Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-03-21
Our Boy.

We want to talk about the boye
momeut. He is the most valuable
living Young creature upon the farm,
except the girl, but about her we do not
deem it necessary to speak IN this
connection. Her mother usually ap-
preciates her value, and does not neglect
her in the manner the father neglects
the boy, who in many instances does not
receive n quarter the care and attention
that is bestowed upon the calf or the colt:
Hehas enough to eat, is warmly clothed
and q place to sleep. These are but
very small portion Of what We W the
bow. In fact, he had better 90 hungry.
and be a little cold, and sleep in very
Indifferent quarters rather than be
neglected in some other ways. Every
thing of value in the future depends
upon the young of to-day. The Govern
ment, the maintenance of social organ
~ization, the advance of civilization,
morality, religion and education, all
depend on that boy and girl. 1t is a
fearful responsibility that is to rest upon
them, and the great question for every
father to answer is, how can l tit the
bov for the discharge of these weighty
duties which the years will lay upon
him? As before said the girl usually
gets along all right. When she becomes
q woman she Is a. woman, thanks to
the patience of the mother, who
will sit down and talk with her
little girl for hours, as if they were
equal in age and knowledge. The re-
suit is early development in the girl
and maturity that our boys do not
have, and v will have until the
fathers realize that they should at
least give as much attention to the
training of the boy as they do the train
ing of an animal. It is hard to raise a
boy, and the father who does not often
sigh with fatigue in his dilligent at
tempts to instruct and entertain the
little fellow, might as well conclude
now, that he is neglecting his duty.
The boy begins life wholly helpless
and absolutely ignorant of everything.
All is mystery to him, and it must be
explained to him, or he must remain in
ignorance. Nature implants in him o
thirst for knowledge. He see the fire
in the stove, and wishes to know what
it is. He does not know that it will
harm him, and may never know until
his fingers are burned. Then he knows,
then he has learned something; and it
may be impossible, because of his
youth, for him to learn it, at the time
he does learn it, in any other way. But
right here the failure of the parent to
discharge his duty with reference to
other things toward the child, is sug-
gested. He frequently leaves the boy
to be taught through burned fingers
pretty much altogether. As one writer
remarks, he learns what the laws Of
nature are only when he is punished for
their violation. Thousands of our boys
are never told anything at all about the
dangers of life. It is not explained to
them how this Or that vice affects them
physically, or how, perhaps through
heredity, they are particularly exposed
to some danger. We seem sometimes
to think that if we set them a good ex-
ample we have discharged our full duty.
A good example may do some good, but
how very weak it is as a protection to
the child, the fact that the sons of our
most exemplary fathers are as wild as
the widest, only too plainly shows.
Sometimes, too, a bad example is so
%wretchedly bad that it is disgusting,
and the boy turns from his fathers
practices with loathing. Weonce heard
q reformed drunkard say: "My father
was a respectable moderate drinker, and
/ became a drunkard, but not one of my
boys ever drank DROP" Boys coming
from our most exacting Christian homes
are often the worst boys we have Yet
not the least fault can be found with the
example set them. They are not drilled
in the principles of right. That is what
is the difficulty. They are not told that q
certain course of conduct will result dis
a%strously and the reason explained.
They are left to burn their finger, and
they will be very apt to do it right in
the presence of the very best example.
1t is we'll enough to set a good example,
but to expect it to be a shield to tho
boy, unless there accompanies it a full
explanation of the principles that
prompts the example, is idle.
So the father who fully recognizes the
responsibility resting upon him, will
brace himself for the discharge of very
arduous work in the training of his boy.
The little fellow will begin early to tax
his patience and his strength. He will
ask what the sun is, and is to be told it
is the sun. He will ask what it is for,
and is to be told. He will want to
know why it is for the purpose stated,
and the best explanation possible must
be given; and he will, of course, pile up
the questions upon the sun, until the
father is in an inextricable confusion,
and utterly exhausted. But it is his bust
ness to stick to his work and pull
through the best he can; and when he
gets through with the sun, he will, with
out losing any time, manufacture a cat
echism upon some other subject. That
is nature developing itself, and if We dc
not say that it must be encouraged, it al
least must not be discouraged. And
when he is temporarily through his
search for knowledge, he may make
further requisition upon the fathers
strength in the direction OF play. The
requisition ought be granted. The
father tired! That makes no difference.
The father too dignitied to play with the
boy! Bah. At such times the conduct
is to be regulated by the standard of the
child's dignity and not the fathers.
Fifty years stiffness in a two or ten.
year-old boy is impossible. The fathe,
and the child should be companions,