Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-10-14
4 WORK FOR MOTHERS.

Changes Necessary in the Training Of Children.
Philadelphia Press:
The women readers of the newspapers
have been appalled, during the last fort
night at the great number of instances
of men holding places of honor and trust
leaders in society and in the church, the
foremost in every public and chaitable
movement who have suddenly been found
out to be worse than common thieves, in
asmuch as to the crime of theft they have
added the daily and hourly offense of
duplicitY. Defaulters have grown so COM
mon and businessmen seem to have
grown so used to the defaulters' crime
that it no longer shocks them, unless
their money has been stolen, when the
bank Presidents, cashiers, trustees, execu-
tors of rich mems wills, guardians, are
discovered to have appropriated the
money in their keeping and to have made
off to Canada. Indeed, the belief is gain
ing ground among men that many of
these thefts are not the result of sudden
temptation, but aro committed deliberate
ly, with a cool reckoning on the part of
the criminals of the term of imprisCn-
ment and of the fortune that will be
theirs after the prison doors are opened.
We have said that men appear to have
grown callous to these crimes. Outside
of the persons Immediately interested
they create no overwhelming Indignation
that would deter others from repeating
the offense. The offenders and their mis-
deeds are too often spoken lightly of, and
few men seem to feel sure that if the
circumstances were propitions they
would successfully withstand temptation
and opportunity. But it is veil for the
country that the women of tie land are
still capable of being shocked by the
breaches of trust recorded so frequently
and it will be we'll for the future of the
country and for the men OF coming gen
erations if the wives and mothers will
take even q firmer stand on he side of
morality and virtue, and specially if
| they will instill into the minis of their
sons that there are things more to be de-
sired in this world than riches; that to
do right, to act from principle, is better
! than to be successful. These are teach
ings we fear much out of vogue at pre-
sent. The young men are all wise before
their time. They go where itpays TO go,
do what it pays to do, and in this only
initiate the older men about them who
initiate the richest man in town, who, in
| Ills buIlS COEJ1GS 1IOlIl dIIOGuSE OI O1ISCuIy
from the Goulds and Vande1bilts, who
first set the fashion in this country of
utter grasping selfshness, heartlessness,
oppression, and great riches.
"Religion is one thing: business an
other" is the privately avowed doctrine
of leading light in the religious and
business movements of another city, and
he only expresses what, in one shape or
| io ba ed
and practice of the day. Here is a great
work for women-to lead their boys
backwards to the parting of the ways
where We began to uespise the oldfashion-
ed virtues and to set high value on the
still older vices of greed and selfshness
If mothers will teach their sons that the
brutes are not smarter than man and the
strongest brute IS not to be the most
honored they will counterfeit the evil in,
fiuence of men who stand on pyramids OF
wrecked enterprises and the bodies of
weaker brethren, and they may save the
race and their country. ~