The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-05-29

1t doesn't take long to spoil q child
but it takes a long time to get the
meanness out of one after it has been
spoiled. Meanness is like wire-grass,
it will keep on growing after you
think it has been killed out. It's best
not to let it become rooted in child
If it can be helped. Gods plan was,
and is, that fathers and mothers
should control their children. When
about to start a church in the world,
God selected Abraham to be the father
of that church, giving as a reason for
1t: Il know him, that he will com
mand his children and his household
after him, and they shall keep the way
OF the Lord, to do justice and judg-
ment.' And when he gave the law
at Sinai, God said: Hear o Israel;
the Lord our God is one Lord: And
thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy might: And these
words which / command thee this day
shall be in thine heart: And thou
shalt teach them diligently to thy chill
dren. That the generation to
come might know them, even the chill
dren which should be born, who
should arise and declare them to their
children. - That they might set
their hope in God"
How natural is Gods plan, and how
successfully it would work if man
would only let God have his way-if
parents would follow Gods teachings
and keep his commandments with re-
gard to the training of children.
1t must be admitted that God, who
made us, knows what is best for us;
and it must be admitted also that In
finite Wisdom would not command us
to do an unnecessary thing; hence the
conclusion to which we come is, that,
parents who do not train their chill
dren as God clearly teaches they
should do, are unjust to those chill
dren and are, at the same time, neg
ligently disobedient
The reader must not conclude that
] am an advocate Of harsh treatment;
on the contrary, / do not believe in
ii. Training children is very diff
ferent thing from driving them Driv-
ing is a species of cruelty, and God
never intended for parents to be cruel
TO their offspring. Training is set
ting proper example. A man who
would not have his son to swear drink
liquor, play cards, tell lies or do any
other bad thing, should not, do any
bad thing himself. He must not eX-
pect the boy to be better than he is.
The stream cannot run up hill. Chill
dren are initiative; and who is great
er in the estimation of a boy than
father? and how natural for the boy
to think that what father does is right
/ have known parents who thought
they had done all they were expected
to do when they had commanded their
children to do or not to do anything;
and then go right off and do the thing
they forbade, or had said it was wrong
to do. A child reasons well when he
says to himself, the thing forbidden
is not so bad, after all, or father and
mother would not do it; but, if it is
bad, then father and mother, who pre-
tend like they are so good are mighty
hypocrits, or liars-one or the other,
or both.
circus came to a town. once upon
q time and all the children witnessed
the parade. A merchant, who, by the
way, was a member of the church,
went home to dinner soon after the
parade was over. His little son met
him at the gate and begged to be al
lowed to go to the circus that evening.
The father pretended to be shocked to
think that his boy should wish to go
to such an immoral thing as a circus,
and very properly vetoed the matter
saying: mo, my son, a circus is not
a fit place for little boys to go; and
besides, you must remember your faith
ct Is d iIlcIlOeT VI the CIluICl. w Hat
would people think and say if they
were to see a church members son in
such a wicked place."
.T"But, pa, Bill Smiths going, and his
father is a member of the church, y
said the boy.
THAT makes no difference my son;
don't want my little boy to go; for
no good people go to such places;
none but bad people go, and / don't
lx Il
people. And, besides, l don't want
those wicked circus people to get any
of my money"
"I'Ve got quarter, pa, so you won't
have to spend any of your money"
said the persistent boy.
eff you had a dozen quarters you
should not go, for, l tell you again
the circus is a bad place, and 1 will
not let one of my children be seen
there. If one were to go, and / found
it out, I'd whip him."
After dinner was over that father
who had taught so well, by precept
left home to return to his store; but
as soon as he got out of sight of his
boy by turning a corner, he made
haste and went to the circus himself.
And the little boy thinking his father
had by that time reached his store,
took his quarter and, as fast as he
COulu run, went TO the circus, TOO. III
he went, and up he climbed to a seat;
and, as it happened, sat down right
by the side of his father; the father
was so intently gazing at the women
riding around the ring he didn't see
his son; but the son saw him, and
thinking he had better arrange mat
ters\ at once slapped his father on
his knee and said: Papa, if you won't
whip me for coming here / won't tell
mother you were here" OF course he
didn't whip him. but that boy knew,
right there and then, his father was u
liar and a hypocrite; and didn't he
have the dead-wood on him?
BY the way. it is not the reading OF
books that makes infidels of the chill
dren, but the inconsistencies of par
ents and church members. Children
discover at very early age that pre-
cept and example do not accord, and
they not only lose confidence in, but
have no respect for their hypocritical
parents When that comes to pass a
child has no moorings-he'S adrift,
without chart or compass. [ make
bold to affirm that infidelity is on the
increase in the world, for which sad
condition of things parents are largely
l. u