Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1873-04-17
Parental influence.


bear continual enunciation noneis more
important than that which establishes
the connection between family life and
the well-being Of the community The
family is not only the germ of the State
but is in fact miniature representation
of it, so that could we ascertain the
average amount of good order, true
principal, ,virtuous action and happiness
in the various families of any country,
we should have arrived at a very fair
appreciation of its national character
and prosperity. In organization, in adj
ministration, in duties and in aims, the
family and the State bear close analo-
gy to each other, and the more perfectly
each fulfills its duties and at
tains its ends, the more complete will
be the resemblce. All government
should be paternal, all citizenship filial
in the best sense of the words; but the
selfish,austere and tyrannical parent
will make the despotic and unscrupu-
lous ruler, while the rebellious and un-
loving child will develope into the in-
loyal and refractory subject. Especial
ly close in this analogy in republic,
where the governing power is so large
ly committed to the people. For as in
turn we fill the relations of both child
and the parents so the republican citizen
alternate the relations of subject and
sovereign, and so the best child will be
come the best parent, so the most loyal
subject will use his sovereignty in the
most conscientious manner. ,,;.-.f q-.
The training of children is thus a
preparation for the gravest and most
important relations of life, and up
on the character of our house life must
rest the will-being of our nation and
the permanence of all our institutions.
The statistics of prison life all go to
show the baneful effects of paternal
neglect-vicious companions and un-
disciplined family life. 1t was at one
time established by careful computation
that out of every hundred English
criminals ninety eight commenced their
life of guilt before the age of sixteen
years. The same general proportion
will probably hold good everywhere.
Crime is more largely the result of bad
parental training,or of its absolute neg
lect than of any other causes. Children
under sixteen who are found indul-
ging in vicious habits, or violating the
laws of their country, cannot rightly
be held as the sole offenders The NOR
al responsibility Of their conduct is not
so great as that of their parents. There
is not one case in ten,perhaps one in a
hundred where such child has had the
advantage of virtuous and happy
family home, or parents that have con-
scientiously tried to make him as honest
and useful member of society. They
may not have directly ceunselled or
upheld his evil practices, but they have
either sanctioned them by measure of
their own example or have permitted
him, unchecked to associate with evil
companions, ,and to slide into their prae-
tices, or by tyranny and austerity have
driven him away from their influence
and their home. When to this we add
the inherited tendercies which the child
receives, and which are the inevitable.
result of the entire parental character
we must admit that the parents of
young criminals areas general thing
more eulpable than the criminals them
selves. --..-...0 d. ..
What is true of crime is also true OF
all moral delinquency in its many grad
ations. There are habits easy to ae-
quire, hard to break, which may seem
trifling to the child, but which, if not
checked, will sap the principles of hon
or,integrity, industry, justice and truth
little acts of deceit,petty pilfering small
untruths, or prevaricatiou, idle hours,
cherished feeling of enmity or inten-
tions of revenge, wilful disobedience,
cruelty to the weak and unprotected, and
hundred other little faults ofchildhood,
need the watchful eye to detect,and the
gentle but firm authority Of the parent
to check in the germ. Ifthey meet not
with this resisting power. they viii eN-
pand and develop into the rank
weeds of hypocrisy dishonesty, cruelty
and injustice, and will acquire such
tenacious hold upon the character that
no subsequent efforts can wholly eradi-
cate to them. A aI-ile
There are not only faults to be cor
rected, but positive virtues to be inoul-
Gated, if we would train our children to
fill worthily their places in the world
There are some parents whose main ef-
fort is to keep their children innocent
They guard them from every temptation
keep them from evil company, suffer
them to see and to know only one side
of life, and thus develepe a sort OF hot
house growth OF goodness that may be
beautiful to look at in childhood, but
that will never serve them in the rough
winds and storms of temptation and
trial that await them in the open field
of life. Innocence is not virtue ant
those that think it Is make final mis-