The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-08-21
A Plea for Boys,

Ihackeray once SAID N0 meyer met
hoy without wanting to give him {
sovereign. can as truly affirm that
never see one of the arrant creatures
glowing with mirth and mischief, with
out desire to take him in my arms
But 1 am not so ignorant of boy nature
as to suppose that my de nonstratiou
would be welcome as Thackeray's
If warfare were my forte, | would arm
myself cap-a pie, don a uniform, anC
march forth champion for that per-
secuted class, who are the terror of pious
grandmOthers, nervous aunts, and
sensitive cats--namely, boys. And per-
haps no uniform in this service would
be more in place than the broad mantle
of charity; for certainly in boy nature
if anywhere, we find multitude OF
sins to cover. Withal, there is an IN
detinabIe something called loVableness
that is invariably the heritage of boy
hood, Hidden it may be in the very
earth of his nature, many strates beneath
the surface, but not too deep for loving
heart to discern or skillful, patient
fingers to separate from dross and
transmlte into pure gold l meyer sect
aC an examination or exhibition, boy
in the pride and flush of school triumph
without feeling a throbbing, futterina
desire for some kind OF ownership in
him. should like, for instance, to be
his grandmother, and looking approval
through my tear-dimmed spectacles,
pat him on the head. But as an instant
check on this desire there always recuFs
to me piece of boy philosophy once
delivered in my presence, and which
has the effect to make me somewhat
doubtful about the felicity of ownership
in boy. The philosopher in question
was my friend Willie. a very Bacon
he was, for, at nine Yeas of age, he was,
the meanest, wisest, brightest boy in
school. He stood before me a culprit
for some habitual offence. There was
one avenue to his heart Enclosed, one
tender place that never failed to bleed
when touched; for which reason [ held
it sacred and seldom entered. 1t was
his love for his mother; and through it
to>day, as a last resort, l determined to
make an appeal and remind him of the
heart pangs he caused her daily. |
shall never forget how imploringly the
great blue eyes were turned toward me.
Slowly they filled with tears. An old
look came into the child's face as he
said with Iudicrous gravity, 81 know
il; and tell you there is one thing that
hope Twill never be, and that is another.
They feel so when a boy does wrong.
You don't catch father at it," And
with that he slowly thrust his hands in
to his pockets, and boy fashion whistled
tune to hide his emotion. The child
spoke more wisely than he knew, as
many heart broken mother can testi-
fy. Mahomet sat by the gate at Damas-
Gus and refused to enter, saying, ''Man
cannot have two para 1ises." Had the
gate yielded to his touch, he would-ha
found the old city this "emerald sur
rounded by pearls, " with its enchanting
distant view, paradise only in name.
Yet am of the opinion that next to
being boy ones self, the most enviable
destiny is to be his friend or instructor.
You will search far to find more varied
entertainment, more striking Originate
ty or more amazing stupidity ttnnan the
boy kingdom affords. You must rise
early and live long to find a holder
champion than the gallant boy-friend,
who, for SOME unforgotten benefit re.
ceived, has enlisted hi.,nselt in Won,
cause ~ attract boy there are GER
tain qualities undeniably essential.
Without them all effort will be wasted
all energy misdirected. First, you must
not be too good; especially must you
not be too narrow in that goodness, for
against the tyranny OF narrow minded
ness the healthy boy>nature instantly
rebels. Hence it may be fortunate both
for you and him if you are neither a
Puritan or Quaker. If you have not
somewhere in your nature latent spark
of humanity and a modified respect for
original sin, you may as well abandon
all thought of winning or controlling a
boy. If you would not be the victim o.
endless jokes and boy pranks, you must
have keen sense of humOr; tor let him
once discover that you relish joke, and
he will leave you TO your ease, and di-
rect his batteringram against those not
so strongly fortified, the SOlemn-eyed
and sober. If you have the delicate sen
sibilities of Ruskin, unmodified by
any carnal prac5icability, do not, L inn
plore you, set your affection on boy
for while hungry girl will rhapsodize
about the stars to please you, hungry
boy will not hesitate to tell you he wish
es they were one and all smoking no
biscuit. After all it is the open-hearted
frank simplicity of the boy-nature tina
attracts us; his entire lack of duplicity
1t is not that he is better than a gIrl-hl
is Il thousand times worse-but he il
more defined, more certain. A girl is
like the Platonic theory-beautiful anC
grand, no doubt, but too full of intrica
cies to be reduced to solution. A boy i
like the Rule of Three. He may puzzl
YOU at first. but there is always tn
hope of his finally coming to plain, IA
tional, consistent conclusion. If ho
labeled honey or white wine, you fut
him honey or white wine, and nc
| treacle or arsenic. When he is sensus
or gross, there is nobody so sensual an
| gross as he He will sell his birthrigh
! for mess of pottage and chuokle owe
/ his bargain. When he is noble an
manly, he is so Without purpose or de
| sign, simply from the fine impulse {
| his nature. There is no contradictio
abOut him, no mystery. He neve
| nourishes secret woe, signs like tul
| mace or closes his lipS in dumb despai
Ii he is angry, he expresses his sent
ments in a fight, If he is in love, he
enthusiastically open, publishing tt
affair without restraint, defacing all b
school books with his sweetheart
name and projections, and very oftel
like Thackeray's hero, by his bold o
biography, making her an angle instea
of an angel. As for plumbers, there
nobody can commit as many, al
through them all carry as brazen fro
as the school boy. His belief in himse