The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1893-08-24

sacrifice of Jephtha's daughter was a
type of the physical, mental and spir-
itual sacrifice of ten thousand children
in this day. There are parents all I'M
Willingly bringing to bear upon their
children class of influences which
will as certainly ruin them as knife
and torch destroyed Jephthah's daugh-
ter. While l speak, the whole nation,
without emotion and without shame,
looks upon the stupendous sacrifice.
In the first place, remark that
much of the system of education in
our day is a system of sacrifice. When
children spend six or seven hours day
in school and then must spend two or
three hours in preparation for school
the next day, will you tell me how
much time they will have for sunshine
and fresh air and the obtaining of that
exuberance which is necessary for the
duties of coming life?
In connection with this l mention
what / might call the examining sys-
tenn of the common schools and many
of the academies; children of delicate
brain compelled to tasks that might
appall a mature intellect; children 60
ing down to school with a strap of
books half as high as themselves. The
fact is, in some of the cities parents do
not allow their children to graduate,
for the simple reason, they say: eve
can not afford to allow our children's
health to be destroyed in order that
they may gather the honors of an in
stitution." Tens of thousand of chill
dren educated into imbecility; so con-
nected with many such literary estab-
lishments there ought to be establish
ments for the wrecked. 1t is push,
and crowd, and cram, and stuff, and
jam, until the child's intellect is be-
wildered, and the memory is wrecked
and the health is gone. There are
children turned out from the schools
who once were full of romping and
laughter, and had cheeks crimson with
health, who are now turned out in the
afternoon pale-faced, irritated, asth-
matte, old before their time. 1t is one
of the saddest sights on earth, an old
mannish boy or an old-womanish girl.
You may fatter your pride by fore
ing your children to know more than
any other children, but you are MAX
ing sacrifice of that child, if by the
additions to it's intelligence you are
making a subtraction from the future.
The child will go away from such
maltreatment with no exuberance to
fight the battle of life. Such children
may get along very well while you
take care of them, but when you are
| old or dead, alas! for them, if, through
! the wrong system of education which
you adopted, they have no swarthiness
or force of character to take care
of themselves. Be careful how you
make the child's head ache or its
heart futter. 1 hear a great
deal about black mems rights,
and Chinamens rights, and Indians
rights, and women's rights. Would
God that somebody would rise to plead
for children's rights The Carthaginians
used to sacrifice their children by put.
ting them into the arms of an idol
which thrust forth its hand. The child
was put into the arms of the idol, and
no sooner touched the arms than il
dropped into the fire. But it was the
art of the mothers to keep the children
smiling and laughing until the moment
they died. There may be a fascination
and hilarity about the styles of ed
ucation of which l am speaking; but il
is only laughter at the moment o.
sacrifice. Would God there were only
one Jephthah's daughter.
Again there are many parents wht
are sacrificing their children with
wrong systems of disciplne-too grea'
rigor or too great leniency. There are
children in families who rule the house
hold. They come to the authority
The high chair in which the infant sit
is the throne, and the rattle is tn,
scepter, and the other children max,
up the parliament where father ant
mother have no vote! Such children
come up to be miscreants.
There must be harmony between tn,
fathers government and the mother
government. The father will b.
tempted to too great rigor. The mothe1
will be tempted to too great leniency
Her tenderness will overcome her. He
voice is little softer, her hand seem
better fit to pull out a thorn and sooth'
= pang. Children wanting anything
from the mother, cry for it. The.
hope to dissolve her will with tears
, But the mother must not interfere
: must not coax off, must not beg TO
the child when the hour comes for tn
| assertion of parental supremacy an
the subjugation of child'a temper
< There comes in the history of ever
t child an hour when it is tested whethe
t the parents shall rule or the child rule
1 That is the crucial hour. If the chill
e triumphs in that hour, then he wi
i some day make you crouch. 1t is
!, horrible scene. l have witnessed i
i A mother come to old age, shiverin
with terror IN the presence of so
!, who cursed her gray hairs and mocke
d her wrinkled face, and begrudged he
n the crust she munched with her tootl
e less gums!
o How sharper than serpents tooth it is
g To have thankless child.
II But, on the other hand, too gre;
o rigor must be avoided. It is a sa
IS thing when domestic government b