Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1885-07-16
ADVICE TO 4 MOTHER.

ADVICE TO A MOTHER.
The following letter has reached
me. with the usual fee for valuable
advice omitted:
KIND SrR: have dear, sweet son
who does and says such queer, odd
things. My friends think he will
grow up to be great humorist. He
is constantly saying something fun
ny. Only yesterday he came to me
smiling, and asked me in such hu-
morous way if had ever heard the
bed-tick. write to you for advice,
for my heart is troubled about my
dear, sweet boy. / do not know
whether / should allow him to be q.
humorist or not. Do humorists make
great deal of money! Do they
move in the most select circles of so
ciety? lis the humorist profession
overerowdedi Hoping you viii give
this letter your earliest attention, and
advise me in respect to my dear,
sweet boy the best you can, I am truly
yours, FoND MorHER.
! Fond mother Of a dear, sweet boy,
l am glad you have come to me for
counsel in this your moment of trial
while there is yet time to save your
erring son. Another year and it
might have been too late. Even a
few brief months more, and the hui
NOR might have struck deep into
your dear, sweet boys system, and
finished its deadly work.
II you love your son, and would
have him grow up to be great among
men, check the first seemingly inno-
cent jokelet that would trickle from
his lips. Check it gently if you can,
but do not spare piece Of clap-board
if you must. Let me whisper to you
legend:
Once upon a time there was q
beautiful little boy, the pride and
Joy and hope of fond and indulgent
parents, with vein of unworked hui
NOR IN his system. A few jokelets
had fallen from his lips, but as yet
those to whom be was dearest had not
been seriously alarmed. They had
not noticed that humor had begun
its subtle work upon tender and
yielding mind. If they had, they
would have gone out and got a
shlngle, and exerted warm influence
in another direction. One day a
medieval maiden aunt of that little
boy came to dine at his home. She
was encumbered with much wealth
and many poor relations, and the
bane of her life and tormentor Of hel
lexistence was a crooked nose. Willis,
the beautiful little boy sat opposite
his maiden aunt at table, the conver
sation drifted from one thing to an
other until it reached potatoes, man,
of which, it was remarked, had tha
season taken the second growth.
i "Pa,'' said the beautiful little boy
with the vein of unworked humo
deep down in his system: pa, die
Aunt Maria's nose take the secont
growths'
! The tender little jokelet fell fla
with a dull, sickening thud. .Nobod,
laughed. On the contrary, dee]
gloom was cast over the entire con
gregation. When the first suddel
shock of the jokelet had spent itself
the father of the little boy rose VI
from the table, and took the boy by th
collar, and meandered with him ou
! behind the kitchen, pausing by tn
wayside only long enough to pull Al
oaken stave from an empty barrel
And then there was a sound of revel
ry, and at the end there were woe an
pain for the beautiful little boy. Fo
days and days thereafter he was sad
dest when he sat, and never smil
: illumed his once gay and ioyou
, lyoung face, nor tender jokelet fe
, from out his mouth.
His vein of humor was crushe
: with barrel-stave. 1t lay limp an
wounded unto death. The fountain
e of his humor were dried up, as
Iwere, and he never joked again.
:. And what is the result?
That beautiful little boy grew I
;, he an honored citizen To-day b
r has wealth, position, influence, dy'
, pepsia, and a severe cast of count
- nance. He is the managing editor
a Sunday-school paper, and peop
come to him for advice, and to bo
: row money of him, and he never r
s fuses to extend helping hand,
t two per cent o month, if the securil
is good. He was saved by barre
stave. He was turned away from
{. perilous course whilst his your
d mind was yet plant and barre
J. stave could get in its good work.
r. ''Do humorists make a great de
of money!" ''Do they move in Il
:. most select circles of societys" De
u fond mother, cast your eyes abo
you. Look around among the m
le lionaries and grand muc-a-mucs
# the epoch. Let your gaze meand
J. from face to face. You do not sec
y humorist clothed in a spike-tail co
and gay secondhand smile moviI
about in swell society, and in debt
y, his washerwoman.
L. You must go to the humble viz
D. lclad cottage to beard the genui
). humorist in his den, as it were. The
= you will find him with thought
IL face and fair bald head cutting
~ some fire-wood, or carrying the bal
is or putting half-ton of coal in
of cellar, and at the same time hate
~ ing thoughts to convulse n univer
Vi at five or six dollars convul
re There you will see the true humor
"a clothed in all his glory and pair
ht half-soled "pants."
RI List to me moment longer, 70
:. mother of dear, sweet boy. ha
u friend who is accused of being
er humorist, and he has been in trou
Ia ever since the charge Was ms
en- against him. Once he came to
with a countenance more than usu
!, ly sad, and said:
"A "You do not know what a II
ds who is charged with being a hum
TX list has to endure. Everybody
All tmeets expects him to have freshl