The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1877-12-06
From the Christian Union.
Family Government.

Essays and sermons innumerable have
been written on family government Ex-
cellent rules and rules not so excellent
have been framed. But the true secret
Of family government is in the governor;
the parents, not their rules, make the
child
For children are in the first place nat
ural imitators Going into the library.
the other day, we found the youngest
member of the household busy with pen
Gil and paper at the desk. Don't dis
turb me, said he, solemnly. IL am busy
editing my paper" A few weeks later
we happened in at the shop Of a neighbor.
He was building a she'll His boy OF
eight was at work with a knife and bit
Of shingle. also bodybuilding. Principles.
sentiments. habits Of thought. no less
than methods Of action. descend from
parent to child. The boy is an ardent
partisan as soon as he can speak.
and hurrahs for Hayes or Tildeu. as the
case may be. before he can pronounce
the names. I'm publican" And
what's a publican p 81 don't know
but fathers one How often you may
hear that
ID is generally safe to assume that the
child reproduces the faults Of his parents;
or. to speak more generally, those Of his
older companions. Sometimes IL is a
nurse, an aunt or q grandmother that the
little child mimics Mirror some one
he almost always does; il she be well and
strong and capable of doing her maternal
duty, it is his mother whom he Is most
likely to mirror. If, then. in the glass
you see faults you do not like. Grst at
tend TO yourself IL there are blemishes
visible in the mirror, attend to the skin,
not to the glass. IL is worse than idle
for the father TO deliver temperance lee.
lures and have wine on his table, or adj.
monish his boy against smoking with a
cigar in his mouth: IL is worse than
useless for the mother to allow herself
the conventional deceptions Of society
and condemn lying in her boy, or to
feed her own vanity in dress and 10 re- |
buke Haunting in her daughter. If the |
child S little liar, be very sure there is /
somewhere a big liar under the same 4
roof If he is self willed watch for OBJ /
stinacy in your own life.
In the long run, character produces /
character. Purity, truth, fidelity, cour- /
age, love, in the mothers heart will be |
get a brood Of like virtues in the chill 1
dren. This was the secret of the Puri. /
tan's training. IL is a marvel that il is 1
still a secret to so many. The Puritan /
did not spare the rod and. therefore. it 1
is thought he did not spoil the child. /
But il was not the rod that drove fool. 1
ishness out Of the Puritan children. \
Whatever may have been the faults Of
the Puritans want Of earnestness was not l
one Of them. They were good lovers /
they were admirable haters. One text |
Of Scripture they thoroughly believed in:
"Abhor that which is evil" They did. /
They hated q mean, a cowardly a despic- 1
able action with all the strength Of 4
stalwart and noble natures. IL was this /
generous hatred Of all the yermicular /
vices that belong to a luxurious age 1
which was the potent influence in driv- 4
ing these vices from the hearts and lives /
Of their children. IL would have been /
Just as efficacious in hundreds Of families /
where the rod was unknown as in the /
thousands where il was kept in constant /.
and vigorous exercise
We answer your inquiry. then, gener. /
ally. by saying. Be full Of the Spirit OF 4
Christ; and then pour out Of your foil. /
ness into your child. Be worthy Of his 1
reverence; be worthy Of his imitation /
keep him sympathetically bound to you /
have patience and be sure that in time /
he will imbibe your spirit and initiate |
your ways.