The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1882-03-11
A Chapter for Boys.

A Chapter for Boys.
Boys are scarce nowadays. In the
days of Methuselah, male human beings
were still boys when nearly century
old: twenty-five years ago boys were
still such until well out of their "teens;"
now the interval between infancy and
the age at which the boy becomes a
young man is so brief that boyhood is
almost thing of the past. The happy
period OF care-free, joyous innocence
which formerly interviewed between
childhood and early manhood, is now
almost UNDESIRABLE. Boys grow old
too fast. They learn to initiate the
vices and the manners of their seniors
before they reach their teens, and arc
impatient to be counted as men. no
matter how great may be their def
cicncies, their unfitneSs for the impor-
tant duties and responsibilities of life
The consequence of this inOrdinate
haste and Impotence to be old is pre-
mature decay. Unfortunately the gen
eral tendency of the young members of
the rising generation is TO copy the
vices of their elders, rather than the
virtues of true manlinesS. A strong
evidence of this fact, if there were no
other, is the unnaturally old-looking
faces which so many of our BOYS pre-
sent. At the present time the average
boy of twelve knows more of vice and
sin than the youth of twenty of the past
generation.
1t is not so much for these human
mushrooms, which may not inaptlv be
compared to toadstools which grow up
in a single night and almost as speedily
decay, that we write, but for the old
fashioned boys, few such there NAV
be, those who have not yet learned to
love sin, those whose minds are still
pure and uncontaminated. Those who
have already begun a course of vice and
wickedneSs we have little hope of re-
forming: but we are anxious TO offer
few words of counsel and warning
which may possibly help to save, as
brands plucked from a blazing fire.
those whose moral sense is vet alive.
who have quick and tender con
sciences, who aspire to be truly noble
and good.
What are boys for? This question was
answered with exact trutAfulness by Il
little boy, who, when contemptuolslv
accoSted by man with the remark:
What are you good for?' replied:
'Men are made of such as we" Bows
are the beginnings of men. They sus-
tain the same relation to men that the
buds do to full-bIown flowers. They
are still more like the small green 81
pies which first appear when the bios
SONS drop from the branches, compared
with the ripe, luscious fruit which in
autumn bends the heavy-laden boughs
almost to breaking. Often, like the
young apples, boys are green; but this
is only natural, and should be conSid-
cred no disgrace to the bows. If they
grow up naturally they will ripen with
age, like tile fruit, developing at each
successive stage of life additional attrac-
tons and excellent qualities. .
A Nations most valuable property is
its boys. A Nation which has poor.
weekly, vicious boys will have still
weaker, more vicious and untrust-
worthy men. A country with noble,
virtuous, vigorous boys is equally sure
of having noble, pious, brave and ener-
getic men. Whatever debases, contain
mates or in any way Injuries the bows of
country, saps and undermines the very
foundation of the Nations strength and
greatness. Save the boys from Vice and
crime, give them good training, phys
ically, mentally and morally, and the
prosperity of the Nation is assured
When a sllillful artist perfects a work
Of art, apainting, a drawing, Il statue or
some other work requiring great talent
and exceeding all his other efforts, it is
called his masterpiece. So man is the
noblest work of God, the masterpiece of
the Almighty. Numerous anecdotes are
told of the sagaeity of dogs, horses, ele-
plants and other animals, OF their in
telligence and ingenious devices in over
coming obstacles, avoiding difficulties,
etc. Our admiration and wonder are
often excited by the scarcely less than
human wisdom shown by these lowly
brothers Of the human race. We call
them noble animals, but they are only
noble brutes, at best. Compared with
man, even in his most humble form, &c