St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-09-03

mp With wrong notions On this aubJecG
COnceit and swagger, and bluster are
I not marks of independence, though
many boys act as II they thought 50.
The ring is loud enough Il b true, but
It is the ring Of bAse metal and de-
ceives NO educated ear. Boys are apt
to consider it independent to cultivate
certain bad or questionable habits, and
! that is . disastrous mistake. Settle II
with yourselves that true freedom is
never lawlessness. il is never freedom to
do wrong.
You remember reading about .
young fellow who thought he would
like to cut loose frum his fathers con-
troll, and have his own money to spend
rs he chose. II presume some of you
may have felt just so. though l trust
you never went SO far rs he did, The
father decided to let him try il, % he
went Oh in . very gay fashion. and
imagined he had pretty good time for
awhile, with nobody to tell him You
mustn't do this or that" throwing his
money right and left for any bauble
that caught his eye. or any pleasure
that suited his fancy. I've no doubt
he considered It being independent
But you knew there came sad time
when the money was all gone, wasted
with riotous living, and he was very
glad to come hack TO the old home in
his hunger and rags. and receive the
kind fathers welcome. l am sure you
will say you wouldn't care about such
| SvA~vAv>AosS~ that
Another aspect of this trait is fasci-
mating TO young minds. l suppose most
lads approaching young manhood aspire
to be independent thinkers.. To strike
out for one's-self on intellectual lines.
to discover truth, ah! that Is glorious!
Perhaps because religious truth II the
most important Of any, it is On that line
this original (?) thinking usually goes.
Nowadays when older people hear Of
IN independent thinker" they smile
TO themselves and wonder who has de-
molished the Bible this time! It Ii .
Characteristic of youth tosuppose indie
pendcnce must mean difference. Prof.
Beecher puts these words into the mouth
Of Theophilus Luke: "It never occurred
to me that two men thinking independ-
emily might reach the same results.
just as well as reach opposite results"
It IL not = mark of superior intelligence
or of freedom from bigotry 70 set ones
self opposed 70 esta blished principles,
though many . young man does that
because he thinks II Is True independ-
ence can be meek and lewl1.
You are ready at this point 70 ex-
claim: "There is no freedom after all.
every way turn find control, and
that is true There will never be free.
dom to do wrong. never freedom to for.
get what n due TO otherA
But there may be independence IN
every right wav; earn your own living
when that is what you ought to do; dig
ont your Greek without help; form no
habits which will hurt . weak brother;
be able to say mo-. they are simple,
practical methods to begin with. The
Bible says: mis- servants ye are whom
ye obey" and il you loye the right you
don't feel any bonds in obeying the
right. any more than you feel in bond.
age to your mother II you love her.
Wordsworth puts the seeming contra
diction thus: Humble dependence and
manly independence; humble depend
ence On God, and manly reliance On
seG"-N. Y. Observer. .,