The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-09-03
Same Thnnphfs For Parents

, An English visitor TO America has
expressed herself as painfully inn
pressed with the disrespectful attitude
of American girls and boys (the more
especially the former) towards their
parents, and an American writer COM
ments upon the unpleasant facts to
the effect that she would like to shake
several girls of whose conduct she
gives an instance.
1t seems to us that the proper thing
would be to #hdEc the parchts. Inc
trouble does not arise with the chill
drcn themselvs, be they boys or girls.
If the children are taught to be re-
spectful, and the parents display such
characteristics as command respect,
there will be 10 trouble about re-
spectful generation of children. 10
wait upon Il child from birth to adult
age, is no way to cngcndcr respect-lt
is merely Il way to cngender selfish
ness, and foolish and unreasonable,
indeed, is the parent who expects al
adult age, respect and consideration
from a child who has been taught from
birth to consider only self.
We arc a generation, Of thinkers,
and, with the age, our children are
thinkers also. II bchooves us, as par
ents, therefore, to SO carry ourselves
that our children may think the very
best of us, and learn from that best OF
all rs-eXperiencc-that we are
worthy of that respect which we
would have from them. Writers, anu,
in fact, people in general are wont 10
deplore the decadence Of that ceremo-
nious respect evinced by the last gen-
Grafton, but they should ut the same
take into consideration as well, inc
difference there is in the manner OF
the adult of today as compared to that
of the past generation. Let them look
at the fathers and mothers of those
days which they SO regret, and say
candidly whether the decadence, lies
wholly among the children of to-day.
There is yet another view or the
matter. In many all American mousse
hold, in most, we may say, sucn mousse
holds Cit is fair to infer rs nothing IL
sad about them), as neither our En-
] glish visitor nor her American COM
mentator, seem to have found-therc
exists tie of friendship, true friend
ship, which far exceeds any tie OF ccre-
monious respect as granted in the past
century, i'm keeping parents ana CHI,
dren in their proper attitude toward
each other. We will not insult you
bv rereating the time-wOrn lone might
almost say shop-wOrn) French anec,
dote in relation to "good mothers, u
but it is as true now, as it was when 1t
happened. The disrespect of the pres
ent day is a repetition of the ola para,
BILE Of the "mOte and the BEAM. Let
parents who complain of disrespect in
their own children, first be sure that
the children are to blame, and let
them be sure, too, when they depreci-
ate the fact that to them, as parents, is
not accorded that respect which Mcy
were wont to accord, that they them
selves are lis worthy of That respect rs
were their ancestors, and that they are
taking the very best means OF impress
ing this fact upon tic irreverent
youth of whom they complain. 1t is
nothing to the youth of the education
of to-day, what was considered proper
in yoU' time-the only thing to be con-
sidered is the facts of the case, and do
facts go to prove that you are worthy
of the respect you desire to have, or
are you merely endeavOring to enforce
it Oh general principles, without liv-
ing up to your own obligations i'll the
matter?.
In this practical, keen-sighted age,
there is nothing SO convincing az
facts.