The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-10-12
How Parents Kill their Children.

OOlly dOHO VI IuOg viii NUM- duOGuCT
prophet.
How Parents Kill their children.
The criticism is frequently made
that the Americans do everything
on the "high pressure plan." There
is too much truth for our own good
in this statement, and to verify it it
is only necessary to refer to the
manner in which we-that is, large
majority of the more intelligent
classes our children. Per-
haps nearly every mother of ordin-
ary intelligence has read and talked
more or less about the food, clothing
and schooling of her own child, and
she can see very clearly what is best
for her neighbor's children, but
when it comes down to the nurture
of her own, she Is as sightless as the
mole. We are inclined to apply cor
receives to others, yet extremely
liable to forget the remedial agents
urgently needed for ourselves. These
remarks may be strikingly illus
trated by referring to the great haste
parents display in hurrying their
children into and through school.
The people of this country need a
tremendous shock to bring them to
their senses on this very point. But
the haste TO make little girls women
and little boys men has completely
upset the heads of most parents, es-
pecially in cities and towns, and in
stead of getting real men and wo-
men of full intellectual growth and
physical stature, we are supplying
ourselves with a miserable lot of hu-
man toys, which can neither think
nor work.
Nature designs in the first place
that the ordinary child should be
sound, healthy and strong; that it
should have suitable clothing to
cover its body and protect it from
the inclemency of the climate; that
nutritious food should be prepared
for it to eat, and which ought to be
taken at proper and regular in
tervals, and that appropriate exer-
else, both physical and mental, fol-
lowed by rest and sleep, are abso-
lutely necessary to insure perfect
development of mind and body. All
experience shows the close and SYM
pathetic relation between the MUD
and body, and as the body is the
medium or machine which the mind
employs for the purpose of execut-
ing its knowings, emotions, affec-
tions and desires. and injury lnfiict-
ed upon the body by overwork,
overeating or deficiency of exercise
impairs its efficiency and impedes
the activity of the mind. If the body
never became tired, never needed
rest and sleep for the purpose of re-
cuperating wasted energies, and
could always withstand all
strains made upon it, then
there would be no neces-
sity for taking care of it. AS it is,
by non-exercise his body may be so
enfeebled in childhood, its growth
so retarded and dwarfed and stunt
ed that it falls a prey to disease, and
after few years of untold suffering
it passes to the grave. This, in
brief, is the history of thousands of
our brightest boys and girls as it is
summarized in the funeral process
siOns every year. Their lives are
burned out by foolish parents who
want to hurry them through school
too soon so that they may enter
upon the duties of life early. Thou
sands, when the schools closes III
May or June, then put their children
under special instruction. that they
may gain grade or years work
during the hot summer months.
This extra work is too much for
childhood. 1t may be endured for
season, but the tax is too
great. In year or two the
child breaks down, a mere weak,
disabled probably for life, all caused
by the ignorance of parents to rush
their children ahead prematurely.
Ordinarily the child under eleven
only employs itself between five and
six hours daily in school work, or
about thirty hours out of the 168
hours in the week. This is as much
time as the child ought to devote to
study and lessons, the other time
should be given to exercise, rest and
sleep. Children as well as all other
young animals need to work and
play in the outdoor air. 1t is far
better for girls to play out doors
even at the expense of becoming
noisy than to place them like china
sets, to be seen and not heard. AS
10 boys it is we'll known that the
boy who can not dig in the
ground, build miniature bridges.
mill-dams, wagons, sleds, work
dogs in harness of his own maxi
ing, ana in short busy himself in a
thousand ways, as well as make him.
self generally useful as well as ex-
tremely annoying and inconvenient
at times, is no boy. Real nice little
boys-too nice to get dirty-are al
ways light in the upper story, and
should be costumed, as they gener-
ally are, in accordance with their
mental caliber. The lively, active,
energetic boy is the one that makes
his mark in the world, and that
moves it, too.
Parents who do the best ior their
children should see to it that they
have plenty of work, study, restand
sleep, and then there is no danger of
either wearing out or rusting out.
School work will not hurt the aver
age child, but high living and no ex-
ercise will wear out the brains and
stomachs of cast-iron children.