OCR Text |
Show IPHIL0S0PHICAL0BSERVATI0NS j " By BVRON WILLIAMS. " I Ilnvlne mado. tho assertion, without controversy, that tho boy, like Dnitiu Green's flying machine. Is mo3t fearfully nn'l wonderfully made, I repent tho deduction. It nakes no dlfferonco whose boy ho Is, whether ho Is your boy or our boy, the banker's boy or tho Bcrub womnn's boy, his anatomy and tho Bray matter In his heitd arc constructed of ldlosyncracles that make him want to run awny and h'int Indians almost any time, or bo a plrato with ovory frjsh brcczo that blows ilia way. ScIcntUta havo Btartlcd tho world with their triumphs, tri-umphs, wise men havo unraveled great problems, Inventors have constructed mechanism almost human but tho boy, tho averago American boy, stands j.ro-eminently j.ro-eminently alone, defying science, sconrng In tho faco of wlwlom and destroying theories as to his progenitor's capabilities. Ho Is a knotty though adolescent theorem thnt will not bo Bolvcd. Hit fond mother mny havo prayed fervently with him nightly, fcncol'ng down bceldo his snowy cot with her loving, mother's nrms about him, lncultat-Ing lncultat-Ing houcsty, mnnllncss and godliness In him ns only n mother can, yet tho Jioy may bring down upan her head tho Biblical abomination and batho her eyes Mid heart In burning tears of Bhamc. He may not be really a bad boy, and ho mny havo said his prayors dovou'ly, but, despite this, he Is still a boy, and It's a, toss-up whether ho can wait for maturity ma-turity to bring him knowledgo or whether ho mttat bo an amateur brigand nt nn Incipient ngo, a burglar nt fourteen or a cowpuncher at f'xteon. It Is about this time ho runs nway, with threo cookies and a Colt's revolver In his brcochc3 pocket, resolved of great and hairbreadth escapades. Usually he comes homo when tho cookies havo been eaten, a wiser and a bettor boy. Happy tho mother who keeps n goodly supply of sweet cakes on hand nnd whose boy never gets beyond tho cooklo stngo. Hut he does sometimes, and mother's heart bleeds for him. wears Itsolf out questioning and harassing her with suggestions that perhaps sho hasn't been careful enough In her lessons, though aho hns tried so hard "to mako n man of him." Sho wonders If bIio has been prudent In allowing him to choose his own boy companions', It" sho hns not been nt tho woman's club too much to tho neglect neg-lect of the eoii; If sho hasn't permitted him to read Utcraturo that In fact was not literature, but trash, trash thnt fires his Imaginations, peppers his dreams and opiates his lutellect, inciting him to deeds that lead to mlsory nnd disgrace She realizes then what a serious thing it is to have children and bo responsible for their character. Poor mother! Worried and burdened nnd oftentimes physically unnuio to withstand the troubles that beat and roar upon tho short shoro lino of her life, may tho love for her sho has sown in tho boy's being bo strong enough to bring him back remorseful to the path of rcctltudo and uprightness! Mny he havo the strength nnd manhood to build nnow over the ruins of boyish error tho stu-blc stu-blc career of an honest purpose and noblo resolve! If possible, tho punishment of such boyu should be made probative thereby placing the eons of good mothers and fnthora In n position whero they can appreciate ap-preciate that the world will not blast their boyhood, rather helping them to be honest; but that, on tho other hand, It will not tolerato dishonesty, that any breach from tho roll of honor will bring double rctilbutlon, shamo nnd Ignominy Ig-nominy upon themselves nnd thoso to whom they owo everything, oven their existence. If they could bo mado to realize the sorrow nnd tho uchlng palnn that dwell within thnt mother's heart and could renllzo tho anguish, it would be n thankless son Indeed who throws the pall of blnck upon thnt mother's heart. In turn If tho mother has followed tho ignls-fatnus of tho tlmo3 to tho neglect of her homo nnd her boy, If she has been out "Nntlon"-nllzlng tho snloon-lceper3 snloon-lceper3 while her boy plunders, If sho has brought yellow rending into that homo, if she has driven tho boy Into the street becauso her furniture la too pood to bo used for hobby horsos, If sho has been frivolous and careless nnd dlsrt'gnrtlful of her duties nnd responsibilities) ns n mother and u parent, lot her sorrow baptize her renson nnd make nn open setame for nn awakening of conscience nnd resolve for bettor things. Mother, your boy mny possibly go wrong, even though your nrms hnvo protected him, your wisdom taught him, your prayers succored him; but, If he iloeii, you havo dono your duty ns n mother. You are responslblo to Him who F.ave you the boy ns your own to love nnd to cherish