The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1909-01-02
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. 4600OSC0Sc
RH@&%@V&%VS
LETTER 3
|, OF AHOPELESS I
MAN. :
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.


DR.. William Lee Howard contrib
ltes a spirited article on Helpless
Youth and Useless Men, to the Amer
.can Magazine. 1t is a severe ar
raignment Of the custom of having
women teachers for high school boys.
In the course of the article he intro
iuces the following letter which, ne
says, was written by a man twenty
six years old:
rs there no possible way OF shed-
ding this weakness, this miserable
weakness, SO that one will be able
10 act with naturalness and self-pos-
session in the presence OF others,
no matter where or when? Is there
no possible way by which l can meet
people and converse with them IN
an easy and natural way without slut
tering and puttering about in aim
less confusion, causing me at times
TO break out in a cold sweat and
make for the tall grass where no
one is about to watch me? can't
even walk down street in an easy,
natural mind-off-of-myself manner.
Not even in my home town. / know
all the people here, and am quite
positive, too, that they will not bite
or shy a brick at me from any tree.
| have such horrid habit of de-
probation l have tried to reason
some of these things out of my sys-
tenn, but it is a tough proposition.
To cap the climax, | guess l have
about as much confidence in myself
as a lion tanner has in bad lion.
Anything like real responsibility is
liable to cause panic and stampede
of what ability 1 might possess IN
the action it called for.
81 always had women for teachers
when I was a boy. Later on the
same conditions existed when ! went
to the high school, / was naturally
timid, and saw nothing Of the life !
needed; of the rough schoo.Mg l
should have had. You know what the
male teachers in the high schools
are. Those who have net been femin-
lied only get ,parrot-like lot OF stun
out of them; they never come under
virile influences.
IT never had licking. and the o.d |
maid who was my principal teacher
held me up as a model boy.
eff there is anything that appeals
to me, it is a good, vigorous type of |
real man. And just think of it! l
might have been one if my father
had looked after my education and
should have been
sent to school where only men and
boys were seen. Now / am a fall
ure. l was taught nothing at school
of use to me, but did fall into hab-
it's and a mental condition that keeps
me from obtaining any decent posi-
ton.
Il have worked for about three
years in a dry-goods store, where
deal mostly with women, which,
am afraid, has been a bad thing for
me in many ways. In the first place,
I do not like the store at all, and
never did, but it was the only thing
| could get to do after getting my
high school education" Apparently
the only training l received was one
fitting me to wait upon the opposite
SEX This has been harmful to me;
now realize that my disposition and
was not considered when
was a boy-otherwise l would have
been made useful man. ! find my
self somewhat i'll at ease when in a
crowd of men. not being able to act
and speak entirely naturally. The
same old story-Fear of people; fear
If what they say or think about ne
,r anything I might have to say or
ell. Concentrated hell on earth for
| fellow-hampers his ability, causes
, lack Of confidence in himself and
what not"