Who has not seen an enraged father shake a helpless infant because
it cried, and a nervous mother strike her child because its restless-
ness irritated her? The poor little squirming victim could only realize
its added pain, and perhaps know from whence it came, but it could
not possibly understand the association between its cries and its
parents' ill temper. As time passed and its mind expanded, it did,
however, and with the knowledge there came added pain.
The child-life of the Saviour has never been written, and there is
but little said of it in the New Testament. It has often occurred to
me that the fact was due to the inability of any man to rightly fathom
it. What a theme it would have been under his mother's hand !
But in those days, as in these, though to a lesser degree now than
then, the rights of children were ignored, and the earthly father of
Jesus as little knew his character as he anticipated his future career.
The story of his childhood if told would doubtless be a revelation
of parental gentleness and justice, of right dealing and high spiritual
and moral teachings from his mother certainly, and most likely from
his father.
He inspired and taught the commandment, " Honor thy father and
thy mother," and we have attained to that position where the man or
DUTY OF PARENTS TO CHILDREN. 359
woman who neglects his parents in their old age, or under reverses
of fortune, is held in contempt ; but we have not ascended to that
plane where love and filial reverence are invariably the motives that
actuate such recognition of this commandment. The average man
or woman will treat with kindness the old father or mother who has
survived his or her days of usefulness, but it by no means follows that
they are honored. On this, as on many another subject, we indulge
in endless cant, but the truth remains that children do not love their
parents simply by reason of relationship any more than they respect
old age because it is merely old age.
Men and women are foolish to expect more of a harvest than they
have sown. Ingratitude is ranked as a deadly sin, and is one of the
most repellent of human attributes; but has it not often been true
that children have been unjustly accused of possessing it? The self-
ishness of parents is as obnoxious a vice, but it is far more leniently
dealt with by the world.
The exceptional maltreatment of parents by children is much
commented upon, and loudly condemned ; but who among us sees
blasphemy in the way a coarse father addresses his child, or thinks it
an insult that children receive, when they are repelled heedlessly?
We have one law for age and another for youth, and it is cruel. The
child who is deceived will be deceitful; the child who is swindled
will be tempted to steal ; the child who is defrauded of his birthright
will not forgive the wrong in all human life.
The saddest of earthly retrospects is that of an unworthy parent.
What can equal the misery of a human soul awakened to a knowl-
edge of the lasting injury done another soul that owes to it its earthly
existence? Surely the judgment day is forever with such, and time
offers no opportunity for reparation.
Page 235
Presented as published in 1883. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Who has not seen an enraged father shake a helpless infant because it cried, and a nervous mother strike her child because its restlessness irritated her? The poor little squirming victim could only realize its added pain, and perhaps know from whence it came, but it could not possibly understand the association between its cries and its parents' ill temper. As time passed and its mind expanded, it did, however, and with the knowledge there came added pain.
The child-life of the Saviour has never been written, and there is but little said of it in the New Testament. It has often occurred to me that the fact was due to the inability of any man to rightly fathom it. What a theme it would have been under his mother's hand ! But in those days, as in these, though to a lesser degree now than then, the rights of children were ignored, and the earthly father of Jesus as little knew his character as he anticipated his future career. The story of his childhood if told would doubtless be a revelation of parental gentleness and justice, of right dealing and high spiritual and moral teachings from his mother certainly, and most likely from his father.
He inspired and taught the commandment, " Honor thy father and thy mother," and we have attained to that position where the man or
woman who neglects his parents in their old age, or under reverses of fortune, is held in contempt ; but we have not ascended to that plane where love and filial reverence are invariably the motives that actuate such recognition of this commandment. The average man or woman will treat with kindness the old father or mother who has survived his or her days of usefulness, but it by no means follows that they are honored. On this, as on many another subject, we indulge in endless cant, but the truth remains that children do not love their parents simply by reason of relationship any more than they respect old age because it is merely old age.
Men and women are foolish to expect more of a harvest than they have sown. Ingratitude is ranked as a deadly sin, and is one of the most repellent of human attributes; but has it not often been true that children have been unjustly accused of possessing it? The selfishness of parents is as obnoxious a vice, but it is far more leniently dealt with by the world.
The exceptional maltreatment of parents by children is much commented upon, and loudly condemned ; but who among us sees blasphemy in the way a coarse father addresses his child, or thinks it an insult that children receive, when they are repelled heedlessly? We have one law for age and another for youth, and it is cruel. The child who is deceived will be deceitful; the child who is swindled will be tempted to steal ; the child who is defrauded of his birthright will not forgive the wrong in all human life.
The saddest of earthly retrospects is that of an unworthy parent. What can equal the misery of a human soul awakened to a knowledge of the lasting injury done another soul that owes to it its earthly existence? Surely the judgment day is forever with such, and time offers no opportunity for reparation.