
to escape the wrath we knew would surely
Overtake US 1t didn't make us bit more
careful, and all the fault-finding in the
world never made any child more careful.
There are words that loW make them more
careful and thoughtful, but they are not
words Of "fault-fnding.n
Another one of our distinguishing
traits" was what seemed a propensity
for breaking crockery. We had to clear
away the table, and wash dishes when it
took stool to make us tall enough to get
our hands well into the dish pam so we
received several castigations both of q
physical as well as spiritual nature for
breaking dishes And until this day, the
sight of a girl carrying or lifting dishes
makes us actually nervous for fear she
will let them fall, and father OF mother
will give her such an lawful scolding,'
when she feels badly enough about it al
ready.
No child, in normal condition, feels
anything but sorrow at misfortune or loss
es which accrue from mishapS But a
generous amount Of faultfnding will
harden some young hearts into a sort of
't-ca1e-ism" Sensitive natures will
be so overwhelmed with the dread of the
eternal fault-tinding, as to look out for an
escape-yalve, rather than how to avoid an
other similar occurrence in the future.
Faultfnding never cured us of tearing
our dresses or breaking Dishes for we do
both unto this day, when we have a
chance We haven't travelled so far into
womanhoOd as to forget how very, verv
miserable we used to be from much fault
tlnding-so very miserable thatwe thought
even God was ugly for allowing us to suf-
fer so, and wishing, Oh, SO earnestly, for
the time to come when We should be Il
woman and would break a whole store of
dishes, and not then be made to feel Just
rs bad Is if our little sister had died
Why, people viii say, Not of the least
"a .. L.. /
spills gravics But if our own little child
does the same thing, they consider it a
matter of great conscqucnce-so great
that the child is rendered rs miserable as
II can be, which Is very miserable indeed.
when we consider our own capacities for
misery.
Talking with a gentleman on this theme
few evenings ago, he remarked: Il
thought my own childhood must have
been an exceptional one, in point of I'm
happiness, until | grew up and compared
notes with others
But what is the cause for such re
ports." we asked
II don't know fully" he repliel Il
know M boy shall never pass such a boy
hood. | think perhaps much of it grows
out Of the old theory that children ought
TO owe everything to parents, when, in
truth, its more the reverse. Bringing
souls into This world is Il fearful response
biiity, and all that parents can do for
their children, it is their boundcn duty to
do The most they can do for them will
not even compensate for the inheritance
of trouble and sorrow that is the birth
right of every child born"
Oh, fathers and mothers, We do not
plead for yoar salvation, although we
T. t,,lI ~
Heaven with fault-findcrs in it. But for
the sake of your sons and daughters and
those around you, whose happiness should
mean more to YOU than the qualification
"t your i'll feelings, we beseech YOU to
a,Mure the spirit OF faultfnding-a spirit
That has nothing of Christ, or of Love. or
of Noblencss in ii.
The New PARTY i'm fhp CoiIanSn