Gunnison news-champion., 1923-03-09

lest thy days be brief upon the land"
Moses wrote commandment for
the children and offered a premium of
length of tenure upon earth, IL they
obeyed their parents.
OF late We wonder why he didn't
write another commandment for the
parents and penalize them for dis
obedience. Parents are told to use
the rod freely and lead exemplary
lives lest they visit disaster on their
children even unto the seventh genera
tion. But just because they were not
told by the eminent law giver to let
the children train their own grapevine
and fig trees, they have, to a great ex-
tent, since time began, assumed this
responsibility.
Why should heads of families do
the work that should be done by their
children!
You answer: "They shouldn't" A
grandmother just told me it was
Because there was no law agin it."
It's wonder the law makers have not
enacted ''law agin it," since they
have practically ran the gamut Of
everything else in looking about for
new articles 10 further augment the
statutes.
But SO long as it isn't prohibited by
law, parents go right along doing
their children's work.
Are such parents treating them
selves fairly? On the other hand
are they doing justice to the growing
generation by assuming responsible
ties that should be shifted to younger
shoulders.
Fathers are more apt to let children
shift for themselves than mothers are
inclined to do. The fact that many
women precipitate a breakdown by
overriding, and due entirely to taking
upon themselves work that did not
rightfully belong to them, was forci-
bly, brot home to US recently when
we visited ranch friend in hospital
where she has been confined the last
two months.
And what brought her there.
This very thing of which we have
been speaking. She was over-zealous
for her children-fo olishly so-failing
utterly to distingui III essentials from
non-essentials. But her children can
paddle their own canoe this year or
hit the rocks, for her condition is not
encouraging thus far for her to be
able to shoulder even small part of
the ranch work that necessarily falls
to ranch women this time Of year.
She told her story in detail and her
experience is no doubt similar to that
of many mothers. However, giving
it publicity may yet save another
mother from breakdown.
II seems that Sonny and his bride
moved to the ranch just above the
home place. Sonny was young-only
twenty-one-bu wanted to get marri-
ed. He did. He brought the little
bride to her ranch-home. She was
sweet and lovely, but knew nothing
about ranching. She was out Of high
school but year and had been q
freshman at the Wyoming University.
Sonny had lived at home until his
marriage, with the exception Of a
months visit in Laramie with an uncle,
and it was during this visit that he
met his bride, wooed and wed her.
Sonny had never been assigned a
definite responsibility on the ranch.
He was merely helper his father
keeping control of all planning. Son
ny just did what he was told to. His
parents wanted him to go to high
school and father offered to send him
to Fort Collins to the Agricultural
College if he would complete the high
school courses. But Sonny liked stock
and found life was more alluring in a
saddle, trying some new riding boots
or testing new spurs, than going to
school. At the end of eighth grade
work, he left school behind.
Soon after the bride and groom set
tied on their own ranch, spring dawn
ed. 1t became gardening time. Son.
ny's mother, now almost an invalid,
thought the children must have nice
garden just as all farmers do in this
particular neighborhood. Noting luke
warm attitude on the part Of the
young couple, the mother ordered $35
worth of seeds for present, but even
this failed to arouse any enthusiasm
on the part Of the young people for
garden stuff. So this mother made
her own garden, then felt it her bound
en- duty to put in the garden for the
children. Seems as if ! Just had to
do it," she explained. "Sonny didn't
seem to go to it and his wife had never
had anything to do with garden, and
it did seem pity to have them go
without any" said this loving mother,
half apologetically.
{ Did the garden grow?
OF course not. The whole acre went
to weeds- Little bride didn't know
how to garden, and evidently didn't
want to arn.Sonny thot things would
Just grow, somehow.
The last day this over-anxious moth
Ier planted for the children, heavy
rain fell. Refusing 70 leave, she was
thoroly drenched before she got the
last seed planted. II was going. to be
20 nice, you know, TO have al the seeds
I'm tie grosnd IN tinss 70 gst . good
|soaling. a ~
Pleorisy followed Tie planting, re-
|sultit1 T. aspssn141nt ~stiseA ln The
|eides - this nsthsr lufeissd 70 hsr