Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-12-26
THE TRAINING OF BOYS.

vi oOySs
The Importance of Inculcating Habits OF
Strict Truthfulness and Honesty-Cour-
age in Right-Doing an Essential Virtue.
After the fathers shall be the children.
The boy is father of the man. Just as
the twig is bent, etc. From such say
ings we have the simple truth, known
from the beginning, that the germ OF
the man is in the boy. W. shall see in
the meat what is bred in the bone. /
do not insure the character of any COM
ing man. With perfect trust in the
promises of God, 1 know the conditions
Of success in the education of children
are SO many and SO hard that it may
easily be shown to be the fault of the
parent when the boy grows up to be a
bad man. Nevertheless the promise
standeth sure, and the facts in the his
tory of families verify the promise. 1t
is a gross falsehood to say that the best
parents have the worst sons. 1t is an
old SANDER, refuted a thousand times,
that the sons of ministers are the widest
boys in the parish. One prodigal from
the parsonage makes more talk and
scandal than a dozen among the people.
1t remains true in spite of all the jibes
and sneers of a censorious world, that the
home lifei is the atmosphere in which the
foundation of character is laid, and the
parent is responsible for the principles
which the o imbibes while vet beneath
the parental roof, and which for the
most part make the character for life.
[ am writing these lines to fathers and
mothers, teachers, guardians and to all
who have the opportunity and the
power to impress upon the minds and
hearts Of children and youths, that
moral purity of life and heart is essential
to the character of q good citizen. A
boy who is not truthful is a bad bow.
and a man who is not truthful is rotten
to the core. A boy may be tempted to
tell a lie and be very sorry for it after
ward, but when the fault has grown
into a habit the little fellow has become
a scamp, and there is a strongprobabil-
ity that he will go to the bad. Grow
ing up to manhood without regard to
truth, there is no vice into which he
may not fall, for the sheet anchor of an
upright life is lost, and he drifts at the
mercy OF storms and waves. A minister
OF the Gospel once came to me from a
n%eighboring city and said: ga dreadful
thing has happened in our ministerial
circle; one of our men has fallen"
"And | can name him. said T.
'tthough 1 never heard a word against
him."
did name him, and when called on
to give the reason for thus singing him
out, | replied: .In a controversy had
with him some time ago I discovered
that he would lie, and eyer since I have
been looking for his fall.h
Want of t%ruthfulness implies weak
ness as well as %wickedness, and without
courage and fortitude a tempted man
falls into the first trap that is set for
him or the first pit in his way. 1t is
often and %truthfully said that civilized
society a not exist without confidence
between man and man. We live on it
every hour. In the deepest recesses of
domestic life and in all Intercourse with
our fellows, if we could not rely on the
word of those who are near us, the
wheels of society and business would
cease to move. This is true in every-
day affairs as well as when we come to
the matter of witness-bearing. How
the law seeks to prevent lying when
the property, life OF character is at
stake in the court of justice! What I'M
speakable mischief is wrought by the
wretch who bears false witness. The
greatest danger a good man has to fear
is the tongue of malice or envy or
avarice, wagging to take away his good
name. And no sadder sight in ali this
world is ever seen than a good man
sinking under the poisonous wounds
of SANDER. Honest men have often
suffered extortion and paid large
sums rather than to endure the
pain and injury Of a false accusation.
Others, drawer and wiser, have defied
the evil II and, clad in the p%anoplv
OF innocence, have said: '.Do YOUR
worst. God is my witness and Judge"
Two persons entered the hall of one of
the noblest and best pastors in this CITY:
asked for a private interview; told him
they had unimpeachable evidence that
ne had been living in secret vice, and
unless he would pay them Il sum they
named they would expose him to the
world" He detied them. They tried
Ihelf ciuel game. lhelr lying c%onspir-
acv was exposed. They got into
prison and he came forth like gold from
the fire.
AS lying begins in cowardice, and is
the refuge Of one who is afraid of the
consequences if he tells the truth, so
courage is a virtue to be taught, and al
ways to be had in honor. Especially if
the disposition of the child is timid. and
he easily yields to Encouragement and
fears. Brace him up. The martyr
spirit does not run in the blood of all
OF us: But the youth may be trained to
stand fire. The ~weakling may become
a hero. Boys should grow early into
manl'ness IN duty and danger, scorning
me wrong and sticking to the right, in
!he iace OF %reproach, or loss, or death
lfEs.tt lInr 1880