Semi-weekly herald., 1909-04-26
WHAT is TO BECOME
OF OUR BOYS


becomes of the boys OF Durango and
other towns. But We are not selfish
We dislike to see boys growing un
to flll reform schools and possibly
later the penitentiaries of our land. II
is a well established fact that the hab-
It's formed in early life cling to one
10 a large extent until death. How
careful parents should be They should
ever keep watchful eye on their
children. They owe this to them
selves and the community. Just the
other day our attention was called
; 10 a Durango youth OF about 16 forg-
ing his parents name to obtain flask
OF whisky and with the liquor went
to the. foothills with a youth of IA
The ihter was prevailed upon to take
big drink. Result: The boy was
laid out and but for the timely arrival
of some laboring men he might have
remained out all night because the
boy fell into stupor and had to be
carried home where he was confined
TO the bed several days. A tough
boy can contaminate an entire neigh
ents permit their boys to run at ran
dom and do all sorts OF mean things
II is duty officers owe to have them
sent to schools where their evil In
fluence will not drag other boys down.
The writer has a boy growing up.
We realize the unceasing care that
must be exercised. The love for this
boy causes US to yearn for the well
fare of every mothers boy. Mothers,
watch your boys Fathers, do not
leave the watching alone to mothers.
Eternal vigilance is necessary. The
sarticle from the Ouray paper which
leads to the above remarks, follows
and We trust II will be read by every
Durango parent and heed given to the
Importance of looking after your boys
There's worthless set OF fellows"
said one of our business men the other
dayx ,Snetimes they do a great deal
of damage to things around my place
They scatter things about the office,
smoke cigarettes and use the vilest
language one ever heard can keep
them straight when / am around, but
the minute my back is turned they en-
gage In all sorts OF things to make
themselves a nuisance. / am afraid to
do much to them because they can
do me untold harm and can't help
myself It Is really too bad for the
boys that they are not looked after"
There Is boy In the fourth grade
who has his brain turned In the wrong
direction and is making a great deal
OF trouble in the school He drinks,
smokes, stays out of school and seems
to be animated with the idea that he
wants to be tough one How old
Is he? Just twelve" This from a
man who knew what he was talking
about
Other instances-by far too many
may be had. But this is enough to
warrant us in asking, what is to be-
come of our boys? Are they worth
less set?" Whose fault is 1t, and why
Il, this worthlessness allowed to con-
Nnue? Are many of our boys going
to make the kind of men that every
community is ashamed to own?
OF course. much of the blame may
be laid at the door of the parents.
They should have an interest In their
boys and see that they are not worth.
II seems long time, some of us were
boys. We remember some things
about II. Some of us remember
father whose word was law We may
have been guilty of mean, indiscreet
things, but we had respect for that
father and the mother. Some way
they convinced us that we ought to
he something more than a burden on
Me community in which we lived. We
didn't get beat to death, but we got a
part of what we ought to have. There
may have been some people in bust
ness in the community who were
uafraid to do anything TO us for fear
we would do them dirt; but many of
us can remember men IN whose pres.
ence and on whose premises we were
for some mysterious cause prone to
behave ourselves. We may have
thought these men rather severe, but
sopeway we respected them and have
respected them in our memory ever
since. They did not quarrel with us
or scold us. perhaps. but there was
something about them that convinced
MS that they were right In demanding
that we be something other than row
dies around them. We were not afraid
OF them. perhaps. but we would not
dare TO injure their property.
Others of us perhaps remember po-
lice officers whom we feared and re-
spected. We may have had the ex.
perlence of running away once and
their not running after us. but picking
w up at some opportune time and
letting us know in an unmistakabG