The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-01-27
Instincts OF Parents.

1t is curious to note how some par
ents are like the lower animals in their
instincts, says the New York Tribune.
So long as a child is dependent and
has need of it's parents care their de-
votion is entirely unselish and they
appear to have an intense love for
their offspring but as soon as the
latter attain adolescence the instinct
of paternity seems to leave their pro-
genitors, who not only fail to show
sympathy, but actually appear to feel
coldly towards them.
This is especially true of many
fathers in their relations to their sons,
often changing from indulgent, gener-
GUS parents and becoming fault-fnd-
ing, suspicious, and even harsh.
"You could hardly believe it Of Mr..
A. now," said an old friend of the
family, speaking of man whose un-
pleasant relations with his family we're
frequently source Of comment, "but
when those children were little l never
saw such devotion They were all
more or less delicate, and night after
night, although he was hard-working
man at his business, he would sit up
with them during their illness and care
for them with the patience and tender
ness of a woman. No matter how
cross or fractious they were he was
invariably gentle and kind.
"Now nothing they do seems to
please him, and he never considers
their interests. The reason of this
change, in my opinion, is that his
instinct has left him.
''In animals this change is the rule,
not the exception, and with human
beings it's the exception, not the rule
and he is one of the latter.
"We had marked example of this
transition at home. Our Tabby, who
had been bereft of her litter save one,
showed for this kitten the most in
tense affection. 1t was wonderful to
see her absorbing devotion. She
never forgot it for a second. She
would never eat until the kitten was
satisfied, and to every one Of its whims
she was slave.
t'The little one was tyrannical and
cross, but she never got angry. Her
whole being seemed bound up in her
nursing.
'This went on for about year,
when she suddenly changed. She
cuffed and she spit at her son, who,
poor fellow, could not understand why
his devoted nurse should SO suddenly
become virago, until finally finding
home no longer endurable, he quietly
took his departure.
IT came to the conclusion that the
whole reason was that her. kitten had
become cat, and her instinct of
motherhood was over.
"That is the way I account for the
difference in Mr.. A. His children
have grown up, and his parental in
stinct is at an end. Perhaps if they
we're i'll or in trouble it might reawa-
ken, but I. very much doubt it.
Oddly enough, it is said that COWS
are not like other animals in the mat
ter of instinct, and that they not only
have an affection for their offspring
after they are cattle, but that they are
actually fond of their grandchildren
and great-grandchildren.
A lady who lived for several years
on a rancho in Texas says that it is
well-known fact that COWS will protect
calves belonging to their descendants
from being gored or trampled upon,
when they will watch with indiffer
ence any misfortunes to those with
whom they are not related.
Altogether it is an interesting
study, this matter of instinct govern
ing the affections, and that it has it's
limitations with some people, as we'll
as animals, is obvious.