Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1874-04-02
Ghildren's department.

That young man who thinks that he can
lead reckless and profigate life until he
becomes middle aged man, and then repent
and make good and steady citizen, is delu-
ded by the devil. He thinks that people are
all fools and destitute of memory. He con-
cludes that when he repents, everybody will
forget that he was once dissipated wretch.
This is not the case. People remember our
bad deeds and forget our good ones. Besides,
it is no easy thing to break up, in middle age,
bad habits which have been formed in youth.
When horse contracts the habit Of baking,
he generally retains it as long as he lives. He
will often perform we'll enough until the
wheel gets into deep hole, and then he stops
and looks back. Just so it is with boys who
contract bad habits. They will sometimes
leave off their bad tricks and do we'll enough
until they get into tight place, and then they
return to the old habit. Of those boys who
contract the habit of drunkenness, not one in
every thousand dies sober man. The only
way to break up a bad habit is never to con-
tract it. The only way to prevent drunken
ness is never to learn to drink.
lorlginal.l
Once there was class of four little boys,
all about the same size and Of the same age.
They had kind parents, who were anxious
that their children should be prepared TO
take positions of honor and usefulness in so
ciety. The boys we're sent to school to a
spirited teacher, who made every effort to ad-
vance his pupils. When lesson was we'll
prepared and spiritedly recited, he praised
them; but when they came up and grunted
and stammered and said what they knew of
the lesson through the nose, the teacher lost
his temper, and said great many harsh
things, and sometimes threatened that he
would resort to the rod. Three of the boys
we're spirited little fellows, and were not long
in discovering that when they did their duty
they were praised, and that it was only when
they wasted their time, and neglected their
lessons, that they were treated harshly by
their teacher Each of the three formed the
resolution that they would try. They faith
fully put the resolution into practice. Every
lesson that was assigned them, they went to
work to prepare. The teacher soon saw that
they were trying, and he likewise determined
to render them every assistance in his power.
There was a mutual trying. The teacher
tried and the three boys tried. 1t was not
long until the teacher began to speak of the
three boys to every one he met. Soon they
became known all over the whole community.
Every body had some word of praise to utter
about the three boys.
The fourth boy was surly, contrary crea-
ture, and determined not to try. When
lesson was given the class, he would say it was
"too hard, or "too long," or he "could not
understand it," or he chad never been that
far before" The invariable conclusion to
which he came, was that he would not, for
some one of the reasons given, try to get it.
When he came up to recite, he was stubborn
and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. looked mad. The
other boys always turned their faces toward
him when he was asked question, and lis
tened to hear laughable answer given.
Many good laugh was in this way afforded
to the class and to the whole school. In
very short time he dropped behind. The
teacher become disheartened, and concluded
that nothing could be made out of him, and
Just let him alone.
The after-hstory of this class is interesting.
The three boys that tried, when they were
bare.footed lads, to learn their lessons, are
trying yet. They stand fair in the communi-
ty in which they live. Multitudes of persons
speak of them individually, and say he was
bright and spirited boy when in school.
The fourth boy is the same contrary drone
to-day that he was when boy in school.
His motto then was, 81 won't try" and he
still retains it, Everybody has some funny
thing to tell about him. His ignorance is a
by-word. When boy, he was no account to
himself, and source Of annoyance to every
one who had anything to do with him, and
he is the same to-day. The world is in no
way pro6ted by any thing that he does or says.
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