Smyrna times., 1889-12-18
Ut VIZ 'I'T' U ~ 7 Nv
Parents, This Concerns You.

Do YOU ever think what you owe
your children and what you are in
duty bound to do for them? AS you
are accountable for their existence, so
YOU are responsible to a great extent
for their welfare, their happiness and
their eternal destiny.
Few parents can leave wealth to
their children. Great men who know
by experience say it is a blessing to be |
born poor. Surely property in the |
hands of the ignorant or evil-dispOsed |
is a curse, but there is one priceless !
gift you can bestOw your children-yOu
can give them an education. 1t may
cost little sacrifice, but your duty
demands the effort; you have no right
to keep it back and by so doing handi-
cap your offspring in the race for sue
cess in life, where only the fittest reach
the goal, and the mediocre struggle
hOpelessly along unable to see the
beauties that adorn the way, too much
occupied with self to help one who is
more unfortunate, too weary to rest,
| too ungrateful to recognize Gods
mercy. This one thing you must do.
! No selfish consideration must be allowed
to influence you, no mistaken notion
that material prosperity is the summum
bOnUm.
Do you ask what all this means? 1t
means that you must educate your
children, even against their wills if
necessary; it means that you must
teach them the advantages of mental
discipline, it means that you must
make them understand at the start
that you expect them to get all you
can possibly afford to give in this direc-
tion, it means that you must help them
and encourage them, and it means,
above all, that you yourself must have
a proper appreciation of the inestima-
BILE advantages of good education. II
is by far the best capital you can
give them, losses and misfOrtunes will
deprive them of property, but a wei
, disciplined mind is an ineXhaustiblC
resOurse.
Every one knows how rapidly th'
world is moving along. Evidences o
the necessity of broader education pre-
sent themselves daily. Don't say tina
{ what was good enough for you will b'
good enough for your boys. 1t is no
true. Your grandfather used the tai
low-dip, you need the electric light
I, Given the same educational advantage
that you had, the young man of to-da
Il would fall far short of your success:
D He has stronger and better equippe
u antagonists to contend with. TIL
J. farmers need more scientific skill, tn
J. merchant needs wider knowledge, tn
mechanic needs increased manual de2
Il terity to compete with such rivals a
8 he meets in these days when college
y and special training schools are sendin
le out their thousands of well-drilled COZ
le testants in the struggle for supremac.
4, The old fashioned war ship is no mate
d for the dynamite cruiser.
- Parents are in too great hurry
10 put children at work, as though the
Is could not get the return due them {,
~ :, the weary years Of care during chill
J. hood without demanding part of chill
OF hoods days. Selfshness, pure al
l'e simple They willingly listen to Il
desire of their boys to leave school al
on start out for themselves before th'
Vi have acquired the elements of q cor
10 mon school education. Many lea
Vi before they pass through the Gramm
VI school and many more drop out befo
sV9 they complete the High school cOur;
mul m By all means put them through {
ey public schools where tuition is frt
and then send them to college if Y,
no can. Give up some cherished plan
~ need be, but fit your children for life
10 If wise parents would ponder w
5 these thoughts we would have O
"a schools filed to Overfowing, we wou
NJ i see few youthful loafers on the sire
sy 'ay corners, we would find few girls pl
,i5 "a maturely bearing the burden Of fam
no 20 care, and we would proclaim as {
its motto of our community "Enterpris
70 Progress and Culture"