The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-01-24
THE NEW ERA AND THE CHILD

|
today are so directed that the oaks of
tomorrow will grow straight.
The modern child is trained to be
successful in life--and nowadays we
have but one measure of success
Money.
In a general way the boy or girl is
taught to be unselfsh, charitable and
kind, but the great fetich--Success-
is never moved from before their vi
sion.
Study your lessons" says the fond
mother, "and you will be a great man
like Mr.. Smith. You will have auto
mobiles, servants and a yacht"
Learn the value of dollar, SAYS
the proud father, land you will be-
come rich like Mr.. Smith"
The fact that Mr.. Smith is british
lout who has wrung his sweating dol
lars from underpaid and crushed hu-
man brothers; the fact that Mr.. Smith
has lied and cheated his way into
fortune; the fact that the rent rolls of
Mr.. Smith come from reeking tene-
ments and houses of prostitution,
means but little. He has Money!. e.
d., he is successful and worthy of
childs emulation.
From the breast the boy is taught
that Money means success and his
thoughts are constantly turned in that
direction.
His mother is pleased if he PLAYS
with the children of the wealthy.
She strips herself of necessities to
send him to dancing schools or par
ties, where he may meet the right sort
of people,. e., the rich.
She takes him to church on Sundays,
and he sees the preacher hold his most
radiant smiles for the wealthy of his
flock.
Everywhere he goes he finds the
world on its knees before the Dollar
regardless of where the Dollar came
from or where it is going.
And the modern parent is glad to
see the child impressed with the pow
er of riches.
| There was time in our national life
when the American mother wanted
her son to be either a preacher or q
| Congressman. Both had standing in
the community.
How many mothers do you know Of
tody who would knowingly bring up a
son to be an underpaid circuit rider?
Very few, and the reason is not diff
icult to find.
The standing in the community once
held by the preacher and lawmaker is
now held by the mortgage shaver and
money lender. They are rich. Their
automobiles dash throuhg the streets,
their girls go to Eastern finishing
schools, their sons own racing boats
in short, they are great successes.
They have money. How did they get
it? What matters it? They have it.
In the modern day training of the
child lies the Bolshevism of tomorrow.
| We must present new ideals to our
offspring.
1t is well to preach success and the
necessity of preparation and training
for the competitive phases of life, but
to mold forth the dollar as the goal to
be reached at any price invites moral
land economic disaster.
We must teach our children the
lesson of My Brothers Keeper.
| We must teach our children that
they are but links in the chain of HUI
manity and to strengthen themselves
at the expense of others is to weaken
some of the links in the chain, and
thus endanger the entire chain.
| We must teach our children that
while it is well to climb the ladder of
achievement it is not well to step on
the necks of others to reach the top
most rungs.
We must teach our children that
they have been put on earth not only
to make the world good place for
themselves to live in, but to bring the
joys of living to others who through
force of circumstances are unable to
get their rightful share of the good
things of life.
We must teach our children the joys
of sacrifice and self-abnegation.
We must teach our children that a
life devoted to the accumulation Of
riches, regardless of the rights of
others is life worse than wasted I;
that it is a life devoted to gnawing at
the foundations of civilization.
We must teach our children that
striving that brings tears and heart
aches and hunger to others is not
achievement but rank failure.
We must teach our children that
the most successful men are those
who leave behind them not great
wealth, but the memory of unselfish
service.
We must teach our children not to
despise honest accumulation, but to
despise accumulation that is gained
unfairly, dishonesty or in a manner
that is not clean and above board.
We must teach our children that
get-rich-quick shrewdness, border-line
cleverness and tricky dealings are not
of rare intelligence, but of debauched
minds.
We must teach our children to love
justice not less, but to love mercy and
humanity more.
In short, we must teach our children
that we are all Gods creatures, and il
God has seen fit to endow some with
superior mental and physical endow-
ments He did not do so to permit q
few of his children to prey on others
He did it that the stronger might use
their strength to uplift the weaker, sc
, that while men are not created equa
they may become nearly so through
sacrifice and the love of humanity.
If we train our children along these