St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-08-20
Boys at Large.
By HOPE LRDYARD.

Every woman admires a ''manly boy
! yet too many mothers shrink from train
ing their own lads to take care of them
, selves, and are afraid of letting then
"go alone" However it may be Will
our girls, we know our boys must ''sbif
for themselves" Why not help in
stead of hinder them
The most practical way of teaching
geography to child is to teach hin
how his home is situated and in what
direction the street or road runs. He
can then go errands of longer and long
er distances, until his own village OF
city is thoroughly familiar to him. A
wise mother will be purposely helpless
as to what street car to take, or which,
road is the shortest cut to certain
point, SO that her boy may study it out
for her and have the manly delight OF
taking the lead.
The ability to find his way about and
travel, if needful, long distances, does
not make a boy any more likely to
stray away from home; indeed, lad
may be farther from home influence who
is never "otI' the block" than his friend
other alone. 1t is the want of purpose,
the lack of aim, that leads many chill
dren into mischief; but teach your son
self-reliance, teach him that you look
upon him as quite capable of RESPONSE
bility and, instead of exposing, you
are shielding him.
Every child should be trained from
the very first to give his name and resi-
dence in clear distinct voice. He
shOuld be taught to regard policeman
us his friend, and instructed as to prop
er places to- enter if in any trouble,
such as drug stores or IL respectable
grocers. If living in "a city, the diff
ferent lines of ears can soon he learned
by Il little child, even before he can
read. When little older the boys
should learn how to sound the fire
alarm, or at least where the key for
yOur district is kept. At eight years
of age boy can be trusted to take n
short trip on the steam ears, or across
the ferry, teaching him to keep his
ticket OH hand, to be prompt, to ask as
few questions of the much tired con-
ductOr as possible, and never to linger
about depots or ferry houses.
At the first opportunity let IA boy
learn to register his name ut hotel
and engage "a room. Another good les
son is to impress upon all children that
if they are thrown among strangers in
a country place, and do not know how
| to get to their destination, the minister
of their particular denomination is
sure to prove friend indeed. When
sending child away alone, let his
name and residence be sewed inside
cap and jacket; the time of his return
should be clearly understood and no
deviation allowed without notice being
sent home; never regret that child
returns in time and SO loses Il pleasure,
but commend and reward, if possible,
| his honoring his word. Children should
be taught not to pick up chance ac-
quaintances III street or car. 1t is safer
that they should be little too reserved
than that sharpers should get hold OF
them but the employees of boats OF
RAILROADS, if ut liberty and willing to an
swer questions, are good companions
for Il wide-awake boy, imparting odd
bits OF knowledge that are ut least
stimulating and may prove very useful.
A boy of ten, who had been trained
to travel short distances alone, was al
lowed to go from New York to Rich
mOnd. Va, and back, on Il steamer. He
was introduced to the captain and pur-
ser, who both promised to "have an
eye" on him. The boy came back in
five or six days, having learned more
of the geography of the coast than he
could have learned ut school i'll month;
he had seen the Dutch Gap and York
town, and understood something of the
"iate war;; had heard anecdotes of the
taking of Richmond from eye witness
y
with IA relish on his return. He had
learned to "bOx the compass" to make
a ban ometeI in tumblei, to understand
what eight bells" meant, and, in short,
had not only laid in a stock of health
for the enervatlng spring days, but
had gained knowledge aud an appetite
for knowledge that was of itself worth
the price of the ticket.
Now, if this boys mother had kept
him tied to her side and been afraid to
trust him alone, he could not have gone
on this trip, would have gone on pining
and moping for "a month or SO, lost all
that time from school, and learned no
new lessons. To be sure you may say,
"Some accident might have happened,r
but so might something have happened
right ut home. l. know IA child who
was crippled hy falling oyer hassock,
! yet at this moment am resting my
foot on hassock. ! wish that this ar
ticle might arouse some careful, cod
ding mother TO "consider her ways,
aud be wise."- [Congregationalist.
go ra.E-xs041-