Miscellany: Chapter On Boys

Public opinión niakcs something like the following calculation. There are two women to one man in tho churches, twenty drunkards among men to one among womcn, five adulterers among mea to one woman, one hundred gamblers among men to one woman, fifty thieves and counterfeiters among men to one woman, one hundred rnurdorers among men to one woman. Duellers, a class of murderers, all mea ; mobocrats, with íill their lawless violence, all men. Now, how comes this diHbrence? God made both alike in his image, to be educated alike, physically, intellectually, and morally. Physicully, because their flesh, blood, muscles and Iung3 are alike, and therefore require the same treatment to preservo hcalth. Iutellectually, because if the girl's mind is as strong, it will bear as Jiigh culture ; if weaker, who does not ee thut it needs the botter teaching ; and if the training of children be of more consequenes to the world, than the rearing of cattle, or the measuring of goods, and if the first ten ye ars of life are what forms character, which 1 do not doubt, then give the girl the best education, and the next generation will witness the results. - Morally, because one law is their rule of jiction, by whicli t!iey are alike to be judged ; one heaven or one hell awaits both. Ghrist died to save both frorn sin, the Holy Spirit was given that both should be enabled to walk in his stututes, and kcep his judgments, and do them. God has made it as easy for a boy to be a Christian as a girl ; wherein then lies this diñerenco? Ido not hesitate to say, in the training ; no one cares for boys, parents throw them out into the cold, world, and then wonder they are so bad. I To illustrate, a bo-y of five yeax-s oíd appears at the parior cloor? hib akul, he looks at his feet, and then nt his nother. "John, do not come 'm here ; your feet are all mud." The boy, tircd :f playing out doors, andas he is drivcn Trom the parlor, where his sisters are sitLing and hearing the words of wisdom and aífection, as they drop i'rom the lips of their ntother, who, as far as they are concerned, is fulfilling the command line upon line, precept upon preccpt, herc a little and there a little : he seeks the kitchen ; as he cannot be intellectually amused and has no employment, lie makes liimself amends by playing tricks upon the servants. When he has learned all their vulgarisms, and they are tired of liim, he is compeiled to fly that retreat. At another time he has just got himself tiappily fixed in the parlor after a ball play, whcn the order is hastily given by iiis mother, "John run ; there is Mr. and Mrs. Huil coming and you are so dirty." Tohn hos not been made to mirid with mee speaking, and does not stir till his ïldest sister says, "there is Peter Jones ivhistling for you to come out!" With this mental stimulus John starts out to go 3ÍF with Peter Jones, who is a very bad boy. It is true the sister did not know this, for no pains had been taken to find Dut his character ; she got her brother autofthe way, and the influencehe was put under never occurred to the mother and sister ; besides Mr. and Mrs. Huil were the most csteemed frirnds of the family, and he was deprived of the beneficial efFects of social intercourse from refincd Christian minds which his sisters, down to the youngest, were privileged to enjoy. His sisters, when they are tired of their books, of a long winter's evening, aresupplied with sewing, knitting, worsted work, &c, while poor John has nothing to do but look in the fire, unless he can tease somebody. He and every one else .is glad when the time comes for him to go to bed, but when he gete older, he indemnifics himself by going out for half an hour after slipper ; as no notice is taken of it, he increases the time, and at the age of eleven, he stays out till oírte o'clock. The mother now becomes alarmed. "John, where have yoi boen this evening?" Oh, I was jus down here. "Where, my son1?" Oh down the street in a store. "Whose store?" A store wherod go, mother.- "What were you doing there so late1?' Nothing. "Who was there?" Nobody I but somc boys. John has got impaticn of being qnestioned, begins to whistle and walks oif. Indeed, hia whole man ner and tone of voice during the colloquy show that hc thought a woman had nc right to ruédale with a man's concerns. I once had a mother come to me, unde such circumstance, and say, "What shal l do? James has not come home, and i is 9 o'cock." Teil his fathcr, I replied "I have, but I cannot make him feel a [ do about it - he says nothüig has hap pened to him, (meaning his body, as i that was all that was worth preserving, he will be in soon." Does he do s oftcn, said I. "This is the third night hi has stayed so late." She then wrung he hands, exclaiming. "What shall I do?1 1 replied, do the same as if it was Susaï - what would you do if it were you daughter? "Why, I would have out a' the neighbors and the constable!" Wel treat your boy as well in regard to moi , als as your do your girls. ! She saw where she Wed in lettin ■ him be, even for a short period, day c i night, where sho did know who he WL . with, and this was the last trouble th mother had on this head. But to return to John. He stays 01 1 later every night - is peevish to h 1 mother, cross to his sisters - does n . wish to accompany them when they g , out, or do any errands for them - he don 5 incers over the servants, avoids going 1 J meeting if possible, and when there, si 5 as far from his family as he can. Coi 3 plaints begin to come in from the sohoc t masterand neighbors of saucy and ir 1 modest things - the mother gives up : .