The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-12-04


duties, it's own pleasures, and cares,
and rights. 1t has a right to its own
little thoughts, it's own little ways, and
the best we can do for child is to teach
it to stand alone, and stand straight.
mo matter how much we love to
have it lean on us, and O, how passin,
sweet it is to have the little fingers
cling 10 Us, and the dear little form lean
or us but we must put self back on
IT,; we Klust stand in front of ourself'
a. it were, and do right, and learn the
little creeter to walk upright without
oar help, and once in q while we must
let go of the little dimpled hands, q
leavin' 'em free to grasp holt Of life
for themselves.
"a tough lesson for mothers to learn,
one of the toughest and hardest SUMS
that are ever set for one Oh the slate OF
life, set for 'em to work out.
land what makes the sum more Gu
rious and difficult is that you can't
seem to get no answer to it. You may
add and. subtract, and use up every
rule in the old 'rithmetic on it, but you
don't seem to get no sure result, no
certainly, that the answer Will be a
happifying and sure one.
but you have got to set there and
figger away all the same-got to work
it out the best way you can; the sum
is set down in front of you, and you
have got to do it-or try to, any way.
"Good land talk about education a
child! Why, if mother is true wo-
man and mother, the child educates
her more'n she educates the child,
enough right.
"She learns divine patience
through bearin' with the childish little
aults.
"Through fear of settin' bad exam
pie in front of it, she learns to control
her own temper and her tongue, and
behaves herself more'n good deal of
the time.
"She learns a heroic courage from
her love for the child that will combat
all danger-'smile at Satan's rage, and
face frownin' world
"She mounts up onto the topmost
height of self abnegation and martyr
dom las have said more previously
when she learns it to get along without
her-like an old bird pushin' her young
one out of the warm nest SO it may
learn ito fly.
90! how that old bird would love to
keep it in the warm nest-how her love
wants to brood over it always-how she
yearns to keep it close to her own jeal-
Gus. beating heart-how doubly lone
some the old nest is when the little one
is gone; how happily sad. and how
|joyously mournful, is The thought that
it is a learnin' to fly alone-that it is a
learnin' to be happy away from her,
away from the old nest-that the walls
of the old home can never again be the
bound of it's joy and content.
mo, the wide horizon has now
dawned upon it, the clear, far fields OF
ether, and it must soar and sing, and
sing its own songs, build its own nest,
live its own life, in its own world"
(This was an allegory.)
AM talked in this way to Arvilly
from hour to hour, and from day to
day, and episoded some.
But I don't know as it done much
good. Sometimes I am afraid it
didn't.
You can't give advice three times a
day in little sweetened water like
boneset-tea or quills. No, you have to
sort o hang round. and administer it
the best you can, and when you can,
and where you can. And then you
haint sure it is swallowed.
I felt considerable deprested when
they drove off, Josiah a-taken 'em to
the train, the day they left.
For 1 heard Arvilly say, as she sat
by the side of Josiah Allen in the
Democrat, and grey parmetty dress,
I heard her say:
"Lucilla Augusta, don't set down
on your little new gown, or you will
muss it all up.'
And minute arter, jest as they
turned round the corner into the road {:
Don't stand up, Lucilla Augusta,
in the wagon, or you will break off
your little ankles"
I felt deprested about it, and couldn't
help it.
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