Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1856-04-24
Selett Mistellang.
HONOR AMONG BOYS.


If, ns It Is said, there is "honor among
thieves" why should this noble quality be
lacking In 20 many little boysH
nBoys will be boys" said one in reply to
o remark Of mine on this subject. This l
know, and do not desire to see g old heads
upon young shoulders" What want is to
beg boys to be governed by honor, and hon
esty, in their dealings with oneanother.
"Why don't you lend your skates and sled
to the other boys when you are not using
them?" I have asked, and been answered,
"Beeause boys think nothing of breaking
one another's things, and sometimes consider
it smart, and then laug h at you for being so
green as to lend them"
"But don't they pay the damages?"
Now was my turn to be laughed at for the
absurdity of my question. "Pay damages !!
never" This grated harshly upon moth
er's ear, and I'll tell you why. Because, in
the first place, know howmuch a boy thinks
Of his first sled, first skates, and first pocket
knife. Many rich men who live in free-stone
palaces in New York will confess that they
never had greater prize than their first sled,
with its bright paint and well-ironed runners,
and that the possession Of skates gave them
many sleepless hours of delight. Now when
boys know so we'll how much they prize their
things, is it not very much like stealing, to
carelessly injure another boys property and
make no effort to repair the loss?
"But how can boy pay, when he has
got no money" I hear one of my readers
say, perhaps impatiently.
He can 60 home and tell his father what
he has done, and beg him to give him the
means of repairing his loss. If his father
sees fit to refuse his request, he can save his
pennies till he has enough money of his own;
or he can select from among his playthings
something worth enough to pay for the harm
he has done, even if he has to give away a
very precious toy. If he is too poor for this
and has little Yankee contrivance, perhaps
, he can mend the injured article, and make it
as good as new. If this cannot be done, he
can go to his playmate, and say he is very
sorry for the accident, and that he is not able
to repay the damages, and then show his sor-
row by improving the first chance to do his
injured friend favor. He will not have to
wait long for an opportunity to show kind
ness which is better than money
This is as much young boys duty as it
will be, when he is few years older, and
accidentally Injuries borrowed horse and
carriage, to repay the owner for his loss. A
boy who will break another's knife, lose his
ball, drop his new book in the mud, or break
his sled, and then laugh at his playmate's
distress, or even refuse to pay him in some
way for his loss, will be very likely to make
forger, defaulter, burglar, or perhaps some
thing worse.
A mean, unfeeling boy is sad, hopeless
sight. Like crooked, dwarfed young tree,
nothing grand or noble can be made of it.
Age will make it more ugly and despised.
1t is too much the fashion among boys to
scorn gentle loving manners, or leave their
sisters to learn such ways, while they try to
be what they call men. A boy who wishes to
be a true man, "the noblest work of God,"
must begin while he is young to be honest
and honorable, and "do as he would be done
by" for he will be the same person when he
grows up that he is now, only stronger, lar
ger, in mind and body, and better able to do
good or evil. Let US by all means have
"honor among boys. Y Adepen-
1,nf