The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1961-08-11
WHAT is A BOY?

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it seems good enough to pass on
to anyone to read. We commend it
all who love boys and who recog-
nize them as those upon whom the
future of our country will depend.
1t says:
Between the innocence of baby
hood and the dignity of manhood
we find delightful creature called
boy. Boys come in assorted sizes,
weight and colors, but all boys have
the same creed-to enjoy every
second of every minute of every
hour of every day, and to protest
with noise (their only weapon)
when their last minute is finished
and the adult males pack them off
to bed for the night.
"Boys are found everywhere . ..
on top of, underneath, inside of,
climbing on, swinging from, run
ming around, or jumping to. Moth
ers love them, little girls hate
them, older brothers and sisters
tolerate them, adults ignore them,
and Heaven protects them. A boy
is Truth with dirt on its face, Beau
ty with a cut on it's finger, Wisdom
with bubble gum in it's hair, and
the Hope of the future with frog
in its pocket.
"When you are busy, a boy is
an inconsiderate, bothersome, in
truding jangle of noise. When you
want him to make a good impress
sion, his brain turns to jelly or else
he becomes a savage, sadistic jun
gle creature bent on destroying the
world and himself with it.
"a boy is a composite he
has the appetite of a horse, the
digestion of sword swallower, the
energy of a pocket-size atomic
bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the
lungs of a dictator, the imagination
of Paul Bunyan, the shyness of
violet, the audacity of a steel trap,
the enthusiasm of fire cracker,
and when he makes something he
has five thumbs on each hand.
"He likes ice cream, knives, saws,
Christmas, comic books, the boy
across the street, woods, water lin
it's natural habitat), large animals,
Dads, trains, Saturday mornings,
and fire engines. He is not much
for Sunday school, company,
schools, books without pictures,
music LESSONS, neckties, BARRIERS,
girls, overcoats, adults or bedtime.
Nobody else is so early to rise,
or so late to supper. Nobody else
gets SO much fun out of trees, dogs
and breezes. Nobody else can cram
into one pocket rusty knife, a
half eaten apple, three feet of
string, two gum drops, six cents,
a chunk of unknown substance, and
a genuine supersonic code ring with
a secret compartment.
"a boy is a magical creature . E.
you can lock him out of your work
shop, but you can't lock him out
of your heart. You can get him out
of your study, but you can't get
him out of your mind. Might as
well give up he is your captor,
your jailer, your boss, and your
master e. freckle-face pint-sized,
cat-chasing bundle of noise. But
when you come home at night with
only the shattered pieces of your
hopes and dreams, he can mend
them all like new with the two
magic words =. "Hi, Dad"!
"That's the piece, dug up from
the past. Boys were pretty wonder
full then, and they're still pretty
wonderful. It's true that a boy, if
he is healthy and normal, will drive
You to evaporation time and time
again. And yet, in the final analy-
sis, they're just as nice as little
girls, almost, in frills, bows and
lace.
mo one, we daresay, can fully
understand boy-and that goes
for the boy himself. He is a COM
pick tumble of contradictions, but
that, alas, is true of all humans OF
every age. At worst, we've got
some good in US, and at best we
are selfish to a degree and unani.
mously thoughtless.
"All of Gods Creations is filled
with variety and contrast. You
find it in the weather, the changing
seasons, the difference between
night and day, the vast assortment
of flowers, fish and fowl, the ami
mails ranging from the hulking ele
plant to the tiny mouse. And moth
ing, in one single form, is as diff
ferent within itself as boy.
'The world is far from perfect
because man has made it so, Blu
it would be even less perfect with
out small boys in it to poster N