A Typical Boy.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 907, 19 July 1889, Page 5

A Typical Boy.

Bishop John H. Vincent, in a recent lecture at Philadelphia, made some very truth, fal and interesting statements. The boy he described was the one who failed to recognize bhe properties of life, who always spoke when it was better for him to keep quiet, the noisy, generous, mischief-loving, whistling, every-day boy. Not the bad boy, who was always hanged at twenty years of age, nor the good ooy who always died at the age of ten. Taking the boy baby as the starting-point, the Bishop drew a picture of him as a pet, admired and caressed more than at any other portion of his life. After babyhood came the seoond stage, the period when, if any trait In his character was noticeable, it was the fact that he was not a girl, when he blossomed out in trousers, into the pockets of which he thrust his chubby fists, and wore boots, and always wanted to bo outdoors. At this period the boy is extremely honest. He always tells what he thinks and, worse than all, what his mother and sister think. The boy forgets nothing, and his memory at this stage is simply wonderful. Then there was a hiatus of some four years and the boy was introduced at the age of twelve years. Life to him was one long

April-fool day. This boy could run farther, eat more and sleep longer than anything created. At this period he had fewer friends and sympathizers than at any time of his life. In fact, the only friend he now had was his mother, and no boy should ever forget this. The Bishop contrasted the life of a girl of twelve years with that of a boy, and thought the girl had much the better of him. She was dressed neatly and was the pride of the family, while the boy was always dirty and incorrigible. At this period of the boy’s life he formed a far better estimate of his father than his father did of him.

The last period of a boy’s life was when he was sixteen. This glimpse of the boy is very brief, for he believes himself to be a man. Now he washes in perfumed soap, oils his hair, takes great pride in his dress, especially his cravats, shaves and shaves with a fixed purpose—to raise a beard. At this time he has opinions, and the questions of theology which have bothered theologians for centuries are decided. by him off-handed. He knows everything worth knowing ; calls his father the ‘ old man ’ and makes great pretences of authority. His confidence in himself i 8 unlimited. But at this period his love for his mother is shown in its first manly light and is the most pleasant trait of his oharacter.

In closing, the Bishop urged three thing? in that boy’s behalf. He would have the boy attend public service in church on every Sunday ; he believed that all boys should be sent to public schools, and urged that the best teachers be selected for his tutors ; and last, the boy should feel the influence of home-life. Then the home should be made pleasant, and he severely condemned the parlor from which the boy was excluded.