Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1898-07-13
AN APPEAL TO MOTHERS.

how they are training their children.
How blessed is the home that has a
beautiful little rose in it to cheer
and make happy the tired mother and
to coo at the father when he comes
home after hard days work How
he gathers the little one into his arms
and calls it his own darling child. 1t
is his, all, yes, but it is Gods also. 1t
has been given him that he may
bring it up i'll the admonition of the
Lord. How the mother presses it to
her bosom rs she looks forward to the
time when it Will walk and toddle
around. Oh ! this is the JOY of their
home, they think.
Suddenly they look out OF the door
and see young man staggering along
the street, or hear him cursing. o,
says the mother, if l thought that you
would ever do as this young man, is
doing had rather see you lying in
your coffin, much as / love you; and
the tears drop down upon the little
ones cheek.
You, mothers, who have had this
experience, hush. Is that little inno-
cent babe in your arms going to turn,
so to speak, from little angel to be a
drunkard and street loaier, if you
train him as you ought?
There are mothers in this town to
whom God has given the sweetest
little ones that one could ask to see
to look at them one might think that
they were living angels-yet with the
training that they are now receiving,
in five or ten years they will be far
from angels.
In fifteen or twenty years you will
be wringing your hands any praying
o, my God, why has my son treated
me so, why has he broken his mothers
heart and driven her to an untimely
grave? And the father will weep and
wall for his unfortunate son.
Do you want me to tell you what
is going to make your b " or your girl
one whom you will be ashamed to
own? Just do as some OF the parents
of this town are doing. When your
boy is old enough to walk, just let
him run out upon the street. Let
him go from home to play whenever
he wants to. Just let him run the
streets all the time. There are little
children in this town who are on the
streets from morning till night-little
boys from 3 to 5 and 6 years old-and
their mothers, seemingly, do not care.
Then there are other mothers who say
l can't just manage Johnnie or Willie,
or someone else. I just can't keep
him home, and she will ru. to the
door and call, Willie, o, Willie, come
right here and possibly Willie is at
the other end of the town. Perhaps
he has made up his mind to take a
walk out to some Of the farms or some
other noted place. The mother calls
and frets and worries until he returns.
Perhaps she gives him good switch
ing and sends him to bed, where he
kicks and screams until he almost
frightens the neighbors. When his
father comes home he gives him
good strapping. Possibly the parent
will not punish him in any way, but
will promise punishment if such a
thing occurs again; or perhaps only
give him talking to. The next
morning, after Willie has had his
breakfast, away he goes out on the
streets again. Who is to blame?
The mother sends the child uptown
with Is cents for butter; in about an
hour he returns with 10 cent ball
and cents worth OF candy. In few
days she sends hinl>with 10 cents for
yeast and about dinner time he comes
home with 10 cents worth OF fire
crackers. Who is to blame? Another
mother Furnishes her boy and he kicks
and cries and runs out into the yard
and throws stones at her. Who is to
blame? Why, dear mothers, no one
else in this world is to blame but
yourself and his father. If this boy
turns out wrong and breaks your
heart which, he is bound to do if he
lives, just look back and say, am to
blame.
Think of a mother saying that she
can not manage child four years old.
Pity the mother who says that she is
glad that her children are all boys so
that she can get little rest while
they run off to play. Pity the father
who sends his son on the street to
play so he will not to bother him.
Think OF boy ten or eleven years
old going off after breakfast and his
parents not know where he was until
night and this occurring day after day.