Oregon Republican. [volume] (Dallas, Or.) 1870-1872, 1871-11-18
q he Orf9on 9epublir
DALLAS, SATURDAY, NOV. Is.
THE LEISURE TIME oF BOYS.

there is a time in the life of his boys
that gives him much trouble and some
anxiety. We allude to the period of
boyhood when exubersn of spirit and
thoushtlessness are at their height, and
when the studies imposed by school
discipline are entirely insufficient to find
adequate employment for their too ac
tive minds and bodies. And it is not
possible, or even desirable, to increase
the already considerable application of
all veil bred boys to the study of books
and the requirement Of learning. 1t is
not 10 be wished thata youth of twelve
or fourteen should grow up to be con
ceited wonld-be pedant of twenty, and
bookYqrm of thirty years of age
Thus the task of finding fitting occupa-
tion for the leisure hours of a boy is no
inconsiderable one, as few pursuits
into which. boy would plunge with
eagerness are suited for putting in the
way of so much impulsiveness and want
of consideration as most boys possess.
The question, then, of how to amuse
our boys is one of paramount import
ance and difficulty.
We would suggest to the many
parents who have been perplexed with
this difficulty to give their lads every
possible opportunity Of acquiring the
use of tools, in order to fit him to follow
some mechanical trade. The industry
and ingenuity of boy of average abil-
ity may easily be made to furnish him
with never failing source OF amuse-
ment of the best order. The boy who
can produce or make something, at
once begins to feel that he is somebody
In the world, that the achievement Of
result is not q reward reserved for
grown people only. And the education
of the mind, eye and hand. which the
use of tools and mechanical ap plianccs
furnishes, is of great and real value
beyond the good resulting from the
occupation of leisure time Having
nothing to do is as great snare to the
young as it is to the full grown ard
no greater benefit can be conferred on
youths than TO teach them to convert
time now wasted, and often worse than
wasted, into pleasant means of recre
alton and mental Improvement.
We say, therefore, to all parents,
provide your boys with mechanical ap-
paratus and tools. There is no greater
pleasure to most boys than the hand
ling Of tools and many great men and
ingenious inventors look back with
gratitude and delight to the day when
they were first allowed to use the lathe,
the saw and the plane.
The expense is not great, and it
would furnish family of boys with an
occupation into which they would all
enter with alacrity, and which will in
struct them in two most important
branches of education, namely, quick
ness of eye and docility of hand. And,
further, it will develop any latent ge-
MUS they may have for the mechanical
and constructive arts, which are, now
more than ever, the most important
means to the progress of mankind
The training of the intellect in some I
handicraft will have sautory effect on
a boys character. AS logic and mathe
matics teach men the habit of using
their reflective powers Systematically, |
so carpentry, turning ard other arts are
of high Importance, even if the boxes
and spools made are of little value.
These occupations teach boys to think,
to proceed from initial causes to results.
and to observe their effects; and to
acquire knowledge by actual experi>
ment; which is the best way of learning
anything. All the theories culled out
of books leave an impress on the mind
and memory which is slight compared