Rock Island Argus., 1905-01-21


however diverse social standing, to col
from the conventional distance tha,
separates them.
If the spirit of caste causes the loss
of respect, partisanship. of whatever
sort, is quite as productive of it. In
certain quarters children are brought
up in such fashion that they respec.
but one country--their own; one sys
| tenn OF government-that of their par
ents and masters; one reliSion-th that
which they have been taught. Does
| any one suppose that in this way men
| can be shaped who shall respect coun
try, religion and law? Is this proper
reSpect-this respect which does not
extend beyond what touches and be
longs to ourselves? Strange blindness
of cliques and coteries. which AFRO
genuous complacence the title OF
| schools of respect, and which, out
side themselves. respect. nothing. In
| reality they teach, Country. religion,
law-we are ali these!' Such teaching
| fosters fanaticism, and If fanaticism is
not the sole ahtisocial ferment it is sure
| ly one of the worst and most energetic.
| If simplicity of heart IS an essential
| condition of respect, simplicity of life
| is its best school. Whatever be tie
state of your fortune, avoid everything
which could make your children think
themselves more or better than others.
Though your wealth would permit you
to dress them richly, remember the evil
you might do in exciting their vanity.
Preserve them from the evil of be
lieving that to be elegantly dressed
suffices for distinction, and, above ali.
do not carelessly increase by their
clothes and their habits of life the
distance which already separates them
from other children. Dress them Sim
ply. And if, on the contrary, ii should
be necessary for you to econofniZe to
give your children the pleasure of fine
clothes, l would that l might dispose
you to reserve your spirit of sacrifice
for better cause. You risk seeing it
lily recompensed. You dissipate your
money when it would much better
avail TO save 1t for serious needs, and
you prepare for yourself. later on. a
harvest OF ingratitude. How danger
Gus it IS to accustom your sons and
daughters TO Il style of living beyond
your means and theirs, In the first
place. it is very bad for your purse. In
the second place. it develops a con-
temptuous spirit in the very bosom Of
the family. If you dress your children
like little lords and give them to under
stand that they are superior to you.
is it astonishing if they end by dis
daining you? You will have nourished
ut your table the declassed-a product
which costs dear and is worthless.
Any fashion of instructing children
whose most evident result is to lead
them to despise their parents and the
customs and activities among which
they have grown mp is calamity. 1t
is effective for nothing but to produce
u legion of malcontentS, with hearts
totally eStranCed from their origin,
their race. their natural interestS-ev-
erything. in short, that makes the fun
damental fabric of Il man. Once de-
tached from the vigorous stock which
produced them. the wind of their restless
ambition drives them over the earth
like dead leaves that will in the end be
heaped up 20 ferment and rot together
bounds, but by an evolution slow and
certain. In preparing Il career for our
children let us initiate her. Let us not
confound progress and advancement
with those violent exercises called
somersaults; let us not so bring up
our children that they will come TO
deSpise work and the aspirations and
simple spirit of their fathers; let us not
expose them to the temptation of being
ashamed of our poverty if they them
selves come to fortune. 4 society Is
indeed diseased when the sons Of peas
ants begin to feel disgust for the fields.
when the sons of sailors desert the sea,
when the daughters Of workingmen, in
the hope OF being taken for heiresSes,
prefer to walk the streets alone rather
than beside their honest parents. \ so
ciety Is healthy. on the contrary. when
each of its members applies himself to
doing very nearly what his parents
have done before him, but doing it
better and. looking to future elevation,
is content first to fulfill conscientious
~ more modest duties.
Education should make independent
men. If you wish to train your chill
dren Tor liberty, Drlng them up simply
and do not for Il moment fear that I'm
so doing you are putting obstacles in
the way of their happiness. 1t Will be |
quite the contrary. The more costly toys |
n child has, the more feasts and curious |
the less Is he amused
In this there is sure sign. Let rs |
be temperate in our methods of enter |
tanning youth. and especially let us not |
create for them artificial /
needs. Food, dress. nursery, amuse-
all these be as natural and
simple as possible. With the idea of
making life pleasant for their children
some parents bring them up in habits
If gormandiZing and idleness. accus-
ON them to sensations not meant for
heir age. multiply their parties and
Sorry gifts these! In
,lace of a free man you are making a
lave. Gorged with luxury, he tires Of