The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-11-17
SCHOOLS VS.. JAlLs
(By Rev. John B. Ley.)


! the Banner by request of the club.
Mr.. Ley briefly introduced himself
affirming that he felt honored at be-
ing asked to accept a place on the
program for the afternoon and after
some little pleasantly, announced his
| theme.
The address follows:
Two or three old and wise sayings
come to us as we open our minds to
the study of questions which are in
volved in and form the subject mat
ter of this paper
1. "As the twig is bent, so the tree
| inclines."
2. THE child is father of the
man."
3. To-day is the sum of mans yes
terdays, and the prophecy of his to-
morrows."
To these may be profitably added
the exhortation of an old sacred writ
er: Train up a child in the way he
should go, and when he is old, he will
not depart therefrom."
Schools VS.. Jails
lay down this proposition as fund
amental: The better the school, the
less demand there will be for the jail
Ideal education is bending the twig
as we wish the tree to grow. And II
the child prophecies the man, then
the direction given to childhood will
determine almost infallibly, the char
acter of the manhaan that follows. II
the mans today is the sum of his yes
terdays, then his yesterdays held the
prophecy of today, and the direction
given his first days justifies the pro-
phecy which eliminates in fulfillment.
Furthermore, the way that a child
should go. if followed. becomes fixed
"a matter of habit, and renders right
action easy, natural and inevitable.
Hence the scriptural exhortation he
comes of the utmost Importance TO
those on whom, and with whom, rests
the responsibility of our future man
hood.
Child Rights at the Hand Of Society
/. 1t is the right of every child
born into the world to be well born.
That this involves a prenatal respon-
sibility on the part of would-be pa
rents does not admit of question,
even though it's discussion before a
mixed audience is unfortunately.
through a sense of false modesty, dis
allowed Suffice it TO say that certain
children should never have been born,
and l profoundly pray that the time
may come when, If necessary. even
the state may be invoked TO stay the
output of those recruiting stations,
whence comes so large a percentage
of our diseases. idiocy and crime. A
child is not responsible for his pres
ence in this world. And hence. by vir-
tue of this fact he is entitled TO some
consideration as to right birth. Moral
prophylaxis should at least be exer-
cised in giving form and shape to a
being whose destiny is not to be de-
termined by the periphery of time.
but must go on through those count
less cons which make up eternity, 10
enjoy the blessedness of life or suffer
the fruitage OF an evil existence. made
easy and attractive by a prenatal
bent.
But the discussion of this phase Of
my theme, even though il should not
lead me into forbidden language. Is
not wholly germane to this paper
CD Every child born into this world
should be well bred.
1t is demanded of society that IN
her responsibility of parenthOod she
should give to her children the best
that she can command. BY so much
as she fails, and as the result Of that
failure, harm and evil come 20 her IL
spring, she divides with them respon-
sibility for such evil, and shares their
humiliation.
This means (1) that each child IL
entitled to a good home. We do not
mean a good house. a fine home. ele-
CANT and refined and sumptuous In its
appointments, but We mean a good
home, a home where mother and faith
er abide in conjugal fidelity and ere
ate a healthful moral atmosphere. We
mean a home where God Is recogniz-
ed, is honored and worshipped. and
where his laws are regarded as a rule
OF life. A child never gets beyond the
shadow or the sunshine Of that place
it calls home. The home furnishes 20
the child its first ideas and ideals. n
these be false. OF warped. or even
negative, they conspire 10 bend the