Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1902-06-12
"THEY SAY

IL never saw anything iOst
whisky like the Indians said the
man who had been out West.
aWhy. one day | was out on the
plains with some bucks, and an
old chief ran out of fire water.
| was the only man in the crowd
with so much as a drop, and had
a pin. flask. The old chief found
out what | had, and be wanted it,
wanted it bad. He first offered me
blanket, then his saddle and bride
and finally his pony for that one
lite flask
Did you trade" asked a by.
stander.
mo Stree, l wanted it myself"
They say. that a colored lady ~
of our town went to her pastor
not long ago. and told him she
would be obliged to get a divorce,
even if they turned her out OF the
church. :.
He amt no count. nohow.'
she said. and he's Cat mean de
very buzzards wouldn't pick his
bones.n He buses me lax er
dorg, an / jes' gwine ter u de
law on him an get a 'vorce.'
"My sister," said the pastor,
"you say you've tried ter make
him do right, but | wants tel ak
yer eff yous tried heapin' red hot
Goals of fire on his head"
"Wal, no, brudder Jones, | Amt
tried dat yet, bat | tried scaldin'
him wild hot water, and it amt
nebber done nc good. I'll jes'
gin him de hot Goals. and den GIT
de 'vorce."
"I'm thinking about writing a
book.n said the lady. l have a
brand new idea l want to advance,
and I believe an up .to-date novel.
with accompanying frills and fur
bellows of wit, humor and rheto-
ric, would be fetching" both in
fame and money. You see, ever
since history begun. it has been
customary to deal out cart loads
of advice to mothers about the
training and educating their chill
dren. They are made to feel that
they are morally responsible fOf
every sin mentioned in the deca
logue, if their children should
commit Thorn. A great philoso'
pher goes so far as to advise
mothers to begin the training OF
their children a generation before
they are born, but not one word
of advice IS given as to counter,
acting the influence of the happy
go lucky, irresponsible father OF
the child. A mother may teach
her boy that the S of tobacco is
harmful, but what effect will her
theories have when spa" chews
and smokes, and half the preach
fers chew or smoke, and the boy
knows mas a woman and don't
know anything about it :?
How can d mother prevent her
boy taking a social drink now aud
then-that may be the cause of
his downfall-when he knows his
father gets "loaded' the best part
OF his time, and jokes freely about
his "high lonesomesw
Even crap snUOrIrg aid gamD-
ling cannot be made show up as
the degrading SINS they are, il
a boys father plays poker as a
pastime, and brags about how
much he has won or lost on horse
races. Purity of thought, life and
language may be advocated and
exempliied by a mother, from heI
sons cradle to young manhood
but the father can d%issIpate hel
influence by his example in the
other direction.
"Why is it, l want to know
that all the responsibility of chill
dren is shuf1ed off on women, and
fathers blame everybody bu'
themselves, if their boys turn ou1
? worthless A responsible father
shall be the hero of my novel, ant
there shall not be d woman in it
burdened with more than a fail
share of the business of raising
her children. ] will Immortalizt
a man who recognizes the fac
that he is due an example to his
sons. l may make a failure, bur
| shall have the consolation O.
knowing that | have at least in
troduced new idea to the public