The oasis., 1896-02-08
A GRAVE RESPONSIBILITY.

have the gOOd-Or Dau-IOrJune lO De- come the father of child, and someone would go around to a news paper and put in notice of the fact, such as l often see in the El Paso papers, think 1 would hunt that man up and if he wasn't too big lick him, or cut his acquaintance forever more. If there is anything l do detest to see it is an alleged funny notice about some gentleman becoming a father. It may sound all right to some people, but think that is an event that is sacred to the home, and should not be noised abroad in a would be witty manner. It sounds decidedly com mon. ."- Fl Paso Herald.
 It is about time some one arose in vigorous protest against the tendency of the time to make light of and ridi- culous one of the most sacred occa- sinns of human existence. How ire quently do we see in the press a statement that John Younghusband hits only the high places in the road this morning; yesterday his wife pre- sented him with a son and heir" Or "Peter Oldboy is as frisky as June colt over the arrival of a fine girl at his house last night" Or Henry Proudparent is so high strung over the new arrival at his house that he can take his meals off from the mantel piece only" Pages could be filled with rot, of which the foregoing are fair samples, that is daily printed all over the land by callow witlings and would be humorists of the newspaper press.
 The birth of child in any family is subject too grave and too sacred for silly levity and insipid nonsense. The parents have assumed a most grave and welghty responsibility. They have ushered across the threshold of life another immortal soul, and for veal or for woe have launched it into fieeting and transitory path across this old world of ours which ends only in the mysterious void of eternity. They have assumed a responsibility which should bind them to rear the child to an honorable and upright manhood or pure and lovely womanhood and good citizenship here, and train him to blest immortality in the life beyond. And is a responsibility so grave to be welcomed with buffoonery and levity; is duty so high to be inaugurated by buying beer for a lot of gluttonous companions whose souls are in their bellies?
 Why the assumption of responsibi- lities so grave, of duties so high should be cause for rejoicing and hilarity THE OASIS man could never see. The only apparent cause therefor, is the manifestation of the power of repro duction. And that is surely great thing over which to kick up the bob bery done by foolish men when an- other scion is born. From the rot in which they indulge one would think they had accomplished a miracle, when all they did was to ''shut their eyes and let nature take its course D All animate nature does the same thing, and does it with far greater frequency and effect than man. Why even the cats can give man cards and spades in the game of fecundity and wallop him out of his shoe leather; and they render hideous the night by their unmelodious expression of the icy they experience in the preliminary operation. The only difference be- tween the feline and the human is that the former celebrates what is go- ing to happen, while man celebrates what has occurred. The only thing which may be said in favor of the pro- cedure of the latter is that he doesn't