Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1883-08-03
To the Father OF the Period.


kind provident and indulgent father.
You are known rs an earnest, bustling,
industrious man, and the network of
lines on your face and the expression
which close calculation and incessant
planning have left on your counte-
nance, affords corroborative evidence
that your life has been one of toll and
trouble. In worldly sense you have
tho bank; that tin box which you guard
so carefully contains stocks, bonds and
mortgages of no small value; you have
home furnished with all modern COM
forts and conveniences; you take pride
in being known as an indulgent father;
your sons are provided with horses TO
ride and money to spend, and your
daughters are taught how to play the
piano and paint, and are not stintod in
their allowance of dress Yet despite
all these evidences, you are unkind to
your family. You are not doing your
duty by them, and you are laying for
them the foundation of ruined life in
stead of prosperous one.
You say that the great aim of your
life Is to provide for your family; to
leave them enough money to make
them independent of the world. You
are assuming that money will purchase
everything necessary to maintain life
and to make it enjoyable. Is it not
probable that you are mistaken in thisp
Does the highest happiness of mankind
come from the act Of consumingp Is
it the highest object in life to place our
selves in such a position that the rest
of the world will be compelled to feed
usp Now, you are bringing up your
children educated in the art of consum-
ing, but not in the more important art
of producing. They do not appreciate
the value of money, because it comes
to them without an effort. You are
kinder to your dogs, for you give them
the excitement of the chase, before you
| give them the prey. Your dogs would
not he contented to remain in luxuri-
Gus kennel while the common breed did
the hunting; and your children, if they
are possessed of the snap and vim
which should characterize every earnest
life, will not enjoy passive, idle eX-
istence, but will want to be active
workers, and will find full enjoyment
only in that which they have them.
selves produced. You are mistaken
then, in not educating your children fol
the work in life they must do. That
capital which you are putting in fine
clothes, fashionable follies and socia
veneering can be much better employed
in providing them work which will
harden their muscles and strengthen
their brains. Give them a sound, prac
tical education. If possible, max,
them earn every dollar they spend
| Tho ,,1aoc.,ra Of &c t,rht
ened by the labor of producing. Teacl
them not to rely on your money, bu
upon themselves, and don't conside
that you have done your duty by then
until you put them in a condition to b,
self-supporting. If your riches TAX
unto themselves wings, your children
will not be left helpless-they will hav
wings of their own by means of whicl
they can pursue and recapture th,
riches which have flown away.
Teach your children how to produce
and then by the example of your HON
life show them how to properly enjo
the fruits of labor. Moderate the in
tensity of your own life. Instead c
driving ahead under high pressure t
accumulate riches for others to spen
and quarrel over, give portion c
your time to the cultivation of some c
the higher objects of life.
Two young men are starting OF
upon journey and are discussing tn
ways by which they can cross a stream
One says: 81 can easily cross, for
have money enough to buy boat an
hire man to row me over"
"But suppose you should loose you
money before you get to the river?"
Then 1 could not cross"
"And supposing when you get to til
river you could find no boat to bu,
nor man to hirep"
at would be the same. should N,
be able to cross"
"Then am the better equipped.
haven't a dollar of money, but / ca
SaUinl."
Father of the period, provide yo,
boys with boats, if you can, to enab
them to glide down the river of Ii
easily, but provide for the worst |
teaching them how to swim. ''-WeSte,
PloWnlan.