The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-03-31
MAKE THEM WORK.
Inc Importance of Teaching Children TO
BE BUSY.

BE Busy.
Parents do their children q Urievious
wrong when they do not require them
10 become proficient in all branches of
LABOR common to their position. This
Is especially apt to occur when the faith
er and mother are strong and CAPABLE
and can themselves perform the work
more easily and satisfactorily than can
the young people. 1t requires more
patience for strong woman TO super-
intend the baking by her tweIve-vear-
old daughter than to do it herself: but
for the child good, and her own con-
venience later in life, she should direct
the work and let the little girl do it.
In homes where there is plenty to
keep all busy, the girls are apt to be
put first at DISTINGUISHING, preparing veg
etables and then sweeping, while the
mother (who has no time TO teach her
daughters) does the baking and cares
for the milk. By and by. when two or
three of them are as tall as herself,
there comes an urgent invitation to
spend month or two with her mother.
who, in failing health, longs for her eldest
child. But this worried and wearied
housewife thinks of the baking. the fruit
and butter-making. and as she sadly
writes refusal, vaguely wonders WHY
her daughters are not aS capable as her
neighbOrs- Her girls ardently wish
mamma TO see their grandmother: vet
realize their own inability. and can not
urge the matter. After a time the girls
marry. and unless they possess unusual |
perseverance and :. knack." their huS- |
bands have sufficient reason to praise |
their own mother ; cooking and dispar-
age that of their wives
Among men, this state of things is |
equally bad. The father thinks the
boys can not drive horses, or run the |
moving machine. or SOW grain. or take
produce TO market. Instead of putting
the strong young man at work that will j
call out all their tact and brain as
well as muscle. they are thought incap-
able, and the father does all the plan
ming. L have in mind an instance
where the father constantly STAYED at
home, being afraid to leave lest his son.
who was the real manager. should not
do the chores in proper order, or an in
detinable something should occur in
his absence.
Not only is it best to require children
to do all kinds of work. but equally
needful Is it TO teach them the easiest {
and most approved methods. A house.
wife once told me that for several wears
she did the washing in her fathers
home and although she used every par 1
ticle of strength she possessed. her
mother constantly complained that it |
was imperfectly done After her mar
riage, she one day watched Young
girl at the washtub. and saw that her {
way was of rubbing differed from. and .
was easier than her own, and then re-
s.::-ed that she had never known how
to wash, Another, a SchoOl-teacher ,
who boarded with her aunt. helping
her nights and mornings, said she
learned more that term than did any
of her scholars. Her aunt not only re- !
CURED her to do the work. but taught {
her how TO do it, while her mother i
merely said. the work must be done, J
letting her choose her own way.
would not have young people dis :
regard the advice and wisdom of their
elders; neither should they be so de- c
pendent as never to pl: 1t field or put q
up jar of preserves without their q
parents oversight. Give them plain S
directions and sci Lem going: watch /
without their knowledge, and if likely t
TO be worsted. give a little aid or a
advice, and start them on again. 1t q
will be infinitely better for both parents G
and children than to have the latter a
turn out to be milk-and-water individ-
lals without capability or 60 ahead Il
ativeness. -COuntry Gentleman. O