Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-05-06
How Boys Pan Out.

There is ali the difference in the world in
boys, and it is the hardest possible thing to
predict to certainly how theywill pan out.
Boys that give promise in youth to become
the most pious, God-fearing. intelligent
business men, often turn ont to be the worst
whelps that ever scuttled a schooner of beer,
while as often the wild, reckless, dcvil-may
care critters whom you expect to find rob-
bling stage coaches and punching heads in
the ring, tumble to themselves and become
deacons IN the church. There are so many
ways of bringing up boy that there is no
wonder when we iook at the results of the
different styles Of training, that people get
tangled and don't know exactly what course
is BEST
Our attention has been called to the career
oftwo boys that were brought up in the
same neighbcrhood, on different principles.
One boy was pious little fellow, whose
father was the same kind of hair pin. The
boy went to church and Sunday school reg
ularly, and could repeat more verses of
Scripture than seemed necessary. When
other boys were whooping it UP nights the
good boy would be at prayer meeting or a
mite society. The other boy had father
that had seen a good deal of the world, and
he gave his boy what was considered too
much license. The old man would 90 boat
riding with his boy On Sunday, for exercise
They would drop hook and line overheard
just for fun. The bog would ask his father
if it was not wrong to fish Oh Sunday, and
the old man would say he didn't know, rs
he couldn't find anything in the Bible on
the subject. He said they would put out
the bait just for a flyer, and if Gods fish
wanted to learn any new game, they could
have chance The result was the old man
and the boy would get nice string of fish,
The old man would tell his boy to look
around while he was young and take in all
the fun that he could find lying around
loose, but not to do anything mean. Some
times the boy rather overdid the thing, for
instance when he got lot of boys together
and told them all to bring cat to a place
appointed the next night at nine o'clock
They visited good natured German, who
liked fun, and after he and his wife were
asleep, the boys dropped eighteen cats down
the chimney, iut0 the room where the Ger
man and his wife were sleeping. The good
boy would have thought he was going di-
rectly to he'll if he had mixed up in that cat
scrape, but the bad boys had a heap of fun,
and so did the German, for he was telling
of it the next day to the bad boys father,
and he said Veil, ven dem cats walk ofer de
bed, und squawl like dey vas sick, dink It
vast yoost raining cats, und my wife, she
tink it vas ped pugs. 0 dose poys dey make
me laugh" The bad boy grew up hearty,
and his laugh could be heard two blocks,
and his heart was ready to respond to any
appeal for charity. The old man told him
that he didn't want to hear that the boy had
done wrong to girl. He wanted him to
look upon girls as the noblest affairs that
ever lived, but he added, fIf girl ever
wants to have her ear bit, and you feel as
though you could do the subject justice, and
and hear of you going around block to
get AWAY from her, | will fan you with
boot feg.'' The bad boy had lots Of fun
with girls. and could tell the difference be-
tween q good one and bad one block off,
while the good boy would blush and trem-
bic in the knees at sight of piece Of calico.
The had BOYS father told the bad boy that
there was such thing as whisky, which
was good enough in its place, but mighty
poor thing to tie TO, and told him not to feel
as though be was liable to become drunk
ard If he smelled Of s bottle, but to let it
alone on general principles. fhs bad boy
tasted of whisky and it burned his inwards.
so he said he guessed he didn't want any
more of that. The good boy never looked
at a bottle without apologizing.
Finally, al eighteen years Oh age, 1ne Two
BOYS went to Chicago to take positions in
business houses, The bad boy was met by
ropers-in for a bunko game, ana no tod them
to 90 soak their heads. The GOOD Doy ScoE
the ropers for nice Christian gentlemen, and
he laid down sixty-fve dollars. The bad
boy was raet ON the street by gorgeous ie-
male. who asked him to take her nome, as
she was afraid ofthe bad men on the street,
and he said to her, '.Sophia, you need salt
no. You are too fresh. ] am young man
rom the country, bnt you can't play no
,ircus on the son of the old man. Ta-tai'
rhe good boy went home with the girl, and
he filed him with New Jersey cider at five
dollars bottle, and her pal stole the good
BOYS pants through panel in the door %:
With forty-four dollars and testament IN
ihe pistol pocket, and then he was kicked
s'sevn stairs at midnight, the police picked