The Osceola times., 1885-02-21
FENCE-RAIL PHILOSOPHY.
A Lecture on the Beat
WaV Of Keeping the
Boys nj Home.

Good morning, neighbor Jones.
Anything gone wrong? You look
as dismal as a tombstone. What!
Your two oldest boys run off?
What a calamity, neighbor Jones,
and I'm sorry for you, sorry for
them, and sorry for those traits of
human nature that makes such mis-
fortune possible. Am surprised,
do you say? Well, yes; l am sur
prised. I'm surprised that they
didn't run away long ago, and | see
that you are very much surprised
that | should take such a view of
the case. But now let me explain,
and I'll do it in my plain blunt
way, for I'm no hand at smoothing
down rugged facts. Your boys
have run away from home, and you
think they had no cause for an act
which, to you, seems like base in
gratitude.
But | don't look at it in that
light. Your boys left home because
they were starved! Yes; FIRE up
and get mad about it if you want to!
Take that hand spike and knock
me off this fence if you feel that it
will relieve you; but that won't
make facts any less facts. | will
admit that you gave your boys sufii-
cient food for their stomachs, enough
clothing for their bodies, and COM
Portable beds to lie in. You did
the same for your hogs and your
cattle. But, neighbor Jones, you
never stopped to consider that your
boys were rational beings with high
er wants than the brutes exhibit,
and so ] say that in the highest aud
noblest sense they were starved, and
they ran away to satisfy those men
tai cravings which stood no chance
of being satisfied at home. Poor
fellows, how | have pitied them.
From morning till night, week to
week, and month to month, through
out the year, they knew nothing but
work, work, work. You provided
them with no books; you took no
papers for them. Not even a poor
picture adorns the walls Of your
house. You afforded your boys no
pleasure, unless it was to go 20 the
fair once a year and possibly allow
them one visit to the circus. You
permitted no social gatherings at
your house, and Christmas, New
Years, Thanksgiving day and birth
day anniversaries were not different
from other days. So say your
poor boys were starved, were i'll
treated and were deuied the COM
forts of life to which they were en-
titled.
Yes, yes, know; you wanted to
bring up your children with the no.
tion hammered into their minds that
life is very serious affair, and that
the principal object in living aud
working is to save money. 1t is
well enough to be frugal and in
dustrious, but this can be carried to
extremes like any other good thing.
What is the use of money anyway,
but for the comforts and enjoyments
you can buy with it? And when is
a better time for enjoyment than in
youth? OF course you tell your
boys that all the wealth you are
boarding will eventually go to them;
but that is poor comfort. One dol
lar now will buy them more real
enjoyment than fifty dollars will
twenty years from now.
Now, neighbor Jones, you are not
bad man at heart. So far as hon
esty goes, you stand well in the
community. You pay your bills
and neither rob nor cheat your
neighbors; but your constant grind,
grind, grind, has worn away your
better nature and has substituted an
artificial one. How can you change
your life now, do you askY Easy
enough. You are man of strong
resolution and prompt action. just
resolve to make most of the present.
Never mind the future, Turn your
attention awhile from your fields
and cattle to your home and your
family. Put carpets on your floors
where they are needed, paper your
walls and adorn them with pictures.
Get a book case and fill it with
choice works. Subscribe for sew
eral good papers. Get your daugh-
ter an organ, and invite the boys
and girls of tie neighborhood to
come in and enjoy themselves.
Give your boys a reasonable allow
ance of spending nonoy, aaa doa I