The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1858-11-24
What 10 to be done with our Charley
By HARRlEr BEEcHkR STOWE.

What IL to be done with our Charley.
By HARRIET pEEcaka STOWE.
Yes-thati 10 the question! The fact is, there
seems to be no place in heaven, or earth be.
meath. exactly safe and suitable, except the bed.
While he Is asleep then our souls have rest
| we know where he is and what he is about, and
sleep is a gracious state but then he wakes up
bright and early, and begins footing, pounding,
hammering. singing. meddling. and asking
questions in short. overturning the peace Of
| society generally for about thirteen hours out
Of every twenty -four.
Everybody wants to know what to d. with
him-sverybody is quite sure that he can't stay
where they are. The cook cant have him il,
the kitchen, where he infests the pantry to get
-four to make paste for his kites, OF melt lard in
the new saucepan. If he goes into the wood
shed. he is sure to pull the wood pile down up
| on his head. If he be sent up into the garrcs,
you think for while that you have settled the
problem, till you find what boundless field for
activity 10 at once opened, amid all the pack.
ages, boxes. bags barrels and cast.of rubbish
there. Old letters, newspapers, trunks Of mis-
cellaneous contents, are all rummaged, and the
very reign Of chaos and old night is Instituted.
He sees endless capacities in all. ard he 10 al.
ways hammering something, or knocking some.
| thing apart. or saving, or planning. or drawing
boxes and barrels in all directions to build cit.
les or lay railroad tracks, till every body head
aches quite down to the lower floor, and every
body declares that Charley must be kept out Of
| the garret.
Then you send Charley to school. and hope
you are fairly rid of him for few ours at least.
But he comes home noisier and mere breezy
than ever. having learned OF some twenty 9TH
er Charleys every separate resource for keep
IOV 4 hat tho hmm II ,t ~.
tality Of each can originate. He can dance
| like jim Smth-he has learned to smack his lips
| like Joe Brown-and Will Briggs has shown
him how to NEW like cat, and lie e;iters the
premises with new war-whoop, learned from
Tom Evans. He feels large and valoruus he
has learned that he is boy. and has general
impression that is he growing immensely strong
and knowing, and despises more than ever the
conventionalities of parlor life in fact. he is
more than ever an interruption in the way Of
decent folks who want 10 he quiet.
1t is true, that if entertaining persons will
devote themselves exclusively to him. reading
and telling stories, he may be kept quiet; but
then this is discouraging work, for he swallows
story as Rover does piece Of meat, and
looks at you for another aud another, without
the slightest consideration. So that this re-
source is Of short duration. and then the old
question comes back: What 10 to be done
with him
But after all. Charley cannot he wholly
shirkcd. for 10 Is an ins;itution-a solemn
and ful fact and on the answer to the ques-
ton, What is to be done with him depends q
| future:
Many hard, morse. bitter man has come
from a Charley turned If and neglected many
a parental heart-ache has come from Charley
left to run the streets, that mamma and sisters
might play on the piano e. write letters in peace.
1t is easy to git rid of him there are fifty ways
of doing that. He is spirit that can be prompt.
ly laid, butif not laid right will come back, by.
snd.by. strong man armed, when you cannot
send him off at pleasure.
Mamma and sisters had better pay a little tax
to Charley now, than terrible one by.and by.
There is something significant in the old Eng
lish phrase, with which our Scriptures render
us familiar, MAN child-a MAN child
There you have the word that should make
you think more than twice before you answer
the question: 'What shall we do with Char
lsyf"
For today he is at your feet; to-day YOU can
make him laugh, you can make him cry, you
can persuade, coax. and turn him to your plea.
swell with recitals of good and noble deeds
in short, you can mould him if you will take
the trouble.
but look ahead some years, when that little
voice shall ring in deep bass tones when that
small loot shall nave = mans weight and tramp
when rough beard shall cover that little,
rotnd chin, and the wilful strength Of manhood
ill out that little form. Then you would give
worlds for the key to his heart. to be able to
turn and guide him to your will but if you
will lose that key now he is little. you may
search for it carefully, with tears, some other
day, but neuer find 1t.
Old housekeepers have proverb, that one
hour lost in the morning is never found all day
1t has significance in this case.
One thing is to be noticed about Charley, that
rude. and busy, and noisy as he is, and irksome
as carpet rules and parlor ways are to him, he
is still q social little creature, and wants to be
where the rest Of the household are. A room
ever SO well adapted to play, cannot charm him
at the hour when the family is in reunion he
hears the voices in the parlo,s and his play
room seems desolate. 1t may be warmed by q
furnace and lighted with gas, but it is huMQn
warmth and light he shivers for; he yearns
for the talk of the family, which he SO impcr-
fectly comprehends, ana he longs to take his
play things down and play by you, and ia
necessarily promising that Of the fifty improper
things which he is liable TO do in the parior.
he will not commit one if you will let him STAY
there.
This instinct Of the little one is Eaturc's
warning plea-God's admonition. q, how
many mother who has neglected it bee cause it
was irksome to have the child about, has long.
ed at twenty five, to keep her son by her side.
and he would mol Shut out az little Arab !:
constantly told that he is noisy, that he ia
awkward and meddlcsome, and plague in
general the boy has found ut last his own com.
pany in the streets, in the highways and hedges,
where he runs till the day comes when the
parents want their son, and the sisters their
! brother, and then they are scared at the face
| he brings back TO them. as he comes all foul
| and smutty from the companionship to which
they have doomed him. Depend upon il, if il
is too much trouble to keep your boy in your
society, there will be places found for him
warmed and lighted with no friendly fires
| where he who finds some mischief sill for idle
hands to do, will care for him. if you do not
You may put out tree and it will grow while
you sleep. but . son you carnOt-you must take
trouble Tor him, either little now or a great
deal by-aud-by.
Lei him stay with you at loast some portion
OF every day ; bear his noise and his ignorant
ways. Put aside your book and work, to tell
him story, or show him picture devise still
parlor plays for him, for he gains nothing by
being allowed to spoil the comfort Of the v hole
circle. A pencil. sheet Of paper, and few
patterns will sometimes keep him quiet by YOU
tor an hour. while you are talking, or in cor
ner he may build block-house annoying no.
body. II he does now and then disturb YOU,
and it costs you more thought aud care to rsgu-
late him there. balance which is the greatest
eyil-to be disturbed BY linn now. or when he
is man.
Of all you can give your Charley, if you
are good man or woman, your presence
is the best and safest thing. God never meant
him to do without you any more than
chickens were meant to grow without being
brooded.
Then let him have some place in your house
where it shall be no sin to hammer and pound.
and make all the litter his heart desircs and his