The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1896-11-07
CHARACTER-GRAFTING.
A Suggestion for Those who Havo Any
Charge Over Young People.


Charge Over Young People.
You can't do anything with my
boy" said discouraged father to the
principal of well-known boys school.
II have tried every thing under heaven,
to no purpose. The trouble is, he has n
had disposition. and 40 amount of dis
cipline VIII drive it out of him"
Il don't want TO drive anything out
OF him." was the quiet reply. What !
want to do is to take the boys original
disposition for my parent stock, and
graft ON it the virtues which it is most
likely TO nourish. Let me have your
boy for couple of years, and see if
cant bring some good fruit out of him."
1t is hardly necessary to add that, uu-
der the influence of such n man, the
good fruit was forthcoming in less than
two years time.
The principle was one which is often
overlooked in Misunderstanding. The
general impression seems to be that
nature settles some things morally. as
well as physically: that if she gives a
child what is called had disposition, il
rs as hopeless 10 try to change it as IL
is To attempt to correct n consumptiye
tendency or weakness of the spine.
AS matter Of fact, the two things are
very different. y so-callcd bad dis
position is generally on evidence of
moral strength perverted and nisdi-
rectcd. 1t is a SAVIOR of life, and not a
SAVIOR of death. There are certain vIr-
tues that can easily be grated upon
the vigorous stalk of origna disp1si-
ton. Suppose boy sccms hopclessly
self-wlled and obstinate. Here is the
proper Stem or which to graft virtues Of
the hero,c ORDER moral bravery and IL
deity. courage Of conviction. strength
of purpose. Let him be passionate. hot
headed. Uncomfortable. Such ! DISPOSE.
ton as this is a source of iuurislmcut
f3r AL the aggressive NiItncs-ii'lig-
aat;oa AT moral Ineunncsscs. the power
of leadership, Tie bravery ami devotion
that do not fail in emergencies.
Even a disposition hat is accounted
moan. sntan and sncal,ing may be utj.-
lied in this process OF ChaI;icter-grdft-
ing. The psychologists have traced
many moral faults and Vices to the eN-
cess of certain viltncs. Cpwarlicc,
ihey tell us. is an excess Of caution:
anger is moral Judgment overwhelming
moral reason. So Ipranucss and small
ness of character may spring from cN.
ccssive self-lepreciatiOI-- may be SIM
ply too much of the very quality that
mikes Inodcsty and Difference. ohcdi-
ence and trust.
Looking at the matter in this light,
it is quite possible to take Il person of
small and iuean disposition, and dcvel-
op in him n character of rare sweetness
and tractability. Ills moral tendencies
are all in the line of " Huclnay Ike called
the negative virtues. those of more
feminine or cEildlike character: ard it
should be comparatively easy 10 culti-
vate in him such virtues. lie is mean
ard small simply because his moral ten
denotes have developed on tho wrong
side, the vicious side. Start them the
other way, aud they viii flower into
the corresponding virtues.
Would it not be well for Sunday
school teachers, especially, To try the
practical working of this theory in
certain cases under their charge? Let
them appeal to each individual pupil
on the side where he is most OPEN to OPP
peal. DO not give him the idea that
you want TO reform him, but that you
want to develop Kim. Engraft upon his
natural disposition the virtues most
congenial TO him by reason Of that dis
position. At the outset. let symmetry
Of character go. That will come in due
time, as moral growth rccessitates the
rounding out of the inner life. Keep
the grating principle firmly in mind.
Remember that no natural disposition
is so bad that it cannot be evolved out
Of its badness. Sooner or later, the
good that is in every heart must respond
10 the intelligent effort to draw it out
James Buckbam, in n. Y. Outlook.