Page:The World's Famous Orations Volume 10.djvu/298

 THto WORLD'S FAMOUS ORATIONS

rights; and in the long run I think that the re- ward is ampler and greater for duty well done, than for the insistence upon individual rights, necessary tho this, too, must often be. Your duty is hard, your responsibility great; but greatest of all is your reward. I do not pity you in the least. On the contrary, I feel respect and ad- miration for you.

Into the woman's keeping is committed thg destiny of the generations to come after us.| In bringing up your children you mothers must re- member that while it is essential to be loving and tender it is no less essential to be wise and firm. Foolishness and affection must not be treated as interchangeable terms; and besides training your sons and daughters in the softer and milder virtues, you must seek to give them those stern and hardy qualities which in after life they will surely need. Some children will go wrong in spite of the best training ; and some will go right even when their surroundings are most unfortu- nate; nevertheless an immense amount depends upon the family training. If you mothers through weakness bring up your sons to be self- ish and to think only of themselves, you will be responsible for much sadness among the women who are to be their wives in the future. If you let j^our daughters grow up idle, perhaps under the mistaken impression that as you yourselves have had to work hard they shall know only en- joyment, you are preparing them to be useless to others and burdens to themselves. Teach boys 258

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