The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-27

ny FLORA MrLNER HARRISON

ny FLORA MILNER HARRISON than once. explained the school work and urged the mother to take the older
 daughter out of school ard give her a
 chance to build up her health. and to
 support her, the teacher in her efforts to
 secure from the younger girl a reason able attention to the work of her grade The mother was ever so cordial and smil- ing, but as always. she didn't worry and the fragile daughter struggled in ir- ritated and burdened by study, hurt be- cause she couldn't keep up with the class, and with her lung and heart trouble
 aggravated by confinement in doors The younger girl continued her unrestrained pursuit of whatever interested her for the
 moment, with no thought of the end to 1 which 1t would lead, the ability that was being wasted. nor of the warm-hearted capable girl who was being ruined. The
 father grew more and more disappointed | in his family, and the mother didn't worry.
 l It isn't always the mother, though | who is at fault. Another teacher has been to the father of one of his pupils urging him to see that his son devotes
 some of his time out of school hours to
 study The boy is in an upper grade
 and is from wealthy family The pros
 
 less unless he gets down to hard work
 now, now when he is balancing between l being young society flop or a sensible, l hearty schoolboy preparing for college. l When the teacher undertakes to enlist the fathers interest in the welfare of l his own son, he replies Well, I don't Know that l care for hi into study much. I don't want him to be dummy about I everything except books. l like for him 1 to be in society,""
 The trouble is that he is too young He has no foundation. He is not prepared l to, enter into anything but the very froth l of society for he has not yet education I nor experience enough to take sub stantial place. He Is just boy-a boy whose father doesn't realize that by birth and home environment he has the influ- | ence that will make him at ease in any I society, and that he needs to cultivate | ms mind, instead of cultivatng a taste 1 Tor raise values and a scorn of books. l It is strange that parents can't see
 some things that are so evident to others-faults in their children and mistakes in the way they rear them. Maybe 1t is a blessed gift to be unable
 10 see ourselves as others see us May
 De those who do see parents mistakes are like the Quaker who said: 1 Friend. all the worlds a little oueer l except thee and me. and sometimes thlhk thee trifle peculiar"
 A certain woman says she thinks she was paid Tn advance whatever was due her when she was given her parents l It seems that some children are given 1 u ueot Tn advance with the kind of parents they have. Of course parents who mistreat their children are onen to public censure, and if the conditions warrant 1t, the children are taken from them, but there are hosts of parents
 that are guilty of treatment that is as heartless as physical cruelty Parents are directly responsible for a great
 deal of the trouble their children cause
 them and other people. Obviously if IS unfair to the other people If is ooubly unfair to the children, for they
 have to live with themselves and other people can escape.
 sometime since several people were standing on the city hall corner wait ing for cars and near the edge of the
 sidewalk were a man and a ladv and their baby girl who looked to be about ls years old. They were we'll dressed and seemed to be people of educatio To amuse' the little girl the father was lodging from her while she ran around him. this way and that, admin lsterlng Kicks whenever her small feet could reach him. Both parents seemed highly pleased with her game, but evil dently they did not consider the fact lfhat they were deliberately teaching her to be disrespectful and to want to attract attention. What kind of pupil VIII she make when she has to be one of 30 or 40 children?
 A few days ago in one of the de- rarement stores downtown a baby boy created pandemonium on the entire floor. He yelled and screamed and up- set customers seats and raced back and forth and his mother literally couldn't do a thing with him." But faa Qh Qhar xxri1 1, l. Ia Ger.
 4 teacher may be ever so capable and ssrong and have sufficient will power to counteract undesirable characteris- tics of the children. but in almost every ease | lack of home training will have it's unhappy effect on the schoolroom work Beside. there is all of life to live after school days and the children will carry these faults long after school days are over
 Wouldn't 1t be the right thing and the wise thing for parents to help the l teachers. who are trying to help their children? You will not find a perfect teacher, but you will hardly find one
 who is not trying to do her duty in the
 many lines of modern school work And whoever she may be and whatever may be her attitude toward her work
 she needs you to help her.
 Mir. DuBose used an apt illustration III speaking or the feiatlon between the schools and the people, when he said the case was like marriage A
 man may find woman who attracts him more than his wife does or a woman may meet a man who suits her
 better than her husband, but they have promised to cleave to each other. and so long as each does the best he or
 sine can, the only right thing to do is to abide by their promises and help each other all they can. The school
 and the people have a similar relation. Maybe the school isn't just exactly the
 kind we want. maybe the public doesn't
 quite suit the school, but they are our
 schools and we are their public. They