The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-06-07
The Meddler
III Ms coat fts yos. Pit Il on"

Inc boys who graduate from the pub
Tic schools all over the country have
made. their marks nj.
ready In their home communities. Some
of the boys will go to higher institu.
lions of learning, but the great ma lori i,
ty will seek employment at once. or 4
will enlist for military or naval service.
The boy who has been loud -mouthed
who has pulled cigarettes while on his
way to and from school, who has dis
played a general air of toughness and
whose associations have been of a
doubtful character, will find at the out
set that the entrance to the positions
which promise advancement is barred |
to him. Men of mature years who are
in business notice the actions of boys |
and form their estimates of them. They
make their selections of young employees
largely from the impressions they have
formed from day to day of the boys
who have come under their observa-
| tion.
The cigarette smoker, the boy dude
or the loafer who is always hanging
around the streets in the summer and
in the pool rooms in winter, the boys
who won t do chores around home, the
| fiippant, profane, noisy and foul
mouthed youth never gets the good
jobs where there is an opportunity to
rise to positions of useful and respect
ed citizenship. The young people don t
know it, but every year the boys and
girls leaving school are canvassed over
and over again by the business men of
the community in search of one to fit
some special place. The qualities looked
for are honesty, industry, good habits,
gentlemanly behavior, cleanliness of
conversation, modesty and freedom from
vicious associates. These, coupled with
a fair degree of ability, are what
count. We have known pretty good
boys who wholly on account of their as
sociations, were not wanted in the home
town and who were compelled to go
hundreds of miles away before they
could get fair start.
And now that we have gotten this
little sermon off our chest we will say
: this, that while there are some to whom
the above remarks apply foreibly, we
: believe there are today fewer boy
\ toughs in our large New England vii
Q lagos than there were 90 and 80 years
ago.
Here is something with a dear, ole
" familiar sound. Just read slowly ant
. see whether it brings back "reminiscences
d of days in umpteen -umpty- five whel
y you looked down from lofty heights on
a world to be regenerated:
CHOW comes June and commence
ment. Adown the shaded aisle tina
. leads through leafy elms to the oil.
"A academy in Home Town is heard tn
padding Of eager youth in blue serg
or figured poplin. What a world o
confidence in the footsteps. Don
II laugh at them. Remember when yo
graduated? You, too, wore collar tina
/ fretted your neck, and shoes tina
squeaked ominously as you wake
across the stage to get your parch
ment from the school directors. RI
member how you struggled someho'
TO your feet and made an impassione
plea for the preservation of somethin
so or other; how you saw your best gi
so home from the graduating exercise.
ne and how you dedicated yourself to hig
land holy achievements as you sougl
n the sleep that wouldn t come for thin
on ing of the day S doings. You too, VOL
ny a solemn young Johnnie. So bite YOU
lips and try to restrain a smile as yo
70 see the boys and girls bidding sob'
tly goodbye to 'the dear old school
/ Really, it is sort of sad. Don t laugh.
a When William H. Taft was Presidel
of the United States he established I'll
ny proper proportions of the American fls
-, in executive order No. 1897. It's leng'
should be one and nine enths times i
width. There are other rules which III
SEA Reformer is publishing today, and viii.
~, ought to be clipped and preserved
homes where they are not familia
sed The flag hung in front of the Unitari;
church today is a poor, bob-tailed in
tation of flag. Nearly foot has be,
lis. cut off the bottom of it, so that it
out nearly square. The flag displayed
tty front of the Brattleboro Public libra
ned :. .+oohoa - Ga, 81, -
dys