The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1883-07-21

were not so the glaring inequalities Of life
could not exist. Governments, armies
navies, lawyers, doctors, pawnbrokers and
saloon keepers are powerful, simply because
the people who support them are in the
main ignorant, and for a great part vicious
II men and women were only wise and
virtuous enough to love order and well
doing for their own sskes, there would be
no necessity for q government to pass penal
measures for crime or violated contracts,
ofarmies, navics and policemen to enforce
their measures. If men were only wise
enough To observe their contracts faithfully
- first fully understanding what their con-
tracts meant and abstain from crime,
which is the result Of ignorance and un.
| regulated temper, there would be no need
for that brood of lawyers which lnfests and
preys upon all modern society. "Lawyers,"
said Voltai'e, care the main props of bar.
barism." They live by the deprayity OF
human nature, and their incomes become
praved. Doctors, as a rule, are kindly
benevolent men, but from the present con-
ditions of human society their means OF
living are generally acquired from the
sheer ignorance and preversity of their fcl.
lows. The laws of health are simple
enough; fresh air, pure water, natural
sleep and a moderate quar- tity OF wholesome
lood-such as is adapted to the climate Of
each country. These conditions are plain
enough, and with little exercise of care
and judg nent might exist in every class OF
life, except among the depIaved and crim'-
nal classes of great cities. But it will be found
that owing to the terrible prevalence of Ig
nordnce in one form or another, some of
these simple conditions are constantly and
pcrsstently Violated in every section of the
community. Let US take for example the
average farmer. He is placed in the best
pnssole condition for healthy life. He
lives in the open air, has plenty Of pure,
fresh water can sleep from sun set to sun
rise, and with an intelligent wife, can have
abundance of the best food prepared in the
manner most suitable to his consiitul ion
and the climate. But what do we find
The American farmer, who is the backbone
ofthis country and the food producer of the
world, is a martyr To dyspepsia. The rea-
son is obvious. He uses food which is un-
suitable (; he eats too much at a time, and
too rapidly; he allows no interval for diges-
ton alter 1.-The squarest and heartiest Of
meals" and before the last morsel Of Iie-
crust has passed from his fork TO his mouth,
he has hat on his head and is Off to the
fields. Now the human stomach is a most
E'rgiying and forbearing creaturej ii can
stand good deal of nonsense, but it
will not stand for ever getting as much TO
do in five minutes as it could not possil ly
do in day. Hence it gives up the thank
less office, and in the course of time, our
friend, the farm Dds that he has no
stomach worth talking about. He rushes to
the pill-bYx, and without altering his habits
of eating, becomes prey to the doctor as
well as the victim of his own Ignorance
The pawnbrOker and saloon keeper are too
well known to be treated of here. But
there is another sphere in the social system
where ignorance leaves its most enduring
stamp. 1t is in the family circle, and in
the characters of our sons aud daughters.
Hard worked people, with families, have
got the most destructvely foolish OF all fool
ish mott ms into their heads. They think,
or seem to think, that hy sending their
young ones to school for few years to learn
reading, writing and arithmetic, the duty
Of educating their children has been fully
discharged. But there is moral aspect to
the training of children with which the
modern teacher does not deal, aud which is
the most important portion OF human
life. What does it matter to parents how
well girl may be able to read aud write il
she grows up vain and thoughtless and
without more reverence for her mother or
her home thaA Tor an old bonnet or a cast
off gown? What aYalls il if a boy can
figure" nearly as rapidly as machine, yet
with his heart closed to every influence
except that OF "tbe dollar" and his own
pleasure,grows without thought for his
home, his relatives or his God, aud despites
everyother object in lite except what is cal ed
making his own way in the world aud, per-
baps by doubtful and dishonorabe means?
OIL Parents You have much to answer for.
Your own ignorance OF the laws Of life will
bear bitter fruit in the misery Of your own
old age aud perhaps the wreck Of your be.
hyed children's lives. The weaknesses Of
your own characters will be reproduced a
hundred fold in them with the added force
derived from corruptions Of society which
did not exist in your young days. Your
words OF advice are OF little avail. But
every silent thought, every look, every
action counts, and nature will take no ex-
cuse for your ignorance, n those thoughts
and looks and aetIons-irom morning till
night, every day in your liyes-are not
pure aud honest and true in sight of
those children of yours, who aro examining
you with the diligence OF detective and
the accuracy Of = microscope.
There is a wisdom Of the heart and OF the
home as we'll as Of the intellect and the dol
lar. The former is the substance, the latter
is the shadow II is your duty, il parents
truly you be, that your children shall
have the substance, nat the shadow.
FALKLAND.