The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1899-07-06
THE new MAN
The Man Seen in the Boy Before
Twelve.
THEN DEVELOPMENT OF THE
BOY,
BY G. GROsvENoR DAVE.

Written for The Commonwealth.
We speak and think of this century
as one whose progress exceeds the prog
ress of all the others put together.
Wonderful things have been done in
conquering the realm of nature. The
intellect Of man hss brought the ends
OF the earth into nearly instantaneous
touch with one another. Time and
space are now so far annlhiliated that
to live five thousand miles apart is no
greater q. bar to communication than
to have lived five miles apart in the
olden days. No language can be too ex-
trayagant in recording the doings of
the century.
*Fx
The world OF morals and of religion
has shared in the upheaval. The lot
of woman has so for changed that COM
pared with her sister of one hundred
years ago we do we'll to call the mod
ern woman "The New Woman" How
ever, as in all major points the inter
ests of man and woman are alike, there
can be no "New Woman" without at
least resulting outline OF "The New
Man." During the coming weeks of
the summer. therefore, this column will
endeavor to sketch his present and pos
sible characteristics. First, therefore,
let us consider:
&r*
The "New Man"-as a boy. Born
OF a woman, just like all other genera
tions of man-children, his mother
proves to be an open-alr woman, with
an open mind-one who has not hesi
tated to dip before marriage into the
wonders OF biology-one who under
stands, therefore, the combined pow
er of heredity and of environment,
and has chosen her husband accord
lngly.
~
The man-child pressed to her bosom
is not only beloved and interesting
because he represents in one the union
Of two who have deliberately called
him into being, but also because he is
made up, as she fully understands, OF
influences that extend back for gener-
ations on both sides. She sees in him
therefore an individuality made up Of
influences that can work either for or
against his success. Her child be-
comes thing to be studied for his own
sake, in order that from his tendencies
as they show upon the surface of his
almost transparent nature she may
learn what she has to deal with, what
to develop, what to curb, SO that his
career may be all that is possible.
**<
The "New Man" as boy, is the re-
suit OF love and intelligence applied
from earliest days onward, so that en-
yironment shall mould inherited i'm
pulses, and inherited impulses be
placed In the right environment. He
lives in an age when we understand
that each human being is different
from every other human being, and
must be treated differently or his nature
be warped and injured. He is living
protest against the old bulletmold
method of education, where poor little
creatures melted In the fierce crucible
Of ignorant and unsympathetic train
Ing-haye been forced into predestined
shape of mind and of attainment-so
that they should think alike, speak
alike, and come to like shortness of
Of stature, when measured up against
what they might haye BEEN
*Fx
AS sure as the rising of the sun,
each new man as boy-if righteous
" outside the walls OF feeble minded
declare the bent of
his power before he is twelve years old,
and his blessed mother, with her eyes
wide open towards the shining of her
Dwn son, will treasure these things to
her heart and thus see to it that
no preacher of righteousness is kept
stopping oyer mortlces and tonnons
until thirty. The child of her love, at
The same time the child of her intel
Iect. shall be safe guarded from the
cruelty that has in the
past of our race forced SO many square
natures, with pain, with anguish and
with protest into circular surround
ings.
The new man as boy, shall not be
forced into precoclousness just to Sc
cure the applause of TOOL visitors, but
he shall, be developed rationafly-
sIowly. if necessary-just as one
world develop a crude landscape from
the Wild tangle of its original state.
This is not done by reducing it all to