St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1867-04-26
No Place for the Boys.
A STORY FOR PARENTS.

There is much sound sense in the fol-
lowing extracts from an article in the
Mothers Magazine. The social evil refer
red to, is one too prevalent in the commu-
nifty, and to it may be attributed the ruin
Of many young man.
Does it not seem as if in some houses
there is actually no place for the boys:
We DO not mean the little boys-there is
ALWAYS room for them; they are petted
and carcsscd; there is a place for them
on papa's knee and at mammals fOOtstOOl.
if not in her arms; there are loving words,
and many. often too many, indulgences.
But the class we speak Of nov are the
s,hOol-Joys. great noisy, rOmping fellows.
who tread on your dress, and upset your
W0rk-baskct. and stand in your light, ana
whistle. and drum. and shout, and ask
questions. and contradict.
SO what is to be done with them: Do
they not want to be loved and cherished
now as dearly as they We're in that well
remembered time when they were little
ones. and were INDUCED, petted, and ca
ressed. But they are so noisy. and they
wear out The carpet with their thick boots,
and it is so quiet when they are gone. say
the tired mother. and the tastidious sister.
and the nervous aunt; "anything for
peace sake" so away 60 the boys to
loaf" on street corners. and listen to the
proianc and coarse language OF wicked
men. or to the unsafe ice. or to the rail
road station or the Wharyes. or the other
common places of rendezvous of those
who have nothing to do or no place to
stay. We protest against the usages of
those homes where the boys are driven
out because their presence is unwelcome.
and are seeded when they come in. or
checked, huyhcd, and restrained at every
Outburst Of merriment.
Mrs. Barton has four boys between the
ages of seven and commemorative. mer-
ry, intelligent lads. Their father is in his
store until late i'll TIL evening, very often.
and the boys are mostly under their moth
cr's training. When they choose to play
ont after school they do so. but within GER
tain limits. When they choose to stay in,
they ore made heartily welcome. There
Is no Seeding about the thick boots max
in@ Z noise or wearing out tie carpet. for
from their earliest days the law of the
house, has enforced the putting Off of the
boots and the putting on of the slippers
when they come in. There are books for
those who choose to read, and games for
those who choose to playwright and
warmth and pleasant words. sympathy
for all. and carc>scs for those who love
calcsscS, and c0mpanionship and CONVEX
sation for the elder ores who begin TO be
rompanionabe and discuss the question of
the day. Who believes that the sons of
such family will be willingly enticed into
haunts o.: Wichedness. or easily alienated
from the love Of such home?
Il Mrs. Gray. who calls vacation retq-
HDR. and doesn't see what il is for. and
who. when her children come in after
school, eXclaims, There. 60 out, and
don't let me see one Of You in here again
till supper time" should consider for a
moment that she is making home but a
sleeping-place for her children, and pre-
pairing the way for future modification
and sorrow. she would perhaps consider
before it is too late. \ remark of one of
her children might cnlighten her.
Mother doesn't love Us bit. She loves
Willie. though. because he's the baby"
But she won't when he is as old as we
are, says Charlie; shell drive him out
then just as she does u.s.
Rt Mrs. Gray does love her children
dearly. Ii any one doubts it. let him strike
or lnjurc one of them: or instead, let him
look into the family sitting-room at eleven
O'Clock on Saturday night, and see the
tired form as she bends to the basket of
stockings, or folds neatly the mended gar
mcuts, and brushes carefully the SUNDAY
suits. So much for the body: but how
with the impossible young hearts? She
makes them learn the Sunday school les
sons. and give them all New Years
present of bible. and then turns them
into the street. God pity the boys for
whom there is no place in the house!
The parents may do well who carefully
lay up money for their children. educate
them at school, and set them up in busi-
ness; but they do infinitely better who
never suffer the love that warmed the
cradle-side to grow cold, who lay aside
their own comfort and convenience to
make home attractive to their sons. and
send them out to fight the battle of life,
armed with lie panoply of firm principles.
and warmed and inyigorated by the cher
ishiug love whose vigils began at the era
die and will only end at the grave.