Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-07-21
BOYS.
A WOman's View OF the Training
They Require.

WOman'S view OF the framing
They Require.
To the Editor of the Brooklyn Eagle.
Some remarks that have appeared in
your paper lately on the training of boys
have greatly interested me, and if not in
truding l should like to bear my testimony
A few years since, 1 was engaged as special
teacher in several primary schools in one of
the wards of New York city. Every
alternate week about fifteen hundred
boys came under my instruction, which
was given in short, simple lectures.
The subjects taught were ysrioug;
among them was the huD ian
body. The manner in which the BOYS
received these lessons on the bod'y i'm
pressed me deeply. When l ey planned
in words suited to their capacity some
thing of its wonderful mechanism, and of
Gods loving wisdom in its Construction,
and of its sacredness as a redeemed body,
and of the respect we should pay toward
it as His work, and the home of the soul;
and then proceeded to develop their per-
ceptions of the truth that as He had
created it so He loved to provide for it
still, and wished US to take good care of
it, and would surely call US TO account for
the way we had used it, even as they
themselves would cali any one to account
to whom they had intrnsted any prop
erty of their own, was surprised at the
earnest attention they gave me. And it
was not confined to any one class of boys;
all classes were equally interested. There
was undoubtedly willingness to receive
the instruction offered. remember saving
to a teacher one day, just after finishing this
subject 81 am satisfied that if these boys
grow I'D to be bad men, the cause must be
found in parental neglect, for have found
the boys in all the schools Just as attentive
to my words, just as willing to learn how
to be good as the girls--I cannot discover
the least difference" And among my
intimate friends L number four mothers
who have brought up their boys and girls
under the same moral restraints, and the
young men are now fully equal to their
sisters, while at the same time they possess
strength OF manly character never found
with men of wicked principles. MAD y
parents are enduring inexpressible agony
through the bad conduct of their soEs, who
might be rejoicing over their Integrity if
they had only been as thoughtful for them
as for their girls. 1t is common in families
to see sisters holding good 70 oral positions,
while the brothers are living dishonorable
lives or have gone to dish0nored graves,
and in all human probability there is no
hope for many OF our boys unless they can
have more help in self-government. And
no doubt numbers of these men who
have broken Ged's physical laws have ex-
claimed in anguish when they cOmpre-
hended their degradation, 'If father or
mother had only told me that such fearful
possibilities were in my nature, so that
could have struggled against them in timeP'
Train boy in the proper respect for bis
body, that respect which Christianity de-
mands from its followers, inform him at the
right time of the dangers before him, and
how he may know them, and few, very few,
bows will choose life of degradation. Null
titudes fall at first through ignorance OF
the perils in their path, and Of the man
ner in which they may be avoided Oh
overcome. They have never been pre-
pared for the Christian battle Of life that
overcomes evil with good, scarcely been
warned that there is any evil to be over
come, and in the sight Of God the parents
of these must be held responsible. May
God hasten the time when cur boys will
be considered as valuable as our dollars
and our dresses, and when all parents will
give as much earnest thought to the moral
training of their sons as fathers now give
to the investment of money, and mothers
to the trimming of apparel. FL. NJ. NJ.