-despair, and says she had rátherbring 1 5 ! two girls than ono boy - (better cali 1 biïnging them down.) She appèala s the father. "My dear, I cannot govei n John ony longer - finark you, she nev e did govern him) - he has got too oíd f - me to manage, and hc is getting to be f very bad boy, and you will have to tal e him ín hand- ('as if it had not been h s father's duty, even more than hers, 1, govern him ever since he wasborn. ' d do not see how I can attend to it now- d have so much on hand - you know tl election is coming on, and it is a very ir o portantone for the welfare of the cou n try ; this, added to my own business, o as much as I can attend to." "But y r must take time to correct the boy - y e know I have been telling you so the o two years - it will not do to postpone any longer - he will be ruined if you do d "Well you may send him to the store t morro w, and. I will sec; what I can fuor him to do the re." The ncxt day the boy is sent to the i itore - the father takes half an hour, tells i ïim he wants hjm to do every thing just i right, that he is old enough to i nent - th'at he must bc industrous, and I nind the older clerks about the business, ] nid he will soon bc a man. The boy promiscs all, and for a while hings go on very well - he minds the ïlërks, and they are amused by his pranks ; when he goes home, he has a íusiness nir, humes his menls, says iittle, ! ind ofl' to the store - but he has never jecn taught tobo industrous, ana he soon :ires of the routine of business, is awoy Trom the store when nceded most - is impértinent, lazy,& full of tricks. The fathjrsays,"My dear,ve cannothave John at :h e store anylonger." Why, I thought ie was doing as well as a boy could. "I ;hought so too, but Mr. Smith told me tolay that he could notstay if John remainïd - he makes him so much trouble - and f ou know I could not do without him - ie is my confidential clerk ; somehow r other, thcy have all got a dislike to ohn ntthc store." John at tho age of ourteen, is a perfect Arab - his hand is gainst every body, and every body's ïand is against him. "Mr. Ilallet, that good minister," says he father." has lost his voice,rnd cannot ireaéh - he advertises to lake a few boys uid prepare tlicm for college ; I think vehad better send John - he will board n the family and his moráis will be atended to ; the school is to be select, and t will take him from his present associates." John is sent, and now the whole drift of himself and companions is to cheat the "Domine." He isa boy of good talents, gets his lessons well, and improves in dress and manners. His parents heara good account of him, and congratúlate theraselves with a- 'Well, after all, John will make a fine man - we always thought he would take a turn." These parents thought tho teacher, who never governed his own chiklrcn. would govern their child for dollars and cents, when parental love could not constrain thom todo it. Mr. Hallet feared to examine closely into the habits of his boarders, for fear he should find something that would nced correcting, so he contented himself with good lessons, and polite hearing in his presence. John now bcgins the study of heathen poets at the time of life, when of all others, he should be kept calm and sober. The lascivious and irrcligious imagery is burnt doubly deep into his hcated imagination, this being the organ through which hc learns the dead languages. Six of the best years of his life for acquiring knowlcdge, are speut not only in not acquiring religious truth, but in acquiring the false theology of heathenism oí two thousand years past, while the irreligious and licentious works of O vid, ilorace, and Aristotle, are made classbooks in every College. [I know of bui one College in the United States wherc the Word of God is made a class-book.' Our hero comes out of College a deist am a Hbertine - the world wonder at it - saj they, he had such pious parents ; all hi: , sisters Christians, and a sister's influenci is so great overa brothei - and he wa so many years under the care of thn good minister, and in college under sucl orthodox Professors - how wonderful an ' the ways of Providence ! "Whom h 1 willhe lifteth up,and whom he will he casi S eth down." This ends the climax of al S surdity - takes the blame from the parent and puts it on God. Now, mothers, se if all has not been done to ruin this bo s that could be. t T J I havo drawn a strong case - 1 cío m expect that all these things will exist i the history of every boy's life - but ma not some of them in the lives of rao: boys? My secnery has been in the cit} but country mothers err equally in ik watching the company of their boys, an in permitting them to associate with me and boys whose conversation is not co '' reet, and in not making eííbrt enough 1 makc home asdelightful for the sons the daughters. The boys in the countr are botter supplied with work than in tl city, and this makes the diflerence i their moráis. Poor boys- the sentime] that doorns them seems sterotyped. Ho often do we h'ear the remark, "Boys wi ' be boys, and you cannot help it" - " y sjustlikc a boy" - "it's no matter, he j a boy." e When will parents Iearn to educa h their children for the glory of God, ar [. not for the praise of the world! Ni B while they think, when any thing immoi est, or uncourteous, or lnzy, or immon is done by their sons - "well, he is abo ' - such thingsaro to be expected." B' :t parents who have young sons must n' , calcúlate upon this shield of public opii ion being long thrown around, to hk .i theii shame. This sentiment is fa;hanging ; airead y the bad man is lookcel ipon in the same light as is the bhd wo-( nan, 'and beforc our young children ire grown up, the shield may be cntirely om away, and the vile son may stand behve the public with the finger of scorn xnnted at him, as it now is athis victim. May the Lord hasten the day.