The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-06-21
A Sisters Influence.

Il wonder" said Mrs. Eaton, "what
makes Frank Sawyer so different from
Tom Blake and Bill Harris! THEY'VE
pom good homes and good parents,
put,Iom and Bill are as rough as young
INDIANS, and never seem to know the
alherence between the inside of the
| mousse and outdoors" Well the fact
was Frank Sawyer had sisters, and it
was impossible to feel that the INSIDE
OF the house" was the same as "out-
doors, where the presence and inHu-
ence OF either younger or older sisters
was constantly felt.
SAID gentleman in our hearing, not
long since: 81 can never tell what my
older sister was to me all through my
growing up. | knew nothing of her
value to me as boy, recognized COM
paratlvely little of it as young man,
but now that | have reached years of
maturity, Irealize how much she did
to make home attractive, and my child
hood pleasant one.
And again, it was but little while
ago lady was speaking of the gentle
manner and unusual ability in enter
tanning shown by n young gentleman
who had recently come into the COM
munity, 30. WE'LL said friend, 'I'll
tell you where he learned his ease, and
acquired such finished manners; he
grew up with a lot of sisters, and they
always depended on him to help when
they had company, and they consulted
him about their fancy work and the
Arrangement of a room or tea-table,
= ~ y i he was another girl"
Commend us to these boys who have
grown up with ga lot of sisters" We
have often heard gentleman remark
regretfuly. 81 never had sister; that
was something | missed" We feel for
them genuine pity that they should
have missed so much. But do the girls
of the family realize even slightly the
great influence they are eXerting or
might exert over their brothers?
We know something about these ir-
repressible, iNcorrigible boys; but,
though we term them irrepressible,
they are not unimpressible. BY no
means! And the more vehemently they
declare they won't and they won't be
made to! and that's the end of it the
sooner we know they will yield if the
prudent sisters only remain patient,
and perhaps coax little.
The natural influence of a sister is
purifying, refining and restraining, and
any boy who makes his sister COM
panion is pretty sure of learning from
her only lessons the most beneficial
and wholesome. Suppose brother VIII
or John is little turbulent, or given
TO teasing sometimes; invite him to
join in the games, the picnic, and see
to it that he Arrays is present at the
little supper company. And then its a
great deal nicer to have your own
brother walk with you to church or
Sunday School than to 90 with some
other girl, and have him sauntering off
with some other boy.
There often is lacking that strong,
affectionate feeling of kinship on the
part of brothers and sisters, because
the sister is not inclined as she should
be to make companion of her brother.
And in this particular we think the
girls are most at fault The merry
boys, with all their mischievousness,
are warm-hearted as can be, and almost
invariably will meet more than half
way any advances or offers on the part
- Their sisters to ''be friends" Cherish
them well, these useful rogues, who one
day are to make the laws, protect
society, and conduct matters much as
they are influenced to by sister Nell or
Sue.-GOZdeU Rule.