The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1878-06-28
EMPORIA NEWS
FRIDAY. JUNE %, 1878.
INC R1ght. OF Infancy.

HE Hk1Kh18 OF lmAAACys
Infants are that numerous class
of the human race who are
not.old enough to make known
thier wants and troubles by artlc-
ulate language. Have they then,
any rights which we adults are
bound to respect? One would be
compelled to answer this presump-
tuous question in the negative,
judging from the conduct of
certain guardians of childhood
and infancy.
1t was a great thought of a
great man to have preached the
question of "The Rights of
Childhood" That thought watts
us back to the days of Galilean,
speaking Gas never man spake,"
even In these words: "Take heed
that ye offend not one of these lit
tie ones!
At this point we might ask an in
teresting notwithstanding and
profitable for the village debating
society, or even the English Parli-
ament, ready, apparently, to give
many q chance to win military
greatness. That question is this:
What constitutes true greatness?
However the questions might
issue, we declare that to "train up
a child in the way he should CO."
to have protected, cared for, bless
ed childhood, is a grander thing
than to take city or march an
army.
But many will concede that the
child OF an interesting age should
be cared for, say from three to six
they are funny and say such funny
things.
But how about that child when
only as many months old7
Has it not then much or more
need of care and help than at the
later period?
Yet some mothers seem to be of
the opinion that as soon as they
have assumed that relationship,
all responsibility has ended, and
the care and training of the child
can be done by proxy. Blessed
is the faithful servant in such a
case.
But what kind of a mother is
she who will, for the sake OF soci-
ETY., leave the helpless little one OF
a few weeks or months, in the care
of nurse or servant, very likely
strangers? Yet there are such
mothers(?) They are not worth
the name they bear. They have
not attained to the right nor the
dignity of that position.
A case in point has just come
to the attention of the writer:
A young mother, fond of dress,
of show, of society, and of running
about, leaves her child at home in
the care OF q servant. Child not
well, at best. The injunction, on
the departure of the mother in
the morning for "town," is, "If he
cries, give him some of that brom-
ide." The mother is away from
home all day having a "good
time;" she returns in the evening
and finds that child dead! The
neighbors undertands it. If any
one had respect for that so call
ed mother, it has now vanished.
Grape Is put on the door-knob.
That makes a show. Black is
donned is profusion-it makes a
show! There Is a funeral; it is
not without display. There were,
no doubt, genuine tears of sorrow,
nor will we harshly Judge that
these too were for display. We
will only add that though proba-
bly, genuine, and for good reason
were the latter. tokens of sorrow,
yet that mother caused the death
of her child.
The physician called 1t cords
morbus, but the fact will still re-
main, and the epitaph over the lit
tie grave yonder should be, "DIed
from the lack of a mothers care"
We thus desire to put in plea
for the little ones who cannot
plead for themselves. Educators
may write never so finely upon
theories for the education of
youth; kindergarteners may be
never SO enthusiastic about the
new education for childhood but
the greatest teacher of all is the
mother, during the first year or
two of the child's lite. Neither
physician or teacher can take her
place.
How few are aware of the inn
portance of such a relation at such
a periodl It is not a position sec
ond to that of a queen. The mother
is the divinity of the child. Shall
she be like the heartless Moloch, or
like Cornelia the mother of Grac-
chi, to whom her two sons were
her best and only 'jewelsr'
When the child, with as much
right to life, health and the pur
suit Of happiness as his elders,
comes to be regarded as. a thing to
be thrust one side at caprice, or
put in charge of an Indifferent
hireling, it is time to ask whether
that mother has any right to have
held such q relationship.
Tat tho Ynnfharo fret Of oil he