Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1879-04-22

infer that she is a heartless wretch, re-
piled the little beauty, with a most per-
ceptible pout. IF there's one thing
above another that just dote on, it is
being preached to about flirting by women
who never had chance to learn the folly
of it,"
And with this center-shot at her elderly
counsellor, she sailed out of the room,
ION the tip of her sea-shell ear" as her
slangy brother Sam remarked.
As matter of fact, Miss Alice took to
coquetry as a duck takes to water. Her
doting fathers chief desire was that she
should not marry Eat present, that be-
ing the convenient saving phrase under
which he hoped to keep her to himself
for many years to come. He had un-
bounded faith in the protection which her
high bred maidenliness, her ancestral
pride, her ready wit and dauntless spirit
afforded her, and his sense of security was
still further strengthened by the unusual
course of training which she had received
at his hands. Major Sterling had pecu-
liar notions about the proper preparation
of girls to meet the temptations and
emergencies Of life.
ITS all wrong he said to his sister
during discussion of this subject. You
are trying to bring up your daughters be-
hind Chinese wall Of ignorance. You
don't want them to have any knowledge
of evil, you say,-forgetting mother Eve
and her legacy. What passes for evil is
often only a good thing that has been
given bad name. With our cant of
culture, and our super refining of the sem
sibilities, and our spiritualizing Of the in
tellcct, we forget that our children are
animals: born with bodies and instincts
as well as souls and faculties. We lay
upon them commands when we should
render them reasons; we stuff them with
precepts when we should give them self
knowledge; we point them to ideals be-
fore we have taught them the realities
What do your daughters, clever as they
are, know Of physiology beyond the dry
generalities of their urface-skimming
school. books what of the natural laws,
the functions and the perils Of their
own organizations, Precious little, I'll
be bound, under your plan of not speak
ing of such things. You ought to have
the French social codc-the isolation Of
girls, the Jealous guardianship, the inhcxi-
BILE outward propricties-ifyou are to ape
the bogus French ignorance of your daugh-
ters. But instead of that YOU bring them
up under happy go-lucky system Of
mock modeSty, turn them loose in society
with scarcely form Of protection, glory
in their freedom, in fact,-and then have
the tcmcrity to wonder when any of them
20 wrong The wonder ought to be that
50 many Of them keep right. Our home
education lacks nothing 50 much As more
plain speaking by mothers to their daugh-
ters; aye, and their sons, too,-serious,
loving, truth telling and wise guidance on
subjects now avoided as indelicate. or
left with a folly that is often fatal,
to their own experience. Fewer lies,
subterfuges and shirking expedients, and
more honesty and good sense in the rear
ing of children, would improve the race
good deal faster than the Sunday.
schools and water-cures are doing it.
Your theory sounds reasonable re-
marked the majors sister, lifting her eyes
from the bi, of work that had dropped
into her lap as she listened; "but how
does your practice tally with IT,
" Perfectly" answered he; Alice
knows all that girl ought to know, and
from my own lips. / could not have
slept in peace if had left her in igno-
rance, or trusted to school girl chatter, to
stealthy bits of reading, to curious guess
es and dangerous half-truths. | never
missed her mother as | did when | awoke
one day to the fact that our lovely child
was a beautiful woman. 1t was only
after many struggles, and am not asham-
ed to say many prayers, that | could
bring myself to undertake the double
parental duty. In the friendly dusk of
a happy Sabbath evening, drew the dear
girls head upon my sheltering shoulder
she was then almost seventeen,-and
telling her in tender words the need felt
of her enlightenment, unveiled the mys-
teries of our being; mysteries to her, but
the common knowledge of the race for
six thousand years, and as pure as the
father-love of God himself. Our conf
dences were complete. All her artless,
faltering questions were freely answered,
and | shuddered at the depth Of igno-
rance they revealed. Why, in Heaven $
name, should We feel so free to ask
strangers about their souls, while we
shrink from speaking to our own children
of their bodies, Why do we at such
cost train the intellect and enlighten the
spirit, and neglect the physical nature
that through sin or disease may ruin them
BOTH"
when. at the end of our talk said
the Major, after pause. my child put
her arms about my neck, and kissed me
more fondly than ever before, and saying,
Dear, dear papa, can only thank you
with my life,' stole softly away to her
chamber, felt for the first time how
great thing it is to be parent, and how
sweet the perfect relation of father and
child may be-"
"Since then," concluded he, in brisk
er tone, Il can truly say that have
reared my daughter; she hasn't simply
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