Goldsboro semi-weekly argus., 1909-09-04
ADVICE TO PARENTS.
Pertinent To Be Published
at This Particular
Time.
Every Parent i'm GoldsbOro Should
Read Carefully and Then Faith
fully Practise the Following
Ethical Advice.

Mr.. Bruce Craven. whose observa-
ing to parents in behalf of their -ehil-
dren and the school teachers alike
writes as follows:
Once upon time a. little girl was
in ecstacies over a dog and pony show
she had just seen, and the fond moth
er thought the. occasion appropriate
for the impressing of a great moral
lesson. So she said to the child: "It
poor dumb brute like pony or a
dog can do such smart things, just
think what girl like you ought to
do.' The child pondered this for a
moment and then answered.: well
Mamma, reckon I would be as smart
if / had been trained as WE'LL
I had just related this old anecdote
one day when father of nine chill
dren intimated that it was presump-
tuous in me to be giving advice about
training children. I asked him if his
nine were better or worse than when
.e said he supposed they were little
worse; and I then told him that while
he had charge of nine I had charge
Of nine hundred; that l had studied
them and profited by experience
while he had not; that the average
children who came under my care
were better when they left it, while he
acknowledged that his were worse !;
that all people assisted him in exercis-
ing his authority, while eighteen hun
dred parents and thirty-fve hundred
brothers and sisters were working
against me more or less; that l had
charge of the children five hours and
their parents and the streets had them
nineteen; and that finally school
teachers life was of few days and full
of trouble.
The gentleman was prevailed upon
to admit that / was at least entitled
to my opinion as we'll as lie was to
his; whereupon I set down the fol-
an open letter.
Never tell any one that your child
is not bad, but merely full of mischief.
The only difference between mischief
and meanness is that one is .-our child
and the other is your neighbor's.
Never brag about the trathfulness
of your boy. 1 once walked up sud
denly to a boy smoking a cigarette
and he clinched the thing in his closed
fist and looked me square in the eyes
and declared without blinking (while
the cigarette was burning blister in
his HANDY that he had never smoked
a cigarette in his life. The next
morning the father brought the son
to see me, and said in his presence
that he knew he was full Of mischief.
but that one thing he could count on
was that he would never tell lie.
1t is generally true that the chill
dren in school show plainly the char
acter of their parents. I know man
who is a constant jester to the extent
that no one ever knows whether or
not he means what he says. His boy
has no regard whatever for the truth
Lack of reverence for truth in one
generation produces a chronic liar in
the next, as asthma in one may pro-
duce tuberculosis in the next.
/ claim to be a pure democrat In
believing that all men are created
equal and must depend upon them
selves only for success, but the longer
I teach school the more I am con
vinced that there is something in
heredity. Strong arguments are made
against corporal punishment in thu
school room, but the strongest of al
that it is Furnishing the child fol
the sins of the parents. When yol
hear of a parent trying to shift t.
tie teacher the responsibility for hi
child's misconduct, you may know
that it is the moving of a guilty con
science.
| Refrain from frightening the chill
at home with stories of what will hap
pen to him when he starts to school,
This practice is largely responsible
| for the spirit of antagonism that ofte
exists between teacher and pupil Tn
/ right thing is to cultivate the spiri
i of friendliness by telling the chill
dren that they will be treated kindl
8 and justly.
Get away from the idea that tn
public schools chief duty is to reliev
you of a parents responsibility.
is true that the greatest thing schot
can do is to reform character, but
has a very poor chance to do it witt
out your aid.
i A criminal is presumed innoce1
], until proven guilty beyond a reason
able doubt. Will you not give tt
same consideration to the teacher WI
is honestly and earnestly trying
t make the most and best of the chi
dren in her care?
L Do not claim to be a friend of Il
: school if you are capable of alloWi1
to go unresented an idle rumor
]. slander that will impair the school
r usefulness.
Visit the school and learn the teac
# er's side of the question, and kno
r something of her burdens and respo
sibilities.
Persfstent1y discourage the chi