The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-03-02
To Parents

AS an officer and public servant, i
becomes my duty to make suggestion
where public good demands.
In my experience as an officer,
have become convinced that there i
something radically wrong with tn,
moral condition of some of the chill
dren in our district. What the cause
of this condition is, or to whose faul
it is chargeablc, must be ascertained
The effect of this lamentable condi
tion has been manifested in the court
room, when youngsters have beer
brought before the court charged with
all kinds of serious crimes.
| fear that many of the children are
not taught how to pray. know that
most of those brought into court dc
not even know what prayer is, much
less know how to pray. What can we
expect from a child whose mora
training has been totally neglected
whose animal appetite has been cul.
tivated to the limit, whose every wish
and whim has been satisfied by an in
dulgent parent? What persuasion OF
force is there to check or restrain a
child under such conditions if tempta.
tions present themselves to commit a
moral wrong? The immature condi-
tion of the child's mind hinders it
flom appreciating the seriousness of
the crime committed and the nature
and effect of the punishment which
the law prescribes; and, consequent
ly, the little offender is brought into
court wholly Indifferent to conditions
and surroundings. The parents gen
orally appear, of course, realizing the
true conditions, very much humiliated,
weeping and suffering agony, and
openly confess that the child is be-
yond their control and often implore
the court and its officers to take
charge f the culprit for reformation,
or plead not to inflict actual punish
ment. but to grant parole and there
by give the parents another chance to
effectively use their parental author
ity.
We learn from experience that the
knowledge and love of God and daily
prayer is the best and most effective
remedy to restrain children from
committing the offenses for which they
are too frequently brought into court.
From temporal and purely natural
point of view, our object in life is hap
piness. To be happy, it is necessary
to be law-abiding, because the fear
and constant dread of punishment
will ever mar happiness. To parents,
who do not profess Christianity nor
believe in it, if any there be in our
wish to make, this sugges-
ton; Do you not think that, from a
and humanitarian standpoint,
it would be much better for you as hu-
man beings seeking happiness to have
ysai children taught in some Sunday
School the existence of a God, who re-
wards the good and Furnishes the bad,
and how to love and pray to God, than
to let your children grow up like
heathens, without moral training, as
sociating with bad companions, be- |
coming thieves, burglars or robbers,
and finally being dragged into court, |
thereby not only making them miser-
able and worthless, but causing you
untold sorrow and pain, maring your
happiness and possibly disgracing you
and your family for life.
Churches and Sunday Schools are
plentiful and if the children do not re-
'eive the proper training, it is gene
ally the parents fault.
1t might be inquired, why should
he officers Of the law care how many
criminals are brought before them,
since it is their duty to enforce the
aw and see that delinquents are pro-
Derly punished Just there is the
too often the overindulgent |
parents and their friends come into
'ourt and appeal for mercy, and since
We are all human and sympathetic,
'ery often too much leniency is grant
I'd, through the tears and supplica-
ions of those near and dear to the
offenders. Accordingly, let US apply
he saying, can ounce Of prevention
S worth pound of cure" If parents
give their children the advantage of a
moral training, they will most likely
make good, honest and Industrious
and will be an honor Ito them
md useful members of society. In
his connection, let US remember the
I'D adage, "as the twig is bent, so
will the tree grow"
many VI Oti pOOpiS olG CIIilunldo-
ic over foreign mission work. We,
# course, know that it is a noble
work to make extraordinary effort to
the heather in foreign lands;
nut, remember that charity begins at
lome. Come to court; look at the lit
lie ones who are brought in, charged
With burglary and larceny; find out if
hey know how to pray and if they
ver saw the inside of church or a
sunday School. Then, ask yourself
he question, is mission work neces-
airy in our district, or will the repu-
alton that we have of being
borough Christian people be strong
nd sufficient enough to keep the lit
lie ones, of whom | speak, in the path
f righteousness, or will it require
ONE home mission work?
Let US make a united effort in this
irection and ascertain what, if any
hing, can or need be done to save ,
ur little children. /
PETER H. HUCK.