The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1904-06-03
SCHOOL BOYS, VACATION.

The public schools have closed
and the school boy enters upon his
summers vacation. The summer
vacation with the school boy Is a
period of time that is always looked
forward to with the most pleasant
anticipations. The end of the school
year marks the time when he reIaxes
the studies he has been pursuing for
nine long months for q time of rest
and recreation and if there is any
one who can heartily enjoy himself
during his vacation it is the school
boy.
OF course the school vacation is a
necessity. All work and no play
makes Jack a duh boy and there
shonld be a reasonable time for the
school boy to get his mind from his
school work and look about towards
the other things Of life. This span
OF recreation and enjoyment fresh
ems the young body and mind and
when the time comes again for re-
sumption of studies the boy is bet
ter fitted both spiritually and men
tally to take them up. lie can ac-
complish more results in his studies
during the succeeding school year.
He gets a chance to see and enjoy
the practical side Of life after long
and hard tussle with theories.
Yet should the school boy give
himself to an absolute abandon
ment of everything and pass the
school vacation in pure leisure and
idleness? OF course there are cir
cumstances which alter cases and IT
Is largely due to these circumstances
whatever they may be that the school
boy should govern his vacation time.
There are some things which the
boys must give up. He should not
pass his time in absolute illeness.
There are opportunities for him to
improve himself in vacation as we'll
as ont Of vacation. BY this is not
meant that the boy must emerge
from one long labor to plunge head
long into another without giving
himself the necessary recreation dur
ing the summer months which his
spirit and body must have. Oppor-
tunities. come to all but they do not
come suddenly and by chance, at
least not the opportunities than can
properly be called opportunities to
the young man himself. There
must of necessity be some prepara-
ton and experience to cultivate
these opportunities when they do
arise, else they cannot be called on
portunities, but things which pass
above and beyond the reach of all.
The boy who gets out his fishing
tackle and other parphernalia and
spends his time in ENJOYING himself
in that way and in other similar
idleness does not spend his vacation
properly. Now. it must not be un-
derstood that fishing is to be tabooed
altogether. The boy must do some
thing in the summer time. But
it must be. something that he can
be benefited and developed by along
with his recreation. Unless there
be some 60. iaual intellectual i'm
provement in enjoyment the Young
man will not be able to enjoy his
pleasures in the higher appreciation
which he should.
The boy could take few minutes
Of his vacation day to read news
paper and become acquainted with
the run of current events which are
making historA which he does not
find in the history text books he
has in school. This does not deter
the vacation recreation. In going
riding or fishing. or hunting or pic
nicking he can look over the typo
graphy of the country and note its
beauties and physical lines. So
much can he study geography even
while ENJOYING himself. He can
take up a course of physical culture,
that is in his own way. He can de-
veloP his muscles and improve him
self physically while ut the same
time having his fun. Such is am
other way of improving his know
ledge Of anatomy and physiology.
We might 90 on and enumerate a
hundred other ways in which the bov
could profit in his enjoyment great
deal higher in the more advanced
lines Of knowledge than in the fun
damental ones here noted.
let the boy have his fun, his
pleasures, his romps and his plays.
But LET him 90 about it in, way
50 49,