New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-09-15
Danger of Maternal Deception,

Ever since Rebekah, the prime actor in
maternal deception, played off her success.
full plot upon her blind and aged husband,
the patriarch l aac, the world has not been
destitute OF mothers who Intrigue with
their sons, against the husband and the
father. Sometimes the plot is TO secure a
greater portion OF the paternal estate for a
favorite son, but more frequently in mat
tiers of smaller amounts. The son wants
more money to spend than the father ia
willing to furnish, and tine mother plots to
obtain it. She may honestly think the
father is too close listed with the bow, and
does not give him the amount which true
parental regard would dictate; and so, i'm
PEELED by her maternal love, she seeks to
make up the deficiency by some scheme
which will outwit the father and get the
money out OF him by deception.
Such a course is detrimental in the great.
est degree 1t tends directly to iniure the
object of her materna, love by breaking
down all nice distinctions of honor and Of
honesty. Ii boy may deceive his father
for selfish ends-that father whom he ia
bound to respect, love, reverence and obey
above all other men-and Dies this with
the appreciation aud assistance of his own
mother, how can that boy be expected to
have any fine sense of honor and honesty
toward other men2 The inevitable result of
eli such practice of deception will be to
destroy, in the mind of that boy, all high
respect for the truth, and lead him to seek
to obtain his ends by any means, however
unjustitiable, which seem to promise sue.
cess. And thus he grows up to manhood,
with character noticeable for being tricky
dishonest and dishonorable.
But 1T is not. necessary to wait till he
arrives at manhood to see the fruit. Having
learned, ny maternal assistance to deceive
father ~
his mother After a time, she is greatly
surprised to find that same boy PLAYING off
the grossest deceptions upon herself, At
hrst abe is astOnished beyond measure and
grieved beyond expression, She can not
conceive it possible that the son for whom
sue mas done so much should turn against
her with such ingratitude. She does not
stop TO think that he is only practicing on
her the very lessons she has taught him:
that she herself has been one of the chief
means of destroying within him all nice
sense OF honor, and all true parental
respect And Vet, such are the exact facts
IN the case; nor is it anything uncommon to
near boys justify the deceptions they prac-
tice nnon their mother, by saying. "Oh,
'shaw! she cheats the old man, and cheat
her-its all on the squarel~
Too great care can not be taken to main
tain the strictest honor and honesty in all
nome transactions. Everything done and
said should be the very soul of truth. More
ooys-and girls, too-ars morally ruined in
their homes, and by home influence and
Example than anywhere else or in any other
way. 1t Is done by the false lessons there
,Aught them-by the loose ideas there en-
rendered in their minds; by the deceptions
here n. praeticed, and by the white lies"
here spoken and enacted. Under the in
laence Of these they grow up with no high |
'ense Of honor; with no staunch adherence
y integrity; with no firm principle sufi-
'ient to bind them to the right, aud 70 bsr-
1cade them against the assaults Of tempta,
,ome life is not the soul of honor in ali ite |