St. Landry democrat., 1879-03-29
Our Chlldrenss Inheritance.

A boy came in from school few days
ago, and, rushing into the sitting~room,
held up to his mothers view four~
bladed pocket-knile. "See, mother" he
exclaimed, what splendid bargain |
made at recess to day! I traded off
twelve marbles with Willie Bradley for
this new knife" II hope you didn't
cheat him." said the mother, as the boy
gave chuckle of delight over his new
treasure. He made no reply. The words
OF his mother evidently did not carry
much weight with them. After he had
passed out OF the room the mother smiled,
and said to her visitor: "Thst boy is
the shrewdest fellow on bargain you
ever saw. | have no fears as to his
making his way in the world" "The boy
is father of the man." That mother
did not think OF the enormity of this
sort of shadow-playing. 1t was only
small beginning of dishonest man.
hood.
The facts of the caae, which the mother
should have Immediately inquired into,
were these: The boy who had driven
this sharp bargain had taken advantage
of younger and weaker school-mate.
He had deprecated the value of the
knife in the others possession, and had
over>estimated the value OF the marbles
with which he had made the exchange.
It was clear case of fraudulent dealing,
yet the matter was passed over as
trivial circumstance, and its evil inAu..
ence LETT upon the mind of the young
trader. 1t is the large aggregate OF little
things that make up the sum OF charac-
ter. A mother should inculcate into the
minds of her children the necessity of be-
ing honest, not because it is the best
pohcy-tor Bishop Whately says that
he who is honest because it is the best
policy is no better than a rogue-but
because it is right, and Christ commands
us to deal justly with all. In these days
of fraudulent dealings, when honesty
seems only a name, and justice drags
has garments in the dust, the mother
should see to it that lessons of honesty
are early impressed upon the minds of
her children. In the first place, moth>
er should be strictly honest herself. The
triar who preached honesty with stolen
goose in his sleeve did not make much
impression upon his audience. There
are great many mothers who drive
shrewd bargains in their household man
agement, take little advantage of those
whom they employ, and get the better
of seme with whom they deal. Now
these examples are not lost upon the
children. They are quick to notice
inconsistencies, and the influences are
not lost upon them.
In these days, when money getting is
so hard, the father is necessarily taken
away from ais home most OF the time.
The responsibility of the training OF the
children comes mainly within the
mothers jurisdiction. Some one says
that maternal love is the providence OF
the race. How unbounded, then. must
be her influence over those who love her
90 devotedly. A mother may not be able
to give her children an inheri lance of
money, but she can train them in such
q manner that character, the most valu-
able of possessions, can be theirs. She
can leave them Sc good nane," which
Solomon says, is rather to be chosen
than great riches" She can teach them
by example and precept that the strict>
est adherence to the smallest details of
honesty and integrity is the foundation
of good character. It has been proven
many times that children generally in>
herit the characteristics of the mother.
A curious illustration of the dependence
of the character of the children on that
of the mother, incidentally occurs in one
of Mr.. Tufnell's school reports Of Eng
land. sThe TRUTH he observes, has
been 90 well established that it has even
| been made subservient to mercantile call
| cn1ation." IT was informed" he says,
Gina large factory, where many chil>
dren were employed, that the managers,
before they engaged boy, always in
auired into the mothers character, and,
il that was satisfactory, they were toler.
able certain that her children would
conduct themselves creditably. No d.
tention was paid to the character of the
father"
Curran speaks of his mother with tn