Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1921-02-24
CUTTING CROOKED vo.,
BY ]. o Knott.

Wise Ola grandfather oooe 49,,
that some friends of his wer. :. -I''
habit of cutting the crooked Woo VIC
their woodlands SO as 10 saro ~"
straight for future use. This WI. ",e
man added: "And they will r -.....
crooked wood all their i've,
others will come after them a,4
the straight wood"
1t is a question whether --
do wisely TO toll and even s-,,.
children that The children in ON.
may "cut straight wood all Their IN
| have no statistics, but will yer,,,-.
the assertion that in ninety pa- CO..
OF the instances money in anv Or.
sum left TO children has bcco,,,
curse rather than a blessing -
where the money seems not 70 p,,.
been hur full il frequently is so T.,
small local community. a little r7o,,',
eft children often creates in the nina,
of those children an exaggerate4 ~
ton Of their Importance. II frecro,.
ly acts as a deterrent TO educa..,,
Boys and girls feel that they need m,
make effort to develop the best :,
them, for their little money will c,--r
them through. Hence, they miss tho
prod which necessity occasions n,
the other hand, money has often hem
an open door to idleness, spen4thrir
habits and dissipation. The naron,s
who have labored all their lives 70
make their children who come af..r
them happy and useful find that thes.
children are using "the straight who'd"
of the tmberland for an occasion for
riotous living. Might not a more ey.
cellent way be found in using much n,
the money, which is accumulated BY
parents, in educating their children
seeing the world with them helpinp
them to get established in business and
in homes, and thus at length utilizing
! their surplus in an investment in the
fitting of children for the highest in
life?
Then there is an evil in cutting only
crooked wood which is more pitiabl.
than the one just mentioned. Pa.
rents stint themselves, work like oxen.
see no pleasure, and miss all cultural
infiuences-for the sake of their chill
dren--only to find when it is too lat.
that children outgrow these very
parents, think them back numbers, and
go, out into life practically ashamed Of
the very parents who have made their
own careers possible. A wise parental
course is to keep ever in touch with
growing children. The mother who
permits daughter to sleep till noon
while she works like a slave to keep
a presentable home for this daughter
that she may entertain her company,
is doing that daughter the worst pos
sible harm. The mother is fostering
in the daughter disrespect. Mother"
will soon, in such an instance, become
one who is not supposed to be intro
duced to daughters company, but who
is the servant Of all, and particularly OF
the daughter. Any man who marries
such daughter had better give UP any
hought of peace or prosperity. He
is doomed to cry in spirit, "who will
deliver me from the body Of this
death ?" Such so-called unselfishresS
for the sake of children is ignorance
and almost crime. 1t goes IN de-
fiance to every principle of correct
training. Children to develop normal
~ must have reverence for home, and
fol the parents who dwell there. Any
other atmosphere is perilous.
Generally speaking. parents should
"cut wood" with children, using both
the straight and the crooked. Home
should never be permitted to be A place
OF squalor, for in our country there
is no need for this. In order for chill
dren to grow up with self-rccrecI' as
well as respect for their parents, home
must have as much of beauty and cu!-
ture and gladness in it as possible.
Children going out from such rome ara
not embarrassed when in cultured ana
refined surroundings. They are pre-
pared for the best in life AM take u
naturally. This is true education, ara
although a great amount NAV nlt &c
left, as a legacy to children, much
better thing may be left A cultured
refined, practical. open-hearted,--pfe-
pared for-life person. Such child re,
quires no special legacy. The wofIa
is bidding nor such people always. Ana
such children, stepping into life Well
prepared, having walked hand in mana
with parents all the way, revere tnoee