Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1912-01-03
yERMONT'5 VITAL PROBLEMS

The Monitor believes Editor Howe
Df the Bennington Banner is touching
q most vital subject when he refers
to the problem of the home. the child,
and the drunkard as the fundamentals
upon which Vermont public servants
and legislators must work.
1t sometimes appeals to the student
Of these great sociological problems
that legislative efforts are more often
directed at the outlet of these cess
pools of disease and crime than at the
fountain head. We see our prisons,
reformatories and insane institutions
filling up and busy ourselves with
providing additional accommodations
but fail to look to the source of our
troubles. With signs of rural degen-
saracy. we content ourselves with
standing aloof from the small town
and with murder on the increase, ap-
pear determined to lessen the punish.
Snent
We admit the above picture is not
"a pleasant one and these condi-
Slons are not in keeping with the new
commercial and agriculture activity
being displayed upon every hand in
our beloved commonwealth. Indeed,
perhaps our demand for a greater
commercial Vermont has forced aside
some of the more important questions
of our moral and social life. To the
Monitor the first problem needing at
+eDtion is the condition in many a
modern home, which also brings us to
&he problem of the child. Possibly
we cannot better state the problem
1han to quote from recent article by
Jobn F. Cnwan D. D.
What the baby will wei h in his
influence for good in the world de.
ponds a great deal on whether you
aud | are walking in all the com
mandments and ordinances Of the
lord blameless." True, lilies some
times spring out of slime; but, wher
YOU pot your lilies, you don't go hunt
ing for reeking duck-pond ooze t
bring into your home for lily-culture
That's just about what some young
men. the future fathers and grand
fathers of America if it is to hav
any of the old stock, are doing wit
their prosperity. You know what
mean. If you don't let me quote tn
chaplain of the Tombs, New York
who says that nine-tenths Of the GRIN
znals are the result of sexual impuri
ty. And let me quote DR.. Charlie
Eliot. who alleges that four-fifths 0
the blindness in children in tn
United States is caused by unchast
young manhood.
MY children are we'll taken car
Of" said a prematurely old man 8
nave just made my will"
You had but to look at the childre
TO see that however we'll they migl
De cared for financially. he had mac
his will fifty years too late. You ar
need to make our wills now for tt
benefit of our great-grandchildre
So long as we make no effort
bring about better understanding
the duties and privileges of hon
making and child rearing so long
we allow lax marriages and lax
divorces so long as we allow e
perpetuation of the criminals al
the demented; so long as we allo
slack morals and religious indiffe
ence to dominate our homes, our CHI
dren and ourselves; just so long mu
we expect to reap harvest from o
sowing.
1t is difficult to distinguish ju
where the problem of the drum
ard leaves the problem of the hor
out there is no refuting the argume
chat just so long as we have the salo
we shall have the problem of tt
Grunkard.