The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1891-06-12
TEACHING BOYS NEATNess.
4 sensibi~ Letter from Kate Epson
Clark.

4 senslbi~ Letter from Rate Upson
Clark.
BROOKLYN, May 90. Every American
vi sitor to Paris is astonished at the neat
ness Of ts streets A Chicago lady
while there. forgetting that she was not
at home inadvertently tore up letter
upon the street and dropped the frag-
ments Suddenly a policeman laid his
hand upon her arm and reprisnanded
her vehenently She FASTENED to pick
up the Objectionable bits Of paper. and
as she pursued her way to her hotel
could not cease rejoicing that she had
escaped arrest 1t is pity that similar
strictness does not prevail on this side
Of the water. but so long as the law will
not interfere more wisely in such mat
ters, the only remedy for the disgraceful
condition Of the streets in our cities lies
in private effort. In no direction can
such effort be more wisely expended
than in teaching our boys to be neat.
Most children are born without any
perceptible bump of order, but mothers
take great pains to. train their girls to
good habits in this respect, while they
do not seem to consider such habits at
all essential to their boys. Because these
mothers have been in the habit Of "pick-
ing up" after untidy husbands during all
their married lives they probably con-
slider it the suitable thing to do, and ex.
pect that their boys will have wives who
will be glad to perform the same service
for them. It is high time men should
learn that it is no part Of mothers or
sisters or wife's duty to pick up their
lordly slippers and newspapers and cigar
stumps.
1t is housekeeper's business to see
that her apartments ARE properly fur
nished with waste baskets, and that
shelves and drawers are provided for the
storing of small belongings; but this
done, all members of the family who
have common sense and the power of
locomotion, whether they be male or fe-
male, should be taught and made to put
their small belongings away. each for
himself
Train boys to keep the yards in order,
to hang up articles in the barns and
sheds. to regard the marking upon and
other defacing of walls and similar sur
faces as thoroughly disgraceful. Re-
member. again, while you are trying to
make him as orderly indoors as outdoors.
that people cannot put things away I'M
less places are provided in which to put
them
Have special nail for his hat, his
clothes brush. drawer or shelf for his
gloves and mittens. q corner for his
velocipede. his bat and his tennis rae
quet. See that the clean clothing is laid
neatly in his bureau every week Sur
round him with every incentive to neat
ness. but then insist upon his practicing
it. See that apple cores are never left
by him upon the kitchen window sill;
that pencils are sharpened into news
paper and the whittlings carefully emp
tied; that books and games are picked
up after using; that soiled collars and
cuffs are tucked into bag; that burned
have a tin or earthen recepta-
Gle provided for them. and that they are
put into it.
If mothers had only brought up their
boys in this way always what pailes of
weary footsteps would have been saved
TO their wives! Aud their husbands
would never have felt the trifling exer-
lions that they had had to make in put
ting things away.
Especially should mothers reflect upon
the habits OF their boys, as they witness
the disgusting results of the expcctora-
lion which mars our sidewalks. our cars
and our public stairways In the first
place allow no tobacco among your boys
That does away with all artificial expec-
toration. Then provide them abundant
y with handkerchiefs. and teach their
uses
A boy need not be "dapper" in order
20 be neat Neatness is not necessarily
The mark of Miss Nancy" 1t per-
aims just as much to true manliness as
% true womanliness
KATE UPSoN CLARK