Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-01-23

on This SuDjeCt-What Constitutes True
Manlincss-Hints to Parents as Well as
to Children-The Conclusion of the Whole
Matter: "Fcar God and Keep His Com
m~andments."
If the boy is the father Of the man,
then the boy ought to be manly. All
the boys will say yes to this. But if 1
should ask them, one by one: What do
you mean by being manly? 1 should
get some funny One thinks
that the way to be manly is to smoke
cigarettes; another to chew tobacco;
another to swear like a pirate; another
to be the bully of the school. The
reader of dime novels aspires to man
hood by procuring a toy pistol, and set
ting himself up as a ''blood and thun-
der hero. Another, admiring the tops
who twill little canes and wear fashions
able clothes, tries to initiate them, and
make Il monkey of himself.
So l will not spend my time in prov
ing that to copy the vices, and crimes,
and follics of men is not the way to be
manly.
Nor is it manly to try to be old be-
fore your time-to put away boyish
things while you are q boy. 1t is. as
natural and right for boys to romp and
play rs it is for young animals. They
can hardly help, even, being a little
rude and boisterous sometimes. A lit
tie girl excused herself for being unable
to sit still, by saying she was "chock
full of teeter." She could not help her
restlessness. And it is harder, even
Tor the boys than for the girls. Aloco-
motive has to blow off steam, OF it
would blow up. And it is Just so with
the boys. Johnny Prim's mother was
a very %fastidious woman. She wanted
Johnny to be a little man. She told
him that he must come right home from
school and never stop to play in the
streets. If he did he would spoil his
nice clothes. Johnny did not like this,
so he went to the Bible to find out
whether his mother was right or not.
He found in the prophecy of Zcchariah,
in the eighth chapter, this verse:
And the streets of the city shall be full of
boys and girls playing in the streets thereof
He ven toshis mother with that verse
and said: Mamma, if that was the
way they did in Jerusalem when God
dwell in the midst of it, and it was
called the city of truth-the mountain
OF the Lord OF hosts, the holy mount
ain, it can't be wrong for me to play in
our Streets Mrs. Prim was a pious
She did not know there was
such a verse in the Bible. But when
she read it and the verses in the context
she had to give it up. The truth is that
she thought more about Johnnv's
clothes than anything else. Many
mot4'ers are troubled because their boys
are SO hard on clothes. But they had
better have the trouble that way thanin
nupsing puny, sickly boys, who haven't
life enough to tear anything.
say then, first OF all, the manly bov
is not that pale little fellow who mopes
IN Il corner while the rest are racing
and romping all over the play ground.
A man needs strength of body. He
needs muscles hardened by exercise.
And those boys who are running and
jumping and pushing and tumbling
head over heels are preparing for the
rough and tumble of life. They are
laying in a stock of health for after
years. That Il who is shouting SO
loud is developing a voice that may be
heard in Congress, or from the pulpit,
n of these days. My horse ..Peth is
a splendid roadster, fast, gay, yet gen
tie and kind. But when she was a colt
she was wild as a deer. She wentr rae
ing and chasing around the corral as if
She didn't know what to do with her
self. like such colts. They make the
best horses. And SO l Ike lively, noisy
boys. They often make the noblest
men.
But a manly boy will cultivate in his
boy life the spirit andc the OF
the groWn-up gentleman. He won't be
a savas until he is twenty or twenty.
one, then suddenly urn round and be
thoughtful. polite and polished. Let us
see thea what a true gentleman is, and
does, aad we can learn something about
what tire true boy ought to be, and do,
and 10. do.
A gentleman always tells the truth.
his wo:d IS as good as his bond. WHIST
Toes th's say to the boy? 1t says:"don't
~1lb-doa't get in the habit of spinning
yarns lust for fun. Don't think it is
no great matter if you deceive you,
father or mother in little things. BE
frank an.l manly in all that YOU saw
"A gentleman don't swear. If YOU,
mother hears a man using profanc
language she says to herself at once
ale is no gentleman Hence bows
must not use those little ''swcar words
that we so often hear on the play.
ground: If You say ''by golly''nov
You WIZ say something worse some Of
these days: don't know of anything
meaner than these Lilliputian oatlis
thar many boys use. They are Just as
wicked as the big oaths that the youns
sWearers have not Yet courage to utter
But that is u courage easily acquired
ana IS sure TO come soo4 if you cult
vale IL