nnd to Iovo nnd to cherish you In return. And you enn look to Him for nssuranco thnt you havo dono jour duty ns a mother, oven though your hopes He blasted and your lovo wounded as a stricken dove at your feet. "So glistened the dlro Snake, and into fraud Led Eve, our credulous mother, to the Tree Of Prohibition, root of all our woe." Milton's Paradise Lost, fireat snakes! another ophidian has been found within the resonant confines con-fines of a whisky barrel! Unfortunate, squnmlsh situation! Nono know tho snake was in tlio nqua fortls until tho aqua fortls was in tho tippler. Ter-riblo! Ter-riblo! Whon ono hears tho cry: "Latot nnguls In herbal" thcro Is a chnnco for uvoldnnco of tho dendly reptile, provided ono can read Latin or owns a dictionary, dic-tionary, but with tho serpent steeped In tho stomach tltlllator perish tho thought! Evory fall, along about the tlmo tho kataydids got Into that everlasting argument as to whother Knty did or Katy didn't' somo lucklosa whisky drinker takes tho last quaff from his coopor-rcceptacle, rubs his vost front gleefully and chuckles. Then llko Lot's curious bettor-half, ho turns around puts his eyo to tho bunghole of tho barrel and peeps within. Horrors! Hao ho got 'em? A snake, ugh! LIkowlse, Pugh! Then ho goos out and tickles the bottom of his stomnch with a wheat straw, turnB Innldo out, swears off, signs the pledge and "lives happy over nfterwnrd." Hut why do snakes take to whisky bnrrola? Havo they been tempted and found wanting? Presumably the. whisky barrol serpents nro wntor snakes. Nay? Well, wotor snakes havo nostrils In tho top of their snout, and thes can be closed whllo tho animal is tindor wator. Ho that as it mny, howevor, In It so wonderful nftor all that snakes, seeing a nlco round hole, should crnwl Into tho whisky barrel? Men do tho snmo things ovory dny; often mnny times a dny. Once inside the holo tho mnn tries to put all tho whisky insldo his body while tho snake puts his body insldo tho whisky. Doth soak. It la only u difference of application external nnd Intornnl. But If this deplored curiosity would die out, no ono need over know tho enrenss of a snake romalnod as tho drogs of whisky. A man could then drink In peace, like a goutleman. Instead of trembling guiltily boforo a glass of stomach 7arnUli sheepUhly mistrusting tho presence of tincturo of boa ranlna. '1l,3frvWCr!-r- Did you over think how fow subjects thoro are In ttso ns tho bnsls for Jokes, judging from tho humorous citations In tho dnily nowspapors? Despite tho fact thnt moss covors that mother-in-law quip, It Borvcs to thl day ns a tltlllator of the rlslblos. Thou thero is the Joko nbout tho wlfo having tho Inst word: Tho husband forgetting to mall his wlfo's letters. The young man who wnts to marry tho daughter nnd expects tho old gentleman to adopt him. Tho young wife's first enke at. a shoemaker's lap-stone. Thu hobo and tho pile of wood. The city girl In the country Tim countryman's whiskers. Tho girl grudtinto's taffeta gown. Tho baby's first tooth. The lcft-linndrd printer who changes the copy. Tho gold biick. The pnrrot that vies with Little Wllllo entertaining Maudle's beau. The destructive power of tho automobile. The editor's pumpkins. Tho poet's tribulations. Tho lover's lamentations. Tho old mold's ThomaB-cat. Tho Alphonse hoy's "clgawet." The city fisherman nnd tho boy with tho pin hook. The uctor'8 snlnry. The actress' diamonds. And a fow others but not so many wo do not recognize them in ttiolr dally effort to mp.ke us laugh. That famous bass has been caught again this tlmo from a Wisconsin lake. Tho fln for years had lived peacefully In a lily-pad palace content with the dnlly routlno ever and anon varied by an exciting quarrel with n smnrt fisherman fisher-man from tho city. Frogs were plentiful, nmalgnmlto rensonnbly abundant and email fry swnm In schools. Altogether llfo was worth tho living for this bll imss. Alas! ono day ho tempted Fato too far and after a half hour's tor-riblo tor-riblo struggle, was hauled Iloundorlng Into tho boat of tho hobgoblin, the primal step to death and tho hake-oven. Strange to say, his bassshlp wbb not caught by a small boy fishing with a crooked stick and n string lino, hut by ono of tho most fashionable fishermen of tho northwest. When weighed the (In tipped tho scales nt 7 pounds 13 ounc i. Having been photographed, the Dsh was roturnod to his natlvo waters. Fomcthlng which would not havo happened had ho hcon caught by tho afore-?nld afore-?nld boy with a stono brulso. Ordh.arlly tho big lish aro not llborated. This does not bar tho fisherman 'from catching "that big basa" each season. Presumably this U bnuue there Mt just as big flbu iu tlm sea as ever were caught. |