The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1858-12-11
What is to DO Done with our Charley.
Prom nu H.B s'svsl ia the Ina.psnasHL

! Prem Ms u, b hieHe W tha inasPsnasHi
Yes-that IL the question The fact Is,
there seems 10 be no place Ia heaven above,
or earth beneath, exactly safe aud suitable,
eHcept.the bed. While he 10 asleep then our
| souls have reAt-we know where he II and
| what he Il about and sleeps . gracious
state hut then he wakes Ny bright aud tarly
be begins footing, pounding, hammeing,
singing, meddllng, aud asking question: in
short, oyertuuing the peace Of society &c ief-
ally for about thirteen hours out Of every
twenty -four.
| Everybody wants 10 know what 10 do with
lhim-eyerybody II quite sure ho cant Gtaf
where they are, Tho cook can't have him 10
! the kitchen, where he infests tho pantry 10 get
-four % make paste for his kites, or melt lard
iH the new saucepan, II he goes into the
wood-shed, he IL sure 10 pull the wood'pile
down upon hs head II he be sent up 10
the gurrcr, you think for while that you
have aetiled the problem, tili you ind what
bpundless field for activity il At once opened,
amid all the packages, boxes, bags, barrels,
and cast OF rubbish there old letters, news
papers, trunks Of miscellaneous contents, are
all rsmmaged and H. very reign OF chaos
and old night IA Instituted, lie seea endless
capacities Ia all, and he IL always hammoring
something OF knocking something apart, or
saving or planning, or drawing boxes aud
barrels IN all directions 10 build cities or lay
railroad tracks, ell evepbodys head aches
quite down % the lower floor, and every body
declares that Charley must be kept out Of the
gnrret.
Then you send Charley TO aehool, and hope
YOU are fairly rid u him for fuw hours At
least But he comes home noisier and more
breezy than ever, having learned OF some
twenty other ChNrlrys every separate re-
source Tor keepingupA c0mmoliou that the Nu'
stf Of totu
lie can dance like Jim Smith--he hiss learned
to smack his lips like Joe Brown--and win
Briggs has shown him how to new like cat,
and he enters the premises with new war
whoop, learned from Tom Evans llo feel,
large and yalorousi he has learned that he il
q boy, aud has general impression that he
10 growing immensely strong and knowing,
and dcspisrs more than ever the convention
alitics ui parlor life In fact, he il more than
ever an interruption In the way OF decent
FOLKS who want To- Le quiet
IL is true, that IL entertaining persons Nill
devote themselves exelusivcly 10 him, reading
and telling stories, he may be kcptquiet but
then this il discouragng work, for he GWa-
lows q story n Rover does piece Of meat,
aud looks at YOU for another and another,
without the slightest consideration, No that
this resource IL Of short duration, aud then
the old question comes back. What is 10 bc
done with him ?
But afsr all, Charley cannot be wholly
Shirked. for he il an inEtitutiuu--A solemn
aud awful fact and on tho answer 10 the
question: what is to be done with him de-
pcuds future.
Many a hard, motose bitter man has come
from Charley turned of aud neglected
many parental heart-ache has come from
7 Charley len 10 run the streets that mamma
aud sisters might play on the piano and write
letters in peace. IL il easy 10 get rid OF him
there are hfy WAYS Of doing that lie is
snirt that can be promptly laid, but II not
laid Alright viii come back, by -and.bY, strong
man armed, when you not send him of at
pleasure.
Mamma aud sisters had better pay little
tax TO Charley now, than n terrible ono by.
and-hy. There is something significant in
/ the English phrase, with which our Scriptures
render US familiar, a man-child-a man-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
! Charley"
For to-day no is ut your feet; to-day YOU
can make him laugh, you can make him cry,
YOU can persuade, coax aud turn him to your
/ pleasure YOU can make his eyes I'LL and his
bosom swell with recitals Of good and noble
deeds in short, you can mold 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 foot shall
have n mans weight and tramp when
rough beard shall cover that little round chin,
and all the willful strength OF manhood fll
| 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 il YOU
lose that key now he is little, you may search
! for il carefully with tears, some other day,
/ and never find it. Old housekeepers have
proverb that one hour lost in the morning iS
never found all day. II has a significance in
this case. One thing IN to bc noticed about
Charley, that, rude and busy and noisy as he
! is, and irksome carpet rules and parlor
ways are 10 him, he ia still a social little
| turc, and wants To be where the rest OF the
household are. A room ever so we'll adapted
! for play cannot charm him at the hour when
the family is in reunion; he hears the voices
| in the parlor and his psy-room seems desc
lste. 1t may be warmed by furnace and
! lighted with gas, but it 10 human warmth and
| light he shvers for he yearns for the talk
of the family, which he so imperfectly com
prehends, and he longs to take his playthings
down and play by you, and is inceSsantly
promising that of the fifty improper things
which he is Liable to do in the parlor, he will
not commit one if you will let him stay there.
This instinct OF the little one is natures
warning plca--God's admonition. o, how
many mother who has neglected it because
| il was irksome to have the child about, has
longed at twenty-five to keep her son by her
side, and he would not. Shut out as little
Arab constantly told that he is noisy. that
he is awkward and meddlesome, and plague
in general, the boy has found at last his own
company in the streets, in the highways and
hedges, where he runs till the day comes
Then the parents want their son, and the
Y aia ND hpy M "a
at the face he brings back TO them, as he
comes oil foul and smutty from the compan-
ionship to which they have doomed him.
Depend upon it, II it ia 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 still for idle hands TO do, win