The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-07-08
ON SOWING WILD OATS.


orally limited application to growing
boys and young men. What does it
mean? asks Joseph r. Conroy, S. j.,
in 1.-The Queens Work" 1t is sup
posed to be polite way of expressing
the idea of dissipated life, of years
uncontrolled by any of the ten COM
man6ments. And to the initiated" it
always carries with it the underlying
notion of bad life.
In it's practical application \and in
depreciation, therefore, it is a phrase
that is used to condone offenses
against God; to minimize sin; to make
light of impurity; to pretend that I'M
cleanness is a necessary thing in every
young life-a thing to be expected,
tolerated, overlooked, excused. Often
enough we hear out of the mouth OF
persons who pose as connoisseurs OF
life, such talk as this: "Oh, So and
So is wild, dissipated,, rake. But he
is only sowing his wild oats. He'll
turn out we'll, settle down and be
good man.
The effect of his teaching upon the
growing boy is deadly. He hears 1t
lightly said that what he thought was
hideous and disgraceful is not so bad
after ALL He is practically told that
impurity is the usual preliminary to
the real work of life; a stage OF
growth through which boy normally
goes; a prerequisite to right living;
discordant, yet necessary, overture to
the harmony of manhOod's years; the
common foundation on which every
body builds. And the listening boy is
weak; perhaps already fallen, but
struggling to get up from the mire.
He hears this phrase, an encourage
ment to him to go ahead with his sin.
The devil puts the catchword into his
hands as an excuse for his habits:
Go on. Sow your wild oats. You'll
he all right in the end. You'll settle
down later" And the youth goes on
Now, is this right? No, you will tell
me. it isn't right. 1t is directly
against the law of God, binding IN
youth no less than in age. And it is
hound to be cursed in the end. From
orr earliest to our latest years, God
is the one who tells Jus what to do,
and not these eXperimenters with
virtue.
But even apart from our faith is
there a single grain of reason in this
advice to SOW wild oats? Is there a
shred of business sense, a spark OF
ordinary prudence in such a method
of going about the great affair OF our
souls salvation? Saving our soul is a
business proposition. Is there any
thing like a business proposition in
bows sowing wild oats?
What does the wild oats" idea
mean? 1t means that about the early
mart of your life, you needn't care. &c
ahead at any pace you choose. Fol
low passion, be anything you like II
thought, in word, in action. Be i'm
pure; obey your animal instincts. Al
will be we'll later on. You can easll!
stop whenever you have mind to-
| say there is not particle OF bust
ness sense in this idea. To throw
away the early beginnings of your life
your youth, your young strength-an'
the rest will be all rights this bust
ness?
Put the idea into any business yo1
happen to think of, and see how l
works out. For example, as we ar
talking of wild oats" the business
farming. Do you ever notice the sue
cessful farmer beginning his cult1Ve
ton by letting weeds grow all owe
his farm? The farmer nowadays
looked on as a fool for neglecting an
corner of his land He watches ever
inch of it all the time. You will fin
none of his land set aside for vii
oats" crop.
In architecture and building: Whe
the plans are made for skyscrapel
or a bridge, is it not the foundation
that are the great source OF worry
And when the building begins, do 20
not find the rock, they put it there,
on, and not swamp. And ii they cal
not find the rock, they put it there.
its equivalent Suppose you saw tn
contractor at work at your hous
starting it with foundation OF ha
old weeds, broken pop bottles and d
cayed rags. think hear you saying
mot for my housed"
In cattle raising, follow this rule
Don't bother about the young colts {
calves. Let them run loose, tes
themselves up in the barb wire fence
run wild across boulders and into dee
streams. And any kind of stagnal
water will do them for drink. They
orroyu nm all right later
In business-say a retail grocer
Don't mind the business at the stal
Let customers wander wherever the
care to, take whatever they wan
These are only losses at the openin
Don't watch anything. Let the sto
windows get as greasy as they pleas
the vegetable display in front sts
there till it rots. The smell will 6
tract customers. Yes, flies al
scavengers! But the business will
dne later on"
IN medicine: Always begin by pa
ing NOT the least attention to Il
child. Microbes in his lungs. "Wh
yes. We put them there. Have Il
child infected WITH them. Don't worr
He will be all right. He'll breatl
beautifully when he gets older.
But the thing develops into fare
We could go on forever and show tn
the one elementary thing that s1mp