The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1897-04-23
!ERP'S Weekly LETTER.
HISA OPINIONS As TO HOW chill.
DREN SHOULD RE BROUGHT UP.
ALITTLE WHIPPING is NECESSARY
Unlesi Children Are Made to Fear Pa
rents They Will Never Make Good
Men and Women.

Men and Women.
An esteemed friend requests that I
write q letter about how to raise q
family of children so that they will all
behave, the boys make good citizens,
good husbands, good fathers and the
girls make good wives and good moth
ers. "Is it possible to do his?" he
asks.
When the lawyers determine that
thing cannot be legally done they say
it is "ultra vires," which means be-
yond STRENGTH. In the first place, it
is not possible to devise any plan or
method by which all children can be
raised or trained to do right and be-
have. It is "ultra wires" and even if
it were possible, it is ultra wires"
with me to make it known. Ever since
the failure of Adam to raise Cain, this
thing of raising all the children to be
good has been an unsolved problem.
Whether the difference in children of
the same family is due to the laws of
heredity or the doctrine of election or
to different environments and associa-
tions or to the devil himself we can
not tell, but one or more of these
causes have been at work. Ny
about this last night and in all our ac-
quaintance of half century we could
not name single family of six or
more children of whom were good
Anxiety and grief and trouble because
of children is the common lot. 1t be-
gan with Adam and came on down to
Noah and Jacob and David and Solo
mon. and yet these men had the spe-
cial favor of God and were blessed by
Him in every way except in the conduct
of some of their children. Poor old Eli.
the high priest and Judge of Israel for
forty years, was cursed with two bad
boys and God at the last cursed him
for not restraining them. "There
shall not be an old man in thy house
forever, and all the increase of thy
house shall die in the flower of their
age" Because his sons made them.
selves vile and he restrained
them not. What an awful curse
was that! These sons of Belial
This word means worthless, bad, naugh.
ty, vile, and fits many bad boy in
our day. 1t is fact that reflects or
our sex that the sons of Belial are
t tar' Of Pelial. "He restrained them
hor. Wets, .tne, good old man die
talk to them and reprove them mss
earnestly. "Why do we such things
1t is no good report that 1 hear. Y,
make the Lords people to transgress
II one man sin against another th.
Judge shall Judge him, but if MAJ
sin against the Lord who shall entrea,
for him?''
L wonder what kind of restraint the
Lord expected or required of Eli. II
was not talking or pleading with
them, OF course, for he did that.
wonder if the old man dident expert.
ment on the modern Atlanta plan of
raising the boys on his love and their
honor, for fear of breaking their spir-
Its. 1t makes an old man very tired to
read the wise utterances of the mod
ern Solons against corporal punish
ment OF bad boys in the public
schools. had rather go and ask the
convicts in the chaingang for an opin-
ion. Nine-tenths of them would cav T
began In disobedience and was not re-
strained. The lamentable fact is that at
least one-fourth Of the boys at these
schools have no restraint at home and
II they are not punished at school they
get 1T nowhere, and so these sons of
bellal go to the bad very early and
become victims to the rigor of the law
and the courts. There is many boy
IN these schools who is right now on
his way to the chaingang. These
Solons say that corporal punishment
ls brutal and barbarous and must give
away to the progress and refinement
or the age. About what time did the
youths OF this generation become better
than those of half a century ago? Read
the daily papers and answer. How
many houses in Atlanta are in mourn.
ing because of the bad conduct of
their boys? What good results can
come from expulsion of n bad boy
from school? He is not wanted any
where by decent people, and so bs
associates with his kind and becomes
worse and soon comes to grief and
and brings sorrow to his kindred.
Obedience to law, to government. TO
parents is absolutely necessary for the
peace and welware Of society. This
obedience is enforced among bad men
~ the fear of the law. It cannot be
enforced among bad boys except by
ear of corporal punishment Their
ionor or their shame is too feeble q fac
or to be considered Obedience must
,egin early, even in infancy. NV lit
lie two-year-old grandchild loves to
'lay in the dirty coal box. Caroline.
'ou must not do that" her mother
ays, and enforces her command bv
tapping her little hands and then
Washing them. That is corporal pun
and is lust as severe IN the