The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1919-11-27
Character Building.

Of circumstances rather than OF his owl
acts. Briefly, his history as he tells i
is that his family in the east is fairly
we'll to do. He received as good al
education as he was willing to take ol
study for. He passes over mis- iAinr.
at home, which his history here i-dr
Gates, and says that while here on hu,l
ness for his father he met girl and 10
week married her under an assumed
name. Apparently he forgot all about
that business Of his father in his new
identity. He got job and lost it, got
another job aud lost it, then forged
three checks and went to another city,
where he got still another job and lost
it. All this is tough luck" from his
point of view. He is like other less
educated, and for that reason perhaps
less culpable, lawbreakerS, who declare
they never had chance" in a coun-
try where thousands Of our most sue
cessful and wealthy business men had
no better chance than they.
This young man had at least three
jobs after he was married, with the add
ed urge otiamiy responsibility to cause
him to make good, including before the
end a baby, and yet he could not keep
them. He could not satisfy at least
three different employers that he was
worth retaining on the pay roll, in
spite Of having a good enough educa-
ion to keep him there if he had po
sessed the moral foer without which
education is valueless except as an aid
to discovering more ways Of getting in
to trouble. He had better education
al equipment for success than thousands
upon thousands Of young men who are
making good in every avenue Of human
effort, some of them on their way clear
TO the top. He lacked the most i'm
portant qualification Of all for business
success moral fiber. His failure was
Of his own causing directly. Indirect
ly there we're other causes and respon'
abilities.
Lack Of old.fashioned home life and
old fashioned home discipline is re-
sponsible for much Of the noticeable
absence Of a sence Of responsibility in
the present young generation. Our
recent military experience has shown,
or should make US realize, the value Of
discipline in developing the sense Of
responsibility. cultivating reliability and
stifening the moral fiber in young men.
But the average age Of 20 years is late
for the beginning Of such development.
There is 40 age too early for its bsgin
ming. When it begins early its sue
cess is assured. When it begins late
it is not assured and at best canuot
reach the perfection Of the earlier be-
ginning, Il is evident that lthe best
place for discipline and training to de-
velope character is the home, and,
Just as the home loses it disciplinary
character and home atmosphere and be
comes easy going and unhomelike, It's
work Of character building is impaired,
and the result is worse Tor the children
who grow up in it. Our present day
civilization has in it much less OF this
genuine home life than exited hall
century ago. and we are paying ior it
with larger proportion Of young men
with habby characters.
This is a great fact which must be
laced. It is ar existing condition
which cannot be blinked. Nor can it
be changed BY merely pointing out its
existence. 1t is great national ten
dency which only some other tendency
can counteract, That counteracting
tendency must be an increase in the
number OF homes Of genuine christian
atmosphere and parental discipline, in.
stead Of the decrease that has for some
time been going on. While this is
being done, and at all times, because
perfection in that respect csnnot be sx-
pected, there should be strengthen
ing Of the character'building influence
and agencies which effect the lives Of
boys and young men outside their
homes. Contributions Of personal ser
,,;cs and nj rnnnev In the orerafion and