Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-08-28
geadiug fur the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
[orlginal.l
PARENTAL DUTIES.

Parents have heavy responsibility resting
upon their shoulders. It is to be feared that
many are not aware of the fact, or rebelious
ly ignore it. 1t is certain that ungodly pa
rents, of which class there is vast multitude
in the world, neglect, entirely, the moral train
ing of their offspring. The result is that the
kingdom of Satan is constantly replenished
with new subjects, and human society polluted
with drunkards, adulterers, fornicators, gam
blers, murderers and thieves. We do not say
that all the crimes indicated in the above sen.
tence are traceable to the neglect Of parents in
discharging their duties = to their children.
Other streams feed the river of death; but
none are so broad and deep, so bold and i'm
petuous, as the neglect of parental duties. 1t
will not be denied that children, apparently
we'll raised, sometimes turn out tob be degraded
wretches beyond comparison. These cases, it
will be admitted, are exceptions to the gener'
al rule. No one who has carefully studied the
framework of society, can have failed to dis
cover that the whole mass of any and every
community, is what the families in that com.
munity are. The several families give com
plexion and character to the whole.
Few parents seem to be conscious of the
fact that, by properly discharging their duties
to their children, they are training men and
women to take honorable and useful positions
in society; and by neglecting to discharge
these duties, they are training their offspring
to he any and everything that an evil heart
may lead them to be, or an overruling Provi
dence permit them to be. The laws of civil
lied lands regard every parent as king of hi
own house. For his offspring, he is expected
to provide, and over them he is required tx
rule. So soon as parent refuses to provide
for his children, he sets himself in open rebel
lion against the laws Of civilized society; ane
so soon as he neglects to govern his children
he converts his house into nursery Of vic'
which is soon to prove hurtful to the whole
community.
The reformation of the morals of every
community must begin in the families. Th'
whole must be purified by cleansing the parts
It amounts to nothing to enact laws for th'
suppression of vice, so long as the families o
country are nurseries of iniquity. Purif!
the fountain, and then it may be expected
that the streams which issue from it, will b
pure. There are some duties which all pa
rents are bound to perform, and all Christian
parents will, in some good degree, discharge
Parents are bound, by the law of God, TO in
struct their children. This is most impor
tant duty; but, we are sorry to say, too fire
quently ignored.
God has so ordered it, that every parent il
prophet, priest and king in his own house
As prophet, he is required to instruct hi
children; as priest, he must pray with ane
for them and as a king, he must rule them
1t is not argued that parents can make thei
children pious. 1t is the province of Coo
alone to give sinners new hearts; but parent
can do this: They can, like Abraham, com
mand, with authority, their offspring to serve
God. While parents cannot give their chill
dren new hearts, they can, and too often do
assist in developing the innate depravity tina
is in the hearts of their children.
Socially, children generally occupy th'
same position of their parents. 1t is hard fol
them to get much higher. Hence, the chill
dren of the present generation will he wha
their parents are making them. This being
the case, how careful should every Christian
parent be in training his sons and daughters
If the children of our country are properly
trained, vice and immortality will not increase
but if parents neglect their duty, drunkards
adulterers, fornicators, gamblers, murderer
and thieves, will food the country.