The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1911-07-13
The Nave 81 crime.

The Nave ~ Crime.
Eber Taylor in the last issue of
the Journal struck subject which
should be oi the deepest interest TO
all Never before IN his quite lenr.
Thy esperinece has he known such q
manifestation OF lawlcssness as Il
now prevalent. and my own eslvf
lenee bears him ont IN bis asser'
tions. And also believe that he
has struck the key note as regards
It's cause, aiiributing Il 20 the
loose manner In which our children
have been brought up. which loose
manner seems 10 be nov Ia eontin
nance. How seldom do We notice
children who mind when they are
spoken to, II seems 10 be necas-
sary 20 coax and tease them Ia or
der 10 get them either 20 do any
thing or TO refrain from doing any.
thing, Obedience IL the exception
rather than the rule with them. The
order OF things In the good old
days when you and were boys
seems to be now reversed The par
ents seem rather TO obey the child |
rem rather than the children the
parents or others In authority, Visit |
your schools, even, and note the
difference there There Ia no toe
ing OF the mark" now. When they |
come ont 10 recite. instead Of lining
up on the floor, and giving grace.
full bow at the beginning and close
of recitation, they lean and lop
upon the seats and give indistinct
and neglectful answers. Instead OF
Yes Sir" and mo Sir In their re-
plies, Il IL often "Yer" and "Ner."
And when during the intermission
or the incoming. stranger drives by,
instead of lining up as in the old
times and giving graceful bow.
that stranger is lucky II he escapes
without being hooted at or stoned
or snow balled.
The crying evil Is, indeed loose
ness as brother Taylor declares,
and II is impossible TO emphasize
this fact too strongly, and establish
a different order of things too soon.
Obedience, strict and firm, must be
taught and insisted upon In our
homes, our schools. our churches
and our Sunday schools. The ten
commandments should be taught
But how can We expect any differ
ent order of things when our sta
tute laws are, many of them. so
openly and with the utmost lmpun-
ity disregarded? When those In :
authority seem to regard the en-
forcement OF our laws with the most
patent indifference and neglectY
When our highest state officials, ,
whose chief duty is TO attend to {
the enforcement Of the law get
their election by what the great
mass OF the people believe TO be
direct transgression of the law;
when town and city officials delib-
erately license what The zfthtntAa
forbid; and, above all. whefr citizens
In general wait for some one else
to act and demand law enforcement
either through fear or snpineness2
or course we can hardly expect
any different order of things when /,
our laws are made with such loose /,
ness, multiplicity and lack of due
when our law makers
are elected, as rule, upon the
turn" principle, or rather lack OF
principle, previous experience be
Ing considered disqualification @
and when we have Senate whose /,
will not even attempt TO /
give reason for their acts. .
II can do no harm to be remind
cd OF the fact that the beech stick
md the "bech eseal" were used as
corrective instruments IN old times
when other means failed. II con s
,erns us far more that we have a
'emedy OF some sort than what that .
'emedy Is, whether II is soft or
lard. Soft remedies as a rule don't
asst long and hence don't amoung y
o much .
| think that all will admit that !
I'm willing to encourage to the ut [,
most the bringing Of children into N
Existence, but when brought IN
would respectfully submit that they .
must be attended TO. so that they 4,
nay develop into true men and
'omen. "a
NJ. ]. HAPGOOD. III
Peru VI. July 10, 1911. 81