The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1884-11-05

8 Hexer do for q child that which no
can reasonablyd for himself, is an adj
mirable maxim, bnt one that we as
mothers too often fail to adopt as our
rule Of action. How many scenes we
can all recall of q fretful, exciting child
demanding service Of q fral mother,
which he Is much better able to perform
fer himself
And by this one mistake alone, thou
sands of women allow their children to
hang as q 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
dnties. To be sure, children will be
waited upon II 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 VIC
once knew. whose mother appreciated
this fact. and practiced most success
fully what we now preach. The father
was a mechanic, a man determined to
lay aside little from time to time, for
the rainy day that may come to all, and
the mother, agreeing with him In his
policy, put all her woman's wit 60 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,
each child from the oldest to the little
fodder of two and a hall, 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 a bath night came
each one knew just where to get clean
clothes to put on, any those for the next
days 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
fitness, 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 family 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
lake up her sewing, and that without
feeling tired and furried and out of
breath from undue hurrying. In fact
here seemed to be no hurry in that
home. The work was so ordered and
divided, that with family of children
hat would ordinarily require two wom-
ms constant effort to care for, the
uObucT Will IuCII Aclp O10 IL d4LS W&La
more ease and satisfaction than is usual
n families amply supplied with help.
So much for the illustration, showing
What this one woman did, yes, as wei
ay does, for she lives In Illinois to-day,
md we have given you glimpse Of +,
Ter daily life, and although we may not
III possess the same natural ability for
that this woman manifests,
ve may profit by her example, and as {
ar as in us lies, apply it in our own
ZONES.
Nor is this done for the selfish rea-
ons that we may tighten our own bur
ems, that we should strive to inspire (
ur children with this spirit of self
clip, but much more for their own fut-
re good. For it is this quality largely
lat distinguishes the successful bust
ess man from the common tramp. The
ne, from natural tendency or early
raining, depends on his own Efforts for :
lccess, while the other begins life with
vague sort of expectation Chat he Is :
, get living at same one eAse's ex-
ense. And after numerous attenpts :
} get wages for pretending TO work, no r
robably tries sPeRging off his friends; v
ut sooner or Later they tire al him and r
is doom is sealed. And is Is % the cad
lat we may reduce thexnnnAeS sf help
SIS, do-less men. and rVomeM tMa4>curse
Ne world today, thz4rwe ebouid srigs
} inculcate this lesson Of seaezaepand 8,
ace I'm eur children d