| Show o r The American Boy HIS IllS r. r 9 SOMEONE C reported re recently the p. p ca case cace e of oC an American Bo Boy who came to New ew York from Crom up upstate He had attended tho high school two years when hl his father died and he had to go to work After a 8 while he found a SL Job at seven dollars a week with fairly long hours hard work worle and his evenings to himself His Ills mothers mother's great regret as was that he had not been able to finish his high school course This boy had a wholesome love and affection for tor his mother BO so he lie determined d to go O to tonight tonight nl night ht school and make enough re regent regents regents regents' re- re gent gents gents' counts to havo have that high school education Of or course he succeeded An Any bo boy who works orl s all lay and gets physically tired out may mar claim that he lie should have hove the evenings to himself for a good time This is his right and no one will deny him the use of his few tew leisure hours But Dut there are boys and boys The American boy who once nce realizes real real- iz izes s that practically the whole foundation foundation foundation foun foun- dation of ot life is h lived in youth will bc begin in to think that the pa pay envelope is only half the g game me A A. bo boy can learn a lot from Crom any kind of work worl he does loes but he cannot learn everything from it If he he- has one of the superior kind of ot heads that thinks it will not be long before ho is convinced con that leisure hours are nrc the best part of or the da day for tor Insuring the tho future s 's c There was once an American Bo Boy who not only wasted his spare time but he turned It and his workday into a 1 serious handicap Ho mIsappropriated misappropriated ome some money belonging to the firm he worked for stole It Jt in the daytime and ha had a merry time with It in his leisure hours Before the fact was discovered he lie saw V a the terrible nature of the thc crime h lie had committed and without asking askIng asking ask ask- ing advice of oC anyone he lie left Jeff his Job and the town where he lie worked a and d made for the west west- Here is the rest of oC the sto story In his own o words y L l u p P pu u t a ao o I t a c e a ts s t i t r h r 1 i 1 uon t Know Wh i 1 ever began to take talce the money I think it was because because because be be- cause I ha had nothing to occupy me nl nights and Sundays Sunday I T saw raw aw other people people peo peo- pie having haYing a fine time and I it was injustice that I could conic not not- do dothe dothe the tho same Sometimes I would take only a dollar ollar or two and put it back When 1 I ran awa away I was about thirty dollars rs in debt to the firm Of or course I know now and I knew then that I Iwas Iwas Iwas was a mean menn coward not to confess and take m my my punishment But I quit After a a. while I reached another cit city an and I finally got a job There was a young oung man working in the the same ame place whom I got acquainted with a fine fellow who sp spent nt his evenings learning fanc fancy bookbinding He asked aked me one d day lf If I l' l would not not- like to stud study it with him I I began b gan it two years rears ago and fell tell in l love ve with the work When b both th of us rus became skillful at it we we decided to open a lit littie little little lit lit- tle tie shop and do lo binding evenings After a year ear we hal had enough fancy and commercial binding n- n nto to take up allour all allour allour our time We Te saved a t little money and when hen henr r T had thirty dollars and interest I mailed It to the man I used to work for telling him exactly wh why I was tempted to tal take e it it wh why I T ran a away wa and what hat I had been d doing since I felt Celt sure he lie would telegraph the police police po po- po- po lice Jice to arrest me But he didn't He wrote me a letter that did me mc more good g than thon a jail could do though h I confess that thata a a jail was as m my deserts I think that a lot of bo boys s 's go wrong wrong- because the they do no not kno know what to do evenings e and Sundays They see other ople having a fine time and they think the tho same is due them the If a boy with time on his hands would do lo something as for me I 1 learned earned from my friend he lie would pick ick up a lot kt of pf useful knowledge and probably become able to set ef himself up p in iii a business c A teacher in a technical school said saido to o me Tue recently It is Ja amazing what bo boy can cnn learn by studying n a trade trader or r profession proCession in our school two hours Jn Sn n th the tho evening and putting putting- In two or three hour hours on n Sunda Sundays s 's in reading about bout It Many Ian a boy has come to us who ho could never expect to do better than earn arn a small weekly wage vage all his life and nl has learned some one thin thing so sowell sowell well that in a comparatively el short time ime he finds himself a person of skill kill That means better wages a more independent life lite and greater utility In Inthe Inthe the he world The bo boy who wastes wastes' his leisure hours after he gets get hi hl his first job is Js really eally wasting the better part of all allis his is after life Be Because ause in these leisure hours he can lift himself elt out of the world of small jobs that are never nc reliable Into the world of oC work worl whore where he ic Is somewhat independent Even a working bo boy has plenty of or spare time up to the time Ume he lie Is Js five ty or so to make all U the time rest of ot othis his life lite different and better S T |
