The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1857-11-05

as they have measles or chicken pox.-
They invade your drawers, mix mp you
tooth powder with hair oil; pull your
laces and collars from their repositories
upset your ink upon invaluable manu-
script; tear up precious letters, scatter
your waters, stick everything up with ex.
perimental sealing wax, and spoil all your
pens in the effort to spoil all your paper
Poor boys. What are they good for
1t is an unfathomable mystery that We
come to our manhood Gas the Isrnlites
reached Canaan) through the wilderness
Of boyhood. They are always wanting
something they must not have, going
where they ought not to be, coming where
they are not wanted, saying the most awl-
ward things at the most critical moment.
They Will tell lies, and after infinite pains
to teach them the obligations of truth,
they give US the full benefit of frankncss
and literalness By blurting out before com
pany whole budget of family secrets
Would you take quiet nap Slam bang
80 a whole bcyy Of boys through the
house. Has the nervous baby at length,
after all manner Of sin@iugs, trottings,
aoothings, aud maternal bosom opiates,
just fallen asleep? BE sure an unmanner-
ly boy viii be on hand to bawl out for
permission to do something or other
which he has been doing all day without
dreaming of leave
The restless activity Of boys is their
necessity. To restrain it is to thwart ma
ure. We need to provide for it. Not to
attempt to find amusement for them but
to give them opportunity to amuso them
selves. 1t is astonishing to see how lit
tie it requires to satisfy boys nature.
First in the list, put strings. What
grown up people find in thousand forms
Of business and society, a boy secures in
a string! Hc ties up door for the ex-
quisite pleasure Of untieing it again He
harnesses chairs, lies up his own fingers,
halters his neck, coaxcs a lesser urchin
to become his horse, and drives stage
which, with boys, is the top Of human
attainment. Strings are wanted for snarcs.
for bows and arrows, for Whips, for cat 5
cradles, for kites, for fishing, and hun
dred things more than I recollcct. 4
knife is more exciting than string, but
does not last so long, and is not 50 yari-
Gus. After short time it is lost or bro
ken, or has cut the fingers But string
is the instrument of endless devices, and
within the management and ingenuity of
a boy. The first article that parents
should lay in, on going to the country, is
large ball of twine. The boys must
not know it. If they see the whole ball,
the charm is broken. 1t must come forth
mystcriously, unexpectedly, and as if there
were no more.
For indoors, next, we should place up
on the list pencils and white paper At
least one hour in every day will be safely
secured by that. \ slate and pencil are
very good. But some children always
aspire to what men do. they account the
unused half Of letter and bit Of pencil
to be worth twice as much as any slate.
Upon the whole, We think safe stream
Of water near by affords the greatest
amount Of enjoyment among all natural
objects. There is wading and washing;
there is throwing of stones, and finding
of pebbles; there is engineering, Of the
most laborous kind, by which stone are
made to dam up the water, or to change