Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-03-14
Sermon on
Race Suicide
CONTINUED from Page Two,

c~hangeable terms; and besides train.
Ing your sons and daughters In the
softer and milder virtues you must
seek 10 give them those stern and
hardy qualities which IN after life
they will surely need, Some children
viii 90 wrong In spite OF the best
training; and some will go RICH, even
when their surroundings are most un.
fortunate; nevertheless an immense
amount depends upon the family
training. II you mothers through
weakness bring up your sons to be
selfish and to think only of them.
selves, you will be responsible for
much sadness among the women who
are 10 be their wives In the future.
II YOU let your daughters grow up
idle, perhaps, under the mistaken i'm.
preston that as you yourselves have
had 10 work hard they shall know on.
ly enjoyment, you are preparing them
to be useless to others and burdens TO
themselves. Teach hoys and girls
alike that they are not 20 look for
ward 10 lives spent in wedding difii.
culties but TO lives spent in overcom,
ing difficulties. Teach them that
work, for themselves and also for
others, is moi a curse but a blessing
seek TO make them happy, to make
thea enjoy life, but seek also to make
them face life with the stcadfast res
olution TO wrest success from labor
and adversely, and 10 do their whole
duty before God and to man, Surely
she who can thus train her sons aud
her daughters is thrice fortunate
among women.
There are many good people who
are denied the supreme blessing of
children, and for these we have the
respect and sympathy always due 10
those who, from no fault of their
own, are denied any Of the other great
blessings of life, But the man or
who deliberately forgoes these
blessings. whether from viciousness,
coldness, shallow-heartedness, self-in
diligence, or mere failure 10 appreci
ate Alright the difference between the
all-important and the unimportant-
why. such a creature merits contempt
as hearty as any visited upon the sol
der who runs away in battle. or anon
the man who refuses TO work for the
support of those dependent upon him,
and .who though ~ahle-bodied is yet
content 10 eat in idleness the bread
which others provide.
The existence Of women OF this
type forms one of the most unpleasant
and unwholesome features of modern
life. If any one is SO dim of vision
as to fail to see what a thoroughly III
lovely creature such a woman Is !
wish they would read Judge Robert
Grants novel "Unleayened Bread '
ponder seriously the character Of Sci
ma, and think of the fate that would
surely overcome any nation which de
veloped its average and typical wo.
man along such lines. unfortunately
il would be untrue TO say that this
type exists only in American novels.
That it also exists In American life
is made ~unpleasantly evident by the
statistics as 10 the dwindling families
in some localities. 1t is made evident
in equally sinister fashion by the cen
sus statistics as to divorce. which are
fairly appalling; for easy divorce Is
now as 1t ever has been. a bane e
any ration, a curse 10 society, a men
ace to the homo an Indictment K
married unhappiness and to immor
atty, an evil thing for mel and a still
more hideous evil for m These
unpleasant tendencies in our Amer
can life are made evident by articles
such as those which | actually reae
no long ago in a certain paper
where a clergyman was quoted, seem
ingly with approval, as expressing
The general American attitude wher
he said that the ambition of any saw
a very rich man should be 10 real
two children only, SO as to give III.
children an opportunity TO taste !
few of the good things OF life"
This man. whose profession ana
calling should have made him 2 mora
teacher, actually set before others. ~
ideal. not Of training children y q
their duty, not of sending them fort
with stout hearts and ready minds Il
win triumphs for themselves and thei
country not OF allowing them the oF
p%ortunity, and giving them the priv
ileaa of making their own place in tn
world, but. forsooth. Of keeping II.
number of children 50 limited tia
they might taste a few good things
The a 10 give a child a fair ehane'
IN fife IS not to bring II up In luxury
a 10 soc that Ii has the kind Q
training that viii give 1t strength 0
character. Even apart from the vita
question Of national life, and regard
. Ing only the individual interest OF tn
children themselves, happiness in III