Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-06-05
BOYS.

w hht uhS-uoNlI, luu-lONlHP anu lIlue-
pendent creatures boys are. Never tired
of getting into scrapes, they are and ever
will he IL trial to mothers and an unreada.
BILE book TO people in general. Although
but an embryo man, in his opinion he al
ways was. and in importance is, n man.
lie is always ready to advance his opinion
on all occasions of importance, and is sell
dom willing to be seen and not heard.
Your true boys only regular habit is the
habit of being on hand at meal time,
where he does full justice TO all that is set
before him. But :" boys will be boys and
therefore let us make them men in their
youth.
Some say that boys are not sensitive and
are i'll hammered and selfish But do not
think that because he does not wish to give
up some plan of his, for the sake of OBJ
llging you, that this is the case. He has
entered into whatever plan he has made
with his whole soul. and is rs fully taken
up with his ideas as II stock speculttor is
with some of his transaction s. Let tile
boy grow confident in his opinions and
give him a chance to circulate and he will
soon find out when it is best 10 speak or
keep silent. If they MT know how to
lift the hat or make bow, say thank you,
or if you please, it does not matter. You
Can easily see whether boy is grateful
for kindness or not | dislike to see
boy mimicing fashionable fop who
would not have the energy to lift his hat if
it were not for the sake of appearance
And this wearing Il cane. 1t is silly and
looks weak; looks as though you were
dependent like the boy who does not know
| bat Il j,
II dollar for cane to whirl Get them in
the habit of reading. If you get them
started on good books, all right. But ten
to one they will, if they have the inclina-
tion, read all they want of the latest novels
and you never know thing about it
Encourge them TO bring whatever they
read into the house and read it openly. II
they get started on dime novels let them
have their fill. They will soon get tired
OF it if you 'lo not oppose them, and will
want something more solid something
they can see through like pane Of glass
There is good deal of good sense in II
boy if you will let him Judge for himself
| think that in some of our public libraries
there are novels drier than husks and
which 1t is impossible for any one to read
unless it is fashionable, or the reader has
some disease of the brain. If your boys
get strange freaks in their heads let them
run to the end of the rope and they will
seldom call for more.
Young America especially hates to have
his opinions taken for naught, and when
he finds he is losing ground he will be
ready enough to try something else more
favorable. Make them the the mark in
one thing, at all odds. That is in sending
them to school regularly. Any boy with
common sense will, by the time he is six
teen, be perfectly satisfied with the ar
rangement, and would be the first one to
blame you if y II had let him have his
Wherever there is Il will there is u way
You will find that boys, if they have ii
will, will always find the way Therefore
be sure that you keep them busy ut some
thing you know of rather than having
them working at something secretely.
Do not be in hurry to make little gentle
men of them. They will be gentlemen
soon enough, for no boy when he comes
old enough likes to be thought ill-manner-
ed. Give me the boys who go 10 school
and mind their books and never think of
taking their girls to parties till they are
not afraid of getting homesick if they
should say away from their mother
month.
Boys, remember some day that you will
be men, and don act so like calves
in your boyhood, that you will be thought
calves all your lives.
Give me energetic, blunt, hearty, out
spoken boys and those who can listen when
older people talk, and talk themselves, of