The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-05-30
Pleasing the Children.

Some little girls, the youngest class
Of a private school in an adjoining city,
following the custom of their elders,
determined, few days ago; to hold d
fair for the benefit of some orphans.
The matter had been fully and properly
canvassed, price of admission Give
cents) agreed upon, >fancy-work COM
menced. contributions solicited, lotter-
les arranged, and all seemed to be
working nicely after the manner of
grown folks. The question s0here the
fair was to be held was the only one
unsettled, and this for while bid fair
to be an obstacle that would block the
wheels of progress and turn into an
utter failure an enterprise that had
been commenced with such high hopes
of abundant success. At whose house
shall the fair be heldp There was
sickness at one, company at another;
ones mother was too busy and anoth
er's thought it would be too much
trouble. At last little tot, the tiniest
of the class, said, 81 think you can
have it at our house. My mother says
nothing is too much trouble when it
pleases her children. / know she will
be glad to have you come"
Thus spoke the child of wise
woman. We want no further evidence
of her wisdom than the testimony of
her child, given in that simple, artless
way. We wish we knew her, that we
might do her reverence in person as
we do now in spirit. Brighter than
any jewels in Victoria's crown shines
her motherhood. For her example in
the treatment and home education of
her children she deserves the thanks of
the world. But 10 we not see, in the
effect of the teaching of this mother in
more .lowly station, the same wise
treatment that produces the same ef-
feet on her children and all around
her? Is there mother of any one of
those little school girls who will not
feel reproof when she hears her child
say, "Marie's mother says nothing is
too much trouble to do for her chill
dren." If there is, we are sorry for
her, and for her children and her chill
dren's children.
Home influence is in this country too
often unappreciated. Parents are too
much occupied with the labor of accu-
mulating worldly wealth to attend to the
home instruction of their children.
They are entirely willing to give all the
money necessary to pay for instruc-
tions in school or college, but cannot
spend the time to give them personal
attention.
The education of children should be-
gin with their earliest infancy. Lessons
of obedience, respect, confidence and
love should be taught long before school
days commence, and be taught in a
spirit of confidence and love. When
your child believes in you and knows
that you are willing to do every pos
sible thing you consider for his good;
when he trusts you BECAUSE there has
never been occasion for doubt, you
have laid a foundation for an education
that will be excellent, even though that
child never sees the inside of school
house. What greater confidence can
be expressed than that by the child who
said, g 1t is true, for my mother says
so, and when she says thing is SO, it
is. whether it is so or not" Not very
correctly put, perhaps we all
know what it means-that if mother
saysa thing is so it will prove to be so,
no matter how improbable it may look
at present.
This topic furnishes good opportu-
nifty to introduce an argument in favor
of the education of women, but we
will not improve it further than to say
that, in our opinion, if liberal education
can be given only to part of the fam
ily. the pirls should have it, The in