The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1900-12-15

mOnarcnS VINO nave worn the crown
oI tra--ce, oniy three have luyeu .I1i
peop.e, and they We're brought 10 by
.neir mothers. Napoleon once .,ald
The future destiny OIL the enid is tie
work OF the mother ana is there any
work quite 50 important? Sne wno
watches by the springs OF Thought ana
mouldS their, channel, and determines
their course, wields a power more
mighty than the sceptre OF kings or the
sword of conQuerors. L have not the
slightest sympathy with any of the
modern tendencies that would builG
outside of the home a platform a little
higher than the home platform. l be-
lieve in enlarging and Widening the
sphere of woman. When a woman does
her work well, she oughu 10 be we'll
paid for it; and when she has peculiar
gifts that enable her to do a certain
work, she ought to be allowed to do it.
but when woman steps outside of the
circle of motherhood, and thinks she
has stepped into a higher sphere, size
lis sadly mistaken. Let her go where
she will, and do what she may but lei
her remember that motherhood is the
crown of woman, There are mothers
who forget this Their first question
is, "Wherewithai shall 1 be clothed?'
and when that is answered, the next
question is, How and where shall |
show myself SO as to attract the most
admiration" We speak of abandoned
dren living under frescoed ceilings,
and upon costly carpets. There is a
neglect of childhood which is not the
outgrowth of poverty. There are
mothers who have had to mourn over
ruined children, not because they coull.
not but because they would not do their
duty. You are doubtless acquainted
with Dickens celebrated character.
Mrs. Jellaby. If not, l advise you to
make her acquaintance without delay.
Her house was in chronic state of neg
lect and disorder; her parlor was ar
untidy litter of papers and of things
lying about that had no business to be
lying about; her children with torn
clothes and tangled hair We're running
wild about the street and house, ana
she, herself, was far from nice in her
dress. She would sit from early morn
ing until late at night, save when she
would go out to attend some commit
tee meeting, writing circulars and ap-
pealS for the Boorioboola Cha mission,
serenely undisturbed by the noise of
her neglected children, as they tore
about the house, tumbled down stairs,
and quarreled with each other; while
poor Mr.. Jellaby, when he came 1home
at night from his hard days work up
on which his, wife looked with con-
tempt, had no resource after eating his
miserably cooked dinner, but to back
himself up against the wall and to sit
ScTeWlHS MS nedU INTO While MS VILE
continued her benevolent activity. Mrs.
Jellabys case is no doubt an extreme
one, and yet there are mothers so alb
sorbed in things outside of their own
homes that they have no time to look
after their children or care for them.
Is the following indictment too strong
"A woman who has mothered the body
of her child, will sometimes feel that
any one will do to mother its soul. Sc
the little one is left in the hands of
hireling, placed under her constant in
/ fiuence, which often means compound
force of bullying and bribing, of mean
fear and desire, tends it, plays with it,
lives with it; and thus the young moth
/ er is free to dress and drive, to visit
and receive, to enjoy parties and balls,
dIScharging her trust for an immortal
( life by proxy! Is there any malfeas-
ance in office, in these days of diShonor,
like unto this? Who has not heard
/ fashionable young mothers boast that
they are not tied down to their nurser-
| les, but are free to keep in the old gay
! life; as though there was no shame to
the soul of womanhood therein"
Then there is the question of disc'-
pline, of family government, which I
have time only to touch upon. / .>.4oN,
the old saying is TreqUe-4I.y GoJts,
l"Spare the rod and spoil the child" bue
L believe that more children nave been
spoiled by the rod than by the lack o.
it. The answer ofFa boy to his father
is pertinent here: Johnny" said the
father, do you know why l am going
to whip you?' expecting from the child
a confession of the wrongdoing of
which he had been guilty. Yes, father,
/ know" the boy replied; 'it is because
you are bigger than L am" Is not
that too often the reason? Parents have
no rights of this sort. They have only
the right to train the child by love if
how nv ha int hg
highest and noblest ideals of right, to
make the child feel that they are the
servants of that which is highest and
best in them, and that the one thing
they desire to do is to cultivate that IL
him. We often hear the expression
breaking the will of the child. All one
needs for the process is a strong arm
broad palm, and heart destitute o1
parental tenderness and love. Benz
the Will OF the child, il you please, bu
II you break ii you have destroyed
your child In some homes scoldinE
and fretting and nagging the children
is the order of the day. | say to you
you had better give a child a SOUND
whipping, and have done with it, thar
TO indulge in this perpetual nagging
There is more health in one good thun
derstorm any time than in three o.
four days of cold wet drizzle. A mothel
, or my acquaintance once said to he
, us NJ cal -oiu uOy tIldI IL he QlO a Ger
tain thing again that she would hdv,
TO punish him severely. He did it, an,
the mother was about to administer tn
whipping, when the little sinner fel
upon his knees and said, "Oh God
, don't you let her hit me, but l bet yo,
: Will" The little sceptic was too mucl
Tor his mother, and his prayer was an
swered that time. After all, the mos
important thing in the training o
ehildhood is the parents life We can
not give our children what we do no
. possess ourselves; and we cannot nell
giving them what we do possess. |
;, we are cowardly, we cannot make then
/. brave. If they become brave it will
be in spite of us. If we are deceiver
= we cannot make them truthful; if w
9 are selfish we cannot make them gen
: erous; If we are passionate we canno
, make them self-controlled We i'm
: press ourselves upon our children les
:, py what we teach them than by wha
Z we are. They are sensitive plates; w
y are sitting before the camera: if w
!, do not like the picture the fault is wit
: ourselves. One angry word from ou
:. lips will outweigh a hundred rebuke