The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-12-05

boris who Das been prldiug himself
on the possession OF an exemplary
offspring. 1t ia nonsense TO expect
that q child will Go wrong
in the presence Of it's parents, and it
is just as absurd for parents to imsg-
inc that because they do not see their
children doing wrong they are guilty
of no evil A parent is pretty safe In
taking it for granted that mis- boy is
as bad as his neighbor's, and if after
q fair and candid investigation he
does find that he has done his son an
Injustice, his pleasure will be all the
grea.sr because his knowledge of the
boys goodness ia no longer based on
presumption. The idea that boys
will recover from wild prsnks in time
has been the cause of the untimely
end of thousands of bright young men,
Of drunkard's graves without end,
and of numberless murders and the
commission over and oVer again OF
every crime for which human beings
have provided punishment; ami tor
many a lost hope for the hereafter.
I0f course there have bseu exosp-
tions, and that is why we point to
them, for people rarely prove to the
rule. 1t is right, it is wisdom, that
ell should know evil, but 1t is neither
right nor wisdom that they shonld
know it by individual experiences. 1t
is wisdom that young men and boys
should know the evils OF drunkenness,
of lying, of theft, of licentiousness,
and OF murder, but who would main
tain that it was wisdom for them to
gain this knowledge by being drunk
ards, liars, thieves, libertines or muir
dereTs? The will oats' excuse will
have to answer for more crimes than
anything else in the world. Wild oats
never did, never can, and never will
bring q good hsrvest-t0 assume
such a thing is to go in defiance OF
every law Of nature. You cannot
SOW wild oats without violating the
laws of nature; you cannot violate the
laws OF nature without having broken
a command of the Almighty. II is a
broad assertion; but it is as true as
gospel.
II young men are 80 wesk-minded
that they cannot see these things and
care for themselves. then their
parents, who are older and should be
wiser, should step in and do their
thinking and seeing for them. Parents
do see these things; they csnne. help
it; and if they walk in life as they
should, their influence over their
children will be greater than that cf
any one else or of any satan, in what
ever guise the tempter may appear,
1t is cruelty to children, to boys aud
to young men, 10 let them have their
own way. You Unjust be cruel only
to be kind" and to keep young PEG
pie out OF mischief, while they may
not see the wrong, is to do them a
kindness. When parents can no
longer control their children, then
the city or the state must do it for
them; when it comes to this pass,
it breaks the hearts Of parents
and r0bs their children of individual
self respect, and the result is regret
on the part of the parent that his son
was not properly controllt I, and evil
thoughts on the psrs of the 10y that
the parent did not guide him right.
Nov, it is right that children, boys,
young men, young women and gray
haired persons should have amuse-
ment or fur; but it should be borne
i'll mind that amusement ceases to be
amusement, tun to be fun, when
some u has to suffer for it. II boys
must have fun, let them have it, but
not on Sunday, for it Is no fun st sill
when they gather ab5ut meeting
houses in the afternoon aud evening,
in crowds, aud yell and play to the
disturbance of ~peaoeable AID orderly
citizens who 60 for worship. There
is no fun in the swearing, smoking
and low aud brutal actions which can
frequently be seen on Sabbath
evenings where religious services are
being conducted. A person guilty OF
such acts, can have reverence neither
for churches nor for religion; nor any
regard for the feelings of others
Even il a person has 10 regard for
churches and cannot feel the charity
OF religion, the least degree OF de-
cency- would make him guarded
about wounding the feelings OF those
to whom il is desr-be their belief
ever so foolish. It is a curious
amusement that has !or Its
basis the injury of another;
and while young men may feel them
selves deprived of rights by being
forced to be courteous to others, and
to respect their rights, If they have
not sense enough to do 30 voluntarily
it would still be doing them 8 kind
ness to compel them to be decent.
Every time a boy runs wild, and over
rides the rights OF others, he becomes
that much more a hoodlum; every
time q parent knowingly allows his
son to swear, smoke or chew, make a
noise or blsspheme at a meeting
house, Just that often does he coun-
tensncs the wrong his offspring com
mits. II parents will not keep their
children within proper Bounds, the
police must do 60. The matter has
gone just far enough. Special police
men should be delegated to stay ct
every Westinghouse when service.
are being held to arrest boys guilty of
a breach of the peace or s dissertation
of the Sabbath or of q place OF wor-
ship, and have them punished. They
should be driven from the walk lead
ing to the Tabernacle gate and other
places where they collect when meet
ing is about to dismiss, aud ogle,
chew, smoke, spit tobacco JUICE.
sWesr, aud make vulgar remarks
about ladies as they pass; and if they
refuse to move of they should be ar
rested and punished. ibis condition
of affairs has gone far enough,
and if parents can nc longer inhu-
ence their offspring to do right, the
police will do the offspring a kindness
by making them fear the law if they
have not the sense to, or will not re-
spect it. Boys have been treated
SO kindly 90 long. that they have
forgotten others have rights beside
themselves. Il is lille to talk OF regard
for the feelings of boys, or for their
parent; when they show q regard for
-