90 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



In the first place, What is a home? To the roving red man 

 of the West home is wherever he rolls himself in his blanket 

 and lies down to sleep, but to the civilized man, his home must 

 stand as an abiding place, his high tower, his refuge, and it 

 ought to be a place from whence shall go out strong men and 

 strong women, who in turn may bless the world because they 

 have lived in it. 



It makes very little difference indeed as to what kind of a 

 structure the home is composed of, but it makes all the differ- 

 ence in the world as to the atmosphere that is. inside of the 

 home. It must be a pure, clean, strong atmosphere, develop- 

 ing to his highest every single member of the home. There are 

 some things that it is absolutely necessary must be brought into 

 these homes to make them such as I have described. 



What must be the first lesson taught to the children in any 

 home.? In all kindness, let me say that the first thing to teach 

 these children in the home is to obey. We all have to obey 

 somebody, no matter who or how we are situated, we have to 

 obey somebody or something, and we do ourselves injustice and 

 our children more if we do not teach them to obey. The boys 

 and girls to-day in the homes scattered all over this country, 

 that know no restraint will be the men and the women that 

 will fill our penitentiaries in the future. I believe children should 

 be taught very early to obey, and obedience is naturally followed 

 by respect and loving veneration for father and mother 

 and the dear grandfather and grandmother. This duty cannot 

 be put upon the teachers. It is too late by the time the girl or 

 boy has reached the schoolroom. 



Then I want to say to you fathers and mothers here 

 do not attempt to gain the confidence of your children, but keep 

 it. You know the perfect bond of confidence and sympathy be- 

 tween the little child and its father or mother. Do everything 

 in your power that that confidence may not be broken. In nine 

 cases out of ten, when it is broken it is the parent who has 

 broken it instead of the child. The child comes to the father, 

 the growing boy perhaps, nature is forcing serious questions upon 

 that child's mind and he comes and looks into his father's face 



