The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1858-06-05
The cold Hoys."

llNehF AN hieg HfgH HlFg IA Aite AFFFf~F "
his master, aud when bic masters ehildTsn
get old enough 10 exercise the pTerogsiiys Of
mastery, the white ten year old addresses the
veteran Unele Tom Of three score aud Ten -
his boy. The title Is not as inappropriate ~
Il at first sIrikes as. Slaves become men and
women only in body, Slavery Fixes them
WeRially ma condition Of perpetual childhood
There are exceptional oasof, in WhitH by un
usual native force some Of thr negroes vindi-
cate Their humanity, and achieve considerable
manly growth ofmind and character under all
the obstacles Of fhsM condition. but the
general fact Is that slavery accomplishrs its
object, and the ,layes nt Whatever age are IN
ly children Of a larger growth,
We have class Of free white boys in mind
who arc also boys for life, and We dF6 sambo
by way Of illustration Of their condition. In
some respects these old white boys are In
fsrior 10 the negroes, for the latter get a capt
tai Development Of muscle but the old white
boys ere Children both in muscle and mind.
These old boys generally stop growing attbs
age Of sixteen or eighteen, and however long
they may live are never peieeptibly wiser or
moresmanly than then. They are old boys
aud nothing else, and II they live 10 be three
score and ten-as they are not apt to--they
never approach the second childhood, for they
never leave the first. We should say that
about one in twenty of all the young boys
become old boys. Perhaps tho proportion
in cities and crowded towns il larger, for
there the facilities for dwarhng the human
growth are easy Of access and are freely used
Let Us trace the process, by which old boys
are made,
When the lad begins to approach the age
ofpubesecnee and looks anIiously in the glass
Tor the first down which betokens the growth
Of manly yigor he feels new ambition he
wants to be man at once. Unforur ately
too many Of the examples Of manlness about
him are not good models, and the means he
uses TO stimulate the growth Of fmanhood only
stint and circumseribe IL. His first aspiration
is the cigar and the quid. Nobody that can
not smoke and spit dirty comes up TO his
standard Of manliness Little tippling follows
naturally from the associations he falls into.
and II he has no parents 10 look after him
ne few boys have nowadays, poor fellows -
he spends his evenings in the saloons and
streets, and goes late TO his bed. II needs
only one other vice. the premature exercise
and terrible perVersion Of a natural instinct
to make the dwsr6ng process u sure thing.
Let the lad just approaching his 6rst manhood
fall into this easy succession Of small vices,
and his body mind and soul will certainly stop
UraainU mud he S,tit d. h,,ta "a IL
developed specimen Of humanity all his days.
There is no more melancholy spectacle than
the young man who Is thus checking his own
Development and booming himself to eternal
boyhood. This pcryerse habit Of life once
fixed, is seldom broken up, and ifit is there
is no complete recovery from its blighting in
Auenee. II makes its mark indelibly. These
fast boys, who think that manlincss lies in
the imitation Of the bcastly vices OF men, will
never know much moro thuu they do now.
The first effect Of their folly-is to give them
dis'aste for elevating. pursuits and to make
mental exercise wcarisomc. The musclrs Of
their minds become us fnbby and powerless
as those Of their abused bodies They aban-
don ever, noble ambition; they are the mere
ytHvrr Of tVbit md itiss ali aEifz
and become the victims Of their own .
passions and the passions Of ihcir weak usso-
cidtcs,
Boys it is your present mission to grow
to grow bodily, in well developed and hardy
muscle, by free exercise in feats Of strength,
agility and enduranee-to grow in mind, by
training yourselves to accurate knowledge in
AL the branches Of study which will develops
and discipline your faculties for the work OF
life, Don't try to be men in any respect be
fore your time YOU do you Will certainly
make yourselves boys forever. And above
all, don't make the sad mistake Of supposing
that the vices Of men will make you manly.
Wait your time, and prepare for it, like
sensible boys. You know what we mean, and
if you want 10 be real live men, growing more
manly the longer YOU live, you will take our
advice. IL you don't, you will stop short half
way between boyhood and manhood, and be
nothing better than stupid old boys, all your
days-if you don't Kill yourselves outright in
the proccss.-Sprinateid Republican.