The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-10-01
The Rule of COntrarsses,

A certain lady of my acquaintance,
the wife of country clergyman, had
three sons, whom she was very anxi-
Gus to train in every principle of virtue
and morality. To this end, as soon as
they could read, she placed in their
childish hands some carefully selected
stories of moral and didactic charac-
ter, in which the good boy attained to
riches and honor and consequent hap
piness, while the bad boy came to all
sorts of grief, the former getting all
the honey and the latter all the aUhacks.
But, to the unspeakable horror and
distress of the careful mother, when
she came to discuss with her children
the stories which they had read, she
found that the books had taught pre-
cisely the opposite lesson to that
which she desired, and that her hope.
full pupils were full of admiration of
the Tom Idle of the drama, and eagerly
desirous to initiate lis achievements,
while on the other hand they regarded
Frank Goodchild as an uninteresting
milksop, whose example they were de-
termined to eschew as much as possi-
BILE. I need hardly say that the poor
lady was sorely troubled at this most
unexpected result, and anticipated a
dreadful future for her children-a
forecast which, I am happy to say, has
proved to be entirely grounaless, as
they have all become worthy citizens
and excellent members of society.
If this be fair sample of the general
effect of stories written with profess
edly didactic purpose upon those who
read them, it would surely be worth
the while of those authors whose busi-
ness it is to write for this particular
purpose to devote some serious thought
to the matter, and to try whether they
can not make the good boys little
less tedious, and the bad boys little
less attractive. Indeed, 1 think the
remark may be extended to those who
write for children of larger growth,
who not unfrequently commit the same
crime, and make the excellent young
curate rather warning than otherwise,
while the beau Sabrsur is depicted in
the most fascinating colors.
The craving for forbidden fruit seems
to be as strong now as it was in Eden S
bowers and I was not little amused
lately at observing professor OF the
science of rat-catching wrap up the
poisoned food which he was laying fol-
his prey in piece of newspaper. The
proceeding excited my astonishmen
SO much that ventured to inquire the
object of SO covering the food before
burying it in their "runs," when h'
gravely informed me that it was t(
make the rats think that they were no
to touch it, which would have the i'm
mediate effect of making them desire
exceedingly,s so closely does rat nature
in the opinion of those learned therein
approximate to human nature in long
, ing for that which is forbidden
"Stolen waters are sweet says tn
temptress in King Solomon's dreadful
picture.
: "But for my mothers prohibition
neer had been in this condition."
gasps the unfortunate cock from tn
} bottom of the we'll, in Dryden's fable
l "Don't put him under the pump,
s says the Irish landlord to his tenantr
respecting the poor process-server VIII
= had paid him visit, well knowing ths
: he had but to suggest the operation
l though with negative prefxed, to il
t sure its being effected.