Life — April 11, 1912 — page 13: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

athizes up to n spite s, may On. s very he did 1 you; powers | these over the In- all into oy" -LIFE: All Parents Take Notice Hereafter You Will Be Trained to Keep Your Places—Announcement of ‘ew and Epoch-Making Department of Life's Fashion’ Reform League UR patrons all over the country, now numbering thousands, will be glad to learn that we have just pencil a training school for parenis, We have contemplated this step for a long time, not only on account of the great pressure which has been brought to bear upon us by the majority of our si and -cventeen-year-old customers, but also because of the underlying sense of justice which we have eniertained abou! this great question. Up to recent time the average parent has been held in csteem and re- spect by children, an entirely ken notion of duty. Parents must, however, come to know their places The idea that’ any respect is due to peo- ple who have com- mitted the grave fault of bringing children into the is an idea h has obtained currency probably ugh some artifi- standard. It is ent for us to observe that our training school for parents is now in fi blast and is meeting with tremen- dous encouragement from everybody. We shall probably have to enlarge our pres- ent buildings in order to accommodate the classes. Most of the parents who are sent to us for trairing have shown a lamentable ignorance about all the amen- itics of life. They state quite frankly that they have been in the habit of answering their children back. The fol- ng letter will give an idea of the deplorable state of mind into which some misguided parents have fallen: Dear Sirs: | have received your application tlank in which I am requested to become a member of your class in train- ins parents. It fortunately happened that this blank “T have kept you after school, Mrs Jomes, for your continued contumacy, Another exhibition ot it and J write to your daughter!” school for parents came to me during the absence of my children, so that I can write this to you freely and in the truest confidence. I am a parent of several years’ standing, and the idea that I need training and do not know my place is ex- ceedingly absurd. In the first place, 1 am an American citizen; and in the second place, 1 am a tired business man with five children to support. I started out with the idea that these children, if necessary, should be clubbed into obedtence, and that an old-fashioned licking was bet- ter than a sermon; but alas! my pride been broken so often that I am now in a condition of mind where I think I know my place; and my expe- rience with friends has convinced me that a training school for parents isunnecessary in this country. So far as I can see, every parent, especially evi father, has been put just about where he belongs. thank you! Not for me! Yours truly, Such misguided people as the author of this letter imag- ine that they have nothing to learn just because their chil- dren have learnet how to dominate them But parents, as a rule, whp are like this are almost invariably sullen and morose in their at- titude. What we are teaching in our is a bright, sunny, cheerful obedience to all children instead of the former melancholy and depressing aspect. Here are some of the cardinal points that we insist upon: When asked for money, no matter what the amount may be, each paternal parent should hand it over with a glad smile to his children, no matter what their ages may be. Parents should studiously keep away from all func- tions organized by their children. The sudden appear- ance of a couple of back-number parents at a dancing comicbooks.com