The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1882-10-14
Education.
n. Bostick, IN Conlanche Chief.

Mrs. Bostick, in Comanche Chief.
Too many men in times of prosper
ity beget visions of speculation, all
forgetfdl of the best interest of their
children and as bubble after bubble
bursts, and as their children increase
in numbers they are heard TO bewail
the situation and w." School expen-
ses are so high, times so hard and my
business is in such shape I can't, but
perhaps by next year my chances will
be better" Next years castle totters
and tumbles, aud SO year after year,
plans and disappointnents chase each
other in rapid succession, or business
increases or some other trivial excuse
arises, until part of his children ore
beginning to look out tor themselves.
Girls contemplating matrimony and
boys money making. BY and by he
says, swell my first children were de-
prived Of school advantages and my
last can do as well as they" So then
he stops and looks back on his career
with perhaps hopeless regret; some
saying | would have done better if |
could, others | would have done better
if would, the latter remark, however,
being generally true in all.
The great trouble lies right here
they want good school advantages
without any sacrifice of property, capi-
tai or business, and the expense Of
patronizing a good school has very
perceptible effect on most mems
purses.
But what pleasure or profit can there
be in wealth or fame, if obtained by
Withholding from his children that
treasure priced above all others, indie
pcndcnce of thought and action.
When mans primo object in life
is to acquire wealth or fame for him
self at the sacrifice of his children's
rights, his career is a failure even if
he win the prize.
lie leaves an uncultivated posterity
to grope their way in the darkness of
ignorance through life. His own sue
cess is no credit to them and a dis
grace to himself.
He may say, swell, | want to lay by
something 10 give my children start
in the verdi" land or capital, Such
giftsl They never pay their children
what they have really earned. What
a poor pay is tract Of land, thous-
and dollars, or both or even ten times
as much for the loss of an education
and ten or twelve years of incessant
toll in the very seedtime of life, and
then to be turned out on the world
poor, bereft, benightod wanderers,
stripped and robbed by designing,
selfish parents. Better be orphans
and educated by charity than have
such parents.
To say they brought up their fam
lily in a place destitute of society and
schools is no excuse at all. 1t is as
much to say he values his real estate
or business more than the best interests
of his children or he could have chang
ed localities. The man who makes a
high mark in life for his family and
works to it, is the successful man
though he die without dollar. The
man who withhoIds his means from
his children aud manages all in the
direction of self, exclusive of his
children's rights, is thief and a
miser.
Sometimes we see men and women
who have been robbed of their rights
in childhood, try to make amends by
taking up course of study and brave
ly pursuing it amid the fierce battles
of adversely in lifc's career, and yet
attain, to a considerable degree of
mental cultura. These however, are
few compared with the number who
have been hurled into Iife's battle
wholly unarmed for the contest.
Parents, work for your children's
highest interests, for "where there is
4 will there is always way" Put
that capital, that property, that land
in your children's heads and hearts,
where it is safe from prodigality,
swindlers and thieves.
When there it is always money, capital
for any business, passport into the
society of the good, the cultivated
and influential, a clear title to money
elements, a never failing source of en-
joyment in prosperity and adversely,
in strength or weakness, and indie
pendence over encouragement and
light to heaven.
In doing this for your children you
have done no more than your duty.
short of this is an entire
failure in the grand purpose of pa
Anything short ofthis, is
failure in respectable citizenship in
free and enlightened country. Society
demands If. Vour country demands il, |