Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-03-29

forth the idea that the good or evil be-
havior of children blesses or blights
the parental heart. know there are
persons who seem to have no especial
interest in the welfare of their chill
dren. The father says: my boy must
take the risks took in life. II he
turns out well, all right; If he turns out
Ill. he will have to bear the conse-
Quences. He has the same chance that
had. He must take care OF himself"
A shepherd might Just as well thrust
a lamb into den of lions and say.
Little lamb, take care of yourself"
Nearly all the brute creation are kind
enough to look after their young. |
was going through the woods, and
heard shrill cry in nest. climbed
up to the birds nest, and l found that
the old bird had left the brood to
starve. But that is very rare occur
renee. Generally bird will pick your
eyes out rather than surrender her
young to your keeping or your touch.
A lion will rend you IL you come too
near the whelps; even the barnyard
fowl. with its clumsy foot and heavy
wing. will come at you If you approach
its young too nearly, and God certain
ly intended to have fathers and moth
ers as kind as the brutes.
Christ comes through all our house,
hold today, and he says: "You take
care of the bodies of your children and
the minds of your children. What are
you doing for their immortal souls?"
read of ship that foundered. A life
boat was launched. Many of the pas
sengers were In the water. A mother
with one hand beating the waves and
the other hand holding her little child
out toward the lifeboat cried out, Save
my child" And that impassioned cry
is the one that finds an echo in every
parental heart in this land today.
Save my child!" That man out there
says: Il have fought my own way
through life. I have got along tolerably
well. The world has buffeted me, and
have had many a hard struggle. 1t
doesn't make much difference what
happens to me. but save my child"
You see, have a subject of stupendous
AmPoitp anu an boAhopn 90 oou Ahoy
help me. to show the cause Of parental
solicitude and then the alleviations Of
that solicitude.
The first cause OF parental solicitude.
think, arises from the imperfection OF
parents on their own part. We all
somehow want our children to avoid
our faults. We hope that II we have
any excellences they will copy them,
but the probability is they will copy
our faults and omit our excellences.
Children are very apt to be echoes Of
the parental life. Some one meets a
lad In the back street, finds him smok-
ing and says: why, l am astonished
at you. What would your father say
II he knew this? Where did you get
that cigar?" "Oh, picked II up on the
street," What would your father say
and your mother say IL they knew
this?" "Oh." he replies. that's moth
ing. My father smokes" There Is not
one OF. US today who would like to have
our children copy all our example. And
thai is the cause of solicitude on the
part of all of us. We have so many
faults we do not want them copied
and stereotyped in the lives and char
acters of those who come after us.
The Matter of Discipline.
Then solicitude arises from our con-
scious insufficiency and unwisdom of
discipline. Out Of 20 parents there may
be one parent who understands how
thoroughly and skillfully to discipline;
perhaps not more than one out of 20.
We, nearly all of us. err on one side or
on the other. Here Is father who
says: II am going to bring up my chill
dren right My sons shall know moth
ing but religion, shall see nothing but
religion and hear nothing but reli-
gion." They are routed out at 6 o'clock
in the morning to recite the Ten Com
mandments. They are wakened up
from the sofa on Sunday night to re-
cite the Westminster catechism. Their
bedroom walls are covered with relig-
ious pictures and quotations OF Scrip
ture, and when the boy looks for the
day OF the month he looks for 1t in a
religious almanac. II minister comes
to the house. he is requested to take the
boy aside and tell him what a great
sinner he Is. 1t is religion morning,
noon and night.
Time passes on, and the parents are
waiting for the return of the son at
night It is 9 o'clock. 1t Is 10 o'clock,
1t is II o'clock. 1t Is IL o'clock, 1t is
half-past IL o'clock Then they hear
a rafting of the night key. and George
comes in and hastens up stairs lest he
be accosted. His father says. George.
where have you been?" He says. II
have been out" Yes. he has been out.
and he has been down, and he has
started on the broad road to ruin for
this life and ruin for the life to come,
and the father says to his wife:
Mother, the Ten Commandments are
q failure. No use of Westminster cate
chism. | have done my very best for
that boy. Just see how he has turned
out" All, my friend. you have stuffed
that boy with religion. You had no
sympathy with innocent hilarities. You
had no common sense. A man at mid
life said to me: II haven't much desire
for religion. My father was as good a
man as ever lived. but he jammed re-
ligion down my throat when I was a
boy until l got disguised with 1t. and
haven't wanted any Of 1t since" That
father erred on one side.
Then the discipline 10 an entire fail
ure In many households because the
father pulls one way and the mother
pulls the other way. The father says.
MY son. I told you II ever found
you guilty Of falsehood again would
chastise you. and am going to keep
my promise. The mother says: Don't.
Let him of this time"
father saws: IL have seen so many