Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1881-06-11

| working steadily until b =. NJ, and
elbows up" any one of his young friends
that he meets who has not yet settled
down to some employment.
The next case is that of P. G. H., the
son of an old friend and pupil. He is
now about seventeen. He has been
growing rapidly, and his brain work has
been so much interfered with that his
father has concluded to let him travel,
which Is very wise decision.
! The next is that of H. B., son of
my old friend and pupil, Mr.. s. B.,
whose admirable education of his chill
dren 1 recently had occasion to refer to.
Meeting the father lately asked whether
growth had at any time interfered with
the education of any of his children.
He said: eyes, indeed. l am strug-
Cling now with that very difficulty. My
son II. has sometimes been so stupid
that, as he himself told me, he couldn t
get beyond the truth that two and two
make four. He has been growing rap
idly, and that has interfered with his
brain. After a summer In the country
/ have calculated that his machinery will
work sufficiently well for about three
months. shall then send him down to
Havana, consigning him to friend
there, and let him run loose for q month
When he comes back / hope to have
him in such a condition that he can
work through the rest of the winter"
Recently Mr.. E., the very able lit
erary editor of one of our foremost Jour-
nails, stated that, when q growing boy,
he passed from the grammar school to
the high school, making particularly
good examination. Soon afterward, in
the high school, he broke down utterly
in his studies. He was not able to an
swer in any reasonable way the ques-
tions asked him. So much was his
teacher exasperated at this stupidity
that he threatened to thrash him. Young
E. said to him
We'll, sir, I'm not fit to be here.
The best thing can do is to go back to
the grammar school"
He did so, and had a good easy time
there for about three months, being SO
familiar with what was there required
that little or no mental exertion was ne
cessary. AT the end of that time he re-
entered the high school, and even took
his place with his former class, passing
a good examination on the very matters
in which he had failed so completely in
recitation, nature having merely "let
up" sufficiently in his growth to allow
some share of nourishment to his brain.
The last case of this kind that l shall
quote has just occurred in my own
family, and l have thus had twice as
much opportunity for observation.
One of my sons increased in height
and bulk very rapidly, and now, though
only fourteen last February, measures
five feet seven inches, and weighs one
hundred and forty-two pounds. Some
what more than year ago he began to
be very lazy. His lessons were not
prepared, he complained of headaches
and of not feeling very well, yet when
sent home for such reasons he had no
difficulty in playing ball in the fields
near our house, and was often found in
a pleasant corner reading a pleasant
book. He appeared to have no COM
Functions of conscience, and his mother
and myself were very much distressed
on this account. 1t was very d flicult
to get him up in the morning, and he
displayed generally the same utter slag-
glshness and listlessness that had dis
tinguished Harry n. He forgot mes
sages so easily that he was of less use to
us than the younger children, and we
were obliged to get along with him gen
orally as well as we could. He took
such loathing to all studies or tasks of
any kind that at length concluded to
let them all go. 1 told him frankly that
| considered him to be sick boy, and
that / must wait patiently until he got
well. / said should in the mean time
employ him as my clerk or to assist me
in any way that he could.
In his case two other passing dis
eases, self-suficiency and sea-fever,
added their complications. As to the
first have for many years been
convinced that sixteen is about the
wisest age. A boy generally has at that
age more sure and certain knowledge
than he has ever had before or ever will
have again. This mental condition is
very well expressed in the old proverb
which says that cold people think
young people to be fools, but young
people know old ones to be FOOLS" Very
often have sat at the feet of these young
Gamaliels and listened to their wonder
ful wisdom. Some of them have even
volunteered to run me and my school.
When have had time to spare / have
allowed them to try it, but, though they
soon "came to grief" they showed that
at that age conceit, like hope, "spring-
eternalin the human breast" and though
the whelming waters of defeat closed
over them apparently forever, they soon
came up as bright and smiling as before,
striking out vigorously for the shore of
some new Ell Dorado that to their eyes
seemed so sparkling and so near. P.
has had his attack two years earlier
than the average, but it is by no means
slight.
The sea-fever is something that re-
spect. A spirit of adventure seems so
natural to youth, the boys ideal sailor
is so full of manly daring and his notion
of the wild freedom of the sea is so en-
ticing that if the majority of sailors were
not so desperately coarse and captains
not so brutal, one might feel more in
clined to let them try it, for fancy very
few would care to continue such life,
a short voyage bringing most probably
a speedy cure.
Having thus considered these various
cases of growth interfering with educa-
ton let us now examine more closely the
rationale of this process so as to prevent,
if possible, any parent or teacher from