St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1872-03-29

And when that other evening comes,
out goes the boy again; and the father
again wonders. and wishes that John
would he steady and stay at home, and
very tcclingly predicts that. ''lf he does
not change his course. he will very like
~ come to IL miserable end.
But, good father, why should Your
boy spend his evenings at home? What
is there at home for him What pleas
ant recreation. what happy plan for
Willing away the hour, does he find in
viting him there, or that would invite
any boy there? What have you done
to make home attractive and winSomc
to him us JOhn's home He would like
amusementS suited to his young, rest
less, brlmming nature: how much real
Thought and care did you ever give in
schemes. devices, plans, efforts. with Il
view to meeting this passionate ycarn-
ing of his mind? How much do You
play with him, tell stories with him,
make riddles with him. talk with him
of what YOU have done and seen. of
what your father did and saw? What
games, what sports. what efforts ut skill
with slate and pencil. with knife, saw,
and gimlct, have you devised for him.
NHllt Npul looh anu Itlltbll were SdN lllB.
''My boy, | want you to love Your home
more than any other spot of earth"
But your boy is not all for sport ,
though i'll this evening hour he does
want IL change from the employmcnts of
the day. His eager mind is ever on the
alert to learn something. and if his mind
is guided he will take as much pleasure
i'll the acquisition of useful knowledge
as III that which is frivolous he will
quite as easily he led to the reading of
good us to the reading of trash. Now.
among the book shelves ofthe old house
how many shelves have you filled for
Your boy What books do fill them
You buy,-for YOU are the father. or
perhaps the kindred of that father had
talk with few weeks ago, ,-.you buy
for your own use, the Almanac. The
Gdcettcer, the Lires Of the -ipOstics, Scott's
Commentary. EmbIems Of Faith. IL His
tory Of the Var, Martin +. Tuppcr, the
Speeches Of Henry clay. and a picture of
Lincoln. But what for Your boy ! You
spend eight dollars il year for your daily
paper which you go to sleep over eve
ningS; as many dollars spent i'll suitable
reading for him. i'll each of the five
years past. would have given him Il
stock NOW which he would read and
read over again through the twilights of
summer and long evenings of winter.
But, mind You, II must he suitable read
ing. OF the books mentioned above.
You Yourself, do not read one, beside
the almanac and .ScOtfS Commentary.
And most certainly You do not expect
Your boy To read them. Here. then.
~ q, I,Inn nr titf.nn ,lnll.Irs wasted
And just i'll the same manner You can
fling away money in buy ing books for
John: books which he will not read and
which no boy will read. Books there
are, more than IL father will wish to buy
i'll one year. which any boy, quick.
active, hungcring, restless as NouI- is.
will sit down and read 10y the hour:
and Us he reads will loathc himself more
and more, ut remembering that he ever
cared To look into those places where
man and beast are Tor perhaps i'll strict
grammcr should say i~) entertained.
You sigh, d" You And y"u answer.
"All this sounds very we'll but t" car
ry ont such Il plan would cost some
thing" Indeed. 50 it would did not
think of that. Yet it is a matter that
should bc thought of. Let lis look at
IT. l'O YOU llN'- vi iI o.
don me. mean no otfenSe. Christian
fathers do sometimes make Use of it,.
suppose then yOU do. How much does
it cost YOU Ten cents Il day Too
much Then say (for | will take no
adNantagr) five cents Il day. think
YOU would rather have il ten cents: toI
five leaves me to infer that Nou smoke
very poor cigars. However. We will
stick to five. But five cents Il day
would Ice SlS.2j Il year. Eighteen dol
lars and twenty-five cents every wear
Except leap Year, when lou would put
in one more cigar. and which for the fun
of the thing you perhaps would pay ten
cents tnr) eighteen dollars and twenty
five cents every year turned into smoke
And You cannot afford to buy ten dol
lars worth of books in Il year for youI
boy,
''But | do not Use tobacco. the vile
stuff, you may possibly answer. And
it is no conclusive mark against onc'~
/ Christian character not to list ii though
you need not speak diSlespccttully of
| that which is the sweet morscl' of 81
many IL Christian. You do not use il.
then. But your neighbor does. My
eighhor-what have | to do with nv
ncighhor i'll the matter ," Don't he i'm
/ patient; just hear me il moment. Your
| neighbor does Use tobacco. if YOU do not
/ Now, if he can afford to burn up five OF
ten cents every day, twenty or forty
dollars every year, of his income, and
have nothing for it, how is it that You
cannot afford to spend half as much
money, and have boy for it at home,
happy, contentrd, and training up i'll
the way he should goe Is the dclicacy
of tobacco so priceless to your neighbor,
and is IL good, home-loving boy of 81
little worth to you? know you do not
think so. You love John, and will dc
anything for him.
Training up child in the way he
should walk unto the nd,-thc wisdom
of an old fogy three thousand years
ago,-is very much despised i'll this ad-
vanced age. Many Christian parent
has ii way of tiinging this drudgery of
from his own conscience upon the con-
science of charitable public. Th,
family is not the school of moral and
religious training it ought to be. The
evening hours for home enjoyment and
the Sabbath for culture are not given
it may he feared, lis they should be 10y
Christian parents. Our Sunday schools
with all their boast of good (and the,
boast not in vain,) have encouraged III
infinite evil in just this direction. Th,
father is weary with the toll of the week
and so, instead of training his child
himself, he sends the boy, or the girl
to the Sunday school; trusting (as ifhe
had lost his wits) that the dear publ,
will feel as much interest in his child az
he ought to feel.