The Russellville Democrat., 1885-02-05
Our Duty.

formation.
Our Duty.
Webster thus defines the word
ssduty'' "That which is due from
one person to another; that which is
owing especially that which per-
son is bound by, any natural, moral
or legal obligation to do, or refrain
from, the relation or obliging force
OF that which is morally right"
From this definition we discover
that duty is two-fold and in doub-
lie sense. 1t is principle OF life
growing out of our natural relations,
and il is rule of conduct growing
ont of our moral relations. In our
natural relation the first duty is
that of fiial obedience. The child
must obey its parents, and accord
ing to human and divine law, it Is
the duty of parents to require and
enforce obedience. Children cannot
too early be taught the necessity of
obedience, ana that it is their duty
to submit to the parental will. Here
the foundation of human character
is to be laid, and children taught TO
live and act from principle. A fail
ure on the part of parents to enforce
obedience and govern their children
so as to make them recognize and
submit to divine authority is ruin
Gus in every sense. 1t is this fail
ure of parents that is filing our
couDJry with lawlessness and crime.
A spoiled child is disgrace to any
parents, and will, nine cases out Of
ten, prove curse to society. A well
trained, well taught and well disci-
pinned child, will be blessing for
ever. Family government must
neither be tyranical or despotic, nor
should it be arbitrary. but mild as
must be no wavering or failure to
elicit respect while you enforce obe-
dience. Maintain the dignity Of
your position Ms beats Of the family.
Make your children fear YOU. so as
not to offend, and to Iove you too
well to grieve you Do not permit
undue familiarity, but seek to make
your children easy IN your company
and elicit their confidence. BE Ger
tain TO impress them that God has
instituted these relationships, and
he intends for children to obey their
parents. 1t is their duty and they
cannot he happy unless they 90 their
duty. These lessons at home will
save trouble abroad. The child
generally goes from the chamber TO
the school room, and every teacher
in this broad land will testify that
well trained children at home make
their best scholars, and that it is
spoiled children who give them
trouble and create disturbances in
schools, and they are the same boys
who make rows in Colleges and di-
vide Universities 1t is shame to
any parent to raise drunken, worth
less boy, and curse society either
with thriftless, worthless tramp, or
keen educated villain TO prey upon
its interests. Our homes are becom-
ing deficient and we see the effect.
Boys are men at sixteen, and girls
young ladies at twelve. Your chill
dren clubs, and young folks dances
are both together furnishing silly
girls for wives and mothers, and an
other race to fill jails, crowd peniten-
tiares and erect gallowses. Failure
at home to teach duty and enforce
law, and our country is being over
run withsthese fast girls and worth
less boys. 1t is time to call halt.
We hear this called an age OF infidel-
ity. This is true, but it is an inf
deity to obligation and trust. This
world was never so full of Bibles,
and our country was never more Or
thodox in belief and faith, but our
failure is in training our children to
duty. The preaching needed for the
times is on better system of family
government. Go to work. waken
tho parents of the country. Plead
for u return OF rigid discipline at
home We need return TO hickory
and birch till we see the country
filled with well drilled boys and girls
again. Some of our people land the
number is increasingly don't believe
in whipping, and they went do it Or
allow it to teachers, and, these same
people oppose what they call sump-
taary laws, and capital punishment,
and the result is lawlessness every
where. We must return to the "old
paths" Will all our preachers in
these three conferences begin at
once to preach and work for a riviv-
al in family government and parent
al tluty 2--Wastarn Matha1iet