The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-01-03
The Boy and His Education.

Hardly any creature on earth is so
ambitious as a growing boy. Realiz-
ing that ne is rapidly on his way to
manhood, he aims at doing manly
things and things that seem to him to
be manly. Between these two classes
of things there are differences as wide
as those which exist in the character
and the training of boys. One boys
ambition leads him to do some brave
and noble deed, such as he may have
seen men do or may have read in books
or newspapers of their having done.
Another copies manhood only in the
undesirable things which men do.
With some boys the summit of ambition
is to swagger and strut, to smoke and
drink. just as they have seen men do.
1t is not very lofty ambition, yet the
boys whom it animates spend fully as
much time and effort on it as other
boys spend in trying to reach nobler
aims and more practically useful ends.
One of the noblest ambitions that can
stir boys heart is the desire to be
man in earning his living. Since his
infancy he has been a charge on the
parents or other good people who have
brought him up. Perhaps they are
toilers who need all the profits of their
own labor. They have treated him
we'll. and he feels that the obligation
under which he rests to them
is one which he would like to
Iiquldate. So, with an ambition which
has in it many excellent features, he
suggests that he shall leave school and
set himself to work to earn something.
Perhaps he may make enough to sup
port the good old people who have
cared for him. Perhaps his efforts may
be attended with only sufficient meas
ure of success to enable him to pay his
own way. Small or great as the result
may be, he wants to try his hand at
business. He is willing to take the
risk. He knows to some extent what
business involves, for other boys of his
acquaintance have engaged in it. There
will be no Saturday holidays, nor any
afternoon oft, nor any privileged days
when the slight excuse of an ailing
stomach or an aching head will serve
as valid reason for staying at home
Business involves harder work and
closer application than have been the
boys portion at school or college. But
it means the earning of something, and
that is what the boys ambition leads
MIN to desire.
just here let the ambitious boy be-
ware. To do as he wants to do is
praiseworthy. But perhaps he can do
better. If he goes with an incomplete
education, it will be at great disad-
vantage. He may begin to earn few
dollars a week, the handling of which
result of honest toll will delight him.
But let him remember that every month
which he robs himself of the education
ne might obtain, is a month of loss for
which his paltry earnings are no recon-
pense whatsoever. A half-educated
BOY who leaves school at fifteen and en-
ters a store may receive from two to
four dollars q week with numerous
kicks and cuffs thrown in by the people
who are teaching him the business"
This kind of teaching boy the bust
ness too frequently means getting
mans work out of the poor fellow for
5Oy's wages. If the boy is driven to
such a situation by the emergencies of
straitened means at home let him rush
in cheerfully and do his work manfully;
gut if the family exchequer will stand
it let him stay two or three years
longer at school. Let him go through
college, provided there is college for
Alim to enter where his time will not be
entirely spent in rowing boats and kick
ing footballs. Let him enter on man.
Ro0d we'll fitted for manhood's duties,
including as thorough knowledge as
can be had of the keeping of accounts
:and of all other commercial duties. Let
him, if possible, also be master of some
handiwork when heis ready to enter on
the work of earning, rather than depend
on the luck of being picked up as a
clerk. There are too many young men
whose only knowledge is how to be very
poor clerks. Advertise to-day for
clerk and tomorrow there will be two
hundred applicants. A firm advertised
last week for skilled engravers, insert
ing the advertisement in leading pa
pers of three principal cities. Although
steady work and good wages were
promised, not one skilled engraver has
yet applied. The boy who knows how
70 do something which the world wants
done, and something which will help
on with the worlds work, is the one
whose ambition will lead him to solid
and substantial achievements.-Phi
-.cIeIphtG Times.