The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-07-19
Parents In Bondage.

American home.
Parents In Bondage.
Unfortunately for the good of the
republic these homes are not numer-
| ically increasing in the land. The CON
stant trend of population from the
country TO the city, the vast growth of
manufacturing industries, the high cost
of living and the cost of high living
are putting the fathers and mothers of
the land in bondage.
/ Deprived Of time and opportunity to
/ look after their boys, they must needs
let them grow wild. Under such ciE
cumstunces the boys turn to the streets
our great cities.
! Theoretically speaking, the family
and the home have a right to their own
boys; theoretically speaking, the family
and the home are responsible for the
nurture and training of these boys,
and, theoretically speaking, it is no
bodys business whether they turn out
| force our theories down.
Another unfortunate condition of our
present day civilization. induced large
ly by the influx to the cities of our
population and the ever widening
chasm between the immensely rich and
the unutterably poor, is the social life
in many of our churches today. We
cannot say with truth that we Chris
tians love each other to the extent that
our churches are units of Christian So
cialism and that the members, without
regard to their social standing, their
educational advantages or their ma
terial surroundings, meet upon com
mon level with a genuinely mutual
feeling that all are the children of the
selfsame God and that each is inter
ested in the material, social and re-
/ ligiOuS welfare of the other.
/ 1t may be stated that almost uni
versally the Jew and the Roman Cath
Ole do look after their own, and many
churches in the various Protestant de-
nominations do as well, but Protestant
churches there are, and In numbers too
great, where those Of a certain grade
In society merely meet and go through
a religious service.
! Her feeling may be wholly unfound-
| ed, but the woman In a calico dress
does not feel at home in the same pew
with the woman in silk, and the man
| with business suit who walks to
church shares not fraternal feeling
with the man wearing q Prince Albert
and silk hat
! There is either no time or no inclina-
ton to distribute Christian charity
| among tile unfortunate Of Chrlst's lit
! tie flock, and the stricken lambs are
taken to the township trustee for as
sistance.
Paternalism That Is Inimical.
/ The whole trend Of modern civiliZa-
/ tion Is toward the management of all
penal and charitable work by the state.
This inevitably tends to paternalism.
a paternalism which removes respon-
/ sibility from the home and which less
ems the zeal of the church is distinctly
! inimical to the best interests Of peo-
pie.
We face the condition. We cannot
let men go wrong because the home is
not doing its duty. We cannot let
people suffer because the church has
not seized its opportunity.
The state, which Is the common par
ent OF us all, must assume all these
burdens and responsibilities and must
be answerabie In sight Of God and
mnn for the attitude and conduct OF
sncoming generations. II behOORes,
therefore, all thoughtful citizens 20 as
certain wfether some methOd may not
be devised vheFeby meaSurabiy we
can return to the original ideals and
theories OF the gearing and keeping Of
our citizenship.
1t may not be needfui, but n Is cer-
tainly advisable that men Interested IN
humanity at hrge and I'm the republic
IN particular should band themselves