Wichita eagle., 1889-03-28
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1aily & eagle
SHORT TALKS.
Of Interest to the Boy Of the
Period.
Journalists Idea of an Evenings
Fun with the Boys-Sport That
Is Proper and Sport That
Is Contemplate.
SHORT TALKS.
m. Quad in Detroit Free Press.l

TO De 1ull Vi lll0 WduI ulIl u
find amusement and interest every day:
want him, in fact, to have all the fun he
can hold and remain boy as long as he
can.
But I want him to exercise sense and
reason at the same time.
Come, now, my lad, I'll be a boy with
you this evening and We'll go out and have
what you call "fun." How will we get
out; Father doesn't want US racing around
evenings, and mother is decidedly opposed
to it, and we must invent some excuse.
Right here we have to practice mean
deception, if not tell a lie. We want to see
o schoolmate about something, or we bor-
rowed something and must return it, or
any other excuse that seems reasonable
but is at the same time no better than lying.
You can tell by mothers face that she
doesn't entirely believe it, but she lets us
go, and in ten minutes we join two other
boys who have been through the same mill.
Now, then, for the fun. 1t isn't funny to
sit down on log and tell stories, nor to walk
up and down the streets, nor stand and rub
a brick wall with our backs. We have to
make some decided move. Let's stretch a
piece of clothes-line across the sidewalk in
this dark spot, never dreaming that a
woman or an old man may get a fall to rem
der them crippies for life. After that We'll
go the length of this side street and carry
off every front gate which can be lifted
off its hinges. 1t ought TO be awfully funny
TO steal neighbor's gate and leave his lawn
and garden open to damage from stray
animals, but after it has been accomplished
holf cd
to be.
A citizen, who is about to build, has piled
up some choice lumber. Let's throw the
pile down. 1t will make him half days
work, and probably damage some of tn.
boards, but We'll call it fun. Here's the
cottage of the Widow Watkins. We all
know that she is dreadfully afraid of rob-
bers, and so we slip into the yard, tap on
the windows. rattle on the doors, and
frighten her until we are certain that she
will get no sleep that night. Here in the
alley is wagon belonging to tearnster;
Wen run it half mile and leave it behind
a undergrad. He'll want it at SHARP
seven in the morning, and it will be fun te
see him hunting the town over and losing
his wages for half day.
A merchant has a dozen barrels of salt
on the platform in front of his store. A
kick or two looses the strip which holds
them in place, and they go rolling into the
street. Two of them burst open and scat
ter their contents, and it is only after we
have left the neighborhood that the idea of
danger to passing vehicles occurs to any
body. Let the wheel of passing wagon
Or buggy strike one az those barrels and
there will be an accident and perhaps loss
of life. Here's garden full of vegetables,
Pull up twenty five or thirty heads of cab
bage and stack them in a pile, and cut open
dozen squashes or so, and old White will
be astonished when he comes out in the
morning. We had anticipated a big laugh
over it, but somehow, after the work has
been accomplished, not a grin is visible on
any coantenance.
lt is now time to go home. Somehow
when we separate from the others no one
says anything about having had heap OF
fun. We have to enter the house and run
the gauntlet of father and mother, and if
questioned too closely we must tell half a
dozen lies and go to bed with them on our
conscience. Come, now, we've been out
together and let me ask you how you like
it? pve been there as boy, and L know
that | got up next morning ashamed to
look any one in the face. What seemed
like sport a few hours before now looked
like contemplate work. Ninety times out
of hundred the boy who goes out nights
for fun finds it in the manner | have de-
scribed. | don't say that all such boys will
grow to be bad men, but they are begin
ming life after wrong and dangerous ideas.
Now, then, come and spend the next
evening with me, and I'll take thirty years
Off my life and be boy with you. Wen
arrange the magic lantern and have a
show of our own-admittance free-chil-
dren in arms not wanted on the front
seats. After the show We'll have three or
four games of checkers. Then weNl get
out the target and toy pistol and put in
half an hour. Then, if you will, We'll put
our heads together aud work out two or
three puzzles. After that III bring in q
piece of cotton line, aud We'll see how
many different knots we can tie.
Along about this time popcorn and ap-
pies and sweet cider ought to come in, and
when they are finished We'll devote a
quarter of an hour 70 asking and answer
ing questions, something as follows:
William" OF what is plaster COM
posed:"
Reuben" OF sand, lime, hair and wa
ter. What makes the glaze on earrhen-
wareg"
William" Il is the salt thrown into the
kiln at certain stage of the burning. How
is lumber measured:"
Reuben" By the square foot. How are
hath sold:"
William" BY the hundred. How many
potatoes will a two-bushel bag hold?"
Reuben-"A bushel and half What
bird lives the longest"
William" The bluejay. What bird flies
the fastsst?"
Reuben" The swallow. What age does
the eagle attain:'
And so on, and so on, the idea being not
only to refresh our memories regarding
what we have been taught in school or read
in books or newspapers, but TO see who is
the better posted.
After this-well, it's bed time for boys OF
our age. Up TO the time boy is eighteen
he ought to be in bed six nights out of
seven at sharp nine O'Clock. His brain is
active throughout the day. his muscular
system in full play. and his joints called
upon for hard work. He is in absolute
need of rest and recuperation, and If he
begruGges it to himself you may look for a
young man with stoop shoulders, weak
legs. aching back and worse complaints.
| have been out for an evening with you,
and You have spent one with me- hich
gave US the most enjoyment.