Arizona republican., 1892-09-29
TOO OFTEN THEY ARE ASCRl6EO
TO PARENTAL NEGLIGENCE.
hut Sometimes the Most Careful and
Tender watchfulness Proves Unavail-
ing to Mako Tidy Girl Out of a
Slovenian Original Sin Theory.
copyright, ls9s, by American Press Associa-
tiOn.1

" R$S day. looking up from a
y newspaper, Ito lay all the
faults of children TO their bringing up.
Here's a story about a young girl who
was impertinent TO her mother in pub
lie, and it states that every one who
heard her remarked, justly, that it
wasn't her fault-it was her mothers,
who had not taught her properly There
is, too, Spanish proverb, There are no
ungrateful children which of course
means that bad children have had no
training to be grateful for. Now, do
not believe that doctrine. 1t is cowardly
and unjust to lay the ingratitude and
undutifulness of all children to their
parents. The argument leaves no room
for inherited Observation-Disclosures per-
haps from remote ancestors-nOr for the
differentiation which makes every indi-
yidual unlike every other individual. IL
training were all, why are not all the
children of one family alike? Perhaps
you will say that parents often indulge
one child more than another; but how is
it that those children who are reared in
asylums and refugees, and subjected to
precisely the same training, influence
teaching and discipline, turn out to be
Just as different from each other as chill
dren reared in different families?"
"You have brought up several chill
dren of your own asked her listener.
Several of my own, and two or three
which were not mine" replied the lady,
"and know that even the most careful
N,l Il k-os xxrtn tttrf
children out all alike, like shoepegs or
clothespins Why, in the very first
family that ever existed, according to
the Bible, one child was good and the
other bad. 1t is quite probable that
they were trained very similarly. They
had no long ancestry to furnish them
with inherited tendencies Was it
training that made Cain murderer, or
want of training"
"You do not believe, then, that evil
tendencies may be corrected by advice,
precept and teaching"
Sometimes perhaps. But all the
training In the world will not alter a
child's nature. You may perhaps teach
a child of sullen, willful, obstinate dis
position TO keep it somewhat under con-
troll, but you can never make that child
into a cheerful, amiable, lovable person.
A tendency to fippancy and self conceit
(the groundwork of this impertinent
girls ordering her mother about in pub
lic) it is next TO impossible to train ont
of child. Even those qualities which
would seem much more external, like
untidiness and Incidence for have
often heard it preached that habits of
order and neatness are simply matters
of teaching and habit are very hard to
eradicate. Did l ever tell you about
the child that l tried so hard to make
into trim, tidy, frugal, neat and eco
nomical woman
mo, and should much like TO hear
how woman who has all those quail
ties in so good measure as yourself could
fail to impress them on any child under
her control"
well, did fail miserably, and that
experience showed me the injustice Of
laying all faults to training, or the lack
Of it. / began with that child before
she was old enough TO do the simplest
kind Of work-began by insisting on her
picking up her toys and putting them
In place every night; by having row
of hooks low enough for her to reach in
the wardrobe, where she was taught to
hang her clothes at night and her night
dress in the morning; by teaching her
10 have her small undergarments-hose
and so on-laid nicely in her drawer,
ready for her wearing. Despite all my
care, doubt If she ever put toys or gar
ments in place without being specially
reminded.
las she grew up she showed an utter
lack Of tidiness and order: her clothes
were scattered all about her room, her
schoolbooks were anywhere, wherever
she CHANGED to drop them; she could
never find her pencil, scissors or thimble;
her handkerchief was never at hand;
when she had half dozen pretty white
aprons for school they were always all
soiled at once; if she had several cam
brio, bingham or muslin frocks she was
sure 10 have no fresh one among them
unless watched her dressing every day.
How hard tried 10 teach her TO be neat
and careful with her clothes, TO show
her that she must always have clean
garments ready for need; that she must
not wear clothes which needed mend
ing; that she must not pin patch; that
she must not toss her clothes on chairs
and then sit on them and press them
full of wrinkles; that she must not use
pins where buttons should be; that she
must keep her room tidy, and that she
must brush her teeth night and morn
ing!"
Then you think her headlessness
and untidiness were hereditary
mo, cannot see how that could be;
her mother was a good New England
housekeeper, careful, neat handed and
orderly. who knew how 10 do all kinds
Of homework and sewing, and did them
well. But that girl would as soon wear
dress slit from waist to hsm as not
lat least about home; she was vain
enough about her appearance in public.
II button came of her clothing she
would pin the fabric all to rags rather
than replace it, and my life was bur
den of constant watchfulness and re-
proof. had 10 threaten TO brush her
teeth myself in order to get her to do it,
and | believe ] did it once or twice.
Now you are tempted 70 say was too