Evening star., 1936-12-26
Youth
Struggling
with Self
Adolescents Not AL
ways Capable of Solv-
ing Own Problems.
BY ANGELO PATRI.

HUGO was Is years old. There
had been trouble at home, and
he had made himself very disagree
able about it. He was sulky, bad
hammered. deliberately mean at times.
In despair his mother sent him to a
good boys school.
Put him in the tower room for a
while until we see how he gets along
with the other fellows" said the
head. The tower room was down the
hall at the turn of the stairs, just
around the corner from the rooms
of the other boys. One could feel
apart there and yet close by. too.
Hugo soon showed his bad side.
He flung himself about the school
In angry defiance of manners and
customs. He sneered at his school,
mates. and when the masters remon-
strated with him told them In no
gentle words how he felt about them.
They had held a conference about
him and had about decided to wire
his mother to come and get him.
The mathematics teacher had his
room in the tower, too. one flight up.
He was coming down the padded
stairs, and at the turn, looked down,
right into the room where Hugo was
standing. his door wide open, absorbed
in his vision of himself In the big
mirror. The master stood fixed in
astonishment.
Hugo. big, powerful, not too
handsome. boy, posed before the mir
ror. He shook himself as though Ill
pleased with what he saw. He lifted
his chest and thrust out his chin He
lifted one foot and planted it with an
air on the chair beside him, the head
masters very own trick. Next he
tried smiling. Once in an attempt
to get just the right smile he nodded
his face with his hands. Then he
fought a battle with an adversary,
always watching In the mirror to see
If the expression was ferocious enough.
In triumph he shook hands grace
fully with his defeated enemy. Now
he posed as a beau ideal. He prac-
ticed graceful gestures and motions,
ne held out his hands, shook hands,
smiled and smiled. Now he whispered
coyly, coaxingly. Now he threatened.
Now he gave one last pitiful look into
the mirror and collapsed on his bed
in food of tears.
He had done his best to vision him
self as he longed to be. He had no
hope OF ever being that boy. He must
take up again his mask of temper.
snobbery and Ill will. And he cried
at the thought.
The master came to life, slipped
back upstairs. waited a minute and
then descended. whistling, "The Girl
! Left Behind Me-" loudly and with
all the merriment he could put In it.
He heard Hugo's door close and passed
it still whistling. He stopped at the
headmaster's door and peeked in.
Don't do anything about Hugo for
o while. think We can get hold Of
him. Give us a few days"
After a time he went back and
knocked on the closed door. "Hullo.
Come on out with me, will your All
the fellows are so busy they can't
even see me and I'm so all-tired lone
some don't know what to do. Let's
go watch the practice down in the
village" Doubling. Hugo went.
Carefully, steadily, the teacher
worked TO make the lads vision of
himself come true. Worked to give
him a chance to be leader. a sue
ceSsful student, successful all
around boy, winning favor with his
mates. and the girls and the masters.
He gave the lonely, Sbewildered child
a glimpse Of the road that led to
realization of his vision Of himself as
he most wanted to be.
Maybe you could, If you watched,
see in some failing adolescent the
vision Of the boy as he would like to
be. And maybe you could help him
attain it. Most boys have one hidden
down deep.
' (Cdpyrfnht