Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1885-04-24
A Talk with the Boys.
docs Ii hurt boy to read novelist"

aSaiu, out oual sitet uiuSu iaooi.
The human mind, my lad, Is sponge,
and it soaks up the good, bad and indif-
ferent with the same relish.
The great trouble with novels Is the
false ideas and vicious theories. Ii Is
the same with sll serial stories In the
so-eslled boys papers, aud II Is so to q
certain extent in many of the boy books.
In the drst place the boy, no matter
what his age, Is always made to perform
fests of vslor which common sense
teaches you are impossible. He never
acts or talks like boy. His adventures
as hunter, detective or runaway are
too improbable.
Nevertheless, as you read you find
yourself half believing at least, and the
next thing is to wonder why you can't
be a hero. The story makes you feel
dissatisfied with school aud home and
family government, and the first
thoughs is to run away or plan some
adventure. Even II you say to yourself
that you won't believe a word Of the
story, the mind will still soak up many
of the false theories aud absurd ideas,
and later on in years It may cost you
something to get rid Of them.
II a stranger should tell you that as
he was passing over certain bridge
spanning creek he saw q gold watch
lying In the water, but was In too great
hurry to stop you would probably be-
lieve the story. IL you had positive
proof that the man was brszen liar
you would still iind yourself wondering
how deep the water was, who lost the
watch and whether any one had secured
It.. Your common sense tells you there
are no such beings rs ghosts, but you
have read and heard of them. and prob
ably expected TO feel them clntching at
your throat.
A story which is put forth for boy
to read should, although IL may tsparc
fiction, contaia nothing exaggerated or
Improbable. The hero may be brave
without OVERRIDING the thing. You may
find In the papers almost any day In
stances where boys have displayed great
heroism at fires, or have risked their
lives TO save others. These thugs are
possible and probable, but this making
n boy drive away a band Of Indians, or
break up a gang Of robbers, or capture
ship-load of pirates, is against COM
mon sense.
Let me instance some other evils. In
n book recently published hyiRvery re-
spectacle eastern house, aud having for
it's author a person with n REV" be-
fore his name, he tells about a sailor
falling down the middle companion
way" He meant hatchway, but some
day some OF his boy readers will say
something about the "mlddle compan-
ionway" aud find himself the butt Of
ridicule. The same author speaks Of n
sailor In his hammock. Hammocks are
never used aboard Of merchant vessels,
but the men have berths. lie has the
crew gather around the man at the
wheel to sing and smoke aud yarn II,
when every boy who ever heard OF dis
cipline aboard ship knows that no sailor
IL permitted aft unless called there by
strict duty.
In another book, put forth by an
equally respectable house, the length OF
the Mississippi River is wrongly given.
Arkansas 10 put on the wrong side Of
that river, and the distance from vicks-
burgh to Baton Rouge Is not correct by
thirty miles.
Such Instances as l have related befog
a boys mind and lead him into error,
and he had better have spent his time
In playing marbles.
Let Inc ask you how much better OF
for three hours each evening and listen
to some man telling lies, knowing all
the time they were liesf Would that
improve your mlndr Many Of the nov
els are no more improving than such
grocery tales.
Now let me ask you what makes an
intelligent, well-posted my 7 School
education, TO begin with. lf We learned
nothing after we left school the world
would slip backward. His mind goes
on, day after day, week after week,
picking up scraps Of history, politics,
travel, botany, astronomy, and 20 forth,
and by and by he Is human encyclo-
pedia. He may read love stories and
adventures all his days and be no better
of. Indeed, he will be far worse OF.
"well, what shall boy readi"
There are one or two boy papers OF
good moral tone. The heroes are mol
exaggerated, and the adventures are moi
improbable. II the story IL Of mining
the author gives some valuable iDfor.
nation IN regard to minerals and how
TO mine. II IL IL Of the ses, you ar'
taught the correct names Of ropes and
yards and saiI,, and the habits aud tralt'
Of the people Of other countries are cor
rectly stated.
There are few boy books which sr'
true to everyday life. Read these, and
If you have further time take history
or something else which is certain TO re
J turn some benent-a daily psper-wltl
. its news from every foreign country
Its home hsppenings-i,s di'cussions o
] all matters Of interest--its incidents and
: accidents, lie geography, history, gram
: mar and orthogrspby combined.
Think OF these things, my boy. !
you were going TO be boy forever ih
= a. .