Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-10-29


willing patronage, than the clergyman
can be expected to secure to his people its
highest moral and religious interests with
on, in intelligent and helping laity; than
the attorney can he expected to Gam his
Cease" without client who is not only
willing but anxious to place iii his pos
session all the faces involved.
There is no position in hfe where the
duties and responsibilities of any one OF
its departments belong entirely to the one
individual, while the other may stand afal
off, feeling himself free to do nothing,
while he asserts that he knows all, and
therefore can criticise as he likes concern
ing that of which he is, in fact, profoundly
ignorant. do not propose to discuss in
this paper the faults and duties of patrons
in any one locality; but to speak plainly
OF those that are found to exist every
where
The moral and intelligent training OF
the child is in the hands OF the parent -
This first duty of all, God has placed upon
him, and he can no more rid himself of il
than he can rid himself of life We
have it from sacred authority that he who
will not provide for the wants of his own
household is worse than an Intidel. To
my mind, this saying has multiplied sig
MITIGATION when applied to the mental and
moral nature. Our schools should be
brought into such intimate relationship
with the home that every parent could but
feel that they are only another department
of home life.
They should be SO near to every father
and mother that they would feel that
home life is incomplete without Il personal
knowledge Of their children In school, a
knowledge only to be had by their fire.
QHent personal presence in that place,
second only to the home. The universal
plea, that parents have not time to visit
the schools, is an old one, and IA false one
What are the facts? Let us recount them
Do not mothers find tiue to return calls
and make new ones: Does the evening
party suffer from their dbsencep Is ong
opportunity allowed to pass unimproved
when time is to he spent in preparation
aud style Of dress can he shown to advan
tageg Do not all social demands for time
receive it: Do not the fathers find time
to attend to matters of pleasure rs we'll as
of duty outside of their usual avocations
The truth is, we all find sufficient leisure
for that in which we have an interest; and
the only reason why patrons do not visit
the schools more frequently is that then
personal interest in hem is not sufficient
to draw them to the schGgi raam. When
a father CT mother tells me that he or she
has not time to visit lhe schools, | simply
put II down as Il lie, so frequently uttered
that they think il is truth There are
fathers and mothers who have never seen
their children in school; such failure in
duty is miserably wicked one,- one
which cannot be modified or explained
away by the deceptive plea, we hayc 10
time 10 visit the schools. God has never
placed single responsibility upon any
individual to whom He has not first given
ample lime 10 meet that responsibility ,--
Instead of rearing our children as W,
ought, by giving them our first care and
attention, we turn them out and let then,
run The nature Of the child is but i'm
perfectly understood, ana its wants bu;
partially supplied. Fur instance, The faults
and vices which have ruined many Il
young man and woman have had their
foundation upon that which in the begin
had 1t been properly cared for, would
have completely saved its possessor. Man
is domestic being. He is fond Of hGme,
wife and chlldrel,; ana becansc he is fond
or such, is the prime reason that he has
frequently, soithom them, become Il de
bauchee and libcrtine; and so through the
whole catalogue of evils, is ii true that
we find them but counterfeits of that
which was at first proiseworthy and no
bic Al excess vi virtue Is bun another
name for vice. Parents, you certainly
have duties 10 perform In relation to your
children that you cannot afford to a,togcth,
er leave with the day tea cher, or Sabbath
school teacher Guard. then ceI the
home and the school. Evil is in the
world, and our experience thus far is, that
it cannQt be DESTROYED 50 that mans sal.
Vatipn depends, not upon eAunsulshing
the evil, but by substituting Of putting IN
its place that which Is excellent. The
street, the saloon and the house that leads
down to the chambers of death will for
ever hold out their temptations, and the
children yours and mine-will only be
saved from their pefnicl0ps influences as
we offer them freely other and better al
fractions, such as shall guard and keep
them 20 repeat, that yan patrons are
to make the school room mole interesting
to your children by your frequent person
al presence You are to remember that
the worth of the State is in her children;
that il rightly educated boy and girl are
worth more than greenbacks; and that
character is to be finally adjudgcl, net by
the number of corner lots we may possess,
or the amount of stock we may have in
any business enterprise Character has
IA value far beyond any market estimate
we may give it. Intelligence and morality
are lis factors, and its product is absolute
worth May parents soon recognize the
fact that tAey have much TO do in MAILING
tho schools more productive in men and
women WIG shall prove themselves both
and true
WILSON PALNER
--------s------------
YouTHFpt CnNpurT The line pf con,
due, chusen during lhe five years frem
fifteen 10 twenty, VIII, in ALMOST every in:
stance, detepmina his GhaFacler tor life
4 Z, tl>,,, M ..u nnuaial t.tIllrnt