The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-01-02
What Shall We do With Our
Boys!

! 1t is as impossible to q make" chem
lst, or an engineer, or naturalist, Of {
boy, it he has no special taste or aptnes
Tor these studies, us to make poet Ou
OF Digger Indian. 1t is no unusua
| circumstance fOrparentS who have boy!
just entering upon manhood to come Il
us desiring counsel in regard to placins
them in chemical laboratory, that they
may learn the trade" as to their eyes
| the business appears remunerative
! IheY have no special genius, no train
ing i'll preparatory studies, no decided
I leaning towards chemical manipulation
or research, but the desire to have then
made into chemists. There is mis-.
taken idea, common to many parents
that their children are as well adapted
| to one employment as another, and that
| they only need opportunity to learn re-
garding this pursuit or that, to become
| prOticients, and rise to eminence. More
than half the sad failures so commonly
observed are due to being forced into
! the wrong road in early life. Young
men are forced into pulpits, when they
should be following the Dlow; forced
into courts OF law, when they should be
driving the plane in carpenters shop
forced into sick rooms, as physicians,
when they should be guiding q locomo
1--we, or heading an exploring party in
the Rocky Mountains; forced into in
dustrlal laboratories, when they should
be IN the COunting-rOOm or shop.
1t Is wise provision of Providence
that nearly every boy born in the world
has some peculiar distinctive capability
some aptness for particular calling or
pursuit; and if be is driven into chan
nels contrary to his instincts and tastes
he ls III antagOnism with nature, and
the odds are against him. One of the
earliest and most anxious inquiries of
parents should be directed to the dis
covery of the leanings of their children,
and if they find that their boy, who
they earnestly desire shall adorn the
bar or the pulpit, is persistently en-
gagged in constructing toy shops, and
wadlng in every puddle of water, to
test their sailing qualities; if he reads
books OF voyages, and when in a sea-
port steals away to the wharves to visit
ships and talks with sailors, it is GER
tain he is born for the sea. Fit him out
with asallor's rig, put him in the best pos
slbIe position for rising to the honorable
post OF ship master, and you have dis
charged your duty. If, on the other
hand, he is logical, discriminating, keen,
fond OF argument, let him enter the
law; if he is fond of whiting, planning,
saving, constructing, and neglects his
studies, turn him over to a good car
penter, to learn the trade. If he be-
gins early to spend his. pennies for sui
phur, nltre, oil of vitrol, aQuefOrtis, etc.;
if he is such a persistent experimenter
that you fear he will kill himself, or set
your buildings on fire; If his pockets
are full Of ab0minable drugs, and his
clothing so charged with the odor of
stale eggs that you refuse to admit him
to the table at meal times, why, the
chances are that he is q "born" chem
ist, and it will be safe to start him off to
some technical school for instruc-
tion.
The question is, not what we will
make of our boys, but what position are
they 1nanifestly designed to fill: in
what direction does nature point, as
respects avOcatlOns or pursuits in life
which will be III harmony with their
capabilities and Instincts? 1t is no use
for us to repine and find fault with the
supposed vulgar tastes of our boys. We
must remember that no industrial call
ing is vulgar; every kind of labor is
honorable; and is far better to be dis
tlnguished as a tfrst-class cobbler or
peddler, than to live the cOntemptible
life OF a fifth-rate lawyer or clergyman.
There are thousands Of boys born into
the world possessing scarcely trace of
ambition. Such do not care for distinc-
ton, or even for wealth; if they can
procure the hum blest fare, by constant
toll, the aspirations of their boyhood,
and subsequently of their manhood, are
fully met. They are negative eharac-
ters, happy with nothing, and suffer no
elatlon or depression, whether in sun
shine or under a cloud. These boys,
who often afford much modification to
ambitious parents, fill most important
niche IN the world, in fact, the world
could not do without them. They con-
stltute the great army of men who
build our railroads, tunnel our noun
tains, load and unload our ships, cut
down our forests, and manipulate red
not lrOn masses which came from our
furnaces. Scold and fret as we may,
we cannot alter the temperament or
procl1Vltles of such boys. Nature is
stronger than we are, and well ii Is, for
US that it is so. If our boys are born to
live in subordinate and humble posi-
tions, We can hardly help it; we NAV
hold them in q false position by, the
power of wealth, or strong controlling
influences, but when these fail they fall
at once to their place, in obedience to q
law as irresistible as that which New
ton discovered in the fall of the apple.
What shall we do with our boys 2
Study to learn what they are capable of
doing for themselves; aid them, encour-
age them to do we'll whatever work is
suited to their natures. Regard every
calling as honorable, the labor of which
is honorably performed, and thus insure
happiness and prosperity to our off
spring.