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Show A ttEAK sior. The following timely and pertinent perti-nent article on "The Weak Spots In American Social Life." is taken from the Chicago 7ViSune. It will not suit these reckless and immoral writers who advocate freedom above everything, even at the sacrifice of self control and the defiance of every recognized rule of sound morality. Hut thoughtful parents, I and all who recognize tbe value ot I wi-e discipline in the family aud in I society, will approve (be sentiments expressed iu this Chicago editorisk. 'There Is one phase of social life in America which continually engages tho attention of critics, foreign writers, and observant travelers among us. It Isacoaslaat sourcoxjf wonderment t- them that there is so little respect manifested by the young towards the old, of children tor their parent, so little regard paid to aothority,and so little discipline enforced In the family. Tbe question most frequently asked by them Is "Why are so many of your yonng men- and yonng women going wrong!" Tho Indictment of American Ameri-can society by tbesa foreign critics has a basis of truth, and the answer to their question is primarily to be found In the absence of family discipline. The new method of parental government govern-ment Is to have no discipline or compulsion. The family authority mnit bo maintained upon tbe basis of "moral suasion," or not maintained at all, and tbe two conditions are about synonyinons. There is no authority. Oar fathers and grandfathers believed in family law and compelled obedience. Now If a parental order is violated there must be no punishment. This is the fad in the house, and It is the fad in the school. It Is only a question of time how soon tho fad will become universal, all parental aitbority over children cease, and all social law become be-come a nonentity. There is no longer chastisement or punishment of any kind In the school nor oven restriction. restric-tion. Tho child is regarded as a free agent from its earliest yars. Its will Is allowed to prevail, and If a successful success-ful appeal cannot be mido to its conscience, con-science, then it must be permitted to go on Its way. With such a sysiem of discipline, is It any wondorjthat so many boys and girls aro turned out upon the world trom the home and the schonlbouao with tho loosest Ideas of obedience, authority, morals, honor, or honesty; that so many city boys are becoming ' hoodlums" and so many girli aro 'ast"and following dangerous paths; that they tako to Improper literature and Improper habits, and end by going to the bad or wrecking their lives in some other way? Boys and girls are observant, observ-ant, even in their earliest childhood, child-hood, and tnoy reason shrewdly even If they reason wrongly. They ascribo the non action of parents and teachers to fear, and from this it is an easy step to the conclusion that tho law is all on their side. Hence so many of the children of the rich become be-come Idle and dissolute and tho children chil-dren of the poor become vagabonds or hoodlums, they following tbe natural bent of their Inclinations because no restriction is imposed upon tbom and no punishment follows tho disobedience disobedi-ence of parental commands. In this serious emergoncy which confronts so many American homes, what are the board ot education and the clergy doing who have charge ot the Intel leciiial and, to a largo extent, the moral growth of children? Theclorgy havo tbe closest access to tho family and tho most Influence upon the parents, par-ents, particularly upon the mothers. What are they doing towards instructing instruct-ing parents in their plain duty towards their otf.pnng? What are Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist and Episcopalian Episco-palian ministers and Catholic priests, wbo-o influence is almost absolute in such matter, doing to enforce better parental gov ernment? Why do they sit Idly by, knowing that marital discords, dis-cords, family scandals, violations of tba moral code, contempt for all the laws of honor and honesty, and outbreaking out-breaking denanco of social proprieties proceed from the abicnco of authority in uiohoine, folio-rod by equal absenco of authority ln the school? They must know that tbe next generation will bo worse than this, that it will not tako many generation to suppress completely com-pletely parental authority, and. this once accomplished, that tho nation itself it-self will tumble into ruins. Youth will always seek tho lowest lov els If left to itself and not directed and Influenced In-fluenced by some other power. There are two forms of education needed in this world. The oue must give the coild enlightenment In mauers of knoled0-o. Tne other must bo a moral education, which shall enable the child to overcome the dragging dow n Influences of its own nature and to resist the ev II a I vice aud examples of olier and depraved companions, and it must "be taught through tbe agencies of discipline and respect for parental commands as aids to lis will and conscience What aro you doing towards this, gentlemen of the pulpits and school boards? Your homilies, theories, dogmas, and oeremonies aro of lltllo account in bringm tbe cnil 1 to right living, to proper habits of thought, to high ideals or iersonat honor and honesty, an I to loyalty to parental authority. Are not the lowso and vitiated conditions of society sufficient suf-ficient proofs that there Is something wrong in tho prevalent method of bringing up children? bolomon says bring up a chdd in thonaj It should go, and when it is old it will not depart de-part tnerefrum. W nat was truo and necessary in family government thirty centuries ago Is equally truo today." |