The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1905-03-02
EACH BOY HAS HIS IDEAL.

lnlS WOIlu Is IdISo aAu 10 POP"
lated by a people whose minds
are as varied as the leaves upon
the trees. No two people will
view a question in all it's phases
exactly in the same light, though
they may agree in all essentials.
From early childhood the boy
casts around for a model or ideal,
and he is sure to find one of some
kind, and that model or ideal has
much to do in shaping his general
character. No one will deny this
statement. This being a fact we
should be very careful as to our
ideality. The boy thinks, and
naturally so, that his father is the
greatest man in the world. The
father, in many instances, is the
sons ideal, then how important
that the father be as near a per-
rect local as pOSSlUle.
But there are other ideals than
fathers. Public men, of proml-
nence, are often selected by the
boy without their knowledge of
tho fact and their lives are large
ly modelled by the chosen ideal.
A word detrimental to the best
interest of any particular man
may be unwittingly uttered by the
chosen ideal and the boy follows
his ideal. There are discords IN
most all vocations OF life and they
are kept in motion 0y ideals. The
boy hears his ideal express all
opinion and that at once becomes
the opinion of the boy. The
church member thoughtlessly eX-
presses his views about the dis
curse of his pastor, whom the
boy has been taught to revere,
and he at once decides with his
ideal, or if the pastor should be
his ideal he will decide with him.
The main idea that we desire to
make prominent in this short ar
ticle is that we should be very
careful in the presence of children
who are choosing ideals. Whole
communities may be disturbed by
the example of an ideal.
It is folly>for a profane swearer
to try to teach boys not to swear
when they hear profanity falling
from his own lips every day, yet
we find men who will severely
punish their boys for swearing
and while ~inficting this punish
ment each stroke of the switch is
accompanied by vile oaths. If the
tree is corrupt so will the fruit be.
Men 60 to church and take an ac-
tive part in the services and then
go out upon the streets and use
foul language. The boys have
been to church too, and, perhaps,
have observed the actions of their
ideals and they at once follow
suit. If these ideal lives are con-
sistent so will their followers be.
Every living man is shaping
the life or lives of some boy or
boys, for every man is all ideal for
some boy or boys. We are fully
aware that many boys do not
seem to be observant, but they
are far more so than they seem to
be. We a now recall actions
and words observed before we en-
tered our "teens." Some were
not worthy ideals and we have
avoided them all through life still
we find them, at times, clogging
our pathway. We have found
life to be n continuous battle
against wrong ideals. A few les
sons in originality would be a good
thing for thoughtful men to i'm
press upon the minds of boys. A
chosen ideal is all right provided
that ideal is a good one-one that
will guide and not misguide.
You need not always use a sheep
skin for a saddle just because your
father did SO, but if that is the
best you can do there is no dis
grace about it. If you cannot
find an ideal that suits you just
get up the best of material and
make one of your own liking.