Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-09
SHALL THE BOZ JOIN A CLUB?

There are many growing boys whose
home advantages for social enjoyment
are not all that can be desired. Some
have injudicious fathers, severe mothers,
cross aunts or snarling sisters. It does
not always occur to these otherwise ex-
cellent persons that the boy is social
creature whose need in this direction
must be provided for. He cannot be
expected to associate exclusively with
the companions of his parents or the
admirers of his sisters.
1t is to some people pleasant theory,
based on antique tradition, that the
family and its guests should spend the
evening in circular conclave around the
evening lamp, this luninary being set
for general convenience in the middle of
large round table. In some families,
if there be an Individual with particu-
larly uninteresting voice and unmusical
accent, he or she is appointed reader,
with liberty to select anything in the
wide range, including Longfellow's
poetry and the hotel arrivals in the
newspaper, interspersing comments,
which, with the replies to them, go by
the name of conversation. For lively
boy to have to sit under such an infic-
ton evening after evening is bore. IF
friends OF his own age and style come to
visit him and are compelled to join the
family ring and starve with the family
on this intellectual sawdust, it is
martyrdom. The youngsters long for
room where they can be free from this
sort Of restraint and enjoy liberty to
spend the evening as they please. Fail
ing in obtaining it, they will go out.
There may be half dozen or dozen
boys who enjoy each others society and
who want to be together. First they 90
to billiard room, to seeif they can pass
the evening pleasantly. As to pushing
ivory balls with long stick over wide
table, there is no sin in it, if practiced
in moderation. And yet there is some
thing in the atmosphere of a billiard
room which sooner or later taints the
young men who habitually breathe it.
It makes them loungers and loafers.
After the young men have looked among
all manner of places and have unprofita-
bly, spent number of evenings in doing
SO they decide that they ought to form
club and have regular place of meet
ing. So they organize, after the man
ner of the clubs of more elderly persons.
As far as their slender means will carry
them the club is an imitation of those of
older persons. 1t hasnopurpose in par
ticular, except to cultivate the social ele-
ment. The lads attend regularly, and
spend the evenings nominally in in
structive and improving debates, but
actually in learning to play poker and
other games which are of no advantage
to them or their friends. Weak boys,
and those who have no moral back bone
are led by their stronger associates into
divers misehiefs.
There is no place like home for the
growing boy. We need not expect to
make him spend all his evenings there,
or never seek entertainment elsewhere.
But the people who have the happy
knack of making home so delightful that
the boy loves to bethere often and bring
his friends are they who are doing the
young people the most solid service in
keeping them out of mischief and lead
ing them into that which is good
PHILADELPHIA Times.