The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-12-23
the cashier, "don't be so quick; your son

The fact was that the boy had been out
in dissipating circles, and $40 and $50 went
in that direction; and he had been treated
and he had to treat others; and the boy felt
he must have $500 to keep him in that circle.
That night the father sits up for the son
to come home. 1t is one o'clock before he
comes into the hall. He comes in very
much flushed, his eyes glazing and his
breath offensive. Father says: "Mv son,
how can you do so? have given you ev-
cry thing you wanted, and every thing to
make you comfortable and happy, and now
find, in my old age, that you are spend
thrift, libertine and drunkard." The
son says ''Now, father, what's the use in
your talking in that ways You told me
might have a good time and to go it.
have been acting on your suggestion, that's
ALL" r.
And so one parent errs on one side, and
another parent errs on the other, and how
to strike happy medium between severi-
ty and too great leniency, and train our
sons and daughters for usefulness on earth
and bliss in Heaven, is question which
agitates every Christian household in my
congregation. Where so many good men
and women have failed, is it strange we
should sometimes doubt the propriety of
our theory and the accuracy OF our kind OF
government
Again, parental anxiety often arises
from an early exhibition of sinfulness in
the child. The morning glories bloom for
a little while under the sun, and then they
shut up as the heat comes on; but there are
flowers along the Amazon that blaze their
beauty for weeks at a time; but the short
lived morning-glory fulfills it's mission as
some people who take forty, fifty or sixty
years to develop. Then there are little
children who fling their beauty on the WIS.,
ion and vanish. They are morning glories
that can not stand the glare of the hot noon
sun of trial.
l have noticed that, for the most part,
the children that live sometimes get cross,
and pick up bad words in the street, and
quarrel with brother and sister, and prove
Enthusiastically that they are wicked-as the
Bible says, going astray from the womb,
speaking lies. See the little ones in the
Sabbath class, so sunshiny and beautiful,
you would think they were always so, but
mother, seated little way off, looks over
at these children and thinks of the awful
time she has had to get them ready.
After the boy or girl comes little fur
her is still more evident. The son comes in
| from pugilistic encounter in the streets,
bearing the marks of a defeat. The
daughter practices positive deception, and
the parent says: "What shall I do2 I
can't always be correcting and scolding,
and yet these things must be stopped" 1t
| is especially sad if the parent sees his own
faults copied by the child. 1t is very hard
work to pull up q nettle that we ourselves
planted. We remember that the greatest
frauds that ever shook the banking houses
of the country started from boys decep-
ton a good many years ago; and the
cleaning blade of the murderer is only
! another blade of the knife with which the
boy struck at his comrade.
| Anxiety on the part of parents also arises
from the consciousness that there are so
many temptations thrown all around our
young people. 1t may be almost impossi
BILE to take castle by siege-straightf
ward siege-but suppose in the night there
is traitor within and he goes down and
draws the bolt and swings open the great
door, and then the castle falls Immediately
That is the trouble with the hearts OF the
young; they have foes without and foes
within.
There are great many who try to make
our young people believe that it is sign Of
weakness to be pure. The man will toss
his head and take dramatic attitudes anG
tell of his own indiscretions, and ask the
young man If he would not like to do the
same. And they call him verdant, and they
say he is green and unsophisticated, anl
wonder how he can bear the Puritanica
straight jacket. They tell him he ought tt
break from his mothers apron-strings, anG
they say: 81 will show you all about town
Come with me. You ought to see thu
world. 1t won't hurt you. Do as vol
please; it will be the making of you" Aftel
while the young man says: "Idon't wan
to be odd, nor can l afford to sacrifice these
friends, and rll go and see for myself.
From the gates of hell there goes shou
of victory. Farewell to all innocence
farewell to all early restraints favorable t.
that innocence, which, once gone, neve
comes back.
How many traps there are set for on
young people! That is what makes parent
so anxious. There are temptations TO
every form of dissipation and every stag
OF it, The young man when he goes int
!. dissipation is very particular where h
goes; 1t must be fashionable hotel. III
could not be tempted into these corne
nuisances with red-stained glass and muj
of beer painted on the sign-board Yo1
ask the young man to go into that plac
and he would say: "Do you mean to insul
mes" No; it must be marble foored bar
room; it must be place where elegan
gentlemen come in and click their cut glas
and drink to the announcement of f1atter
ing sentiment. But the young man cal
not always find that kind of place; yet h
has thirst and it must be gratified Tn
down grade is sleeper now, and h
is almost at the bottom. Here the
sit in an oyster cellar around
card table, wheeling, bloated an
bloodshot, with cards so greasy you ca,
hardly tell who has the best hand. Blu
! never mind; they are only playing TO
, drinks. Shuttle away Shuttle awayl TIL
landlord stands in his shirt-sleeves with hi
hands on his hips, watching the game an
waiting for another call to fill up tn
glasses. 1t is the hot breath of eternal wo
that f1ushes the cheek of that young mar
, In the jets Of gas-light see the shootin
out OF the fiery tongue of the worm tina
! never dies. The clock strikes twelve-it
! the tolling Of the bell of eternity at tn
burial OF asoul. Two hours pass on, and the
, are all sound asleep in their chairs. Ian
, lord says: "Come, now, wake up-it's time
, 1 lint