The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1874-07-19
mernlng Star and Catholic Messenger.
JUVENILE COLUMN.
THE Do-NoTHINas.

THE DO-rOTaIN}S.
s The Do-Nothings are a very numeroue
Esmily some members of it are found In
III parts of the country and there are very
Il in attendance as pupils. They are known
Il by their slow and listless steps, their un-
4 tidy appearance, and tho want of anima-
y tion and interest in their faces. They dc
not do anything, whether work or play,
Il with o hearty goodwill.
hands and faces are not always clean
their clothes look as if they had been half
%put on. They are always in q hurry, and
h yet always behindhand. They are some
times absent from school, and often tardy
but for every neglect of duty they always
have some sort OF an excuse.
;.H A boy of this family gets up in the morn :
ing late, dresses himself in q hurry, and
Ss<emes down stairs little out of humor
= fom the feeling that he has begun the day
trong. The family breakfast is over, and
ne is obliged to take his alone which does
*he has French lesson to learn before
school but he is attracted by a new pic
ture-book which had been brought home
the day before for one of his little brothers,
and he takes it up, meaning only to look
over the pictures. But he becomes in
after another. and at last nine O'Clock
strikes before he is aware of it.
He snatches up his hat and books, and
hastens to school as fast as possible but
he is late in spite of his hurry, and is
marked for hardness. 1t takes him some
cover from the heat and furry of coming
to school SO fast. He at first proposes to
learn the French lesson, which he ought
to have done at home but after studying
q few momente, he finds some leaves mis-
sing from his dictionary. He tries to
borrow one from neighbor, but in vain
so he becomes discouraged, and thinks he
will do few sums in arithmetic.
He takes out his slate, and begins to wash
it spending much more time in this pro-
cess than is necessary. he tries sum and
cannot do it, and thinks it the fault of
the pencil. So he proceeds to sharpen that
with great deliberatien, making every
agreeable, grating sound. When this op-
Grafton is over, he looks at the clock, and
sees that it will soon be time to recite in
geography, of which he has not learned
any thing.
4 He puts up his slate, pencil, and arith-
metic, and takes out his geography and
atlas. BY the time these are opened and
spread before him, he hears band of
music in the street. His seat is near the
window, and he wastes some precious
minutes in looking at the soldiers as they
pass by. He has hardly made any pro-
gress in his study Of geography when he
is called up to recite. He knows very
little of his lesson, gives wrong answers to
the questions put to him, and gets bad
mark.
= Soon after this, the class in French to
which he belongs goes up to recite. This
blunders sadly when called upon to an
swer. He goes back to bis desk in an un-
happy state of mind, and takes up his |
arithmetic once more. But he feels dis
satisfied with himself, and cannot fix his |
attention upon his task. He comes to the |
conclusion that he has got headache,
which is very common excuse with him,
and that he cannot study. So he puts |
a cover upon enc of his books, and writes
a note to one of his young friends about
going to concert; and when this is over
the bell for dismissal rings.
And this half day may be taken as fair
sample of the whole echool-life of Master |
Do Nothing. It is long succession of
lessons half learned, of sums half done, of
blotted copybooks, of absences and tardi-
portunities. Most of the annoyance which
teachers snffer in the discharge of their
duties, comes from boys and girls of this
family. They have two seemingly opposite
traits they are always idle and yet always
restless. They move about on their seats,
of postures. They talk with their fingers
and keep up a constant whispering and
buzzipg with their lips, which disturbs
scholars and teachers alike.
The boys are very expert in catching
flies, and moulding pieces. of paper into
the shape of boats or cooked hats. They
draw figures upon their states, and scribble
upon the fly leaves of their books. In
summer they are afflicted with a constant
thirst, and in winter their feet and hands
are always cold. Both boys and girls are
apt to be troubled with drowsiness in the
daytime and yet they are very reluctant
to go to bed when the proper hour comes.
They are fond of laying the fault of their
own indolepce upon the weather they
would have learned their lessen if it had
not been SO hot, SO cold, or 80 rainy.
There is one remarkable peculiarity
shis eaye S0y and gr
Something's, the members Of which are
always glad to welcome deserters from the
The boys and girls of the
family are always busy,
always cheerful working heartily when
they work, and playing heartily when they
play. They are neat in their appearance,
and punotual in attendance upon school