The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1883-12-01
Boys and Girls.


Sometimes after reading words OF
warning respecting the girls, and tbs
danger of their going ont at night unat-
tended. the thought has occurred to me
-ssWhat Is the matter9 Has menag-
erie of wild beasts been let loose in the
streets? Are swine and horned cattle
suffered to run at large? All, mol it is
only men who are dangerous. And since
BOYS are undeyeloped men, why not take
care of the boys, SO that the next genera
tion of girls may have reasonable free
dom to walk IN the open, air, and go
about their business unmoiested.
Do we not cherish our boys with the
same care and tenderness in infancys
Do we not look for the first answering
the same interest? And when, after many
years of care and labor, We see them
strong, vigorous, active, with bounding
| footsteps and voices musical to our ears,
do we not have the same solieitude for
their health. morals and happiness. as we
do for those of our girls? And suppose
| their restless feet are inclined to 60 the
downward road-shall nothing be done
to save them2
While living in the suburbs OF Boston;
girls were respectable, but sometimes
we saw one of the boys intoxicated.
Lately we saw notice Of his death IN
the paper.
Mr.. Luske, who has visited q large
number of prisons and penitentiariss,
says that by far the greater number OF
convicts are men. Why is this? Because
the girls are cherished and guarded.
while the boys are neglected. But if the
boys are not cared for, what is to become
Mother and Poet, says:
"What is Italy to me If my boys are deads"
Since women are not allowed to have
share in the government. if the morals of
the boys are bad our country's doom Is
sealed.
Law is law, and cannot be evaded.
The laws of God, physical, social and
moral, apply to both sexes alike. If the
boys become heated, and then expose
themselves to drafts of cold air, do they
not suffer precisely as the girls? IF they
indulge in late hours, improper food, or
excesses of any kind, do they not expert
enee the consequences? Are not their
nerves, tissues aud membranes the same?
Why then should our boys be allowed to
''sow wild oats" and revel in sin, and
fancy that they can escape the penalty ?
Suppose our girls are chaperoned, ed
ucated, cared for in every way--what is
their destiny on arriving at maturity
Either to go out into the world and meet
the conflict single handed, to live COM
paratiyely lonely and nnsatisfed lives.
or to marry--whom ? Vicious men, with
breath redolent with whisky and to-
| bacco men who seof at religion men
who sneer at the possibility of womanly
virtue, and declare on all occasions that
s'every man has his price
We honestly believe it would be bet
| ter for girls aud boys to be educated to-
gether, with the same moral standard
in view. For if woman is refined and
| pure, possessing high moral aims, We
| know of no more deplorable fate than to
be married to a man destitute Of self
control, and slave to his lower pro-
pensities.
History records that General Jackson
and his wife would dance together, and
sit by the fire In the evening, each smok-
| ing a clay pipe. Thirty years ago, in
/ the country towns, some of the best
| women were In the habit of smoking
| their pipes after dinner. And why do
not women ucSQ t0DacC0 TO S0OtQo b16lf
nerves as much as their husbands?
But how can We expect boys TO be-
| come good men, when, instead of being
trained, they run wild and gain wrong
ideas from hearing their father exult In
their success in making good bargains;
in taking advantage of the necessities of
their neighbors, in lending money at
high rates of interest. In deeeiving their
customers, in specializing in the necessi-
ties of life.
Sometimes, within q few years, We
have met with pleasant young woman.
supposed to be happily married. Her
husband was doing thriving business
but he had been neglected in youth and
became dissipated. After years of un-
told misery, she followed him to the
grave, for be died las the fool dieth.'
A few years since. we knew boy, the
son of Incorporate parents. His mother,
when out of fuel, would say 10 him.
.Jim, get some fuel" As they had nc
money, he would go to heap of coal be.
longing to manufacturing company, OF
to some of the neighbors' wood-sheds,
and steal some fuel. During the war he
made money as bounty jumper, and
the last we heard of him, he was in 9 iail
for stealing.
Men and women are creatures OF habit
and habit is second nature. It is an
established fact, that laws against nature
can not be enforced How important
then that our boys shonld form good
habits in youth, so that in manhood they
NAV become Flaw unto themselves. -