Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1874-03-18
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HABIT.


"hncupon line, precept upon precept
here o little and there a" great deal tc
keep in our minds tho Importance O.
forming in our children and strongh
cnius in ourselves good habits. 1t il
so d. iicultto break up long established
modes of action, and turn the channels
OF oic's activities in new directions
that Il is not surprising the mature ia
life, Who havo suffered from not being
tafscd-right IN the Grst. place, should
lay, as they are inclined to, great
stress on the Importance OF making in
all things good beginning.
There ar q few habits which form
a pretty gosd foundation for success
in life and insure tho friendship of the
discerning ani yirtuous. First among
these we woud. place the habit of self
help. This may and should be formed
in child, before it can walk or talk
by providing resources for its amuse.
ment and leaving il, t,within due bounds,
to depend upon those resources. Then
as IT grows older it should be taught
and gently compelled to perform in
its own behalf all that it can do. Few
OF US but know young men and young
women perfectly helpless for all the
ordinary uses Of life. If they alone
were the sufferers it wouldn't matter
much, but they are social leeches, al.
ways demanding service and never
rendering it. Good husbands, good
wives, good parents rarely, if ever are
found in this class of people.
Next in Importance to the habit OF
seli.help VIC would place that of per-
sonal tidlress. We do not care to
guess how many American men and
women set down to breakfast every
morning with their toilets half made,
the men without collar and cravat the
women with unkempt hair, and the
children resembling the parents in
dress as much as in feature. "But you
see there are SO many things TO do in
the morning--stoek to feed, cows TO
milk, fires to make, milk to skim, chill
dren to dress, breakfast to get-that
one can't spend much timo fixing
themselves up" All very truo; but
one doesn't 90 round barefooted in the
morning, or without washing face and
hands, because habit the reverse OF
all that has been formed. any hair
is combed in tho morning for all day
before ! leave my chamber" said an
elegant housekeeper the other day,
and she keeps no girl, and wo couldn't
help thinking the happiness her hus-
band must have had just in the ono
particular Of seeing her ovcry morn
ing for twenty years with smoothly
combea hair, and neat linen collar,
opposite him at the breakfast table,
and tho order and clealiness in the
household of which that one little
item was an index. That "cleanliness
is next TO godliness," should be early
and deeply impressed on every child,
and it should be taught to shrink from
uncleahness and untidincss as itsbrinks
from vice.
Another habit Of great value is that
of courtesy. IL child is properly
trained to ask for what he wants and
make meet Acknowledgements for favors
received, to recognize the rights and
respect tho feclings,of others,hc will be
able to win friends no matter wha. 9th
er faults be may have. This habit he
will acquirc, or absorb, rather, from
those around him. Courteous chill.
dren are but the reflection of courteous
parents. Genuine courtesy flows out
from the heart and can never be put
on as an outside garment.
Another excellent habit is that of
helping others. In fact We arc in the
world for the express purpose of doing
that very thing, and il we fail in this,
it matters little to any but ourselves
how long We remain herc. 1t is ma
tural for the loving parent to do every
thing for his child and requiring moth.
ing in return, but the sooner the child
is taught to deny himself in order to
serve others, his parents, his brothers
and sisters, the more certainly will
whatever is noble in him be developed.
We arc all selfish enough, and there
are very few who are not improved
by having their impulses Of bonevo.
lence stimulated.
The habit of improving ones time
is OF Importance that can hardly be
over-cstimated. Not that children
should work all the time, but that
they should spend very few hours
in mere idleness and tlme-kiIling.-
One oceupution should succeed anoth-
er, so as to give due variety and exer-
else the mental and bodily powers in
harmony Idle children are apt to
mako idle grown folks, and thcre are
too many drones in society for it's
good, 40 we all know
The last habit we will mention is
that of perseverance,, Life, from bc-
ginning to end, is full of obstacles to
be overcome, Of problems to be solved,
of mountains to be tunnelcd and val
lcys to be filled up, and we can hardly
begin too soon our ondeavors to mas.
ter destiny. lIo that overcomes in
little will overcome in much. A child
should not be given a task beyond his
powers, but within that limit he should
DO required TO do what is assigned
him. The stimulus of praise or re-
ward will often be sufficient TO secure
the performance of n given labor,
though tho pain Of censurc may somc.
times be necessary.
With these habits Of selfhclp, per-
sonal tidincss, courtesy, helping others,
improving ones time, and pcrsevcr-
ancc, II matters little how poor in
purse an individual may be left, he or
she will possess buoyant power that
will raise them above adversely and
pluck victory from the arms of defeat.
IN y. Tribune.
A quarresomc couple wero discuss.
L., - Ia. ...lt... 4