The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1889-01-24
THE Wild BOY NUISANCE.
MANNER IN WHICH YOUNG RouoHs
AND LoAfERs ARE DEVELOPED,

All our Oitil are Infested ny gangs OF VITA
boys, who make tho evening ana tho Sunday
hideous 20 vol disposed people The howe
Iapers occasionally relate their misieeda, and
wo BOO them u 0urseiyes grouped upon their
fAVofits corners, ladies going around tho
block n avoid passing them, Nor can we
claim tho Wild boy nuisance 70 peculiar 70
great cities lnmany pleasant country towns,
and even Ia remote Villages, there arc boys
rough, laWlass, unfolding, untaught-W who
have G0ntriyed 10 escape tho seiale Giyiliza-
ton Of their native place ~ their course
from babyhood they have learned little eu
oept how b make life q torment and q
shame 70 thelr mothers and q terror 70 their
nelghborhoOd
A. we pass these idle, ugly, defiant groupa
we may very naturally wonder how they
have com 70 eNist, considering tho number
Of seductive traps good people have BOT 10
catch tic wild boy and make q decent human
being Of himt our vast school system, for OK
hmple, including tho evening school, tho
Sunday school, tho truant officer tho reform
school and tho inviting rooms Of various
young mems associations,
I6t ~ 700 how this unhappy creature 10
NNNlNNNA ANN NNH lNNAN NNHNN w WV lNNHN-f
who will tale tho trouble ~ study closely
ono large public school OF boys, There no alta,
listlea and Discontinued, chewing gum, bic
mouth already dishgured by tho odlous
habit, q center aud source Of disorder 10 his
quarter Of tho school room, Ito remains
languld aud quieseent only 10 long 40 no
chance 0f mischief presents itself, but whom
IL does, he shows some cunning and prompt
ness In ayhiling himself Of u u was not In
tho school room, however, that he became a
Wild hoy, Ito begHa his days progress In
tho bad way ~ home, In bis hurried, dlsor-
derby breakfast, from which ha COCA 20
school, half nourished, 10 deyow whatever
lndigestible substance no can find, Aud there
NO sIts, with his dirty hands aud unclean
clothes, an inclplent Wild boyl II there arc
q hundred boys IN tho aohoolruom, there are
usually halt q dozen of his Kind, Tho school
room ID presided over by q young lady, Ia q
lovely white apron, her hair done toa plcety,
aud ahe tries every hour 10 tame these few
young anvagea by all tho arts Of persuasion
At her command, Bhe 10 secretly afraid Of
tho wild boy, and no inowa ~ hhe knows
and he mewa thu II u comes 70 q fight "
will not BIO the teacher who will gain the VIC
tory, and 10 they live IN q condition Of de-
moralillng compromise, "T0mmy,' hho says,
In her sweetest note AZ tho beginning Of
school, "l 300 you have brought that auger
10 school again. Don't you think you had
better tale u out into tho ohit1 or lou mo
put II Into my deakT
Tommy dOca not think no, aud tho gentle
lady knows well that, II hbe we're 10 proceed
frori Nlyica e command, and command "
oompullon, there would bo q scene In tho
sohoolroom, from which her soul recolla with
horror, Aho could oxpel him, Tho law gives
her this power Why does she not uao ~
DecausN she 10 a gontlo aud good woman, and
knows this boy, and perhaps his widowed
mother also, and all that mothers vain efforts
10 reform him, and tho knows that expulsion
would simply moan his precipitation Into tho
career Of a wild boy,
Sooner Or lnter, however, tho 6ehool system
loses a. hold upon him, and ho develops
rapidly into q rullan Of the slrcotA
No one can hold Ia more grateful regard
than | do tho patient much enduring ladies'
| who form 10 important q portion Of The
teaching force OF this country Tho benign
Influence Of good women "a needed IN every
pohool, aud In no kind Of school 80 much ~
In q school Of boys When tho school II
large enough 20 have at ~ head a strong,
| able man, 10 whom In oaeos Of difficulty and
rebellion tho ladies' Of tho corps eau appeal,
all goes we'll They seldom need 70 appeal,
Tho nero knowledge that tho man Ia there
with his strong arm and hia possible stick, II
usually a deterrent that suficog. But when
we place n lady In charge Of n school In
which there arc boys heavier aud stronger
than hortolf, and leave her there TO hght II
out with thom alone, day after day, with no
resource against persistent disorder, which II
a confession Of dofoat, wo do something
which n extremely likely 70 result Ia tho do
]yclopmcnt Of wild boys,
10 10 surprising how woll many OF our
gontl0 aud roaolute hdioa manage, ununp'
ported ~ they aro by visible force, But out
OF every fifty boys there arc likely 10 DO ~
mnny a. nvo who will defy tho toaohcr, II
not totally conquer and Illustrate her, TO Tho
| oxtent OF making her liioa daily ronowal OF
blttorncu and shame, II We place n lady
over n lot Of lively and vigorous boys, wo arc
bound to supplement her We must arrange
u 40 that, No any moment OF need, she car
summon by telephone or otherwise q super
intondont, a goloctman, o trustee, with q stout
| policeman accompanying him, we'll provided
with tho means Of eubduIng tho roboL Hot
| nlwaynn coward. Lot him but know that
| hia gentle tNaohor has this resource and Il
will usually l,oop him In order,
Aan people, | fear we arc littlo too set
mud sentimental about childhood, Womight
| ~edynntagooualy carcgB " q little less and
study 10 much moro, Children, like othrr
musical Instruments, glyo forth music only
whom thoy arc played upon by nnlilltul hand,
| often think Of ngchoOl as resembling n great
organ full Of pipes, trumpota and ilutos,
Whom a muster touches tho koya and works
tho pedals, tho mighty lnslrumont nus oil thC
region with harmony, II 70 wolully olhor
wise when an unPldllful or insufficient player
fills tho %orgnnluta seat
A we'll governed child, that ", q child that
hnA learned reasonable obedience without oSi
Of natural ylvacity, Is tho most enchanting
object In tho universe II gracoS and ohoor'
every homo Of which IL IN a part, Every oyC
rests upon 10 with pleasure aud bonodiotion
But nlasl nn ungovornod or misgoyorned
child can oasily become something hideouI
pnd terrific. No creature can DO moro cruel
In my life | hnvo known two or three In
stances Of cruelty TO children from parents
and teachers, but II sooms TO mo have
known q hundred onscs Of tho most eavagt
cruelty committed by children upon parents
teachers and ono another. They aio cruo
becnuso they AFRO young, A proper conBidora
ton for tho rights and feelings OF otheiB q
not naturally n trait Of childhood II bolongi
10 maturity. 10 comes with knowledge OF
lifo and experience OF suffering, Hence che
necessity OF children being instructed In ole
montary morals, and OF their being com
PEELED, il necessary, by tho strong hand, u
respect other peoples RIGHTS.
In truth, stable yIr,ao In nll it' forms DO
longs to maturity, wlulc vice Is a tlinI
green, raw, mindless, 9iupid, immature II
our nchools aud COLLEGES % Is Che crude, pro
vlncial minds Chat give trouble, and when w
visit one Of our prisons, wo find that throo
fourths OF tho criminals thoro are little moiN
than wild boys IN u cage-Jnmes Parton IL
| noatOn Herald,