Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1879-08-31
THE YOUNG AND A FUTURE.

cleanse the way for the young men p II
would be an interesting statistical study to
sit down and count the number of reforma-
tory, penal and charitable institutions in our
land the sums expended, the lives wasted,
and the hearts broken, and then going back
to the cause of all this waste of life and
wealth and happiness, calculate how much
less it would have cost to have prevented the
disease than to cure it, or even make the at
tempt to cure for wasted lives can never be
restored, as the plucked flower can never be
reunited to its stem. 1t has been often as
serted that it costs less to prevent crime than
to punish it, and we know that the seeds of
evil planted in the heart, are eradicable by no
human means If this is true, we owe duty
to our children, which we are but poorly dis
charging, and creating for ourselves a future
of sorrow. The hope of the country is in the
moral training of our boys and girls, the one
to be our future Presidents, Judges, Senators;
and the other, nursing mothers of such men.
From the present loose training of youths,
what will be the character of the next gener-
or figs of thistles :" and yet the youth of
our State and other States are being reared
as though this was easy enough. Every
father hopes to see his son laundering in the
Senate or presiding at the White House, or
clothed with the ermine of justice. What
foundation is he laying for such career 7 Is
his boy-this president in pettcoats-being
restrained and taught by precept and example,
or is he permitted to grow up like the wild
vine, that lays hold upon every projecting
limb that holds out any promise of support,
no matter how rottenl Every mother hopes
to see her daughter a pure matron, and
ruler in social life is she training her daugh-
ter in all that ennobles woman, and laying up
in her life the germs of that pure womanhood,
which she is to transmit to her offspring,
rearing for her country noble men and women,
to in turn rule and govern, and make the
nation "the glory of all lands7" Or is she
permitting her to enjoy the freedom of mature
women, at fifteen, teaching her lessons of
vanity, and fitting her for a few years of fashy
life, divorce courts and an end of misery and
perhaps shame. The women of Israel con-
sidered barrenness a curse, and Jeptha's
daughter went into the mountains for two
months "to bewail her virginity," and why
Every Israelitsh female knew the promise of
a Savior and the nature of his coming, and as
every American mother hopes to be the
mother of President, so every daughter of
Israel hoped to be the mother of the Messiah
What kind of sons is it supposed will be
reared by girls whose education, morals, man
ners and religious training is utterly uncared
for, and who are allowed to grow up like
weeds in healthy crops; if the crop is the
strongest the weeds wilt; but if the weeds
choke out the crop, it not only spoils one sea-
sons produce, but the seeds carried by every
wind poisons all around and takes root every
where.
Perhaps our very greatest sin consists
in our neglect of the moral re-
straint of our children, and it is one which
not alone infcts punishment upon the de-
linquent parties, but spreads ruin to remote
generations, and to every corner of the land. |
We have the example of Eli before us, "whose
sons made themselves vile, and he restrained |
them not, and we have the example of all |
time, for that matter. We began by re-
ferring to reformatory and penal institutions,
which are spread all over the land, and which
we have the means of showing, are fed by
the children of neglect; children whose
parents motto was; 81 don't mean to stuff
my child with dogmas, he shall grow up to
and think for himself" Did you,
gentle reader, ever know a man or woman
reared in that school to Think
Fathers and mothers of Nevada, it is easier
to train up child in the way he should 60
than after having lost his way, to lead him
back to it. Good seed sown in the young
heart will bear fruit, but grace, like grain,
cannot be transplanted
Law makers, and those who execute thelaws,
you will do the State more service by build
ng hedge around the young, than by build
ng penitentiary walls for criminals, and it
will cost less. The very nature of our institu-
ions presupposes virtuous and moral citi-
snship. They had their inception and early
,rowth in such healthy soil and under such
'ure atmosphere that they cannot live in
hat which is impure; besides, righteous
i