The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-06-11
THROWN AWAY.


sheltered life system" is, if the boy must
20 into the world and fend for himself, not
wise. Unless he be one in thousand he
has certainly to pass through many I'M
necessary troubles; and may, possibly,
come to extreme grief simply from ignor-
ance of the proper proportions Of things
Let puppy eat the soap in the bath room
or chew a newly BACKED boot He chews
and chuckies until, by and by, he finds out
that backing and Old Brown Windsor
make him very sick; so he argues that soap
and boots are not wholesome Any old
dog about the house will soon show him
the unwisdOm Of biting big dogs ears Be-
ing young he remembers and goes abroad
at six months, well hammered little beast
with cbastened appetite If he had been
kept away from boots, and soap, and big
dogs till he came to the trinity full grown
and with developed teeth, just consider
how fearfully sick and thrashed he would
be! Apply that motion to the Sheltered
life" and see how 1t works 1t does not
sound pretty, but it is the better of two
evils.
There was a boy once who had been
brought up under the sheltered life"
theory; and the theory killed him dead.
He stayed with his people all his days, from
the hour he was born till the hour he went
into Sandhurst nearly at the top of the list.
He was beautifully taught in all that wins
marks by a private tutor, and carried the
extra weight of never having given his
parents an hours anxiety in his life"
What he learnt at Sandhurst beyond the
regular routine is of no great consequence
he looked about him, and he found soap
and blaokirg, 50 to speak, very good. He
ate little, and came out Of Sandhurst not
so high as he went in. Then there was an
interval and a scene with his people, who
expected much from him. Next year Of
living "unspotted from the world" in
third rate depot battalion where all the
juniors were children, and all the seniors
old women; and lastly he came eat to In
dia. where he was cut off from the support
OF his parents, and had no one to fall back
on in time of trouble except himself.
Now India is place beyond all others
where one must not take things too seri-
Ously-the midday sun always excepted.
Too much work and too much energy kill
a man just as effectively as too much as
sorted vice or too much drink. Filtration
does not matter, because every one is be-
ing transferred and either you or she leave
the station and never return. Good work
does not matter, because a man is judged
by his worst output and another man
takes all the credit of his best as a rule.
Bad work does not matter, because other
men do worse and incompetents hang on
longer In India than anywhere else. Amuse-
ments do not matter, because you must re-
peat them as soon as you have accomplished
them once, and most amusements only
mean trying to win another persons
l. !
it's ali in the days work, and if you die
another man takes over your place and
your Office in the eight hours between
death and burial Nothing matters except !
home furlOugh and acting allowances, and |
these only because they are scarce This /
is a slack, kutcha country where all men |
work with imperfect instruments; and the |
wisest thing is to take no one and nothing [
in earnest, but TO escape as soon as ever
you can to some place where amusement is |
amusement and a reputation worth the |
having
But this boy-the tale is as old as the |
out and took all things serious
ly. He was pretty and was Petted. He /
took the pettings seriously, and fretted over
women not worth saddling pony to call |
upon. He found has new free lie in India
very good 1t does look attractive in the
from subaltern S point of view
all ponies, partners, dancing, and so on.
He tasted it as the puppy tastes the soap.
Only he came late to the eating with
grown set of teeth. He had no sense of
like the puppy-and could
not understand why he was not treated |
with the consideration he received under
his fathers roof. This hurt his feelings.
He quarreled with other boys, and, being
sensitive to the marrow, remembered
these quarrels, and they excited him.
He found whist, and gymkhanaS, and
things Of that kind (meant to amuse
one after ofhcel good; but he teok them
too, just as seriously as he took
the head that followed after drink. He
lost his money over whist and gymkhanaS
because they were new to him.
He took his losses seriously, and wasted
rs much energy and interest over two
yoldnohur race for maiden ekka ponies
with their names hogged, as if it had been
he Derby. One half of this came from in
aKperience-much as the puppy squabbles
with the corner Of the hearthrug-and the
)ther half from the dizziness bred by sum
bling out OF his quiet life into the glareand
excitement Of n hvelier one. No one told
him about the soap and the backing, be-
,auSe an average man takes ii for granted |
hat an average man is ordinarily careful
n regard to them. 1t WAS pitiful TO wStch !
The Boy knocking himself to pieces, as an
,ver handled colt falls down and cuts hiI.l-
elf when he gets away from the groom
This Unbridled license in amusemenns
lot wortE the trouble OF breaking line for.
much less rioting over, endured for six
nonths-au through one cold weather-
lnd then we thought that the heat and the
knowledge Of having lost his money and
health and famed his horses would sober
he boy down and he would stand steady.
n ninety-nine Gases out of a hundred this .
would have happened. You can See the
principle working in any Indian station
3ut his particular case fell through be-
ause the boy was sensitive and took things
may have said some seven
lines before. OF course, we couldn't tell
low his excuses struck him personally
hey were nothing very heart breaking or
.bove tho average. Ee might be crippled
or life financially and want little nurs-
ng- Still. the memory Of his performances
would wi-,a- away in one hot weather,
nj the sbroI would help him TO tide over
ne money Vs0ubles. But he must have ,
AIKEN anothe' view altogether and have :
elieved himself ruined beyond redemp- +,
ion. His colonel talked to him severely
Lhen the cold weather ended, That nade :