The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-04-06

Habits.
As boys and girls begin to grow
into young men and young women
their parents become naturally solici-
tous about their present and future.
They are beginning to get away from
home to form attachments outside of
the family, and they are thus brought
under foreign influences that may be
good or bad. 1t is useless 10 attempt
to stihe the natural desire of young
people for society, but it may be
guided and controlled, and in no
better way than by making home at
tractive. No boy and no girl should
be driven TO seek amusement outside
OF his or her home circle. Parents
should suffer any inconvenience rather
than drive their children to the streets
or to questionable resorts in search of
that freedom to which their strong
animal spirits incite them. Suppose
that they are noisy in their games
that they and their companions are
rough in their play and destructive Of
furniture, and that they annoy the
orderly housewife. That is small
evil compared with the consequences
OF driving them to seek the companion
ship Of strangers. Homes are made
cherries for the young in various ways.
They may be wholly neglected by
ignorant parents, unsupplied by looks
or games, and the children in such
home naturally seek the streetcorner
or friends house in the evenings,
subjected to the risk Of bad compan-
ionshlp free from parental control. Or
the home may be pattern of reatness
and comfort, but ruled by too severe
discipline for the young. Its books
and its games may be suited to those
of mature years but distasteful to
children. Here, again, the young
people are led away from home by
their natural inclinations. They find
some school companion whose parents
wisely allow the child to seek his own
amusements, subject only to general
supervision, and in visits to him, full
of pleasure, they establish the perni-
cious habit of seeking amusement away
from home. The art is natural to
some parents, but difficult to teach, of
making home the most attractive place
on earth, even to young men and
young women Of the inquiring age.
The children of such parents do not
want their friends to come in, and
two or three families of this kind soon
establish circle whose members ex
change visits. The companions and
friends Of the young people are known
to the parents, and the latter can keep
a watchful eye over their offspring at
the most critical period of their lives.
But to hold the children to home or
selected homes in this way they must
be allowed great deal of freedom in
the choice of their amusements; they
must not be continually lectured or
advised nor pestered with efforts at
improvement. There is time for
play as we'll as time for study, and
parents should not interfere with the
natural inclinations of their children,
except when it becomes clear that their
inClinations lead to bad or injurious
habits. Later on, when the exuber
ance of youth has begun to pass away,
the children boys and girls-will
pass from parental control; they will
necessarily 90 out into the world and
be subjected to its temptations, but
they will bear with them shield Of
honor if they have learned to love their
home and have established the habit
of seeking there the highest enjoyments.
Very young children have their COM
panions chosen for them and their
amusements prescribed. AS they reach
manhood or womanhood they choose
their companions and their course of
life, but there is middle and critical
period when they need guidance, not
control or direction. 1t is at this
period that home should be made
specially attractive by freedom within
reasonable limits and kindly treatment.
The boy or girl whose only thought
at nightfall is to get away from home
is in great danger of meeting evil
companions and being led astray. The
boy or girl who as matter Of course
brings his companions or friends into
his home, knowing that they will be
welcome and that they can enjoy
there any rational amusement, is secure
from too early companionship with
strangers who may be vicious. The
best guardian. of the interests of the
young is the home that is made at