, 1884-10-22
BOY IN HIS TEENS
Is a Very Queer Animal for Any
body to Handle,
And a Father should study Hard 10
learn n Whims and Tricks
OF His sons Ma
ture.


IN. Quad in Detroit Free Pressl
Il have a boy II years of age. Nothing
around the house Is good enough for him and
be Is continually threatening % run away. /
do nit know what 70 do with him. Do
your"
Thus writes afsther who's Iettsr Is dated
from a town IN Indians His boy sprobably
NO wore than the average lad Of that age.
Has the father ever got right down TO hard
pan 10 discover whether the fault lies with
him Or with his soni Has he made a study
OF the boy to learn how he should be
handledf When u man buys a horse be
grants himself a certain length Of time b
learn the animals nature, whims and
tricks. Isn't Il OF as much Importance 70
study a boyi While no two boys are alike,
nearly all fathers seek to govern on the
same principles. They boss and order, and
Imagine that settles the case.
Now, TO begin with, a boy from 1s to 20
years Of age, IS queer animal 10 handle. He
Is full Of the most absurd whims and notions
and false ideas. You may partly convince
him OF this by argument. but you can't make
an impression by scolding or pounding. l
believe the better way Is TO let his mania
wear itself out, like a fever. The boy OF
forty years ago wasn't as bad as the boy of
to-day, but it may DO explained that he
hadn't the chance to be. Where
women had only one new bonnet a
year At the outside, and men sat
in the village church in their shirt sleeves
what boy OF II would have dared ask for
collar nnd necktief To nave wanted better
clothes would have been TO exhibit base In
gratitude. To nave refused 10 wear cowhide
boots and black th6m with lard and lamp
blnck would have been 10 accept the alter
native and go barefoot Clothes were made
at home and after almost any fashion. II
shirts had a collar OF the same material it
was somethlng 70 be proud over. The boys
feelings were not to be consulted in such
lad would ~criticise what another wore.
Pride IN a boy would have been de
nounced almost as a crime, and a tanning
would have certainly followed.
But the years have made n great change.
We seek TO govern our children in a different
way, and fashion Is consulted in every corner
OF the land. We expect more Of our boys
than was expected of us, and we cultivate
pride instead OF crushing it. II we have a
son from 10 TO 20 yehrs of age we realize that
be must be kept on an equal footing with his
boy friends in the matter Of personal ap-
pcarance or be will feal degraded. Show me
a boy OF 10, In village or city, whose family
have any social standing. who can be coaxed
~ 1.-Two - - l0AA VI IAAAAN1 he~hN'A NJ
the knee. He will argue that the whole town
will stop business to gaze at that patch. II
one OF his boots is out at the toe, that settles
the case with him. II there's a rip In his
coat, or a button of, he amt take a minutes
comfort on the street.
The boy OF to-day has got all these whims,
and you must consult them and bear with
him. No matter What tailor measures him,
you can expect a complaint that his pants
are too long or, too short, too tight or toe
baEgy He didn't want mo such coat,p and
the vcst doesn't 1T him within a mile. His
neckties don't suit; his collars are horrid, and
the complaint win include even his bootlegs.
Pound him n you will, but you will only
make him hate you Argument and reason
will smooth over most Of his troubles,
Has the indiana father tried thai
methodi II a man doesn't vote our
ticket or attend our churchill he believes
tho world 10 be hat instead OF round-if
he drinks too much-If he scouts at standard
facts in science or marurni philosophy, do WI
knock him down or argue With hint Dom
We giro him three emes the show that we dc
a bpyf who's false notions win disappear
VIII a9ef Egotism should DO scorrhed unit
the blister elects a cure, but the parent iwhS
socks to crush the natural pride IN a boy Il
playing q dangerous game. The same natura
pride that makes him find 80 much fault witt
bis clothes must be depended on to keep hin
out o. degrading company and unfit associa
tons Pound II into him that anything L
good enough for him, and he will hnd it cas-,
to wear old clothes aud train with loafers.
HAveyou as u man walked the street,
dead broke for a single dayi You felt cheaJ
and ashamed of yourself. hoy might not fee
it quite 30 keenly, but he feels it sufficiently
to mortify his pride. / don't say that yoI
should hand out dollar after dollar TO you
son and take no heed how he spends It, bui
mingle common sense with the transaction
Let him know that you disapprove Of smok
ing, chewing, beer-drinking, botting, gamb
ling and billiards. He wants money for 1
score OF things which seem foolish 10 you
but he is a boy. II he has a dollar In hi
purse be feels u certain pride in the knowl
ledge, and will waste less than Il
you doled him out a dime at 1
time. When one boy applies tn,
term stingy to another 1t means a great dea
more than you realize. 1t means a boy to,
mean to associate with. II he is stingy he Il
supposed 10 be a cheat and u liar as well
Give your boy 25 cents for the Fourth o.
July or 70 go on an excursion in the com
pany Of lads who have been furnished s
apiece and you can snap your fingers at all
the comfort he takes He feels a sense OF in
feriorityi not only financially, but in al
other respects. and this degrades him. Ha.
the Indiana farmer reasoned in this wayi
There Il any amount Of weeping and wall
ing over spoilt boys. II but a tentl OF
the interest was displayed a little sooner
there would be little use for reform schools