The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-01-05
Brothers and Sisters.

There is 4 tendency in modern
life to makelight Of relationship and
emphasize in their place the claims
Of society Especially Is this the
case with regard to the ties which
unite brothers and sisters. The pa
rental and filial relations are so ev-
idenuy necessary to the mainte-
nance Of the race, that they are up
held with some degree Of persistence;
but the ueedfulness Of fraternal
bonds Is not so Immediately palpa-
bic, aud they are not, therefore, held
SO sacred.
Children grow up in this mental
atmosphere and select their friends
almost entirely outside Of the fami-
Iy circle, sets, cliques and clubs abb
-.rl their attention. different inter
s-t- ea-a-, tlcir thoughts, different
du-..- and lmusomcnts occupy their
uu. aad impyiceptibly they driit
away lram each a,her, retaining lit
t.e more than the husk Of a relation
ship which is rich in its possibilities
of human happiness.
Vet the family is the very core OF
al society. and those who Go not
learn lis lessons and taste it. Joys
are but very imperlectiy prepared
for the life which they imagine to
be 50 much broader and fuller
1.-THE loving authority OF the pa
rent and the loving obedience OF the
child give a peculiar fitness for the
. exercise OF ueedful command, and
the proper submission to the pow
. ers that be, certain il Is that no bet
I ter groundwork could be laid for
that equality, which we are SO fond
of prOclummg, than in the right full
hlumeut of those natural duties
which fall To the lot of brothers and
sister, under the protecting roof.
Indeed brotherhood Is the term IN
common use To imply the spirit we
should cherish and the conduct we
should practice towards our fellow
men, showing how strong is the
sense OF what the relation ought 10
involve. All that is noble and hero
iciu humanity; al that Is devoted
and tender in friendship; all the
courtesy and grace oireiined society;
all the respect and cAIyairy due TO
woman. all the sc.i-deuIu and gem
ecoslty which make lie beautiful
have their root IN tie family. and
I'm It's soil can they tc mos. surely
and successfully cultivated Here
are gathered together the Young OF
1 both sexes, not IudIscrimiuatciy, or
without guidance, but with similar
interests. with cOulenial surround
ings, with loving guardianship.
+ There is every opportunity ior mdl-
y.Gual talent or taste to assert itself,
and an equal opportunity Tor mu-
tual assistance. There aremauy va
rctIcs ot temper, disposition and
character, yet they all have q COM
mon origin, and may blend together
for mutua. good. 1t would seem
that il there as any place Oh earth
where friendship could flourish, gen
. tie influences descend, and aticc-
t0nate gratitude be shown. where
tuc simple and pure Intercourse OF
. the sexes might bring unrcstrained
delight, whcreeycrv luducemeut was
Offered Tor kindly offices, for pleas
art surprises, for encouragement
and sympathy Tor everything IN
fact that binds men and women to-
gether in harmony and happiness
it must be in the society OF broth
ers and sisters, united as they are
by natural ties, by common inter
csts, and by daily association.
How Is 1t, then, that these bonds
are SO often sighted and broken
that instead of confidence, sympa-
thy, help and mutual delight in
each other, we SO often find in the
members of the family secrecy, cold
, ness, Indifference and neglect, the
p brother pursuing his own engage
.meuts and amusemcnts and the SIS
, ter following hers, careless each OF
the other and meeting together only
through the force Of habit or circum-
. stance? Possibly one cause may be
that in our eel for Independence
and individuality, we forget the
opposite truth-that of our real de
peudeucc upon one another. The
desire for ownership, Tor develop
ment, for power, Is a good and USE
, iul one. but to make it a thoroughly
wholesome force in human lie 1t
needs to be blended with a sense of
dependence uponund trustin others.
We are too much afraid that this
will interfere with some Of our fan
cied ideas of pertcc. equality, bat it
F is not so.
Mutual trust implies no Inferior
tv. The union of the two Is neccssa-
f. ~ for the welfare of every commuu-
Ity and there IS no better prepara-
ton than faithful fulhllment OF the
duties of brothers and sisters.
Perfect equality and perfect trusts
are the conditions ot happiness III
the traturual relation and the foun-
. dations upon which al social hap
p,ue=s must rest.
Too much pains cannot be taken
. by parents to cultivate this brother
.ly spirit. From their earliest years,
children can be drawn to take pleas
|ure in each others JOYS, and to feel
sorrow at each others pain. They
can be encouraged 10 confdc
. In one another, to help and con-
sole one another, to respect eacn
others rights and to share in each
others interests. They can hetrain-
ed to practice little acts of self denial
and generosity, and to feel q keen
delight in the happiness they thus
rconier. There is much more in
habit about such things than we
are accustomed to imagine. \ nat
urally selfish disposition may, by
continual and gentle influence, be
brought to rejoice in anothcr's hap
. piness and TO work for it, while a
naturally generous heart may bv
/ GOODNESS or carelessness be shut up.
even from its own warm instincts.
The parents duty is not finished
when he feeds and clothes, and edu-
o.