Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1896-01-08
CORRESPONDENCE
AN AWFUL RESPONSIBILITY
The Entering the State of Matri-
mony--and the Rearing of
Children.

MR.. EDITOR: Perhaps there is
no one except myself, who gives
entertainment to subjects of SO pc
culiar characteras as [ am at times
constrained to do. 1, am some
times amazed at my own frivolity
in expending what little mental
energy may bave in thinking on
subjects ignored by the most of
mankind, but since such is my
inevitable fate 1 acquiesce, and
shall now proceed to give a few
words relative to subject that
has occupied my attention for the
last few days.
The rearing of children is a
theme far too delicate to be han
died lightly or slightly. What!
delicate Yes, delicate; very deli
cate. VINO nae neot ~elserved with
what inattention to this question
If questions our OWL race entails
ignorance, and suffering
upon each succeeding generation?
suppose every man and woman
think it his or her inalienable
right to marry when he or she
pleases, but it is a question in my
mind whether such be the case.
Let me illustrate.
When man contemplates as
suming tae leadership of any en-
it is supposed by all that
he has some knowledge of his bu-
siness before he attempts to put
his plans into execution. In fact
a railroad company will not en-
oloy Q. man to survey road unless
he has studied the higher mathe-
matics; the merchant does not
want man to keep books unless
he has studied bookkeeping. Ev-
cry one can see the reason why the
merchant will not empty a man
ignorant of bookkeeping to keep
books. Indeed a man is put down
as fool, if he undertakes to carry
on a business of Importance un-
less he has first made some prep
aration for the business. But how
different it is as regards the rear
ing of children-the most difficult
and responsible position men and
women ever fill. AS soon as chaps
re'about grown, as we say, they
are looked upon as eligible to this
awful responsibility of rearing
children. Oh, horriblel horrible 7!
condition of affairs. What can
we hope for SO long as this is the
case? What can we expect so long
as multitudes of the young assume
this fearful responsibility without
the least preparation?
Mr.. Spencer says parents shall
at least have general knowledge
of physiology and psychology in
order to rear their children to any
advantage, but, if Mr.. Spencer
could have associated with the
masses, perhaps his curriculum
would have been made much lower.
If he could have seen thousands of
parents struggling against their
ignorance Of the common school
branches, and worse still, many
who can not even read, perhaps he
could bave announced to the world
that the millennium was yet g.
great way off. But he says that
no man or woman who is igno-
rant of beth the laws of body and
mind is fit to rear children, since
every act of mind End exposure of
body goes toward fixing the desti-
/ nv Of the child. No doubt Mr..
Spencer is right in this.
We are often alarmed at the COR
ruption Of the State, but we noyer
seem to be uneasy about the cor
rupt condition of the family-the
fountain lead of the State. We
spend our lives tryi.g to purify the
streams, but you never hear any
one mention the "slough of Des-
pond" from which the stream flows.
A constitutional convention may
wisely spend several days qualify
ing a man for suffrage, but TO
qualify a man; for matrimony