The Columbia daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1865, 1865-05-29

Monday Morning, May 20, 1866.
Juvenile Vagabondism.


improve our morals. amend our lives, and
make ourselves worthy of Gods favor and
mans respect, then must our reforms COM
mence with every head Of family and in
every household. 1t is terrible thing to
behold the children of family going to
the dogs, or to the devil, througl, the self:
complacent disregard or Indifference of
the parents. Yet, that such is the fact.
nobody who beho!ds the large amount of
juvenile vagabonds in our streets, at all
hours, can doubt or deny. The father is.
doubtless lettering. himself: and what the
mother is doing. we leave to her mirror to
report. 1t is clear that neither Of them is
doing the duty of 4 parent, while children,
from eight to sixteen Yeats Of age, are
suffered to grow up in utter idleness
Either they should be at their books, in the
schoo! or in the house, or they should be
put to trades. where they may learn en-
honest and useful business, to be forth.
coming at their fingers ends. when the
home is i'll luins and famine pteously
e,alks the rounds, crying for bread.
Where parents cannot afford TO pay
teacher, they can still less afford to peram-
bulate the streets. They had better keep
their boys at books at home, teaching ali
That they themselves know. A boy a,
fourteen, not designed for profession,
and having neither the talents nor the
pecuniary means to acquire it, may &C
ouire those means in time, if articled to
{. good mechanic, machinst or tradesmau
1or five or seven years. Let him do his
duty faithfully, and he can support, feed
and clothe himself, assist his parents, and,
il he hare the proper gJls for profess
Szo'lal mtn, he mast acquire the elements
of his profession besides. Let the parents
look to this matter, for they may be sure
that every boy brought up in idleness is a
11ere and willing tool in the hands of
some already graduated and distinguished
agent in the hands of the devil. There are
three gifts which parent, in order to save
the boy, must be careful to seek and
choose for h;n-an occupation which
shall give him honest employment; asso
ciates who will give him honest compa-
Hlons; and such sports and plays as, for
bearing to stimulates cupidity, will yield
him Innocent and healthy recreations.
Briefly, the gifts WHICH are OF most I'M
portance to the morals Of the young, are
employment, society and amnsemen,s. The
amusements, the plays OF children are
quite as essential to their morals as either
of the other-since the character of The
child is more likely to be developed and
shaped by his associates in play than by
any other influence. Yet these til, ec
things are the very last subjects Of con
sld@ation usually with the parent All
children should, at the earliest possible
period, be put to use. To be useful is one
OF the greatest of human virtues. With
the development Of the uses of the boy,
you exercise and develop his intellect and
musc!e-mind and body being equally
considered in the employments chosen for
him. These are to be chosen with refer.
\ ence to what of endowment he shows,
especially if there be anything peculiar in
his gift. And the work should always be
within the capacity of mind and body.
Neither is to be put to strain or tension
With the degree of responsibility thrown
upon him will he develop his characteris-
ties and arrive at usefulness; and to be
useful, rather than to be happy, is the
great end of life.
On Wednesday last, in pursuance of an
invitation from Gen. Hatch, Of the United