Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-03-17
wAs \ TEARFUL DRAFT

IN NAV be that much of this present
physical and mental weakness in your
parents may have been a result of your
early waywardncSS. You made such
large and sudden drafts upon the bank
of their patience that You broke the
bank.
There are i'm our American city
directories names that always Sug-
gcst commercial dishonesty or libcr-
tiniSm or cruelty or mcannc>S, Just
because one man or woman bearing
that name cursed il forever 10y miScrc-
ancv. Look out how you stab the fami-
lv name, IL Is especially dear To your
mother. She was not born under that
name. She was born under another
name. but the years passed ON and she
came To young womauhood, and she saw
some one with whom she could trust
her happiness. her life. and her immor-
tai destiny: and she took his name. took
IL while the orange blossoms were filling
the air with fragrance. took 1t with
Joined hands. took il while the heavens
witnessed She chose il out of all tine
family names since the world stood,
chose il for better or worse. through
sickness and through health, by cradles
and by graves Yea, She put of her old
family name to take the family name
Won now wear. and she has done her.
part 10 make it an honorable name.
How heavy a trouble you put upon her
when. by miSdecdS. you wrench that
name from its high significance.
Carving ont the idea of my text, /
remark that reckless or diSSipated son
makes "a hcavy-heartcd parent because
IL hurts the family pride II is not the
given name. nor the name which you re-
ccivrd at the christening. that Is IN
mred by Your prodigality. You cannot
burt vour name Of John or George or
Henry or Mary or Frances or Rachael.
because there have been thousands OF
Dcoule. good and bad, having those
names. and YOU cannot improve or de
nreciate the rcspcctability of those
Given names. But it is your last name,
vour family name. that is AT your mercy.
An who bear that name are bound, D'-
fore God and man, not To damage us
hauuv significance. You are charged
bv all the generations of the past ana
ain the generations To come. To do your
share for the protection and the honor
and thc integrity Of that name. You
have mo- right. my young friend. by "A
bad life To- blot the old family Bible con-
tanning the story Of the marriages ana
births and deaths of the years gone ny
Your fathers name may not be a
DISTINGUISHED name, but | hope
IL stands for something good. II
many not be- famous like that oI
Homer. the father of epic poetry, or
Izaak Walton. the father OF angling
or .EschyluS. the father Of tragedy or
Ethclwold, the father of monks or
Uerodotus. the father Of history or
/ Thomas AquinaS. the father OF moral
philosophv. or Abraham, the father oil
the faithful, but your father has name
/ I'm a small circle aS precious To MN as
theirs is I'm large circle. Look out how
YOU tarnish il,
Further, the rccklcsSneSS and diSSipa-
tion ofa Young man are Il cause OF parcn-
tal distress al a time when the parent
j. less able to bear it. The viciSSitudcS
of life have left their impression upon
those parents. The eye is not as clear
as once. nor the hearing aS acute, nor
the nerves as steady, nor the step aS
strong. and with the tide of incoming
wears comes the weight of unhlial be-
bavior. You take your parents al a
great disadvantage, for they cannot
stand as much as they once could. They
have not the elasticity of feeling with
which once they could throw off trouble.
That shoulder. now somewhat bent, can
- l,,,.. ,s laa,-, "a hurdeu rs once IL
could. At the time when the machine
rv is getting worn out you put upon II
tbe most terrific strain. AT sixty and
seventy years the vitality is not Sc
strong as at thirty or forty Surely
tbey are descending the down grade oi
life swiftly enough without your III u,
creaSing the momentum. They Will DC
zone soon enough without your pushing
them away. Cali in all the doctors wh'
ever lived since Ilippocrates raised meu
icine from superstition TO a science
and they could not cure a heart0reaN oI