Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1869-09-03


you see, how wicked and sinful it is to
stay away from school.
You ought to love your teachers very
much, too, and reverence them. When
| went to school the boys used to love
the teacher so much that they couldn't
bear to have him to even go out for a
minute, and they put shoemaker's wax
on his chair, SO as to hold him down.
Aud the teacher said be would never de-
sert us, never, never, but he would al,
ways stick to us. Aud then he used to
get down a club, about four feet long
with ferule on it, and do more sticking
than we thought was necessary. Still
we loved that teacher. and when he died,
the boys were so glad to see that he bad
a handsome coffin, that they fairly shout
ed for Joy.
And, my dear children, let me caution
you against the sin of letting your angry
passions rise. Fighting is very wicked
indeed A few years ago. / knew boy
who was squaling off and daring people
to fight him, and saying he could whip
them, more or less, all the time. And
what became of this wretched boy?
Why, one day he dared a fellow to knock
a chip off his shoulder, and the fellow
knocked it, aud did much more knock
ing besides. so that the boy was taken
deathly sick and couldn't bulge out Of
his bed for six weeks. So that the boy
actually wished that he had never seen
that particular chip or any other chip in
the whole course of his life. But he went
round and bought brass barreled pistol,
and got some other boys to make Sc
cret society and draw up a constitution.
And they all swore to have revenge. But
nothing much ever came of it, for the
fellow who knocked off the chip was
big boy, and, of course, as fast as the So
ciety boys grew big, he grew bigger, so
they thought perhaps they'd better let
him alone.
But this boy had wicked heart; and
when he was sent for milk be would al
ways manage to drink about half of it,
and he was also very much in favor of
his mothers preserves. But his strong
point was cats and dumb brutes. Why,
once be smeared two cats over with tur-
pentine and tied them together and hung
them over clothes line, and then set them
on fire. But it always comes back one
day, my dear children, and when this
boy grew up and got married millions
and millions of cats used te come and
yowl and tear all night in his yard, and
have kittens in his cellar, and in his en-
try and in the kitchen, and all over the
house, so that this man was stricken with
anguish and remorse.
Another thing, boys, I want to eau
ton you against, and that is ever going
to the theater or circus. | know boys
who always 90 to see the show and creep
10 Cader the teut. But they generally
come to bad ends, and tiger, or bye: q,
or some wild animal or other is absolutely
certain to rush out and grab them by the
pants sooner or later.
Then. as for the theater. there was
once boy l knew who got very seri-
Gus talking to from the Sunday school
teacher about the wickeduess of the the
alter, but this boy was depraved, aud he
went down to the theater the very next
night, and what did he see? What do
you think that sinful boy saw? Why be
actually saw that very identical teacher
sitting with his arm around girl in the
bsrquet circle! That's so. and if this
boy had stayed at home he would never
have been as much shocked and mortified
as he was.
So be very careful to keep away from
all such places. Why, | recol Iect just as
distinctly as if it had been to morrow, a
boy who ran away one Sunday morning
and instead of going to school, he went
boating on the river, and he hadn't
been gone long before fearful storm
cane-which wouldn't have come if he
had gone to school-and the boat was
upset, and this miserable boy was nearly
drowned. But now listen to the result,
All! my dear children, wickedness is al
ways punished. and this boy got to hate
water so much that he never drank a
drop afterward that he couldn't help and
he used to drink rum, and he died and fill
ed drunkard's grave.
1t IS also very improper to use tobac
co. | had second cousin who went out
and got chew of tobacco when he was
a boy, and he came home and chewed
it, and sat down by the stove and he got
sicker and sicker, and whittier and whittier,
and when his fond mother asked him
what was the matter with him, he said
he guessed he must have taken a slight
cold, aud then he went out and threw
up with this wicked lie upon bis lips; he
threw up until you'd thought his inter-
iors were constructed of floating debris
aud refuse matter.
1t never works to be bad boy of this
description, but if all you children mind
what am saying to you, you'll never
be bad boys, and don't believe the girls
ever will any how. But mind you
mustn't be too good. Casabianca was
too good and he died miserably. George
Washington was good and he died, and
all the good boys that ever lived died.
So you'd better be just little good, and
when you grow up may be you'll all get
to be President. The girls, of course,
wont, but l suppose some of them may
be can 60 to Congress BY that time,
and then you can blacken one another's
characters as much as you've mind to.