The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-08-13

NY son, drop the penny novei
fash paper and let's have a little
chat.
Yes, Indian and detective stories
are thrilling, but don't 60 TO fast
The chances are that you will never
see live Indian outside of q circus
or street PARADE as for killing
'em-don't.
No doubt you could strap a bowie
knife and revolver around your
waist. and take loaf of bread un-
der one arm and a pamphlet life Of
Buffalo Bill under the other, and 60
West and slay Indians by cords,
but don't think of it.
An Indian has feelings, rs well a.
a white man, and as few OF them
have laid by any bonds or mort
cages. or invested to any great ex-
tent in life insurance, you must real
ize that the widows and orphans ol
your victims would be left in a sad
plight.
As for dective stories, 60 and talk
with a real detective, or q county
sheriff. Ask 'em about "Old
Sleuth's" disguises and exploits and
magic luck, and then listen careful
ly while they tell you what q big
fool you are making of yourself by
grinding the end of your nose
against pages of such trashy fiction.
We want you to read, but for land s
sake look about for something diff
ferent There are good-boy books,
your father takes the daily papers,
and if you should read a page or
two of history now and then you
wouldn't waste your valuable
time.
That crowd of London publishers
who are flooding the country with
fash papers and penny novels are
your worst enemies. No matter to
them whether you grow up a re-
spectacle man or a murderer, so long
as they get your money. Their sto-
ries are the basest lies, too silly
for a boy ten years old to be-
lieve.
Now, then, look about you and
see how many men in our stores
and factories and offices upon the
streets are getting gray and wrinkled
and old. Twenty years from now
not one in ten of US whom you see
in business to-day will be able to
put our shoulder to the wheel.
Even a decade will retire tens of
thousands. What then? Why,
my son, this is a world which knows
no stop. This is a life which
knows no rest until old age compels
it.
When the men of to-day are laid
up in dry-docks the boys of to-day
will be the fresh set of hands called
on deck to work the ship. They
will be merchants, farmers, manu-
facturers and professional men OF
the future. You will have to bear
the burden and anxiety of keeping
this country in the track of peace
and prosperity, your voices will
sound from the halls of Congress,
and your pen write words to burn
in the memory of future genera
tions.
Come, now, begin right. Don't
get it into your head that an Indian
killer is about four pegs higher
than a State Senator. Don't imag-
inc that detective wouldn't trade
places with a lawyer quickly if he
had his say about it. Don't you
Lelieve that an embezzler, burglar or
murderer is a hero, and that men
admire him. Drop your novels and
fash papers as starter. The boy
who feeds on such trash gets false
impressions of the world, and is
more certain to bring up in prison
than respectable employment. II
you have a pistol, fling it aside.
The man who carries one about the
street is a coward, and men mark
him as such. If you have bowie
knife, turn it over to your mother
for a meat or bread knife. If you
have a sand-club lying around loose
shy it into the ditch before anybody
finds out how empty your head has
been. That pair of brass knuckles
can be tossed into the river "Old
Sleuth " and " Buffalo Bill" will
make a good bonfire, and then you
are ready to begin life and ask your
self what trade or profession shall
be yours when done in the school