The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-06-01
(Ihe American Magazine.)

present before the American people
began the Responsible Editor senten-
tiously-
is the revision of the tariff-fnished
the Poet with a groan.
Not at a1l-continued the Respon-
sibIe Editor. The tariff VII have
been 50 badly revised by the time the
June number of this magazine is out
that We shall be glad to keep silent
about it for a few months. The real
question for the American people in
the month of June is what we are
going to do with the boy and his sis
ter in the three-nonths' summer Va
cation. Do you realize that the pub
lie schools will let loose this month
something like eighteen million boys
and girls under eighteen years of age,
not to speak of the home-taught and
private schools and the 100000 older
ones from normal schools, colleges
n professional schools What is to
be done with them? What are you
going to do with your boy, Mr.. Re-
porter? You are a practical man.
My boy-said the Reporter, with a
CLEAN of confidence in his eye-is go
inc to be kept busy doing things he
likes. / have not been a city reporter
for twenty years hou getting con-
siderable wisdom on how BOYS and
girls are made bad or kept good, and
my conclusion is that usually it is a
mere matter of what they lind to do
in their leisure. It is not in their
working hours that the learn fool
ishness and vice. It IS IN their play
time. They Will LAY fun, just as they
will have COO, and it is just as nee
essary for them. If they are not
drilled to what is wholesome, they
will take what is unwholesome. l
never knew a boy or a girl yet that
into decency. Years ago, when
l Was an assistant in q
night school in Philadelphia, l
had g husky boy of fifteen brought
in to me, Irish and full Of fight. The
first night he cleared out the room
the second he smashed the furniture.
We had a wonderful teacher there
in manual training, J. Liberty Tadd
and l took the boy to him. He
heard the story and said confidently,
My class is where he belongs So
he took the devastator up to the wood
carving department., and giving him
a pile Of carved wooden blocks, the
work Of pupils, and a mallet and
Chisel. he aid Smash these if YOU
like" Tor an hour that boy cut and
slashed at those blocks like a young
fend-and then he began to notice
that the boys around the rooms were
using his Weapons of destruction to
make things. He watched them, and
before ne left he was experimenting
himself. He came back, and before a
month Has up he was one OF the most
tlr9ieSS workers IN the CtdSS. IIt hcpl
at it month after month every mo-
nent he could snatch from boot black
ing. until he became SO Skilful that a
cabinet maker gladly took him as an
apprentice. lie was saved by giving
him something he liked to do. L never
forgot that, and | plan for my boys
Saturdays and vacations, more care
fully tn n l do for his schOol. L give
him healthful easy work IN new ana
interesting surroundings where he IS
~ his nur0 COS a NO q I
at once experience and skill: 1t Is
not my work he does, it is hiS-the
rewards are his. Moreover, it is
something ne likes. He gets fun, eN-
perienCe, resOurcefulneSS n Sel1-re-
lance from every vacation. would
no more allow him three months OF
unoccupied self-d.rected freedom
than I would turn him loose IN the
sIums. Moreover, he is going to fnd
in those months of working for fun
what he IS good foregoing TO ma
himself. l nav discovered more than
one man Of eminence IN my time
whose career dated from the interest
some eTCWn-up took in his leisure.
When the Wright Brothers Were Boys
Take the Wright Brothers,. l doubt
if they would ever have made q fyln8
machine if it had not been tor the
and good sense OF both
their father and mother. Mrs. Wright
was one Of those rare women VINO
can do things with her hands. She
used TO make bob-sleds n play
things for the boys, and of course as
sisted them with What they were try
ing to make. Every sign OF mechan,
zeal talent which they showed pleased
her. OrviiIe Wright as a little boy
was always trying to work out some
kind If a contrivance, and his motner
encouraged him. She seems to nave
had great belief in the latent power
Of Wilbur. That boy has powder
under his HEELS she used to say TO
her friends; q good expression, Wheln-
er original with her or not, ana worm
reViving and passing on TO olhel
troubled mothers of g~enluSeS-