Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-08-12
SOMETHING FOR BOYS.
From nrother Jonathan.

their boys. Sometmee tnis is tne
boys fault; they think 1t big to be
man all at once. Sometimes 1t Is the
parents fault; they may be hard, or
"bessy," or too busy to bother with
the kids" Sometimes 1t is the fault
OF both. am talking to boys now.
not parents. often feel like spanking
parents. Seldom am inclined to that
sort Of rebuke TO the boys. But, boys
don't let 1t be your fault If You can't
get in side your fathers crust, or II
your mother neglects you.
Boys get to be men before they
are out OF short trousers very often.
The old folks are like some farmers
who call horse they have raised a
colt, until 1t gets to be thirty years
old. They can't understand that what
they call their baby boy is really
man with a mans mind and sense in
most things, even II he Is a kid in ex'
perience and clothes. But talk with
the youngster quietly and on some
subject in which he feels an interest,
and II you don't find him older than
you thought, 1t will be because you are
younger than you seem.
The boy may lack experience, but
his mind is all the fresher for IL and
works to better advantage. So treat
boy according to the years Of his
mind, and not according to the length
of his life or OF his trousers.
A boy whose mind is healthy has n
most unerring conscience. He may
not follow 1t. but he is sorry If he
doesn't.
Il wish had diamond worth a
Million" said hey sollloquizing aloud
as he read OF the South African dia'
mond fields. That is form OF ex-
preston so often used by grown-ups
that | fell to wondering what would
happen to that boy If he really had
his wish. What would he do? What
would any boy of fourteen do II he
walked up and found himself in his
own right worth million dollars?
This boy is poor. He has never known
wealth. Would II be good for him
to be made suddenly rich? Now he
knows that II he Is to attain success
in the life that lies before him. he
must earn It himself, and that to earn
1t he must work. He knows what II
means to earn money, too.
II he had money. with the best in.
tentions In the world, wouldn't he take
a rest when he felt like resting; would
he not be carried away by the desire
to have things little better and n
little more of them than other boys
just because he could AFFORD to-?
Would he weigh as carefully as he
ought the advice and cautions of peo-
pie of experience? Wouldn't he get n
shockingly "swelled head" and know
1t ALL" when he really knew less than
nothing of the pitfalls that beset every
rich young man?
Many boy gets the idea-one of
my boys did once for while-that
II he has money he can buy anything,
that people think more of a man II
he has money and that the hustle for
the stun" is what every American boy
ought to engage in. II this unfortu
nate Idea was mere chlld's disease,
like the mumps and the measles, 1t
might be allowed to run its course:
for the boy would get over 1t. My boy
did. Many do not.
The tremendous Increase in person
al fortunes during the last thirty years
has made envy dictate n lot of non
sense to the average small man. For
the last two years, owing largely to
the sterling good sense of the grea.
American now at the head of our ma.
tion. the idea that the cash register
is not the conscience of the American
people"-as William Allen White
phrases it-has taken hold of the
people, and boys everywhere. II they
will only look will find that character
is bigger asset than gold. If the
American boys were asked to vote
on the two Rs-Roosevelt and Rookie.
feller-today. which one would get the
votes? The boys vote comes pretty
near being the index of the peoples.
because the conscience OF a boy does
its work better than the conscience c'I
a man. Keep your conscience clean.
boys, and "let her rum" Then follow
her closely. You'll come out all right.
You hear great deal said nova.
days about specializing. That 'if you
don't settle OH some one thing and
make specially of It. you'n never
amount to anything" You've probably
heard that 30 many times that you
are tired OF II. The worst thing about
these remarks is that they're only half
true. Mind you. | don't say they're
entirely false. But this specializing
ID carried to an absurd degree. Why.
Ia shoe factories. for instance, every
thing IL 30 specialized that some men
or women do noting but put on that