The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-02-04


many Injuries, and the latter ar
not needed, as it is a well know
fact that it is not the children tha
are born and reared in luxury tha
make the men and the women who
take a prominent stand in the state
but rather those that know how
they journeyed to the front.
Many homes are void of home
comfort for the family. They oi
course have the best room, all eur
tanned and closed, and opened only
on great occasions in the family;
and then the children are not allow
ed to enter, or, if granted this, they
must not touch things The few
| pretty books that are so temptingly
arranged upon the neat center table
are not for them to handle. They
have been probably presented by
some friend as birthday or Christi
mas presents from some older mem
bers of the family and are treasured
for their pretty binding. If guests
are present in the home for a meal,
the children are kept in the back
ground. The mother feels that
they are not we'll enough behaved
to eat with the visitors. Her time is
always so occupied that she has not
had the time to train them; so she
will not feel easy with them at the
table to eat before guests. Then,
there is another thing. The best
set Of dishes is too small for cOmpa-
ny and the family, so the children
wait until the guests have eaten
and gone back to the best room,
and then they are set down to eat
alone on all kinds of cracked and
broken dishes, considered good
enough for them because they are
''only children" They have no op.
portunity of learning table man
ners, only from their parents, and
this is often a very poor one. The
father comes in hungry and tired,
and the mother overburdened with
work; so that when they sit down
to the table they eat in such a way
that the children are not improved
much by the spectacle. This, with
one or two hired mems eatings, Of
ten constitute their opportunities OF
learning table manners.
Now let us see what kind of
rooms the sons and daughters oc-
cupy and see what their evenings
are tending too. There is no fire OF
winter evenings save in the family
sltting-room. This does not allow
much chance for reading or study
ing, if any of the children are dis
posed to do so. Let US look into
the rooms of the sons and daughters
of the moderate farmers and see
what they are There is not much
show for comfort here, neither
CRATES nor stoves, nothing but the
crudest furniture. 1t is plain to be
seen that the children's comfort in
this home is never thought of.
Why not let the girls and boys each
have rooms of their own, with fires,
lamps and good reading matter, and
let them feel that those rooms are
theirs, for their own use, and they
are expected to keep things in nice
order in them. Encourage them to
make little things to decorate them
with, give them money, or, what is
better still, give them a chance to
earn some, and plan with them how
to do so. Advise with them as to
what books and papers are best for
them to read, and have them direct
ed to come in the names of the boys
and girls that earn them and see
what pride they will take ID read
ing matter thus gotten.
Don't feel that these comforts for
the children are luxuries. They
are only necessities. While you are
toiling for your children's good, do
not imagine that laying by money
for them when you are done with
life is all you have TO do. Give
them, in preference to this. while
boys and girls, every home comfort,
so that when they reach manhood
and womanhood they can look back
with pride to the home of child
hood and feel that to their parents
they are forever indebted for true
kindness that has fitted them to
cope with life.
1t is better TO make home so
pleasant to the boy that when even
ing comes he has no desire to run
for society to The grocery or store
at the cross roads. If he has to 90
there because it is always warm,
be mas nothing to read or do, in the
long winter evenings, he will find
there a set of boys and men, just
like him, hunting for something
nicer than home, and it is a chance
If he does not learn to smoke, talk
slang and sip beer. If he learns
these three accomplishments the
cost viii not be reckoned against
fuel, light and reading matter, but
instead of these will be blighted
hopes, parents with aching hearts,
and sisters ashamed of brothers,
and boys with ruined lives.
Dress the children 80 that they
will not feel ashamed of their gar
ments in company. Don't sew up
straight sacks for the boys and call
| them pantaloons. Let their most
common suits be cut by neat pat
terms and measurements and have
them made by hands that are used
to the work. And in the same way
let the girls clothing be neatly
made. We have seen girls in com
pany and at church dressed in sim
pie, plain calico, made neatly and
fitting perfectly, that appeared far
better dressed than others in silk
and Worsted, merely because their
clothing were neatly fitting and
made in becoming style. Plain,
neat clothing, simple, well prepared
food, and cosy rooms for the chill
dren, are only the rights for the
farmers sons and daughters. II
our farmers care for their children
in this way, they will value it more
when childhood is past, than all the
dollars that could have been saved
for them through these years By
denying them the simple, plaiI
comforts that every boy and CIR