The Newark journal. (Newark, Ark.) 1901-1959, 1909-03-12
Copyright. by Joseph B. Bowies)

| NIOpyrlEnts py JOsSpAi u. boH4CS.J
The Boy Question" is very largely
a matter of the boys questions. And
that is no small matter. He conducts
what may be called questionable. II
is a continuous affair, with no recess
| or vacation He does 1t for the same
reason that he plays-he cant help it
| When he finds an agitation going on
in his brain and muscles and nerves
and bones, and all of them telling him
to play, and good opportunities going
to waste all around him, what else can
he do? And when there are SO many
things to look into, and such noisy
agitation in his soul compelling him
to learn, what can he do but ask about
them? The mysteries of stars, and
suns, and moons, and snow, and hail,
and steam, and electricity, and gray
hair and bald heads, and flies. and fish,
and several million other things--must
be explained-and on the spot. He
never knows that he sometimes gets
himself disliked. If he did he would
want to know why, and all about it.
He is not stuck UP" TO use phrase
that he himself will understand at
once, but enlists every one he meets
as colabofer in his pursuit of
knowledge, reserving his pa for special
cooperation, during the latter's hours
of rest. He IS not partial nor dila-
tory, but takes up every matter, as 1t
comes, for immediate investigation.
He works rapidly, and can inquire into
great variety of subjects in the
same breath.
He has TO ask questions in order to
| give his strenuous gray matter some
thing to do. And he needs the
| ness. To be sure he can learn by
looking, but he cant gather informa
ton that way quite as fast as he can
store It away in his memory. and that
is his main line Of business though he
has several very pronounced side lines.
| Besides, there is SO much out there
to learn he VIII never get his share If
| he does not avail himself OF all pos
sible assistance. And come TO think
OF 1t, what else are the other people
here for. but to put him In possession
of what they have? BY and by he will
be able to dispense with few ques-
tions-not let up, but only slow up
and reason out certain things alone,
but not yet, for the activity and the
thirst for knowledge and the questions
begin with his first words, and reason
will not give him that till he is
somewhat older. You may say
that, from three to thirteen. he is
an interrogation mark During that
time he might find an inviting voca-
ton for his shining gifts as a
lawyer to conduct cross-examina-
tions or as chief Of police to pre-
side over the sweat box
He Is getting discipline and knowl-
edge, and he Is getting the habit.
which is better still. He Is prepar-
ing to get along without asking ques-
tons, which is not a bad thing His
active mind is sending impressions
along the brain cells and marking out
a permanent path for truth to travel
and he Is also acquiring the material
which reason will use some day, in its
side-line work.
Even at the worst he Is more than
a mbination of muddy clothes, noise
and questions, every time he turns UP
with a question to be turned down
with a quietus. Besides the good he
Is getting, think of what he is giving
Think OF how he is driving his father
especially down into his own inner
life and back into his own boyhood 6
history to know the significance OF al
this questioning. thus leading him to
wholesome introspection and inspir
ing recollection, and making him a
bright. new, up-todate man.
Think Of the fine intellectual drill he
Is taking bis father through, as he
puts to him questions that would puz
zle lawyers, and scientists. and philoso
piers, and theologians, questions
which that father must unravel ano
answer sensibly And the boy Away,
knows when he is talking sense, ever
| though the questions may not be much
better than some civil service Ques
tons When Artemus Ward wrote
his grotesque travesty OF the list o
life insurance questions, he was prob
ably in a reminiscent mood. and was
reviewing an old boyhood trick. Are
you male OF female? II SO. how Ion,
have you been so?" And all the res
| to match.
Think Of the ready market he fur
nishes you for your stores OF knowl
edge, when perhaps he Is the only liv
ing being who would listen to you a
all. An attentive listener like hin
Is not picked UP every day. Yoi
might write newspaper articles ane
whole books without finding the hos
pitality to your ideas that a boy give.