Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-08-25
Mine and Thine.

"DEAR MADAME: I wish you would
write something about going in debt
| when one has no immediate or reasona-
BILE expectation of discharging that debt
We have had young minister with us
lately who seems to mean well enough,
| and who has been very successful in
| drawing and holding large congrega-
tions and in increasing the church men,
bership, but he seems to have no facul-
! ty of making the ends meet. He owes
everybody, and when he has money (his
! pay for the service is fair) he does not
| apply any portion of it to the payment
of his debts. This causes great regret
among those who hold by him, and great
scandal among his creditors and their
| friends.''
The only thing that can be done in
this particular case and like cases, so
far as we can see, is to withhold credits
| from those who we are satisfied will
abuse it, no matter what their profess
sion or their promises may be. There
are deadbeats'' in every profession,
there are unbalanced and illbalanced
men everywhere, and when we find out
| that such and such a man Is disposed to
prey on the weakness or the prejudice
or the follies of his fellows, we must, if
| we can, protect ourselves against him.
But to prevent such mischief, early
training is a most important factor, and
even with the best early training there
are some children that seem to have no
sense of s'mine and thine" but borrow
| at pleasure what they want, appropriate
| to their own use what belongs to some
other member of the family, make sharp
I ~, Il,
and consider themselves only ''smart"
and praiseworthy when they have over
reached and outwitted their fellows.
Unfortunately, in many such instances,
the parent re Oices rather than mourns
that '.that child seems to have faculty
of taking care of hims elf.''
Let us sketch what seems to us an
ideal condition in u family as to the
principle of "mine and thine.'' Each
member of the family has his own per-
sonal belongings, and these are sacred
to him alone. No other member med
dies Herewith. His treasures are not
inspected even or appropriated by any
one but himself. If he has a room to
himself, that room is safe from intru-
sion; no locks Or keys are needed to
guard him or his from impertinent and
officious meddling. There is but one
rule-the Golden Rule-in such a fami-
IL. The parents reserve the right to
revise all bargains and agreements
made between their children, SO that the
elder may not take any advantage of the
Younger, or the sharp of the dull, SO
that each one shall have an seven
chance with the rest. The laws of
equity govern parental decisions and
secure to each child Justice. With such
training at home, it seems to us the
number of human wolves and jackals
and vultures and leeches and parasites
that prey upon society would be Won
derfully diminished We know of fam
lilies that realize this ideal to degree,
and can not but predict that the children
in them will bee me honorable, self
respecting, solvent men and women.
As contrast to this we present a fam
ily where the children wear each others
clothes, use each others things as a
matter of course; take advantage of
each others follies, weaknesses, gener-
osities; are oblivious of and Indifferent
to all moral distinctions, and ego as you
please" generally. The parents are at
no pains to lay down correct rules of ac-
ton as between man and man, and
trust that somehow their children will
" come out all right There are many
such families.
There are parents who make a spec
ialty of religious training in their fami-
lies, but are not careful to cultivate the
civil virtues. .sNot the hearers but the
doors of the law are Justified 1t is
one thing and 4 very good thing for a
child to attend Sunday-school every Sun
day. to repeat the Lords Prayer, the
Ten Commandments, the Creed and the
Sermon on the Mount, and quite anoth-
er and equally important thing for him
always to tell the truth, to obey his par
ents, to observe the Sabbath. to govern
his temper, to appropriate only what be-
longs to him. ssThese things should We
have done and not have left the other
undone.''
Some time ago, at meeting to pay
off church debt, one of the members
subscribed $1,000. The wife of phvsi-
clan who sat beside us whispered in our
ear: 81 should have a great deal more
respect for that mans piety if he would
pay up his doctors bill, or part of it, be-
fore he subscribes SO heavily. My hus-
band can't collect cent out of q large
Indebtedness to him from this man, and
this Indebtedness has been outstanding
for years" True piety toward God,
and its inseparable companion, love for
ones neighbor, can not consist with in
difference or carelessness as to justice
and equity between ourselves and our
fellows. But some people are Christian
only in certain localities of their brains
and hearts, and the "leaven" fails for
some reason to ssleaven the whole
lump" We must be patient with our
selves and with others and do what we
can to promote righteousness and JUS
tice in ourselves and our fellows.-N.
Y. Tribune.
AS general thing the tables at the
seaside hotels this season. are poor as to
variety and the cooking miserable. Peo-
pie are fed upon the cheapest materials