Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-01-01
Our Boys.

Dio Lewis has written a work for " Our
Girls" and numerous others have criticized
the . Girl of the period :" but no one, to
my knowledge, has yet told us what to do
with our boys.
Ali the way from the cradle up to wom-
anhood, girl seems to fall naturally into
her place, or the place assigned her, and
never appears to feel awkward or in the
way But there is period in the life of
boy, when neither be, his guardian or
friends know where be belongs, nor how
he should be treated. \ girl giides nat
urally along from childhood to womanhood;
and some times in this fast age so aridly
that you almost conclude that the period
of girlhood is left out entirely. With
boys, it is very different. There is time
in a boys lie when be seems to feel that
he is out of place everywhere. And at
this very time, when he needs sympathy
the most, as a rule he gets the least Of it.
He is too big to be petted ike baby,
and not large enough to be treated as
man. He is too boisterous to be in the
parlor the cook sends him out of the
hIlCuSD. DGCduSt uC dehS tUO many dut .
ton; the father is to much engrossed in
business to notice him, or give employ
ment OF direction to his active, inquiriDg
mind ; the mother is too busy preparing
danities for his stomach, or fiounces for his
s;ste S dress. to pay much attention to
her sons brain or heart, and as a natural
consequence he goes into the street. The
education he receives there is soon made
manifest.
To me, there comes a question. deep
and momentous " What shall | do to
save my boy from the snares that are laid
for his feet ?"
One thing have determined on, and
that is | will never, knowingly, by ,cord
or decd, cause him to feel that he is in my
way in the house he calls home. Not
even though my carpets be soiled by mud
dy boots, and my best furniture marred
by finger marks. 1t were better that my
carpets be soiled and worn, and my best
furniture be scratched or broken, than that
the immortal soul, which God has intrus-
ted to my keeping, should become Scared
aud mired by the vileness which is found
in our streets and public places of resort.
Soiled and worn furniture may be repaired
or replaced by neW, but the soul once scar
red and disfgured by sin can never be
what it might have been, had it been
shielded a little more carefully during these
few years Of youth, when it was so pliable
to every touch.
| have no doubt but there are many
mothers who feel this great question press
ing upon them in all its responsibility, and
yet with feeling that they are unable to
solve the problem.
While boys are under six or seven years
Of age they are generally almost entirely
under the care Of the mother but after
that period they seem to gradually drift
out from under her influence, and unless
the father is ueru watchful they are finally
left to pursue their own way oftentimes
to the sorrow of their friends and their
own destr uction.
But is this necessarily so? May not
mothers still continue to exercise the same
influence over their grown sons that they
do over their daughters? think they
may and yet | speak, not from my own
personal experience, but from the fact that
some mothers do retain this influence over
their sons, even after they have arrived at
the years of maturity.
For some time this question has been
weighing upon me, but l was awakened to
deeper thought on the subject as MY own
boy came to me on my return from attend
ing our Annual Conference, and proudly