The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-08-21
Fathers and Daughters.

No matter how stern he may be to
others, father has peculiarly ten
der feeling for his daughter, and even
though the spring is hidden the child
knows where to find it. This being
so, a father has great influence upon a
daughter character, but too often he
fails to recognize the fact and to ac-
cept the responsibilities which it
brings. Surely this is mistake. l
believe there are elements Of womanly
character which father can develop
even better than mother can.
Take, for example, that most admi-
rable quality in women, a business like
accuracy in money matters. The
father who gives his daughter while
still little child her tiny allowance,
paying it regularly at a stated time,
and requiring her to render an account
of how the pennies go, is laying the
foundation of business honor and ac-
curacy in the child. This course pur-
sued throughout girls home life, in
creasing the allowance as the years go
on, until she can be trusted to man
age her personal expenses entirely,
produces excellent results. Business
honor becomes second nature to her,
while foolish extravaganza is impossi-
BILE.
A gracious and digni6ed manner in
woman is something which we all ad-
mire it gives to her her finest charm.
The man who touches his hat to his
little daughter, who steps back and al
lows her to enter the room first because
she is lady, does much to cultivate
this manner for a girl cannot be in
the habit of receiving and acknowl-
edging such attentions without ac-
quiring that grace which we desire for
her, and the influence Of it does not
stop there. The little girl who is
treated with such consideration inva-
riably responds with loving service
which must endear her to her father S
heart. What another child must be
bidden to do, she does spontaneously.
Her feet are ready to run, and her
hands to work for him, so that courte-
sy becomes what it should be, not
merely form, but the expression OF
love itself, but it is the habit OF her
life.
Perhaps the truest gentleman l ever
knew brought up his little daughter
by the same standard Of manly honor
and courage that he did his son. Did
he hear her retailing some bit Of fool
ish gossip, "a gentleman never tells
tales would be the grave rebuke.
Did she bump her head or pinch her
chubby finger, her refuge was his
arms, but his word was, Courage, my
soldier!' And sometimes when she
had resisted a sharp temptation, or
acted with spirit and decision in a
crises, he would say, proudly, "That
was done like gentleman. Allow
me to shake hands. Kisses were for
every day. She was sure of his atfec,
tion even when she was foolish and
naughty, but when he said, "Allow
me to shake hands, she felt that she
had come up to his own nlGn Stanu-
ard, and had acted as he would have
done in similar circumstances, and her
heart swclled with such pride and joy
that it was almost like pain. Every
one acknowledges that such training
is good for sons why not for daugh-
ters also :?
When girl is child no longer,
but has crossed the borderland which
leads to young womanhood, then a
fathers care and influence are, if pos
sible, more valuable still. There
would be fewer foolish marriages IN
this world if fathers possessed their
daughters confidence more complete
ly, and the girls had greater faith in !
their fathers good judgment and at
on.-Elconor A. Hunter, IN Adro-
cfttc uu1 Gu0rdinu.