The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-12-29
ABOUT THAT BOY.
Bishop Vincent Says He Should Be
Sent to Church Early.


The assembly hall of the High School
building was crowded last night to hear
Bishop Vincent. He spoke on the sub
ject, That Boy" His remarks were
confined to that boy who is always in
the way; who forgets all fitting things
and who does all uniting things. He
commenced with the early history of
the boy and paid high tribute to
motherhood as the noblest calling of
woman, whatever else noble she may
accomplish.
He gave some amusing incidents of
the honesty and veraclty of the small
boy and told the audience that he con-
Sidered it something for the ladies to be
thankful for, that there was at least
one time in the life of the other sex
when truthfulness was a virtue.
"At the age of 49," said Bishop Vim
cent, I'VE catch the last glimpse of the
boy For this is the time that the boy
when referred to as a boy, wonders
where on earth the men are. AT this
age the boy should have perfectly learn
ed the lesson of self control.
There are three institutions which
are factors in a boys training. The
first is the church, where at the age of
about 8, the restless and nervous boy
is taken; not in the interest Of any
denomination, but in the interest of the
state and the nation. Jew or Christian,
he should attend public worship. You
may perhaps want to say that it Is un
scientific to compel a boy to attend and
listen to sermons that he does not un-
derStand-there are sermons that no
one could understand It is not the way
to get that boy to go to church by say
ing, John, put on your hat and go to
church or I'll fog you within an inch
of your life John may be constitution
ally opposed to WhippingS. But there
is the other extreme, and a man never
made a bigger mistake in his life than
when he sacrificed a principle to con-
ciliate a child. The teachers may say,
Follow nature. If the boy don't want
to go to church don't make him go. He
may take a dislike to church and never
want to go In the same way, if he
wants to stay up late at night let him
stay up, or he may take a dislike to bed
and never want to go there"
The lecturer believed that the boy
who was taught to have respect for
GODS house, GODS day, and Gods peo-
pie, would have an early training for
Christian manhood. He would love
purity and scorn to speak u word, tell
or hear story that his mother could
not hear.
The second institution which plays a
part in the boys life is the school.
Bishop Vincent recalled some amusing
personal experiences in a school of the
old regime. He compared the teacher
with those of the present, whom he
hoped trusted their boys, and as re
ward found the boys unwilling to de-
ceive such good friend as their
teacher
The third and most important insti-
tuition in the boys life is the home.
Bishop Vincent believes that parents
should never fret or never scOld when
they have boys to deal with. They
should punish and punish thoroughly,
so that the boy will be lost in admira-
ton of it. The house should not be too
fine for the boy to live in or he will seek
the street as a welcome retreat from the
fault-hnding mother. But the firm, yet
companionable mother. will be a blessed
memory to her boy through life.
Bishop Vincent's lectures are always
heartily appreciated and applauded.
His fOrcible arguments and sound prin-
cipIeS, presented in his own inimita BILE
style, delighted the audience Of Kansas
teachers.