Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-12-02
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FOR BOYS.
A Fathers Letter to his Son.

A Fathers Letter to his Son.
Ny DEAR SoS:-Pcrhaps you
have thought that because l am
rather n silent man, and do not very
often write you letter, that have
not much feeling and do not take
interest in you. But no one knows
how closely | am watching my boy
as time is bringing him up from
boyhood to manhood.
Sometimes your grandmother
worries about your being where
there may be bad boys. But 1 tell
her that among so many there must
be both good and bad, and if you
choose the bad you show very poor
judgment. l think if a boy picks
| out bad companions, it shows there
is something bad in himself.
She says | ought to keep giving
you good advice, now you are just
starting in life, and charge you to
! be honest and truthful and SO forth.
| tell her that would be something
as it would be if YOU were just
starting on pleasant journey, and
should say, "Now William Henry,
don't Put out your own eyes at the
beginning, or cut the cords of your
legsn' Do you see what l mean?
A boy that is not honest and truth
full puts out his own eyes and Grip
pies himself at the very beginning.
There is good deal said about
arriving at honor and distinction.
don't want you to think about
ar7fring at honor. l want you to
take honor to start with. And as
for distinction, man in the long
run is never distinguished for any
thing but what he really is. So
make up your mind just what you
want to pass for and be it. For YOU
will pass for what you are, not what
you try to appear. Go into the
woods and see how easily you can
tell one tree from another You
see oak-leaves on one, and you know
that is oak all the way through.
You see pinc-needles on another,
and you know that is pine all the
way through. A pine-tree may
want to look like an oak, and try to
look like an oak, aud think it does
look like an oak, as it can't see it.
self. But nobody is cheated. So =
rascally fellow may want to appear
fair and honest, and try to appear
fair and honest, as he can't see him
self. But, in the long run, nobody
is cheated. For you can read q
mans character about as easy as
you can the leaves on the trees.
Sometimes | sit down in grocery
store and hear the neighbors' talked
about, and It's curious to find how
well everybody is known. 1t seems
as if every man walked round label
led, as you may say, same as pre-
serve-jars are labelled, "currant,"
''quince," &c. Only he don't know
what his label is. Just as likely as
not he may think his label is "quince
marmaladc," when it is only pick
led string-beans."
just SO with boys. Grown folks
notice boys a great deal, though
when was a boy Inever knew they
did. The little affairs of playtime
and schooltime, and their home
ways are all talked over, and by the
time boy is twelve years old it is
pretty we'll known what sort Of y
man he will make.
Now don't mistake my meaning.
| don't want you to be true because
people will know it if you are not,
but because it is right and noble to
be SO. want you to be able to re-
spect Yourself Never do anything
that YOU like yourself any the less
for doing.
\ boy of your age is old enough
to be looking ahead some, to sec
what he is aiming at. ! don't sup
pose you want to drift like the sea-
weed, that lodges wherever the
waves toss itup! Set up your mark,
and good high one. And be sure
and remember that, as a general
thing, there is no such thing IS
luck. Ii y man seems to be lucky
merchant or lawyer or anything
else, It's because he has the talent,
the industry, the determined will,
that makes them so. People see
the luck, but they don't always see
the taking pains" that's behind it..
remember You wrote us q letter
once, and spoke Of nice house,
with nice things inside, that you
meant to have by "trying hard
enough" There's a good deal in
that. We've got to try hard and
try long and try often and try again,
and keep trying. That house ncver'll
come down to you. You've got to
climb up to it step by step.
l don't know that have anything
to say about the folly Of riches. On
the contrary, l think tits very good
plan to have money enough to buy
books and other things worth hay
ing. l don't see why y man can't
be getting knowledge and growing
better at the same time he is grow
ing richer. Some poor folks have a
prejudice against rich folks.
haven't any. Rich people have
follies, but poor people copy them
if they can. That is to say, ws
f often see poor people making as big
, fools of themselves as they can, with
the means they have. Money wont
hurt you, Billy, so long as you keep
common sense aud true heart
From the Htfiians Henry Letters
, ~ O.~ Young Folks
, Train is Indifferent as to who
, leaves the hall while he is speaking
: Like Tennyson's Brook, men may
: come and men may go, hut he runs or