Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1858-11-25
What is to be Done with our Charley
An Admirable Lesson for Mothers
BY HARRIET BEECHER STOWE.

Yes-that is the question? The fac
is, there seems to be no place in HEAVIER
above, or earth beneath, exactly safe
and suitable, except the bed. While
he is asleep there eur souls have rest
we know where he is and what he i,
about, and sleep is gracious state, but
then he wakes up bright and early and
begins footing, pounding, hammering
singing, meddling, and asking questic MS
III short, everturning the peace of soci
ETY. generally for about thirteen hours
out OF every twenty-four
Everybody wants to know what to dc
with him-everybody is quite sure that
he can't stay where they are. The cook
can't have him in the kitchen, where he
intests the pantry to get -four to make
paste for his kites, or melt lard in the
new sauce pan. If he, goes into the
wood shed, he is sure to pull the wood
pile down upon his head If he be sent
up into the garnet, you think for a while
that you have settled the problem, till
you find what bOundless field for ac-
tlvity il at once opened, amid all the
packages, boxes, bags, barrels, and cast
Oft rubbish there. Old letters, newspa-
pers, trunks of miscellaneous contents,
are all rummaged, and the very reign of
Chaos and old Night is instituted. He
sees endless capacities in all, and he is
always hammering something, or knock
ing something apart, or saving, or plan
ing, or drawing boxes and barrels in all
directions to build cities or lay railroad
tracks, till everybody's head aches quite
down to the lower floor, and everybody
declares that Charley must be kept out
Of the garnet.
Then you send Charley to school, and
you are fairly rid Of him for few hours
at least. But he comes home noisier
and more breezy than ever, havinglearn-
ed OF some twenty other Charleys every
separate resource for keeping up COM
motion that the superintendent vitality
OF each can originate. He can dance
like I'M Smlth--he has learned to smack
his lips like Joe Brown-and Will
Briggs has shown him how to new like
cat, and he enters the premises with
new war whoop, learned from Tom
Evans. He feels large and valorous
he has learned that be is boy, and has
a general impression that he is growing
immensely strong and knowing, and
despises more than ever an interruption
IN the way Of decent folks who want to
be quiet s..
1t is true, that if entertaining persons
VIII devote themselves exclusively to
iilm, reading and telling stories, he may
be kept quiet; but then this is disccur-
aging work, for he swallows story as
Rover does piece meat, and looks
at you for another and another, without
the slightest consideration, so that this
resource is of short duration, and then
the old question comes back: What is
to be done with him?
But after all, Charley cannot be Who'll.
y shlrked, for he is an institution-a
solemn and awful fact; and on the ans
wer to the question, What is to be done
with him! depends future.
Many hard, morose, bitter man has
come from Charley turned off and neg
lected; many parenal heart ache has
come from Charley left to run the
streets, that mamma and sisters might
play on the piano and write letters in
peace. 1t is easy to get rid of him
there are fifty ways of doing that. He
is spirit that can be promptly laid, but
If not laid right will come back, by-and-
by, strong man armed, when YOU can
not send him of at pleasure.
Mamma and sisters had better paw a.
little tax to Charley now, than terrible
one by-and-by. There is something sig
nlticant in old English phrase, with
winch our Scriptures render US familiar.
MAN child--a NAN child. There YOU
have the word that should make YOU
think more than twice before YOU ans
wer the question: What shall we do
with our Charley?"e s.s.i5e ..ti H..
For to-day he is at your feet; to-day
you can make him ugh, you can make
him cry, you can persuade, coax, and
turn HIM to your pleasure you can
make his eyes fill and his bosom swell
with recitals of good and noble deeds:
IN short, you can mould him if you take
the trouble.
But look ahead some years, when that
little voice shall ring in deep bass tones:
when that small foot shall have mans
weight and tramp; when rough beard
/ s ball cover that little, round chin, and
the strength of manhood fill out that lit
tie 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, and neUer find it.
Old housekeepers have proverb, that
one hour lost in the morning is never
found all day 1t has significance in
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 a
social little creature, and wants TO be
where the rest of the household are. A
room ever SO well adapted for play. can
not charm him at the. hour when the
family is in reunion; he hears the voic-
es IN the parlors and his play room
seems desolate. 1t may be warmed by
furnace and lighted with gas, but it is
human warmth and light he shiyers for
he yearns for the talk of the family.
which he 50 imperfectly comprehends,
and he longs to take his playthings
down and play by you, and is incessant-
y promising that of the fifty improper
things which he is liable to do in the
parlor, he will not commit one If YOU
let him stay there.
This instinct of the little one is Ma
lures warning plea-God's admonition.
Q, how many a mother who has neg
lected it because it was irksome to have
the child about, has longed at twenty
i've TO keep her son by her side, and he
| wnllld not SHIT o,.4 = = l.I.iI