Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-06-24
THE HERALD.
THE RISING GENERATION.
A Contrast Between the Youth OF the Present
and the Past.

A Contrast Between the Youth the Present
and the Past.
If there is one thing more than
another lacking in the young peo-
pie of our time. it is force of eharac>
ter, selt-reliance, courage to meet
and grapple with the stern realities
of life. Never, perhaps, were young
people so well cared torso we'll clad,
so well educated in the technical
sense; never was the path of life
made so smooth before them; and
yet there seems to be feeling that
they are wanting in the endurance,
independence and force which BIO,
Ionged TO former generations.
Education, so called, seems to be al
ienating the rising race from man.
ual labor, and even from skilled me.
chanical pursuits. What to do with
our sons and daughters when they
leave school is problem pressing
very heavily or many minds.
But too few of the rising genera,
tion-of the male sex we are speak
ing--show that self.reliance aud
sterling manliness which character.
lied the younger days of our mer-
chant princes and men of means,
who started with nothing, who real
ly faced the world, and wero often
footsore, hungry and roofess who
ashamed to be dependent upon "the
old folks," left their homes, not
knowing whittier they went, with
a staff 10 one hand, and little bum
die of coarse, but clearly linen in
the other, and who are now the
owners Of houses, lands, and those
much abused but very desirable
"bouds."
10 other days young people had
to rough it, They not only had
to 90 to school, but had to get up
very early in the morning, just
when the sun was peeping over the
tops Of the hills, and in the winter
before its rosy face could be seen
they had to milk the COWS, and saw
the wood, and weed the onions, and
fetch the water from the we'll and
very likely they had too hard q
time of 1t, and too little froiic and
fun. Still one cannot help think
ing that such physical exe' else as
these tasks involved was a good an
tidote to the confinement and stud.
les of the school, and was possibly
better training for all the practi-
cal purposes of life than base bail
clubs and croquet parties and 1t
may we'll pc that in rebelling and
protesting-ss it is right that we
should-against the harsh old way
of bringing children up, we have
swung around to the opposite ex.
tremA, and are in danger Of ceddling
the young people teo much, OF
smoothing their way and making
things so easy for them, that they
will be like these puny and delicate
bat handsome oaks which we are
told the Chinese raise 10 pots, in
their hot houses, Instead of like
those sturdy trees that stand ex.
posed to all the storms that blow.
Does the fault lie with the young
ones ? Who cannot see that paren-
tai indulgence, forethought and care
carried to excess are sure to make
children inefficient and weak
There are many instances of parents
who have inundated themselves on
the altar of love, who by their very
kindness and seIt.denial have made
their offspring extremely selfish,
exacting, and idle. They have act
ed on the principle that nothing
could be too good and no way too
easy for a child, that no rough
breeze must ever strike his cheek,
and that he mast bo saved from all
unpleasant tasks.
Parents wear themselves out, de-
ny themselves, and reduce their
own wants to the minimum of bare
existence, and seeking in making
their children vain and selfish,
lack ng ia neE7e and vi5or. aud dis.
qualified for ;toso common duties
which ere the common lot OF all.
Our first aim should bo to teach
our children saIf reliance. Our main
anxi " should not be 20 remove all
Obstacles ard difficulties from their
pathway, but T. aid them in devel-
otiug heir own resources, and 10
encourage them to remove obstacles
and to overcome difficulties by and
for themselves The way must not
be made too smooth, even fer young
and tender feet, cls9 those feet will
never be able to climb 1.-The steep
and rugged pathway" up which all
noble lives must ascend. Let there
DO ple9ty IF love and tenderness !;
let there be an abundance of light
and gladness she'd around our boys
and girls but let tbcm be made
early to uuderstaud that even love
itself cannot shield them rom diff.
cultios or excuse them from uupleas-
ant end irksome tasks.
Next, in dealing with your chill
dren there should be tho most care
full determination, e painstaking
anxiety to fnd out aud cultivate
their individual tastes and gifts.
A child is like a lump of clay
which the artist holds in his hand,
and out OF which he can mold a
Mephistopheles or saint Some
take no special pains to mold this
plastic human clay into lovely
shapes or fine issues. John is treated
exactly like James, and no moro con-
sideraticn is shown for Mary, the
sensitive, than for Clara the gay
no particular pains taken to find
out the tastes, aptitude or feelings
of either. Thus great opportunities
are missed, great injustice done,
great pains inflicted, and the iptcn-
tons CT nature violated.
There is no short aud easy way
through life. There is no magic
wand to wave away the homeIy
the needful aud the commonplace ;
no slight of hand by which we car
place ourselves in perfect or ideal
conditions. But the --.lmonest
| tasks and lowest sDherss NAV be