The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-02-27

THERE is q popular notion abroad
Il in the world that every man
must at some time in his life ''sow his
Wild oats" as it is called, and the usual
time is generally understood to be dur
ing his young manhood days. To use
q more popular phrase, he must then
have his fling" He must ''see the
the world" the reasoning goes on, in
order that he may have "a broader
view Of life" In other words, to take
the veneer OF these phrases and put
them into perfectly plain English a
young maj is expected to soil his
character. For that is, after all, what
sowing ones Wild cats" really m ans:
it is nothing more 0 less than the
self-dsgrsdat:on CT a young nan He
must De false to the teachings of his
mother, false to his self respect, false to
himself.
There can be no doubt that most of
this false notion shout Sowing ones
Wild oats" arises and is fathered by the
unjust and untenable accusation that
is so often laid at mans door, that
the lives of few men are without a
misstep before they settle down." NJ
man need claim for his sex immunity
from the vices that beset humankind
to give the lie to this statement. But
proof that it is a gross and vile libel
upon men is found in the cases Of hun
d. eds Of men who daily approach the
marriage altar with characters as free
from every moral blemish as those Of
the women who stand by their sides.
No fact is more absolutely true than
this, and is is high time that the state
ment should be repeated more otter
than is is. Men have suffered all too
lorg from this siur upon their cherRc.
tiers and eelt-TespecE. The unequal
moral standard 50 often accepted,
which co1doned the same wrong in
the one sex which il condemns In the
other, has much to answer for in this
regard. But shat the seif-zespect of
men has proved stronger even than
social license is unquessionRbly true. 1t
is an outrage nothiE g short Of Internal
that the statement that society
expects q more or less 6iyerting
life frcm q young fellow is so often al
lowed to go unchellsnged by those
from whom we have a right to expect
an emphatic and convincing remon-
STRANGE.
But aside from ell social standards,
whatever they may be, the manner in
which a young ma passes his lie
chiefZ concerns himself. He is &C
countable to himeeIf-to his " con.
conscience, to his heart. Men
lead honorabla lives for themselves,
for their own inner satisfaction, that
they may be true TO themselves, and
the best that is within them.
No man has ever passed through a
period Of indiEcre8t living during bis
early manhOod without regretting the
memory of it IN after years. Nor has
any, by reason Of Sowing his wild
oats, known n iosa more Of 'lite,"
except that particular phase of it,
which, Il 1t had O glitter for him in
youth, became q repellent remembrance
20 him in his more mature years. The
reputation that comes Of right living
and good character is what the ma of |
forty to seventy desires aud nothing
but the we'll spent years of early life
can secure this. There is no such
thing as an Investigation period in q
mans moral living; at n period il is
as important to him to be honorable
and true 70 his own conscience as it is
at another. The young man who
reaches manhood wighouta knowledge
Of the dark and vicious side Of human
nature IS far better off than he who
has seen it. He will lose nothing by
not having cen il; not an ounce lees
Of respect will be melted out to him.
But he viii feel proGder OF himself,
and men will respect him infinitely
more, for the strength Of his will
power.