The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-07-14
ROB, THE BOWMAN.
BY REV. j. H. VINCENT, D. D.

There is this difference between boy
under and boy over twelve or thirteen
years of age. The one is'all boy, "the other
has the beginnings OF the imam" in him.
Over this latter boy change has come.
He is ripening. See the delicate shading
on bis upper lip. Are these touches from
the artists finest brush? No, for it let
alone while, that shading will grow into
material for an artists brush. This is
the faintest trace of the long-looked for
mustache, which, as the poet says, Lies
KISS" 1t is sign OF the coming man in
the boy. And there are other signs.
You find them in the coarsening OF feat
ures and huskiness of voice-that voice
to which Thackeray alludes as ''a deep
bass voice diversified with squeak"
There is peculiar gait in the boy now,
awalk as of an uncrowned king. And tile
tone in his voice is of one born to Iule.
Alas for the younger brother in these
dsysl
All these are good signs. They are in
the true way of nature. There is must
be-so in the process, alternately admira-
BILE, painful and ridiculous as it is. The
future railway magnste, the coming
president, the chairman Of the village
school board, twenty five years hence, are
in embryo in this awkward, pimpled, lip
lingering man boy. Let him grow!
There is danger that the boy will be
prematurely lost out of him while the
man natures, and this must somehow be
prevented. IL you can convince him
that he may romp and rollick like joy
Gus, self-forgetful boy without retard-
ing the growth of his mustache, or losing
the respect OF his seniors, you will per-
form for him good office.
cts really promising growth, Rob.
No, your fathers was not quite as thick
or long or dark at your age. Sixteen, is
it? Seventeen next birthday Good for
you, Rob. Let it alone and it will grow
Now for frolic? No, it won't hinder it's
growth Rob. Nor will the girls like you
any less. Grown-up people will think all
the more of you. Now, Rob, down me il
you can; I'm forty-ive. Here goesr'
And Rob downed his father, although
it was not the easiest job in the world.
And thus Rob's father favored the man
while he fostered the boy. They romped
together, flew kites together, fshed and
ran races and played ball together. And
Rob would kiss his father just as he did
when he was only a boy. And it was
good for Rob thus to rub the rollicking-
ly, jolly, artlees boyhood that was in him
against his own growing, sedate manhood.
This life kept him open to advice during
the years when advice is most needed. 1t
preserved him from morbid self-con-
seriousness. 1t made him more gentle, and
thus more of the gentleman, while his mus
Giles were acquiring the strength and firm
ness Of age, and while he was becoming
hardened for the rough experiences OF life.
And it is possible, although not FREE
quent occurrence, that the boy may re-
main master little too long, and the man
mature too slowly. Careful treatment
will correct this tendency. Gentle re-
proof, an imposition of new duties, a
touch of raillery, good example, will
repress the excess of juvenility, and bring
out into greater prominence the coming
man.
This boy-man period demands right
ideal of real manhood. What is the boy
to be? What does he want to be? What
are his dresmsp His models are all on
the street. Which does he choose? Is
it the flop, the rowdy, the staid business
man, the student? Make no mistake
here. You must not jump to the conclu-
sion that because he likes to dress well,
and is careful about collar, cuffs, and cut
OF hair, he is to be fop or fool. Do not
assume, because he likes to drive a fast
horse, read the last baseball report, or
run down to see an international yacht
race, that the boy Is to grow up sport
ing man. In the most abnormal devel-
opments of human character there are
always normal elements in which abide
strength and mob enees. A boy may get
good out of the good, and eechew to the
point OF loathing whatever is evil or low
in connection with the good.
Rob's ideal as to the employment or
business Of his life may be false, and yet
his ideal OF life itself may be true. He
may think that he would like to be
among horses when he was younger Rob
insisted that he was going to keep liv-
cry stable), he would like to raise
superior colts on farm of his own. In.
deed, he sometimes says that he would
keep "sueh livery stable as was never