Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-11-18
The Boys Room.

pCOpIC, Wucu DuJ NY VI Uu1lulug mouse,
! to the future requirements of the babies
still in their cribs. The time passes more
quickly than they thought. Bob and Joe
and Tom are soon big, burly lads, apt to
shoulder and kick each other if brought
into too close contact; and Nelly and Bess,
young ladies, each with her array of bo-
som friends, books, love-letters and crimp-
ing-irons; and for them all there are but
two small chambers, one of which has
| often to be vacated when guest arrives
any other members of the family. Their
sisters chamber is dainty and prettily fur
nished, while they are huddled into the
| garnet or whatever other uncomfortable
cubby-hole offers itself in which they can
trough it; in the case Of farmers sons
riage-house. Now, if boys tendency is
stronger than girls to be disorderly, I'M
tidy in his habits, and lacking in personal
reserve or a love for the beautiful, it is
the more necessary that he should be
aught these things from his earliest child
hood. Much of the want of refinement,
the nervous debility and other evils of
both body and mind which inhere to
Americans are caused by the habit of
crowding boys together into ill-ventilated
ugly, meagerly-furnished chambers. No
weak, nervous child can sleep with one
of stronger physique without suffer
ing loss of nervous vitality and pow
err Each child in family should have
its own bed, and at the proper age its
own chamber; beds and chambers to
be clean, orderly and as prettily furnished
as the parents means will allow Espe-
cially is this necessity with the daugh-
tiers of a house. Every mother will re-
member how dear toherself, in her girlish
days, was the chance of seclusion-the
chest Of drawers where she could store
away her laces, ribbons and other dearer
trif1es; the locked desk with the diary in
side; the white chamber, with its snowy
curtains, where she could hang her dried
ferns and photographs, and SIT alone to
ponder over her compositions or read her
Bible. A boy has his fancies, tastes, hob
bies as we'll as a girl. He may not want
seclusion, but he does want elbow room,
and he ought to have it. Bob is a mighty
| fisherman, and cutters up the one closet
with poles and lines, hooks and books of
! flies. Jim has reached the autograph
stage, and must have desk and quires
of paper with which to assault everybody
mentioned in the newspapers, from Long
| fellow to Buffalo Bill. Tom has a mass
of old rubbish collected at junk-shops,
| having caught the curiOphObia from his
mother; and Bill heaps on top Of all his
balls, bats, old shoes and half-eaten ap-
| Piles.
OF course it is expensive to give to each
boy room for his hobbies and belongings,
but, after all, it will not cost half as
much as to refurnish the drawing-room
with Turkish rugs and furniture from Sy-
piers And do we owe most to our
neighbors or our boys? Whose tastes,
habits of order, cleanliness, delicacy,
ought we to cultivate?
We wish, however, especially to urge
upon mothers the propriety of giving up
to the boys, as soon as they reach the age
| of twelve or fourteen, one room mot a bed
chamber), for whose reasonably good or
der they shall be responsible, and which
they shall consider wholly their own. The
! floor should be uncarpeted, of oiled wood
| the furniture Of the same material. Let
it be papered curtained, decorated accord
ing to the boys own fancy; if the taste is
bad they will be interested after awhile in
correcting it, There should be a plain
bookcase, big solid table in the center,
! by all means an open fire, and room after
that for Joe's printing press, or Charley's
box of tools, or Sans cabinet of minerals
for chess and checker boards, or any other
game which is deemed proper. To this
room the boys should be allowed to invite
their friends, and learn how TO be hospi-
table hosts even to the extent of an inno-
cent little feast now and then. Father,
mother and sisters should refrain from en-
tering it except as guests; and our word
for it, they will be doubly honored and
welcomed when they do come.
Somebody will ask, no doubt, what is
the use of pampering boys in this way, or
of catering to them with games and COM
pany? Simply because they will have the
amusement, the games and company
somehow and somewhere; and if not I'M
der their fathers roof, with such quiet sur
roundings as befit those who are to be
bred as gentlemen, the games pay be
gambling and the company and suppers
those which the nearest tavern affords As
for the cost, no money is i'll spent which
develops in the right direction boys
healthy character or idiosyncrasies at the
most perilous period of his life, or which
helps to soften and humanize him and to
make more dear and attractive his home
and family. If it can be i'll spared let it
be withdrawn for this purpose from dress,
household luxury, the sum laid by for a
rainy day-even from other charities and
duties We do not wish TO help the lad
SOW his wild oats, but to take care that
the oats are not wild and are thoroughly
| we'll sOwn.-Scrlbner's MOnthlg.