The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-02-15
RESPONSIBILITY OF PARENTS FOR
THE MORAL CONDUCT OF THEIR
CHILDREN.

CHILDREN.
To most young persons this subject
appears trivial enough, and I am sorry
to say that many of them grow to be
men and women, fathers and mothers,
without much farther development,
realizing but little of their accountable
ity for the future virtue, happiness
and usefulness of their children. A
very easy solution of this great problem
is that the children must be fed, cloth
ed, sent to school, and when majority
is attained, certain amount Of capital
furnished to start them in business.
This is very good, and yet parents
may do it all and still be criminally
negligent. 10 begin at infancy, all
children are, comparatively speaking,
alike destitute, weak, helpless and igno
rant, and yet containing the germs OF
strength, knowledge and future dis
tinction, still endowed with a God Civ
en- right to become honest and respect
ed members of society, and possess an
ample share of mental culture to per-
form the duties therein.
In this embryo state of weakness, to
whom must the child look for an assu-
rance of these rights? The strong arm
of the government is powerful to pro-
tect, but untitled to take care of this
kind of citizen. The door Of the COM
mon school does not open until four
years of existence are past. The Kin
dergarten system of Prussia is but lit
tie understood here. What then shall
be done with the baby? Let not the
sage philosopher ponder this problem
too long, or he will be startled by a
! terrific yell from Young America, the
first battle cry of freedom. This brings
the solution He must be fed, of
course, or, in the language Of the fond
mother, "the dear, sWeety, pooty, sooty
little darling must have some dinner
But of what does this dinner consist ?
:. 1t may be q sarfser Of strong tea, but
more probably it will be skillet of the
product of old brindle, set on the stove
and warmed up to 100 deg, with a lib
eral spoonful of old Bourbon whisky
) added to supply several other degrees
:, Of warmth. Can any thoughtful mind
wonder, if after such unnatural and
stimulating diet, a fearful stomach
ache ensues coming ON, perhaps, in the
{ middle of the night. Pater fanpiZias is
sent, pell nell, up stairs after the herb
bag, containing the whereWith to make
a libation of catnip tea
But some one asks, "What has this
to do with moral training?" Very lit
tie indeed; it belongs more properly to
immoral training. Let me appeal to
i any adult, and ask what moral princi-
/ pie would be cultivated if he was forced
to eat unnatural food until sickness re
suited, and then be thrown upon his
back and cOpious doses Of catnip tea,
] paregoric, alOes, etc., poured into him
from spoon tWo-thirds too large for
his mouth? What charitable feeling
would result if he should then be bound
hand and foot, thrown into cradle,
and bounced from side to side until ma
ture could hold out no longer, and sleep
resulted from sheer exhaustion? Is
this the way to cultivate an amiable
disposition, and build up nervous sys-
tenn strong enough to stand the trials
Of life? And yet this is precisely what
the rising generation suffers. The lit
tie heart which beats at the rate of 1870
pulsations minute needs no stimulant
to hurry it's action. The little Miss
Skipping Ino rope ana the boy chasing
the butterfly, need but little animal
food to force an abnormal growth and
infame the animal passions. What
they do need is plain food, with plenty
of outdoor exercise for sauce.
Self evident as these facts appear,
how MANY mOthnrc in +I,;c 1o31 40 dow
mourn over sons given over to dissipa-
ton, having no strength to resist the
destroyer; over daughters frivolous in
mind and heart, with scarcely physical
ambition enough to follow a course of
novel reading and fashionable dress,
i totally wrecked upon the reef of an I'M
! governed appetite. Yet these mothers,
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