The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-25
OUR BOYS-PAPER no. A.


To the Editor Of the India apoIis Journal:
If but one half the attention that is given to
the Potato Bug" and kansas Grasshopper'
were given to the causes that wreck the life of
SO many of our boys we would not see our pris
ons filled with young men, Robert Raikes was
the wisest man of all ages when he established
the Sabbath-schools to help save the children.
The Y. NJ. G. A. is a noble organization, that
seeks to help young men to lead Christian life
But as yet there is comparatively nothing done to
instruct parents how to train their offspring.
This is the weak part of our social system.
1t does seem that the very blessings of life are
turned to evil Take wealth, which, properly
used, Is great blessing. AS rule, it is made
the curse OF the young. Oliver Goldsmith. with
an intuition peculiarly his own, describes state
of society "where wealth increases and man de-
Gays" The spoiled children Of the rich are all
about US Degenerate sons of worthy sires,"
welldressed "rakes" and dudes 'brainless
tops" are too often the outcome of a life of lux
ury. How seldom do we see the sons of our
great business men succeed ss their fathers did,
AS rule the great fortunes accumulated
by a life Of toll are soon sauandered by
their sons Why is this9 Because they
the sons) have never been taught that economy
is the mother of thrift" What is known as
aristocracy is a curse anywhere, but the aristoc-
racy of wealth is the worst of all. 1t holds that
the child of poor but respectable parents Is not
the equal Of the child Of wealth. regret to say
that Select schools pander to this false idea.
There ought not to be "select school in our
land The entire interests of our people should
be conferred in the common schools, the hope of
our country" There the poorest child. if he
possess merit. may win the honors OF
his class. There merit, and not fine
clothes. determine rank There our children
taught that poverty is no disgrace. that labor
is honorable, and that any claim to rank should
be based on merit The upper tens. who teach
their children that they belong to caste, natur.
ally rebel against the equality Of mankind as
taught there and 30 this class patronze select"
schools where pride is encouraged and where
honest merit is laughed at. Even the churches
bow obsequiously to this demand, and the hum
BILE classes are driven to worship God IN humble
temples. The Apostle James says: ''For il there
come unto your assemble man with gold ring,
in goodly apparel, and there come in also poor
man in vile raiment, and ye have respect to him
that weareth the gay clothing. and say unto
him, "Sit thou here in a good place" and say to
the poor. Stand thou there. or sit here under
my footstool etc. James saw the tendency Of
mankind to obsequiously bow to the owners Of
wealth, and he rebuked it.
When Christ was on earth the poor heard Him
gladly and the rich rejected Him. He was to
them only the poor carpenter of Nazareth. and
His apostles sipoor fishermen Wealth 10 all
ages has been wrongly used It's influence upon
the young has ever been fraught with evil This
ID all wrong. The chest society should be un.
derstood to be the society of the good. Let our
social circles recognize merit. and merit alone,
az the 'open sesame" to its privileges
There is another widespread delusion abroad
in our land. 1t is that a "boy of spirit" must
necessarily sow some 'wild oats" This is false;
false to every teaching of the Bible and of ex-
perieuce. The rake" at twenty is the rake at
forty. The boy who begins life with revolver
In his hip pocket becomes the ruffan of society.
If mis- soul is not stained with murder his escape
Is miraculous. If he marries his wife Is made
miserable. and the evidence of physical degener-
alton Is seen in his offspring. 1.-THE way of the
axiom in life. Whatsoever a man SOW
eth that shall he also reap" Be-
ware of wild OATS The harvest
is ruin in every instance. On the other hand,
let 1t be written upon the lintels of every home:
'"Train up a child in the way he should go, and
when he Is old he will not depart from it,
Banlsh false PRIDE Danish Inverted servants.
Danish the thousand folies that make wealth a
found
"Out of the heart proceed the issues of life"
Nothing is truer than this text If the hearts
and minds OF our children can be kept pure their
lives will be successful and happy. Let
a disease break out among Texas cattle
and at once public sentiment demands
that not one be admitted into
the State. Let smallpox or scarlet
fever break out Ia family and the "red flag" is
flung to the breeze and quarantine is estab-
lished. We are overcautious to prevent our
herds from being contaminated. and yet how
slow we are to establish q moral quarantine to
protect our children. How few parents know as
they should know the inner life and thoughts of
their childreni How few fathers inquire of their
children as to their studies in the day schooll
How few give them any inspiring words to slim
ulate them to acquit themselves welll None can
measure the power of encouraging word. The
Spartan mothers farewell to her son. as he went
forth to battle was, Come back with your shield
or on it." In other words, she bade him acquit
himself like soldier even if he should come
back to her corpse. These parting words
made the Spartans invincible in battle.
The farewell injunction Of the mother in 81
to her boy was. go and help save tbs flag and
come back to me as pure as you are now"
Above the din OF attle rang these words of
that sainted mother In that far-off Northern
home. The boy was hero Before them tempta-
tons lost their power. and the boy did return
even stronger than when he went forth In the
battle OF life our boys need such Admonitions
Without them boyhood III feeble; with