The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-02-25
A SERMON FOR BOYS.

3 A SERMON FOR BOYS.
a-Door and Outdoor Work and Rccrea-
tion-The Boys Who Prove the Winners
In the Contests of Manhood-A Doctors
Views.
One morning, some years ago, |
yalked with DR.. Phillips Brooks from
he playground of st. Paul's school to
he chapel, where heard him preach,
% the boys, great sermon. seventeen
ninutcs long.
K x The text was: ''Rcndcr to Caesar the
hlngs that are Cesar's." The man
yho is not at times a boy is not much
I 4 a man. AS for my preacher friend
lie has always lowered on the verge of
,oyhood, and his sermon showed how
friendly to boys his large inclusive
less enabled him to be. He said that
q | relations in life are like tax-gather-
rs. and should have their dues. A
10y, he said, has duties to God. to his
ountry, to his school, to himself.
The thought of boys duties to him
elf brought back to memory the text
rhich is strong enough to he the seed
mary sermons of many kinds
The duties now referred to are not
uch as the preacher meant. or not al
ogether these. am speaking now as
doctor, to boys old enough to think,
nd shall leave to others to say how
auch boys should study; nor shall I,
east of all men, advise them against
eard, mental work in youth, because l
Ehink that Il regular, steady use of the
rain makes all the mental labor of
manhood more easy.
But this conviction is not inconsist-
mt with hearty appreciation of a
Ecrimmage at football. nor with that
turdy feeling of the boys. that the
games which are without risks are poor
hings. For they are deficient in the
qualities which make boyhood games
lseful for training youth in courage,
elf-control, discipline, calmness and
General suppression of emotion, and
hat it is this training which gives
talue to cricket, baseball and football.
( In spite of games. gymnasiums and
he increased knowledge which
he men of this generation
lave of the laws of health, one
till sees many sick young folks. Some
# the ills to be observed are incidents
IF life, some are its accidents, and
kome down from the sins OF follies of
grandparents; but. many are due to
,auses which sadden us to think about,
Ind cause one to long for more city
Fairgrounds. and to wish to make
vood-Arabs for summer month of
some of these little fellows deprived of
he rights of childhood.
[ In the richer classes of life. where
he chances for health are better, they
lrc lesscned too often, because boys are
stupid and do not enjoy fifty the noble
citizenship of boyhood, or because par
ents are inert, or lack insight. 1t is
mostly among this class. the easy class.
that we see the weakly boys, tallow-
colored and sluggish, who struggle
along and are more and more damaged
because they do not like sports or dread
Ito compete with their fearless COM
rades. Every school-boy knows all the
varieties of this kind; the weakling
who reads and reads. good books or
poor, but does nothing else; the fellow
who studies, and finds no time for
play; the merely accumulativc boy who
COLLECTS. but has no joy in the search.
Last week asked pastyfaced lad
what game he liked best. He said
l.COllecting postage stamps Then
he volunteered the remark that his
brother had splendid collection of
eggs, but that these were all bought
from other boys. He had never found
an egg for himself.
The boy who collected postage
stamps had dyspepsia, and it was said
that he liked to play croquct. These
are the business boys. If live until
that fellow is fifty years, which is inn
probable, he will come to me with q
large liver, having clcvcrly become
rich. and, in getting money. forgotten
Its uses.
The out-of-door boys do not greatly
enrich the doctor. and escape many of
the ills which beset the lazy. 1t is odd
how rare are certain disorders among
boys in the country, where fellows
must be out-of-doors so much Every
spring have good crop of young pa
|tients, Habby lads, with mushy mus
|cles, who twitch and squirm and drop
things and wink ut you wildly and are
getting st. Vitus' dance. 1t is apt to
be an indoor boy who falls a prey to
this saint. and the country lad seldom
|gets into bis clutches.
There is another kind of boy who
|should live out-of-doors. He is the
|timid. emotional merely nervous boy.
apt to be labeled "girl-boy." Fine
Temperament fall to these lads often.
and mono are more easily misunder-
stood. The fellow will not fight; all
Fisks appal him. II in the water, he
aikas to feel bottom. He has II good
Ahance of going to pieces early; but II
he lives he comes to something, and
only needed kindly help to have given
Mn IN youth the sturdiness he misses
. much In later life.
Twill recall two such fellows. We
nlkf3 70 try TO make them tight one an