The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-05-17
4 Chat With the Bows.

My son, drop that dime novel or flash
paper and let's have little chat
Yes, Indian and detective stories are
thrilling, but don't 90 too fast. The
chances are that you will never see a
live Indian outside of ~ circus or q
street parade, and as for killing 'em-
don't.
No doubt you could strap Bowie
knife and revolver around your waist,
and take loaf of bread under one arm
and the pamphlet life of Buffalo Bill
under the other, and 90 West and STAY
Indians by the cord, but don't think
of it.
An Indian has feelings, the same as q
white man. and as few of them have
laid by any bonds or mortgages, or in
vested to any great extent in life insur-
ance, you must realize that the widows
and orphans of your victims would be
left in sad plight.
As for detective stories, 90 and talk
with 4 real detective or County Sheriff
Ask 'em about cold Sleuth's' DISCUSSES
and exploits and magic luck, and then
listen carefully while they tell you what
a 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 the lands sake
look about for something different
There are good boy-books, your father
takes the daily papers, and if you
should read u page or two of history
now and then you wouldn't waste your
time.
The crowd of New York publishers who
n fnn1iOr- ~
pers and dime novels are your worst
enemies. No matter to them whether
you grow up a respectable man or
murderer so long as they get your
money. Their stories are the basest
lies, too silly even for q boy ten years
old to believe.
Now, then, look about you and see
how many men i'll our stores and
factories and offices and upon the
streets are getting gray and wrinkled
and old. Twenty years from now not
one in ten of us whom you see in bust
ness to-day will be able to put our
shoulders to the wheel. Even a decade
will retire tens of thousands. What
then? Why, my son, this is life
which knows no rest until old age COM
pels it.
When the men of to-day are laid up
in dry-dOck the boys of to-day will be
the fresh set of hands called on deck to
work the ship. They will be the mer-
chants, farmers, manufacturers and
professional men of the future. You
will have to bear the burdens and anx-
ieties of keeping this country on the
track of peace and prosperity, and your
yrpian- will uoI,nl frn,,, fbo bo H., -
gresS and your pens write words to
burn in the memory of future genera
tons.
Come, now, begin right. Don't get
it into your head that an Indian-killer
is about four pegs above a State Sena-
tor. Don't imagine that detective
wouldn't trade places with a lawyer
very quickly il he had the say about it.
Don't you believe that an embezzler,
burglar or murderer is hero. and that
men admire him. Drop your novels
and flash papers as starter. The boy
who feeds on such trash gets false i'm
pressions of the world. and is more GER
tain to bring up in State Prison than in
respectable employment. If you have u
pistol fling it aside. The man who car
ries one about the streets is u coward
and mark him as such. If YOU have q
Bowie-knife on hand turn it over to
your mother for meat or bread knife
If you have n sand-club lying around
loose shy it into the ditch before any,
body finds out how empty your head has
been. That pair of brass-knuckles can
be tossed into the river; cold Sleuthn
and Buffalo Bilp' will make u good
bonfire, and then you are ready to begin
life and to ask yourself what trade or
profession shall be yours when done IN
the school.-M, quad, IN Detroit Free
Press.