The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-24
RpY0UR
 CHILDREN
Hy Olive Roberts Dsrtoo
8I J II Ezl sZaklSl. NE

I
 Tn a recent article written by my
 highly esteemed friend, Mrs Wal
 ter Ferguson, the author calls att | tention to my statement that the home leads other institutions fin
 Importance. and inclines toward the idea that ''government'~is is not
 sufficiently accented In the child's training.
 I had stated that government in | the early years touches the child
 indirectly and in his later life di- rectly.
 This naturally needs explana- ton and qualifying. had ex-
 pected the very criticism that
 care so promptly from her astute
 pen.
 All eyes today are turned toward government. We eat. bi eathe, and sleep in a dark haze of political tumble and international prob- lems Representative government has not proved the perfect philoso. phy we thought 1t: The other horn of the dilemma, dictatorship. depends too much on the man in the chair. Socialism is theory
 and has not earned it's laurels by fact. Communism's black list has discounted 1t as probability al- | though not as a possibility. Au. tocracy has been refuted by most of the nations of. the earth. Cap italism, not itself philosophy of government, but system. has donned dunce cap and a sign on It's back, q Am Bad Boy" be- | cause of it's misdemeanors.
 What's Ahead?
 Therefore, how are we to train any child for any system or ideal of government when we do not know what is ahead? Is our boy oi girl to be taught submission to control, or an independence of spirit that is antagonistic to or- ganized representation? Is he to bow or to rule? We cannot all rule. The American idea is to get together and do cooperative gov erning through representation. Thus the republic, which differs essentially from the democracy. Mrs Ferguson is absolutely right, howver. The child should learn quite early his responsibility toward his country. Yet when we analyze patriotism. and there are many definitions of it, the consen- sus of opinion is that real patri- otism begins with allegiance to family, to locality and thereafter graduates to civic and national duty.
 It seems to me that the child who is trained to sense of duty toward others and learns that the good of the whole Is more rleces- sar, than the good of self is the best citizen and the most subiims of patriots.
 Where else can this be taught except in the home?
 When we are dead and gone and our children are guiding the ship of state, it will be the one essen- tial to progress and improvement.
 He must disregard blocs, minor ities, and self and not look for salvage. He must be an honest man first of all, a conscientious one, and tolerant. Yet he must have the courage of convic- tion and back his opinion by acts, wards and deeds.
 In the meantime, we as parents. can only do our best to hand over conscientiously retrieve the legacy to him heritage of clean govern ment. We must do our part to left us by our own forefathers. We can also, as all economists urge bring mental peace to a chaotic today, clean up human nature and world. It lies in us. Responsi- bility, cooperation, tolerance and portsmanship---the secret of good government.
 That is why I put the, home first. The responsible citizen Is not born in a college or a lawyers office, but in good home with sensible parents who take their own civic responsibility seriously.