Arkansas weekly mansion., 1883-07-14
THE TREAT CUSTOM.

In 4 certain farming district, not many
years ago, it became Il matter of COM
| mon observation and common grief that
a very large proportion of the boys, as
soon as they became young men, fell
| into the drinking habit, This was not
due to any lack of proper prccept or eN-
ample from the parents. 1t was not due,
either, to their ruinous liberation of a
drunkard- making establishment in their
own ncighborhood, as is often the case.
| Where the habit was acquired, and at
what age, was easily told; but the cause
did not so readily appear. Up to q
| fixed period, nearly the same in all
cases, the boys went all well enough
| but when the time came, in the history
| of any one of them, that he began to
| have business sense and discretion
enough to be sent alone on farm errands
to the neighboring city, which was the
news center and the market town of the
district, that time was the date
upon which he began his downward
career. OF one after another, it was
told that on such a night, after a visit to
! town with n load of wheat, or pork, or
wood. or some other farm product, he
came home 1.-the worse for liquor.'
The habit, then. was formed in town,
and ct the very first opportunity the boy
had for forming it. that is. at the age
when he was first freed from the re
straining presence Of his parents. Why
this should be SO was not an easy point
to settle. Why these wcll-tau%ht, and.
on the whole; good boys, brought up in
the country, which common theory
holds to be the best place for a boy to
get his start in life, should, at the first
moment they were left to act for them
selves, break away from every barrier
of teaching and habit. and rush head
long into the very danger that they had
been held back from and warned
against, was Il question that awakened
the deepest concern of the entire com
munitv. Until the cause could be dis
covered it was blind cropping to seek the
cure.
The contagion of example, it was felt,
would account for it only in part. No
explanation of such epidemic lapseS
from the path of rcctltude Is more com
mon than that 4 few dominant spirits
set the fashion for evil. and that the rest
fellow But in this case the force of
leadership was not believed to hc strong
enough To produce the result, unless
aidrl bv some cause living back of the
BOYS social instincts. in some untoward
bent received at an unknown point in
their training.
II would be too much to say that this
sad problem WAS ever fully solved. but
much light was thrown upon it from one
side and another. Not the least helpful
of the suggestions offered toward the
solution was made by mother whose
one son WAS fast approaching the fatal
anc She expressed her conviction that
the open door, through which this dead
" habit was permitted to come in. was
the treat practice. in one of the forms
which pcrl adr family life.
1--WE accu>tom our children.' said
She ON one occasion when the subject
was under discussion. ..frOm their h3hN-
hood, to think that when any Onr .r'''~
to the city. they must have >Omcth NJ 20
eat or drink by way of Il treat " nil"
the children arc small we = i've :n"in
candy. | believe it i safe to say that
not one mother in twenty ever T"c~ To
town without bringing home candy TO
the little folks. If the children -.
they are taken into tn" CONNECTION + :
TO buy it for themselves. As they
crow older. candy is exchanged for
~nda-watcr and lemonade. The very
idea of visit to the city iS associated.
in the minds of most children, with
that of Sumc kind of Il treat. In time
they outgrow candy and fruit. and lem
onade and soda-watrr become tame.
! Then there is nothing left but the
! stronger drink of the bars and saloons.
| For my part" she continued. Il am re-
solved not to cultivate this idea i'll my
! son mind. | want him to look upon
/ going to market rs merely part of the
! farm business, and to learn that there
! is no more reason why he should treat
! himself to something unusual when he
| ~oeS to town, than there is that he
! should do SO when he goes to church.
I As the inquiry went on. the convic-
| ton drcpcned that this thoughtful
! woman had struck the root of this poi
SonouS growth. 1t is the old story of
/ the pcrvcrSOn of Il strong instinct which
! every body recognizes in some form -
the instinct for rest and recreation.
Prolonged strain is followed by rclaNa-
! ton: over-strain by oyer-rclaNation.
! Long periods of labor bring payday.
when human nature, pitying its own
! hard>hipS. and providing for their re-
ward. seeks to indemnify itself for the
! drprivatinns of toll 1t assumes that
| something is due to make up for what
| * felt to be the Sclf-dcnial involved in
continued application.
The business man who spends his
davS in the counting house or the Office.
I thinks il fair that the evenings should
bring him relief and recreation. The
laborinr man who works hard six days
| i'm the week believes himself entitled to
! spend the seventh in his own way. and
| if his way includes a drunken debauch.
| he excuses himself on the ground of
| deserving something by way of reward
! for his hard work. The country boy
who goes 10 town once Il week, or once
a month, looks forward to some unusual
qualification of the senses in rccOmpeiSc
! for the tedious industry required OF him
| in his home life
| How far the abuse of this inStinct
| can be guarded against is question
| for parents and educators. 1t is plain
| that the thing to be guarded against Is
| the abuse, and not the use. 1t is also
| plain that the one point toward which
| our training can be directed with any
| hope of success is that of diScrlmina-
| ton between lawful and unlawful pleas
| ureS. Change, rest, amusementS. treats.
| every one must and will have. The
| best we can do. and all we can do. is to
concentrate the whole of our prccept
| and discipline upon the cultivation of
| harmless taste and 4 wise choice. in
| si>ting always upon the maxim that 1t
| is better TO err upon the right side
| better that the odds should be in favor
| of too great severity than of two little,
/ 4 E .~f lta