The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1904-09-09
COST OF A BOY AND HIS
DIVIDENDS.

tions concerning the cost of a boy.
The writer computes that by the
time boy has reached the age of
fifteen, good boy, enjoying the adj
vantage of life, costs, including CON-
pound interest on the annual invest
ment, not less than five thousand dol
lars. If the boy continues at school
and goes to college, he will cost not
less than five thousand dollars more
by the time he has reached the age of
twenty one years.
In making this calculation it is
supposed that everything is included
which properly goes into the expense
account. There is the item of living
what it would cost if all had to be
paid for in money at so much per
week. Then there is the hire of a
nurse through the hours of babyhood,
and of teachers from the time the
child is old enough to be taught. All
this, Of course, the mother does, Civ
ing her days and nights 20 it, nor even
even thinking of putting valuation
of dollars and cents on what she does
with such unwearying love.
Nevertheless, there is money
value on all this material service
at least if there were no mother, and
if it all had to be hired and paid for at
regular rates, the cost, year after year
would be very great. There is also
the cost of clothing, doctors bills, Of
education, of books, and OF all that is
done for the boy IN the home during
the year.
1t is only the pecuniary cost that
is included in this interesting compu-
tation. There is another cost which
never can be put into figures. No
price is put upon the mothers love
and solicitude and care and tears and
prayers, and the fathers toll, struggle,
selfdenial and self sacrifice. There
is no computing the value of such
services, and yet these make up by
far the greater part of the cost of the
boys bringing up.
An artist was making a portrait
of mother who had died and was
trying to take cut the lines which ap-
peared in the face of the photograph
from which he was copying his pic
ture. "No," said the son, "don take
out the lines. Leave them, every one.
1t would not be my mother if all the
lines were gone" Then he spoke OF
the years of disinterested love, the
long time of sickness when the moth
er had nursed the children through
scarlet fever and diphtheria. and how
she had given out the best of her life
in most costly cure. ooh, no." he
said, "leave the lines in the picture
They tell the story Of the mothers
love aud service" No mere compu-
tation of what it costs in money to
bring up good boy in good home
begins to tell the full price that has
been paid.
Thus boy, by the time he come es
to young manhood, represents large
investment Of money, love and ser:
vice. In matters of business, men
seek for reasonable returns from their
investments. When there has been
an outlay of ten to twenty thousand
dollars in boy, what kind Of return
should be expected? A great many
athrIs and mothers put all they have
in their boys. They have no lands or
horses, no stock or bonds, no accumu-
lation in the bank-they have toiled
hard for many years, and all the re-
suits have been invested IN their chill
dren. Surely they have right to
look for return. WHAT sort of re-
turn should this kind Of inves. .ment
pay2
First Of all, there should he love.
This is the only return that can bring
satisfaction to the hearts of parents
after they have toiled, suffered and
sacrificed for their children. One of
their bittercst disappointments of life
is when boy who has had done for
him all that love could bestow, through b
years of infancy and youth, fails to
give to bis father and mother the love
that their hearts crave. No matter
how brilliant he may succeed in the
world, how his name may be honored
among men, no prosperity and no
fame will make up in satisfaction to
his parents for the want of filial fec
tion. To honor father and mother is
the first duty of everyone who has
been reared in love. The first divi-
dend that should be paid on the par
entail investment in the boy is love-
There should also be repayment in