The Van Buren press., 1897-12-25
pEsPoTlc MOTHERS.
Interfere with the Growth OF fhde'
pendence In CnilGren.


pendence in CSilGren.
There are some women who seem to
regard their children as so much prop
erty to be improved and nodded IN their
hands and turned to the best advantage
No doubt such a mother usually be-
ieves herself pattern of all wife ana
mother should be. If she were told she
was breaking up the happiness OF her
home by her perpetual complaints ana
general querulousness, she would PROB
ably consider herself abused She
would point to her model housekeeping
and to the care she took to instruct
her children in the right ways OF lie.
She is quite often conscientious wom-
an. who reiterates maxims and fails not
to watch her unfortunate children
from morning until evening to see II
she can find anything to criticise or
discover anything in their behavior
that others will criticise. She never for
one moment regards them as sentient
human beings, whose opinions and ac-
tions she should look upon as some
thing apart from herself and judge as
she judges those of the children OF her
neighbors. The sense of ownership Is
upon her constantly and the fear that
the world will not consider her children
the brightest, the wisest and most at
tractive of mortals, as she firmly in
tends to make them.
Children that are allowed no indie
pendence of thought or action and are
perpetually nagged because of petty
faults can develop no independence Of
character. Such children either rebel
against their home restrictions and are
henceforth looked upon as ingrates and
prodigals, or they grow into weak, help
less characters unable to battle with
the world when the strong hand that
perpetually guided their lives can no
longer help them. Their condition is
indeed a sad one. In order to attain
that personal freedom which within
proper restrictions even a child is en-
titled to they must sacrifice the guardi-
anship and love and light of home.
This does not mean that such children
are necessarily truants from their fa-
TIERS house. There are thousands of
bright boys and girls dwelling in homes
from which they have become SO alien
ated by the petty tyranny of their par
ents, or of one parent, that they are
as much strangers to it in their thoughts
as though they dwelt on barren moor
with only the grass and heather be-
meath and the stars over their heads.
First and foremost in every ones ma
ture is implanted God-giyen inde-
pendence of thought and a desire for
Independent action. A mother can nc
more order the bent of her sons mind
than she can control his walk or move
his arms for him. She can guide both,
and by gentle counsel and the example
OF a noble life show him the right way
of living. God, who ordained that every
individual should have freedom OF
choice between evil and good, has i'm.
planted in even a child's heart desire
to protect thai freedom and resistance
to absolute orders. Almost any child
may be taught by persuasion and kline
words. Only dull or british nature
will obey positive orders without a
sense of rebellion. Mothers must re-
member that the children are holy
trust given them to guide and bring
up to the glory of God, and are not q
means to administer to their own vain
| glory and self-loye.-N. Y. Tribune.