The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-08-29
Some Plain Talk.

Inc Is part Vi al dTtlcle
addressed specially TO the people Of
Chapel Hill, but is sufficiently gem
eral in It's application to warrant
reproduction:
Since Chapel Hill was Chapel
Hill tor a century or more past, |
suppose no such spectacle has
shamed and darkened our streets as
was to be seen on Saturday, 10th
inst, when the Sheriff conducted
two young white men, raised among
us, and two colored young men,
their a~ccomplices IN dastardlv
crime. 1t was a scene 10 make
every man, Jealous for the good
name of the place, hang his head
IN shame and disgust, and ask HIM
self how can it be:-how has it
happened:
/, for one, have always been
rather proud Of the good and hon
est bearing Of our Chapel Hill peo-
pie. OF the young folks who were
raised here with me, of the set pre-
ceding mine, and of the set who
have succeeded, how few eve
have, as the phrase is, "done
badly in life. Honest, temperate
and industrious, we have seen our
citizens, for the most part, orderly,
prosperous, respectable and church
going, and raising their children
to be like them. How is it that
we stand to-day amazed by the dis
closure of villainies and wlckedness
that would do no discredit to So
dom-and what is the remedy?
What steps shall be taken to pre-
vent a recurrence of such crimes:
Where does the fault lie?
Friends, these are serious ques-
tons, and to be answered seriously.
There are plenty of young boys
growing up here for whose future
we may well be alarmed. There
are young girls too i intend to
write plainly, and appeal to parents
by all that they hold dear, to up
hold the attempt to arouse and
warn them. Ue must begin at lame.
Tram up a child in the right way
and he will not leave it, is as true
now as it was three thousand years
ago. Fathers and mothers must
attend more strictly to their boys
and girls than they have of late
been doing, or we shall send more
candidates to the Jail and peniten-
tiary. We must have a return to
a little of the old-fashioned strict
ness e the family rule and discip-
line And remember that the first
fire years Of life settles the ques-
ton of who is to be the master,
you or your child. =
Let no prettiness of engaging
infancy, OF coaXing ways of your
little darling seduce you from the
requirements of implicit obedience
and Submission to your will. The
child who does not obey its parents
at once, who offers to struggle, or
cajole or deceive them, is taking
It's first steps to ruin.
To teach our children to tell the
truth is an old and commonplace
maxim. But another thing equally
true is that we allow ourselves (frOm
laziness generally to believe that
they are truthful, without taking
the least pains to make sure of it.
You ask your boy where he has
been. lie tells YOU. Are YOU sure
he tells you right? Ask your girl
who she has been walking with?
She tells you. Are you quite sure
YOU always know all about it?
In all my experience Of friends
and neighbors nothing has given
more indelible ~offense, or led to
more unpleasantness than any hint,
(no matter how kindly done,) to a
loving father or mother that their
child is deceiving them-that they
did not know all about them. |
declare | know 6ut one w0man who
has stood this trial well, and acted
wisely upon it.
Say you saw your neighbours
daughter in company that did her
no creditor acting in some way
imprudently. Tell her mother.
She calls the girl up, who denies
the whole thing, out and out.
Nine times out Of ten the mother
believes her child, and you have
made half a dozen enemies, and
are set down as a misunderstanding,
spiteful old .
| say it is every parents duty to
make sure by personal supervision
of where son or daughter go;-who
they associate with:-what their
habits are. 1t is much easier, of
course, to take your child's word,
and sit back comfortably satisfied
that ''yOur child ALWAYS tells YOU