The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-11-16

Not seldom he has in him the very
best material, but it has never been
developed by proper training or di-
rection. Probably he has had no
one to put him on the right road
and give him the right start. Super
fetal and shallow-minded people gem
orally regard as fortunate the child
born with a silver spoon i'm it's
mouth" but really unless such a
child has unusually fine inherited
traits and wise direction, there could
scarcely be a greater misfortune for
it than to be born into condition
or state of life which precludes the
necessity of exertion or personal eff
fort-the only means possible for
the formation of character and the
attainment of true and vigorous
manhood.
Prodigals, like human nature gem
orally, are much the same in all
times and places; and the Prodigal
Son of the Gospels is a true type of
the prodigal of every age, while his
respectable elder brother is a fair
specimen of the opposite class This
poor young fool of a prodigal want
ed Ito see the world" ito see life,"
as so many others have wanted be-
fore and since his time. He saw it
and was speedily disillusioned. I'M
pulsive and impetuous ambitious
perhaps, full of animal spirits, weary
of his dull, commonplace surround
ings, of the ordinary, humdrum,
routine life of his fathers house,
he yearned to go forth into the big
world beyond and enjoy life to the
full. With the generosity common
to such natures as his, he spent his
money freely, and of course quickly
gathered about him host of
friends mot his friends, but his
moneys friends. We can readily
picture the depth and strength of
their attachment so long as the mon
ey lasted. But when that went they
went too, with the usual result that
the erstwhile princely patron became
a drudge and a beggar. The same
thing is occurring under our own
eyes every day in the year. The
prodigals of the present generation,
like those of preceding ones, will
not take warning from the fate of
their famous prototype.
To tell the truth, we have more
liking for the prodigal than we have
for his respectable elder brother.
Anu III JulS we are III line Will IuS
prodigals own father. 1t is worthy
of note that parents-mothers es-
pecially-seem to have a particularly
warm spot in their hearts for the
black sheep of the family. 1t isn't
the badness in the prodigal that at
tracts, but the good native material
that has gone wrong and been abus-
ed. Nor is it the really good quail
ties of the respectable elder brother
that makes us like him less. 1t is
his mean little ways. Probably he
hadn't any very strikingly good traits
but was one of the negatives or neu-
trails, observant of the convention
alities, attached, or at least resigned,
to his surroundings, with no desire
to get away from them. His sulk-
mess at the cordial reception given
his prodigal brother is conclusive
proof that there was something fun
damentally mean about him.
1t is a pity that there can't be
something on the order of an orphan
asylum, or a training school, for the
poor prodigals; but as this plan is
practicable, the next best thing is
for those who have any influence
over such to realize that the prodi-
gal is not essentially bad or ire
formable, and try to devise suitable
ways and means to reach his heart
and bring out the good that is hid
den beneath the surface.-Baltimor
Sun.