THE BOY: WHAT HE SHOULD BE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5295, 15 March 1878, Page 3

THE BOY: WHAT HE SHOULD BE.

(From an Exchange.) Different individuals entertain widely different opinions as to what the boy should be. Some would have him as dignified as a man, looking with contempt upon the frivolities of childhood. Others prefer the rude, boisterous variety. Others again desire to see but not to hear him. Now, the' eternal fitness of things demands a mixture of these various qualities ; but, from whatever standpoint the boy is viewed, he should be truthful, honest, civil, industrious and persevering. With these qualities, he may at times be boisterous, dignified, or silent, and yet be what he should be. If it be acknowledged that education exerts an influence upon character, then the possibility of moulding a person’s disposition into almost any desirable cast may also be admitted. It should be borne in mind that the term education, in this connection, jefers to the moral, intellectual and physical development and training. This education is constantly going on, and its qualities depend upon the educator; and if the natural one, the parent, he wise, and wisely perform his duty, the boy will be what he should be. On the other hand, if the parent provides food, raiment, and shelter, and sends the hoy to school six hours daily, considering his duty performed, then manifestly the boy will not be what he should be. The discipline of the schoolroom may be all that it should be, and the home training equally good, while the boy is under their influence; yet if other forces are at work, counteracting all the good that has been done in school and at home, the boy will not be what he should be. The associations outside of both the school and the family circle work vigorously and effectively for either good or bad. Let the parent, therefore, be careful, scrupulously careful in this particular; let him see to it, regardless of time, trouble, and expense, that the boy does not have improper associates. The boy’s sport should not be restricted; he should not be thrown ou his own resources for amusement, nor permitted to select his own company. The parent should know at all times where the boy is. The place that is unfit for a girl is surely unfit for her brother. When a parent remarks that “boys will be boys” to excuse his own criminal negligence, and the boy’s embryo larrikin rudeness, he is guilty of gross weakness; and yet this execrable sentence is the shield which so many interpose between themselves and parental duty.