At all events, do not endanger the peace of your home and the happiness
of your children, for fear of antagonizing a few parishioners of
arrested spiritual development.
Give your son and daughter an outlet for the youthful vitality which is
like steam: a moving power when used, dangerous and destructive when
pent up.
Take young Wilton and Rebecca into a room, and talk the whole matter
over.
Tell them how deeply you love them, and how you have just come to
realize the mistake you have made in trying to eradicate from them the
natural desire for wholesome pleasure instead of giving it proper
avenues of expression.
Say frankly that you see your error, and that you intend to rectify it.
Ask their cooeperation, and appeal to their good taste and affection not
to mortify or humiliate you in your position of clergyman, by
overstepping the bounds of decorum or discretion.
Lead them to talk of their ambitions and desires, and, as consistently
as you can, gratify them.
Let your daughter come to me for a season. I will help to reshape and
modify her ideals of enjoyment to some degree.
Pages:
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112