OCR Text |
Show Parental Responsibility ' Since all of a child's early ImprcB-sIoub ImprcB-sIoub nro obtained In tho home, and tho parents nlono hnvo full guidance and control over Its actions, tho view referred to and expressed by the Omaha Ueo In Alio following, secnin lucsenpably JuhI and logical; Dr. C. A. Harper, Kccretnry of the Wisconsin State Hoard of Health, b well within the facts in nlllrmlng beforr nu aiitt-vlce commission Hint parents are to blame for a laige part of the Immorality of girls today Father? ai.d mothers who think tills n severe arraignment uhould con.tlder the fre. dom given their daughters, especially especi-ally during those earn requiring tho closest parental scrutiny and advice. Thoro la too much easy-going iu-diffcrenco iu-diffcrenco to tho Bolcinn responsibility responsi-bility of parenthood. What is tho meaning of tho multiplicity of publb aguncles for Juvciiilo care and correction cor-rection It not that the homo Is neglecting ne-glecting Its duty? Men and uomen facing tho grave function of parenthood parent-hood shou'd feel very keenly the fact Hint no public Institution or iufluenco can bo made to tako tho placo of tho home In tho training anil culturo of tho child; that such agencies exist only ns substitutes at bo3t, seeking Ii, ninny cases to atouo for parental sins of omission. Not oen tho school, tho church or dnnday scliOol can, or was over, ue-ditSitu ue-ditSitu to suppifiiii uuuiu traininb fjveii they, tnougti tilling Usetui spheres, but supplement whcro they tough the work of the father and mother, loo much Btress cannot be laid on this point, that fathers and mothers nro primarily and chiefly responsible for their own children, fho troublo comes, not In getting tolks to admit that, but to act on It when the beautiful flower of girlhood withered by tho blight of sin, clroops bcroro the mother's eyoB, the saddest of all facts is the mother's neglected responsibility, ln her anguish she wouid eagerly shllt tho torrlblo ouus If site could, but as thoro was no authority, so now thoro Is no responsibility respon-sibility equal to hero, and no ono on whom to throw the burden of her despair. And jet it would bo far from Just to biiimo tho delinquency of children in every -case upon tho parents; foiin a multitude otcuscs patents of tho moil icspcctlbio character, of unquestioned iiilelllgeuco and education, who b) uoth precept and example huvo sinv-cu sinv-cu to tho best of their ability to train their children In the way thoy should ;o so that when old' they would not (.part from It, obeying tho scriptural scriptu-ral Injunction, havo failed miserably, judged from tho records of tho Juvenile Ju-venile courts and tho knowledge of neighbors, From x,Juct such homes sometimes come somo of tho worst offenders, proving that neglect or indlrfcrenco nro not nlvvays responsible. respon-sible. As many cubcu arc assigned for jiitoniio delinquency as thoro uro dit-lurutico dit-lurutico typos of mind, dltforout lines of thought among tho Investigators, ibomo attribute it to one cauBe, some 10 another, but when n caso Is summed sum-med up, most likely a number o( superinducing sup-erinducing causes will bo found; lirsc among which, wo must agree with vite article quoted above, comes the responsibility of pnron'ts. in many perhaps u majority 01 cases tho dellqueucy, moral Imperfections Imper-fections and un'iivvful acts of tho chllu uro duo to neither lack of dcslreL Interest In-terest or effort upon the part of the pureuts, who bring all tho knowledge know-ledge they hnvo to bear upon tho subject sub-ject and use their beat efforts. Tho troublo Is that thoy don't kno.v ouough; and none nro more free to admit It than tho candid ones who havo raised largo families nud realize '.heir many mistakes and failures What lb really needed is general instruction in-struction In the psychology of the child, as each ono affords a separate study. Tho one who essays to govern uli by the same lnfloxiblo rules, rc.ui full In somo iu8tnnceBns thoro nro, an many different temperaments, dispositions disposi-tions and personal Idiosyncrncloa as ilioco aro children, except, possibly, In' tho caso of twins. so matter how bright they may bo l ntcilcctually, logic as u rule of action will not nppenl to all. Thoy may roailzo us'au abstract principle that this action ac-tion Is right, that ono wrong; that one class of conduct is elovutlug, au-ot au-ot he i' debasing; or If they do not realize it through their oun reasoning powers, still accept the theory as fact, necause their parents assure them it is so. And yet they do wiong. From this II is evident that something tnoio ijinn rensou must bu appealed to. Somo pnrouts of tho old-fashioned outer arbitrarily dlctato rules to go.-ern go.-ern the conduct of their children, under un-der penalty ot bodily punishment tor transgression. They cling to tho theory, "spaio tho rod and spoil the cnlld," yet they fall. Others bcllovo In personal freedom; in giving tho child full opportunity for inu development of Its own Individuality. Individual-ity. Too often this liberty dovelops into license, and tho child goes wroug. And yet all of thcBe methods havo proven of Value when properly applied, and a Judicious mlxturo of them has ueen most generally successful, but ns something 1b lacking ln each so Is something lacking In them as a whole, when considered from tho viewpoint view-point of infallibility. Tho true secret lies In reaching the very "heart ol hearts" of tho child, and there gaining a perpetual abiding placo to dwell In confidence, esteem and love. Thoro lies tho Inner spring from which emanate ema-nate the thoughts that govern action. A kuowledgo of a child's genonu temperament and tendencies may serve as a guldu to its proper guardianship uud control, and tho means best adapted adapt-ed thereto; but there muBt bo many lamentable failures unless that complete com-plete and sympathetic mutual under-liiuudlug under-liiuudlug referred to, can bo attained, and few, alas! have tho gift or the ability to acquire it. |