The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1869-06-24
GRowL NO. 3,

and ON satisfied that il you had given
it a second snd caImsr perusal you
would not have bsen so harsh; bu! then
you have Os COOL right 10 growI as [
have, and am only sorry that you do
not growl both loud and deep whenever
you see tho leost occasion, Indeed, it ia
your duty, as a public journals! and
guardian of morality, to do SO.
1t has become o custom from long
habit | suppose, for the young men of
the town, aud some lew Of tie elders TOO,
TO collect in crowds al certain places on
the side walk, in the evening of aImos!
every day. but more particularly on the
Sabbath Al the FIRST blush This may
seem harmless enough, but the fac! is
that it is ono Of the most dangerous
things 10 the morals Of the youth of any
community that can be prOclced. |! is
we'll known that nothing but necessity
or amusement will keep crowd of men
together for any length of Tine. Now,
what necessity is there for crowd Of
men standiug, sometimes for hours, in
front of the Post Office when there ia no
mail and none expected VIII 1t neces.
sity is there for crowd, perched upon
the railing, like parcel of chickens
al roos, in front Of the Register Office.
Sabbath after Sabbath almost as regu
larly as tho day comes! There is none,
There can be none. Consequently it
must be amusement 1t may be said
that there is no harm ia amusement, but
sir that depends altogether upon the
kind Of amusement. Now let Us see in
what kind Of amusement they are induI,
glng. Hero is crowd d ten or fifteen
men occupying the whole pavement in
front Of the Post Office and half do.
zen or more boys are standing around,
eagerly listening to every word that is
spoken. Some one is telling o story,
not on instructive, innocent, entertain
ing story fit for the ears of men or youth,
but some vile, filthy, vulgar, disgusting
story, which even those who take most
delight in telling in such crowds as
those for the sake OF raising loud laugh
and guffaw, would blush to be obliged to
relate at their own fresidea. And boys
standing around with goPping mouths
eagerly listen to and earn all these i'm
modest stories which they in turn re
peat to their compsnons.aRd not unfrn
quently they aslonish their mot hers o.
sisters BY repeating some story which
they have learned a. these "sociaI gath,
erings," 1t is but natural that The boys
should think that whatever The men do
or say is not only right and eminently
proper, but manly. "As the old cock
crows the young ones learn" Every.
thing 10 learned by imitation, even the
child learns 10 speak its mothers lang
uage by hearing it spoken II has been
demonstrated beyond doubt by aclu
al experiments that a human being sep
araied from mankind before il learus to
talk, and kept so separated until il
grows TO manhood, will neither be able
10 speak word itself nor understand
anything that is said to it. Is it any
wonder then, that we have a few bad
boys 10 the town, nay, is it not won
der that there are not more? This is not
the only bad feature there is about this
practice. If lady happens 10 pass,
some Que is almost sure 10 mako what he
considers a witty remark about her, and
although she may not hear what is said,
she does hear the laugh that follows,
and always knows that by tho laugh it,
self that something has been said about
her and that she is being laughed at.-
1t is unpleasant and embarrassing TO be
laughed at by our friends when we know
the cau,e of it, aud infinitely more so
when we do not. and the laughing is
done by crowd OF whom more than
oue'haIf may be strangers. There are
other evils attending this practice which
| may growl at in tho future.
ASH.
OFFICIAL.
By he Presidential The United States Of