Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-01-31

Responsibility of Parents.
There are comparatively few parents
who know how 10 train up children prop
erly, and there are a great many who do
not manage their children as veil as they
know how. They do not seem 70 realize,
until It is too late. that, as a rule, chill
dren who are not properly trained up, and
wisely directed in life, punish their par
eats in one way or another low many
parents are there in every community whe
discover, after their children have passed
from their control that they made great
mistakes while preparing them for LIES
duties,
Children are a great and constant care,
and whether they are source Of Joy or
misery depends largely upon parents.
one Of the greatest mistakes tnat par
cnt makes is tue failure to impress uQon
a cnlld that honest work Of any Kind is
honorable, and that those who have con-
slant employment are much more iikely
to be happy than those VINO occupy their
time with frlyolities and IN seeking pleas
ure.
A great many parents who have met
with some measure Of success in life think
that their daughters saould not soil their
hands with work, and that their sons
should only have such occupations AS are
popularity considered genteel. Indeed,
there are parents VINO have a pretty hard
struggle to get the bare uecessaTies OF
life who scorn the thought OF permitting
their sons to become mechanics. The re-
suit Is that good mechanics are scarce
and their wages high, while bookkeepers
and clerks are plentiful and their wages
low
An advertisement for carpenters, brick
layers, machnists shoemakers, etc,
brings very few replies in any city, while
an advertisement for bookkeeper or clerk
Is certain 10 elicit hundreds OF responses.
This Is proof that there Is plenty OF room
for mechanics and very little room for
bookkeepers and clerks. Why is it. then,
that more boys are not taught trades? Is
II not because or the false notion that it is
more respectable to starve as a profos-
sioual man or as a clerk than TO prosper
as a mecnanicf The chance for a me-
c1anic To rise to fortune is certainly better
than that Of a clerk. If the facts could be
obtained, there is no doubt that it would
appear that more mechanics than clerks
reach a competency and local proml-
hence.
Before there was so much display or
wealth in It's country youths Of well-to-
do parents were glad OF the opportunity
to learn trade, and the mechanics all
over the country we're, almost without
ception, native Americans. such is not
the case nowadays. Instead OF preparing
themselves for a useful life. too many Of
the boys in every town and city are idling
away their time. Trey may make a pre-
tense Of going 10 school, but they don't
seek an education with any definite OBJ
jec in viev. As soon as they are required
TO support themselves they get a cierkship
at a small salary, which. unless hey have
sucn energy and talent az TO reuder their
services extremely valuable, always re.
mains small. Tney marry girls who have
been trained pretty much az they have
and begin life OF misery. They cannot
earn enough TO keep UP appearances and
are gradually forgotten by their former
associates.
i dteN. euVulQ ain 10 impress upon
their children the Importance Of being
thrifty, honest and industrious. They
should make them understand tho differ
euce between false AMI true pride, that it
$ manlier 10 shovel dirt at % cents
day than to b. dependent or % eat the
bread Of charity. A man is respected N
proportion as ne respects himself. and a
man cannot have much respect for MINI
sell. however much be may pretend to
nave, who tries 10 make a ialse impress
sion, who is dishonest in business trans
actions, or who attempts TO get along by
leaning Oh his relatives and friends.
II psrents would make strong, earnest
and successful men and women Of their
children they should begin the work OF
moulding tnelr characters as soon as they
arrive at the age Of responsibility. They
should make them comprehend lies du-
lies, and tue importance of forming in
iustrious habits. They should start them
10 lie with good habits and higu purposes.
Indeed, il parents did their whole duty to
their children the amount OF crime and
auman misery would be far less than tits.