Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1884-11-21
" OUR Boy"
A Wonderful Youth Who Can BE Trusted
Anywhere and Always.

Anywhere and Always.
That boy of ours is wonderful chap.
He is smarter than most of his mates,
has few faults and seldom needs reproof.
We can trust "our boy anywhere and
always.
Every pastor has heard this said very
many times. He has found that SER
mons and general admonitions to pa
rental faithfulness in many cases do no
good, because "our boy is so good.
The parents give away the sermons
with strange prodigality, often out of
all proportion to their generosity in the
support of missions; and the admoni-
tions do not hit. They utterly fail to
"live up'' to the doctrine of depravity
in its reference to ''our boys"
have come into special acquaintance
with several of these exceptional boys,
and have found them no smarter, and
considerably meaner than other fellows.
But have come to pity them profound
ly, because they so utterly fail of being
properly trained. How shall "our boy"
be reached before the harvest of his wild
oats is ready for the reaping?
| remember him well, strong,
manipulating fellow, once in the Sab
bath-school. But soon found that it
was painful case of ''our boy' trouble.
His tastes were wrong. He read vicious
books and began to take on bad habits.
/ prepared two sermons on the training
of children and the value of influence,
and to wing the arrow | pointed out the
dangers of letting the truth all go by
because of this "our boy" delusion.
The mothers thought the sermons
forcible, excellent, and gave them all
away. ''How could certain parents
hear such faithful preaching and let
their boys grow up amissp" So "our
boy slipped through. Taking friend
into confidence, asked: How can that
boy be reached and saved from the ex-
cesses TO which he drifts? The reply
was: II don't know. Mrs. - went
to his mother and told her kindly, as q
friend, of the danger. But the mother
was greatly incensed, and replied that
she could take care of her boy, he could
do no wrong, let others take care of
their own." While l was trying to
crack the nut the boy was miserably
overtaken by his own sins.
In another home ''our boy" was the
only son. His ancestors, back to Adam,
had been officers in the church, and he
was expected to be no less, perhaps n
minister. When met him it was too
late to do much. He seemed morally
bankrupt. His mother said: II can't
understand it. He has had praying
parents, was baptized, and has been
brought up as carefully as we know
how. If you had known it all, and seen
how my husband labored that he might
grow up good man, you would not
think that our boy could turn out SO.
Why is itP Oh, why is itp'
His acquaintance said: "His parents
trusted him too much. They left him
exposed to temptations; not believ-
ing that their boy with such ances.
| try, could do wrong. He began to
play cards, to drink ale, whisky. His
parents would not believe it," Said
one: "He came to me one night to as
sist his father, and was so tipsy that he
could hardly show me into his house,
but his parents did not see it," Said
another: 'At last we found him one
night in the gutter, and two of us walked
him home, opened the door into the
room where his mother was sitting and
pushed him headlong on the floor. Tha
was the first time that his mother
would believe that he drank" How
could he drink-"our boyP" 1t was ,
conspicuous case of how not to train NJ
a child in the way he should go.
Alas for 'our boy" especially ifhe il
the only child, with no sisters to repor
him! Other peoples children sit on thu
fences, eat stolen apples and swear lik,
pirates; tour boy" said so, and h
never tells an untruth. But he is won
derful chap! He never does wrong
And he has yet more wonderful parents
Too bad he isn't an orphan; then tn
world would show him his faults; h
might make something. But tour boy
is SO sheltered now by his thoughtles
parents that his chance for noble lif
is rather limited. The wicked" littl
boy across the way, the poor mans on
of many children will probably 60 b
him. They know he is bad, and try I
take care Of him.-C Congreg ationalist