The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-02-16
THE LACK OF RESPECT DUE
PARENTS.

PARENTS.
There is nothing so sad and piteOu'
in this life as TO zee the father snc
mother of household Of children IN
their old age treated by their children
with dlsTespect and petuIance. Al
their lives long they have worked and
made sacrifices for their children
houyed up when hand and heart were
weakened by encouragement and
disea.e by the hope that in their old
age their children would he their go
lace and source of happiness Tney
have taken Joy in the hops that when
they grew old and useless in the world
their Sous wJuld, in their stead,
"speak to the enemy at the gate" ana
that their daughters would soothe IN
to rest and Comfort the blighting dis
abilities of age.
Happy are those parents whose
homes are realized, and az rare 100 Is
such happiness AS the success OF any
other ambition OF lite, for 1t Is TOO
often the cuse as age marks its FROST
upon tie brow, iugratitude, sharper
than u serpent's tooth, stings ana
poigons parental life by the disobedl'
ence and open and fragrant dis
respect of children for their
narents. 1t is the curse OF
the age and distinguishes degener-
acy of all the social virtues that gives
promise of crop of misery to be
gathered by the coming generation,
for if God is true this general dlsre-
gard of the feelings and happiness OF
parents in their old age will be visited
with q retributiOn 8 Witt and terrible
i'm it's nemesis to those who are guilty
of this crime against those to whom
they owe their being and rearing.
Children who are uumin dtul Ut the
comfort and happiness of their aged
parents are not only unworthy OF
social recognition, but they are dan
gerous to society. Without the virtue
of gratitude and affection for parents
there is no other virtue that will long
keep its restrictions around their lives
and they will soon become the pariahs
of society, sowing malevolence broad
cast in the land. The woman who
marries man disres pectful to his
mother aud father doJms her life to
domestic tyranny, and the man vino
marries woman disre spectiul to her
parents links himself to a
demon of discord and misery.
But we did not propose to comment on
parental disobedience and ingratitude,
only az the cause of the pitiable con-
dition of aged parents who were the
victims of this ingratitude. In the
natural course of events other objects
and ambitions of life are partially at
least gratified, but when old age
comes, when the step is feeble and the
grasp uncertain, ana we look tOf the
helping hand at our elbow and find it
not; when the pains Of age rack the
body and we miss the soothing touch
of affection, when we sit in the gloom
of Isolation, all of contemporary
friends departed, and listen for the
kindly word of the child of our yOut
for they are always children to us, and
hear it not, but in its stead sullen com
plants and grudging limitations OF
our lasting too long, then it is that oil
the affections gathe red and garne ed
in q lite time rush back upon heart
surcharged with life's tolls and griefs
aud sour into bitterness all the joys OF
old age. Oh, it is piteous to hear a
child taunt and insult a father and
mother and to see the bitter, burning
tear trace its sorrow cutting way
down the wrinkled cheek of age.
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