Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-05-21
Some Hints to Young People.

ing man.
Some Hints to Young People.
ONE of the first questions which a
young person, just starting out in life
should ask, is, "How can [ learn to be use
| fu1 in society, so that when [ leave the
world I may feel that [ have not lived in
vain?n There is an Unreasonable dis
| lance between the man who is always an
| idler or drone, who never does any good to
/ others, and who is so helpless that he has to
have some one else constantly to wait upon
/ him. and the man who is constantly use
| full is ready to help everybody, and who
carries comfort and sunshine wherever he
Goes We see the difference between these
| two classes Of persons in their very count
| enances [ have seen this difference more
particularly in young women. While one
was all animation and sunshine in pleas
ant society, or all kindness and sympathy
in times Of sickness and trouble, the other
had a dull, sour and forbidding express
sion of countenance, with little to please,
or to add to the happiness Of others. In
| the one, we could see soul of kindness
beaming from the eye; in the other mere
ly frivolity when good-natured, or sour
ness when displeased.
| IHtI0 Is d I0dSCu lOI oil WIS., OIIC Vi
the truest sources of happiness, is to help
others. When one feels low spirited or
/ Respondent it is an excellent thing to 90
and assist some one in distress. Themost
truly benevolent are always more happy
/ than the utterly selfish. This is proved
/ by infallible authority, for at is more
blessed to give than to receive" Now,
the means of being useful are not learned
in a single day. Usefulness is an art that
must be acquired by study and perfected
| by practice. The young man who has
studied mathematics and the languages,
English literature and elocution, has
learned but a small portion of what he
| should know, SO as to be useful to himself
and those about him. He should not only
be able to put into practice in the best
manner all that he has thus learned, but
| he must acquire many things not wholly
learned from books OF in schools One of
the first things to acquire is personal neat
ness, so that he may not be an annoyance
to his friends. He should be able to dress
himself, black his own boots,, sew on a
button, and keep all his clothes in perfect
order and neatly in place, and when he
comes in from outdoors he should see
that he is not defiling the floor or carpet
i by muddy boots, which he should either
clean or exchange for slippers. Besides
these accomplishments, he should know
how to make bed, wind a watch, cut his
| brothers hair, build a fire, whitewash
wall, regulate a clock, and put up pack
| age neatly to send by express. He should
/ know how to mend broken tools and
| sharpen table-knives. He should be able
to carve dexterously, and to wait on table
| He should harness a horse readily, grease
! a wagon, and drive team. If he lives in
the country, he should be able to milk
the COWS, shear the sheep, and when nee
essary dress veal or mutton. He should
/ pillow handsomely, SOW grain and grass
seed, manage mower and reaper, swing
a scythe skillfully, build a load Of hay
| and a neat stack, and use deXteriouslY the
| horse-rake and tedder He should like
wise be able to reckon money and keep
accounts accurately; write neat, appro-
| pirate, and briefly expressed business let
ter, in good hand, and fold and super
/ scribe it properly; and to write contracts
| The young man who is ready to do all
| these can make himself useful not only to
/ himself, but to every one about him, and
| he will be welcomed wherever he goes. -
/ I have heard some boys say they did not
want to milk, and that it was girls or
women's business. [ knew family where
| this opinion ruled. The woman of the
house did the milking; but one day she
was Frustrated by sickness. The country
was new and there were no neighbors at
hand. Here was dilemma-not boy or
man could milk. It was finally settled
and the cow was driven into the sick
woman's room and by her bed, and she
was propped up and did the milking
Every man who lives on farm, even if he
expects to employ laborers for all his
work. should be slzillful plowman, and
he can then advise and help his men.
Some years ago there was a great national
trial of plews in England The Duke of
Richmond was chairman Of the judges,
and it was remarked that he held the
| plows with his own hand with consum-
mate skill.
How much happiness the young man
might confer on others who should pos
sess the accomplishments already de-
| scribed-and this happiness would gener-
ally react upon him with interest; and
how incomparably better would these all
| be- and more worthy of the love and re-
Ispect of his friends, than the empty-head-
| ed, selish-hearted boys accomplishments,
who know only how to drive fast horses
smoke offensive cigars, play games of
cards, and talk nonsense to foolish young
ladies' at parties
| And what should every girl, or young
lady (if she prefers the name) be able to
do? She should not only have good lit
erary and scientific education, to expand
her mind, improve her capacity, and be
useful to others by her intelligence, but
she should be familiar with more common
| accomplishments. She should be dexter
Gus IN sewing and knitting in mending
clothes neatly, in making beds, in wash
ing dishes, in sweeping carpets, trimming
lamps, and in plain cooking and making
bread; and she should keep her room,
closets and drawers neatly in order. She
should know how to run sewing machine,
to make and mend a dress and children's
clothes. She should be ready to keep &C
counts and calculate interest; to write,
fold, and superscribe letters properly; to
nurse the sick, and not faint at the sight of
blood; and to be comforter in an unos-
| tentations way to those who are in trouble,
and be ready to render aid to the distressed
| or destitute She should be ready to re-
celve and entertain visitors when her
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