Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1915-09-15
Punishment
Moth ng en- Take III, Place Of Parental
Care. Pua!shm ut a Necessity.

Statewide Landmark.
Remark!ng on the electrccution
Of young Trull, tho unfortunate
victim of dope, liquor and bad as
sooiates. who recently paid She
penalty demanded by the law of
sh ose whose hands are stained
with the blood of their fellows,
some of our contemporaries. IN an
-vident attempt to make capital
against capital punishment, refer
to him as a ''sick, incompetent
aud cratic boy" and seemed dis
posed to blame the State and so.
oiety Tor his shortcomings and
his taking off.
The State and Society have
much to answer for but they
should not be held responsible for
the shortcomings of the individ.
ual. Coming to the final analy'
SIS, one who ia mentally respon.
si5le is responsible for his conduct.
A committed of experts found that
rrull was sane While he might
have been under the influence of
when be committed muir.
der, that doesn't excuse him. He
took liquor or dope to
nerve him to do what he had
planned to do when he was in full
possession of all his faculties. He
responsible for taking the
and the dope. The State
has done it's best, and society lie
helping to keep liquor and d>pe
out of the reach of the individual.
The fact that this has not been &C.
oomplished and probably never
will be accomplished entirely, is
not the fault of the State or of so
1t Is the wickedness of the
human heart; and no condition
that can be created by the State
OF by society. can make a bad man
good if he chooses to be bad.
If yru'l was properly trained at
home in childhood and deliberate.
~ chose the path of w~ickednsss,
his was the fault and his end was
of his own choosing. II he was
not properly trained the fault was
his parents, fer nothing the
and society can do can take
the plsce of home training. The
Landmark would not say a word
shat would add to the distress and
humiliation suffered by Trull's
family, but it is q fact, patent to
any observer. that probably the
greatest shortcc ming of the age is
the lack Of training in the home.
Parents wilfuily neglect and shlrk
thu duties which the Almighty as.
signs to tn go t. whom He gives
children If sorrow aud humili,
alton come to the parent by the
Conduct of the children, in the
great majority of cases-nearly
all, in faot-it is a just punish.
ment, the retribusive justice
the parent receives for fail.
ing in duty TO the child
The State and society should
help ard she State and Society are
helping, but the disposition is to
require all of Stabe aud society.
That wop't do. The greatest OBJ
legation 10 in the home, and We
confess to little patience with
those who neglect their dutv there
and then, when trouble comes, try
to lay the blame on the State and
society.
Another mischievous error, and
one that is doing muoh harm, is
the disposition to excuse the indi.
vidual for his conduct and to Law
the blame on conditions OF envi.
ronment-the State and society.
broadly speaking. The child
should be taught and the individ.
ual made to know, that what one
that shall be also reap:
that there can be no sin without
aud no wrong.doing with.
out punishment in this life or that
which is to come; in short, that if
one persists in sin he will be, and
be, punished in this world
for his wickedues, and that hell
him in the next.
since the preachers have Quit
talking about eternal punishment
for sin, there has grown up an idea
that nobody should be punish.
ed for anything; and this very
IDEA, SO glibly proclaimed, is in.
creasing violations of the Law.