The Cecil Whig., 1886-08-14

The Parents of Poorly Bed Children.
PHtsJurg Dtspath.
There must be some way TO explain the
presence of so many poorly raised chill
dren. Somebody must bear the blame.
| The children are not responsible for their
conduct before they come to the years of
discretion, yet the majority of them are
very far from what they ought to he.
Those who profess to know wherefore
| they speak say that children learn all
they know either by seeing or hearing.
The reasoning powers are So weak that
very few OF their ideas are dcduced from
distinct, separate propositions or pre-
misses. This is probably tIuc, therefore
it must be concluded that their examples
have been bad.
1t may not be out OF place to call at
tention to the subject that was recently
under discussion-heredity There it was
shown quite clearly that a child may in-
herlt diathesis; that is, a tendency to-
ward the same constitutional diseases,
mental disposition, or physical character
lstcs of its parents. Indeed, this is so
well settled that it is unnecessary to more
than call attention to it. There is a very
important phase of this subject, how
ever, that has not been discussed thor
oughly, and one that comparatively few
persons, otherwise well informed, know
anything about. Perfectly healthy par
ents, that is, parents without any con-
stitutional or Inherited diseases, may
have delicate, worthless children. There
are SO many instances of this that no OBJ
servant person will question this state
ment for a moment. The sons of high
!y respectable man may turn out to be
rakes or drunkards. The daughters of
mothers who are regarded in the COM
munity as models, grow up to be giddy,
weak and worthless.
The law seems to be that diathesis
may be inherited from habit as well as
from constitutional disease in the par
ent. For instance: \ child may inherit
the disposition to make money, to trade,
or to speculate from the habits of its
father, who was driven by necessity to
specializing and trading. The father may
not have had natural taste for these,
and only resorted to them for lack of op-
portunity to make a living in some more
congenial way. The mere taste on the
part of the mother for music, or rather
the enjoyment afforded by the singing or
playing of others, may develop strongly
marked taste for music in her children.
There are many Instances where the par
entS OF musicians of note could neither
sing nor play, and probably only ore of
them had an ear for music. Instances il
Illustrative of this phase OF the law of here
dity might be multiplied until they filed
the column, but you are probably aware
OF great many within your own circle
of acquaintanceS
OF all the habits that may affect chill
dren permanently none are more potent
and more certain than the drinking habit.
A man need not be a drunkard nor an
habitual drinker in order to transmit to
his posterity a disposition to drink and
the inclination to seek stimuants. The
first manifestation of the disorder is
craving for excitement. The nature of
the excitement desired depends largely
on the tastes and surrounding of the Vie
tim, for victim he is doomed to be. When
childish games cease to afford the neces-
sary excitement he naturally turns to
base ball, horse races and probably
gambling. Alcoholic stimuants are
found to answer the same purpose as the
excitements lie has been used TO, and he
becomes a dlinker.
This craving for excitement leads girls
TO flirting, coIuetting and fast ways. An,
or nearly all, abandoned women despise
the lives they lead, and only continue in
them because of the excitement afforded
by their revels, the wine and the gauay
tinsel with which they are bedecked.
They could readily have inherited this
disposition from fathers who bOasted that
they could take drink or let it alone; or
from mothers who found relief in glass
of toddy when they had the blues
Did you ever think OF this phase of The
question? or did it ever occur to you that
a majority of the abandoned men and wo-
men have come honestly by their untor-
tunate tastes and dispositions? Do strong
healthy parents ever think that their So
cial or domestic habits have given 10
their children delicate bodies and deprav-
ed tastes? These are not merely poss.-
billties but probabilities. Indeed, they
have almost been lifted from the plane of
probability into the realm OF fact. The
drunkard, the tirpler, the sport, the pro-
fame, the vulgar or the cruel parent need
not be disappointed if his sons and
daughters develop decp-seat ID moral
sores from his induIgences, which lie may
consider tritling. The flint, tne gossip,
the tattler or the lazy parent must not be
surprised if her children are permanently
afflicted by reason of her habits.