Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1904-10-25

yet not Offering him the honest, health
full work and diversion Of the farm.
Two things are the safe guard Of
the village boy, his pleasure and his
work, the last term embracing all his
occupations-.even his play. Can a
boy in North Dakota be kept from the
street and in the home? Yes, most
assuredly yes, if he has mother who
has the will and skill to hold his inter-
est at home. I remember voicing this
sentiment, when my own boy was still
small, and being told: Eyes, that is
we'll enough now, but wait until he is
older, then you will find it impossible"
But having faith, that, if the habit of
always being at home after the even
ing meal, was established during the
early years, when boy. perforce
must yield obedience, it would remain
after the years OF his individual discre-
tion were reached. and that il made
his evenings at home pleasure and
profit to him; should have no trouble,
l persevered and had this compensa-
ton. The other day he came to me,
great high school boy of mans stat
ure, and said: Mother, the boys are
organizing military company and
have man drilling them and wish me
to join, but told them no, for it would
take me away from home too many
evenings" This in spite of the fact
that there was nothing he would more
enjoy, and I felt that my early judy
ment was indicated. Home has be-
come the safest and happiest place to
him. This was not accomplished with
out many mutterings on the part of
the small boy. as to what "other boys
did," but the rule was maintained with
firmness and unvarying certainty. Nor
was he an easy boy to control-far
from it. He has very large share of
old-fashioned Scotch stubborness in
his makeup. How did we interest
him? Well, it was liberal education
to his mother. It meant delving with
many things of which she was ignorant
and for which she had no particular
taste, in order that she might be able
to understand his conversations on
baseball, football, etc.. that she might
not trip in his pet study, history;
that she might intelligently enter into
his hobby stamps" It meant the
giving of her evenings as we'll as his.
But she can truly say that her almost
unvarying rule of always being at
home with the children in the even
ing has been a constant pleasure to
her.
Then as to employment. 1t has been
truly said that North Dakota is lack
ing in many of the things in nature
that particularly contribute to boys
pleasure and education. How supply
these? Well, as to boys recreation
and occupation, they depend so largely
upon the individual temperament of
each boy that no general rule is ap-
pliacble to all cares. Nor will any
one illustration cover the case. So
permit me the personality of describ.
ing to you neighborhood of boys that
I know.
From this picture from real life
I wish to deduce two truths. The
| first that there is an abundance of ma
terial in North Dakota, even in small
town, to interest boys alive to their
opportunities Plenty of healthfu]
fun and recreation, and secondly that
the recreation best enjoyed by boys
| and girls is that which they find for
themselves. IT'S the rag or scrap OF
paper picked up in some unsupported
| spot that longest holds the boys at
| tention, not the elaborate toy provided
| by father or mother. 1t is the pastime
which children devise and for which
they plan and work that satisfies.
= To my mind, the greatest mistake of
modern parents and educators is the
studied attempt to make things easy
for children-to furnish all the materi
al and tools to make work light and
achievement easy, and by so doing
they rob the child, not only of the
pleasure and glory of conquest, but
worse still. of the most valuable part
of education and training. We teach.
ers and parents must help, must fur.
nish props only where the child can.
not stand alone. School should be
only the best atmosphere for child de
velopment. Put the tools and instruc
ton which he cannot himself supply
Place no obstacle in his path, help
when without it he would fail and
then watch the young mind grow. Had
we mothers furnished the games, the
tennis court, etc., the play would have
been of but short duration, and would
have been of no helpful discipline to
our boys. cannot emphasize toe