Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-05-21

morning to a crowded house at the
First Baptist Church on THAT Boy"
His sermon follows:
THAT BOY.
He is a ubiquitous biped. He is
found in every country, zone and hab-
table portion of the earth. He ranges
from the barefoot kingdom to the silk
stocking realm. From the ash heap to
the palace While he has been a most
important factor in the sociological
and economical questions of the world
from the birth of Cain to the present
time he is still an unknown quantity.
We know him in part; only in part,
He is very variable quantity. He
changes as frequently as the moon.
but unlike the moon his changes are
never the same and therefore cannot
be foretold. Always surprising, al
ways different. For whatever other
things may do, he grows in stature
ideas ideals, goodness. mischief
knowledge. ambition and aspiration.
When you think, and are sure, that
you know him, you suddenly awake to
the consciousness that you need
fresh Introduction to him, and that you
must begin his acquaintance over
again. 1t is very discouraging to lazy
people. And therefore lazy people do
not like that boy. They say boys and
noise rhyme and generally go together.
They tell grown up people they do not
like the noise. When truth to tell, It's
the boys they do not like. He is an in
solyaDle mystery 10 them. which they
no more think of studying and faith
oming than they do the canals on Mars.
His retlCence or inquisitiyeness, his
timidity or boisterousness, his obtuse-
ness or penetration, his shyness or
boldness changing like the crystals in
a kaleidoscope, seem bewildering.
What pleases him one day will disgust
him the next. 30 we think we must
stimulate him at one angle and repress
him at another till we get him mould
ed in the right shape. And just when
we conclude he is about perfect accord
ing to cur ideals, SUDDENLY we discover
more angles, mountains or valleys of
tendencies, tastes ana temperaments
in that boy than we ever dreamed of.
After we have devoured Dickens, An
derson and all that other great and
little practical experience discloses
the fact that the half has never been
told. The reason is that the boy has
in him that indefinable something
called life, which is similar to, yet rad
ically dissimilar from every other life
which must be directed, not moulded
| pressed piloted 20 a safe haven, not
| anchored to some rock or sand bank
| For his snip will move on whether we
will or not. If we try to anchor him
| he will break the chains. And thai
! boy is a unit in himself different from
every other boy, though the other boy
be his own twin brother. The great
est blessing that boy can have is par
ents. Thousands of him only have an
! cestCrs. concerning whose genealogJ
he neither knows nor cares. And of
ten he has very little reason to know
or care, for they have beCueathed t
him nothing for which he ought K
his heart to their memory.
POSSIBILITIES.
A few modest suggestions are al
that | would uare to offer on the yer!
complicated subject of the prope
treatment of that boy. And there lik
the rules in Kurcom' S grammer, in thei
practical applications, may have NOR,
exceptions tnan the rules.
Q) From his earliest childhood Civ
him something to do and have him dt
it. However small the task may b.
the early habits formed of duty, worl
and responsibility, care and regularit.
is beyond price N he building of
good all around man. All of ou
sJrong men have mad to bear heay
cares in early childhood.
Every boy is ambitious. For what
Strength, courage, manhood. He ha
very vague ideas how this is to b
gained, but he wants it somehow
Hence his hobby horse, ridden by tn
hour, which only travels in his owl
imagination, his hoops, drum. balls
marbles, skating, tree-climbing an
swimming which bring him in compe
tition with other Goys in which he ha
a chance to excel. He builds air cas-
ties of power, prowess, wealth, DARN
and love, and puts back of these
little steam engine Of energy for wnIc
there is as yet no track built. Th
work done in the home, the daily tas
increased with passing years, the fac
that he is helping in a useful way, an
must hnlD builds the track for th