Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1912-05-16
Striking Back

Mothers, when your darling boys
come raging in all bumps and bruises
and black eyes from late fistcuffs
with pugnacious companions declar-
ing what they are going to do to the
other fellow" the 6rst chance they
get. and you really see that your
boys mean It. earnest in what they
say, you have a duty right at hand.
The sensible mother will know
how to discriminate between fighting
back. and the spirit that spites back.
The boy of mettle will fight back.
good and hard, if tackled or corner
ed, or he will be the aggressor il
need be. bat there il ends with the
right sort of boy; but the boy who
is mean spirited and a sneak bears
his grudge and bides his time till he
can spite it back with safety 10 htm-
self When the mother sees evi-
dence of this last named spirit in her
bov she wants to teach better way.
The get even" spirit is a bad
spirit TO begin life with; It keeps
alive hate, fosters fsuds. and leads
to sorrow. "Quarrsls would never
last long if the fault was only on one
side" We have 10 stronger illus
traton cfthe disastrous consequences
Of bearing grudges. carrying on quar-
rels, than such tragedies as the Hills
vile tragedy. and the case Of the
Aliens now on trial for their lives
tor murder Il is very clear. even
to the uninterested reader. that the
trouble at Hillsville is indirectly the
result of strong factional feeling,
envy, and a dogged determination
of getting even" on both sides
that finally led to a desperate strug.
gle What follyi And now. wha
suffering and anguish.
Perhaps many a mother will say.
"Ah, well. II is very sure that M
boys will never be anything like tn,
Aliens, or their enemies" Mos
undoubtedly not; let US hope not; bu
there are other pitfalls along Efe't
ways, and while sEch may not prow
SO disastrous as the affair referrec
to, still they are bad enough. anc
sometimes affect; if not defect, al,
whole course Of ones life, and very
very often. It is the spirit of malicl
or spite back" spirit, that is who'll,
, at fault. Somewhere I ran across
DIT of history that told of a youn,
5 mans correspondence with Wash
: layton. The young man was yer.
I desirous Of learning from the below
= ed. great man, some good, suronl
E maxim or rule that would point hin
S unerringly the straight course to
= useful and happy life. So ne asket
y Washington to write him the on
rule that he, Washington. consider
f ed the best rule of life. and this
y what he received:
{ Never revenge an injury.
I Further advice was couched
: words to this effect: Fight har
against hasty temper. Anger wi
S come. but resist it strongly. 4
: spark may set a house on fire. A {
: of passion may give you cause I
q mourn all the days of your life
: Now. as we have considered a n
1 tie the evil of seeking to solace oul
S selves by spite-Work. let US consids
!. a moment the other side, the torgi,
d ing, and what the forgiving spir
e means to US in the end. We al
IT told by the good and great. tn:
: None but fool is always right,
|. aod that Tt is the peculiar quail,
q of tool to perceive the faults {
Is others and forget his own" S.
c we must see that fools and FOO
&c alone think they are always right
al and see only the faults of others an
r not their own. And if we adm
q We have faults. then We must adm