Training the Colts

New Zealand Tablet, 26 August 1909, Page 7

Training the Colts

' Whatever we wish to see introduced into the life of v nation,' says the much-travelled Humboldt, ' must first be introduced into its schools.' But even the best school is heavily—sometimes hopelessly—handicapped by the bad home. The mother is the chief artist-moulder of the child. But both mothers and fathers too often keep out of sight and out of mind the item of human experienco that finds expression in David Harum's homely saying: 'Ev'ry hoss c'n do a thing better V spryer if he's ben broke to, it as a colt.' But many parents take better thought for the up-bringing of their colts than of their children. 'If parents,' says the B.H. Beview, 'persist in spoiling their children by faulty and defective' home training, they must not imagine that the Catholic school, no matter how earnestly it tries, can make these children over into decent citizens.' ' Tew bring up a child in the way he should go,' says Josh Billings, 'travel that way yourself.' A good guide is better than a good sign-post, which merely gives directions and points out the road, but never ' travels that way itself.' The Inter mountain Catholic recently wrote the following note for the benefit of what we may call the sign-post father's: 'If a boy lacks manli- • ness, it is probably the result of a lack of proper home training. Maybe his father lacks manliness, or is too busy looking after his own interests to give the proper attention to his growing boy; maybe his dollars he considers of more importance than his boy. There are cases of this kind in the world. In such cases the boy lacking the proper parental influence, perhaps it is the duty of, the school to supply it, but where boys are given the proper association with their fathers, and" the correct home influences, it ill becomes the school to take the place of the parents in the scheme of education. A good many men are given to turning the entire management of their children over to the mothers. This condition is a natural outgrowth of the family relation, but should be discouraged, and boys should have at least an hour a day of perfectly free associationwith their fathers. Boys need the influence of manly men that they may develop into manly men, but the home is the place for them to get that influence.'