The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1883-11-29
Self-Dependence.

can reasonably do for himself, is an adj
mirablc maxim, but one that we as
mothers too often fail to adopt as our
rule of action. How many scenes We
can all recall of fretful, exciting child
demand ng service OF frail mother.
which he is much better able TO perform
for himself
And by this one mistake alone, thou
sands of women allow their children to
hang as a weight about their neckS,
while they might be not only self
helping in large degree, but save her
many steps in the performance of other
duties. To be sure, children will be
waited upon if they may; that is but
natural, and in this as in other things
much depends on the way we begin
with them; SO that the mother who is
waiting till Jennie and Kitty are big
girls for them to help her, will probably
wait in vain.
We recall a family of children we
once knew, whose mother appreciated
this fact. and practiced most success
fully what we now preach. The father
was mechanic, a man determined to
lay aside little from time to time, for
tie rainy day that may come to all, and
the mother, agreeing with him in his
policy, put all her woman wit to work
to help him accomplish his purpose.
The children were six of them, but the
two oldest were girls aged eleven and
nine. At this time the mother deter
mined to dispense with the help she had
felt obliged to keep, and arranged her
household accordingly. To begin with,
Il, al, old 20, l,, -
toddler of two and a half, had his own
drawer and hooks for his clothes, and
when they were folded from the bars,
all that did not need mending were
sorted, and each little one took his
clothes and put them where they be-
longed. Then when bath night came
each one knew just where to get clean
clothes to put on, any those for the next
day wear were carefully laid out. Nor
was this all, but the soiled ones were
also put where they belonged.
Now by this one arrangement, and it
is only one of the many unusual things
those children did, what world of
wear and worry the mother saved her
self, only one similarly situated can
properly appreciate. But they did more
than help themselves, for selfhelpful-
ness develops desire for general use
fulness, and each morning, when the
breakfast was over, the two older girls
washed the dishes and put the kitchen
in order and brushed up the crumbs in
the dining-room, while their mother
put her room and the sitting-room to
rights.
Moreover, the children made their
own beds before school time; the two
little girls who slept together, one at
each side OF the bed worked together in
making theirs, as did the boys next
younger. with their little bed. The
three older ones of the famil V needed no
help whatever to prepare them for
school, but when they came to the
breakfast table were ready, with the eX-
ception of removing the large work
aprons they always wore till the work
was done. So by nine o clock that
mother. with baby dressed for the day
and wee Edith made tidy, was ready to
take up her sewing, and that without
feeling tired and turried and out of
breath from undue hurrying. In fact
there seemed to be no hurry in that
home The work was so ordered and
divided, that with family of children
that would ordinarily require two wom-
ems constant effort to care for, the
mother with their help did it all, with
more ease and satisfaction than is usual
in families amply supplied with help.
So much for the illustration, showing
what this one woman did, yes, as well
say does, for she lives in Illinois today.
and we have given you a glimpse of
her daily life, and although we may not
all possess the same natural ability for
generalship that this woman manifests,
we may. profit by her example, and as
far as in us lies, apply it in our own
homes.
Nor is this done for the selfish rea-
sons that we may tighten our own bur-
dens, that we should strive to inspire
our children with this spirit of self
help, but much more for their own fut-
ure good. For it is this quality largely
that distinguishes the successful bust
pess man from the common tramp. The
one, from natural tendency or early
training, depends ON his own efforts for
success, while the other begins life with
a vague sort of expectation that he is
to get living at some one else'S eX-
pense. And after numerous attempts
to get wages for pretending to work, he
probably tries spOnging off his friends;
but sooner or later they tire of him and
his doom is sealed. And it is to the end
that we may reduce the number of help
less, do-less men and women that curse
the world to-day, that we should strive
to inculcate this lesson of self-depend
ance in our children.-Barlington