The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-11-04
The Press and Banner.
BY HUGH WILSON.
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 1891.
Twelve Pages.
The Mistakes OF q Small Boy.

A boy would not be worth much il
he never made mistakes and was never
told of them. There is hope for boy
in proportion to the number of mis-
takes he makes and afterwards correct.
One of the most common mistakes
of a boy is in what he wants. He is
apt to want most the things he hasn't,
aud one of the things a small boy
hasn't and bankers after most of all is
size. o how he does pine for size!
He waits and counts days and scratch
es the wall with pencil-marks, and
stretches himself up trying to catch up
with his big brother. And all the
time he may be more of man than
his big brother, if only he would put
the right kind of measure in place of
the foot-rule.
You have heard of the Irishman
who went to the market to buy the
most for his money, and finding that
turnips were so much cheaper than
potatoes, bought four bushels of tur-
nips instead Of two of potatoes. But
he was much surprised to learn that
the turnips were seventy-five per cent.
water, and that he might have bought
q package he could have carried in his
vest-pocket that would have contained
the same amount of nutriment as his
four bushels of turnips.
That was case where size was de-
ceiving, and that is the way the small
boy is often taken in. It's not the
size of d mans tirse, or the breadth of
his shoulder, or the height of his stove
pipe hat that counts. [ have seen a
seven-foot bully do thing so mean
aud unmanly that a seven-year old
boy ought,to blush for it. And have
seen boy pass along after him and
pick the whining dog up that he had
lamed by kick, and treat it with such
pity and tenderness that, if we still
lived in the days of chivalry and we
do in more ways than one, that boy
would have been knighted and spurr-
ed and received the applause and smile
of fair ladies and noble men and his
king, and the hulking giant would
have been given to some magician to
be changed into flea er. potato bug
or some petty, noxious insect. If u
boy would only banker after the thing
that ought to 60 with size, and let sizel
take care of itself, he would make no |
mistake.
Another thing the small boy is apt to |
Overrate il physical strength. He is |
always Dragging about what he can do
and the strongest boy in crowd is sure
to have things pretty much his own
way, The whole world used to be boys
once in that respect. The man who
could strike the hardest blow and slide
the fastest and Jump the farthest and
use his arms and legs the best was the
best man, now 1t is the man who can
use his head the best. 1t is the man
who has the best heart. The Indian
said when he first heard :pistol fired
and saw the deadly effects, He heap
little, heap loud, heap 60 quick and
hit hard" A boy who is little need
not be loud, but if he can "go quick
and hit the mark clean through III do
ing his duty, be is maniler than some
who wear mems clothing. 1t is not the
exhibition of strenth, it is the just and
kind use of strenth, the intelligent and
judicious use of strength, that makes
great. The horse has more strei 9Th |
than the man, but the man with his
less strength and his superior mind
makes the horse 60 as he pleases, and
subdues the widest and most ferocious
beast.
Don't ache for size; don't ache for
strength. Don't lie awake nights
thinking how to get either. Let those
things take care of themselves and bel
just the kindest, most truthful, patient
industrious, merriest, happiest boy you
can, and get all the love you can from
others and give all the you can to them
and men will one day say OF you,
"What q power he Isl" and may be
yon couldn't lifta five-pound dumb !
bell. Butal I say will be true never.
theless.