THE COUNTRY BOY

New Zealand Tablet, 20 February 1913, Page 61

THE COUNTRY BOY

The boy born and trained in the country is possessed of advantages which sometimes are not fully appreciated even by himself. In addressing a large congregation recently, Cardinal O’Connell of Boston said: ‘ If you turn over the pages of history, you will find that the real leaders in the building up and the conservation and the government of the great metropolises of the world were men from the towns and rural districts. And, along the same line of argument, I wish to-night to impress upon you that precisely because you live at a distance from the turmoil and the din of the city streets, the Church depends upon you for qualities of immense value in her progress to victory. ‘ There is something in the pure air, the broad horizon, the clear sky of the open fields and the gentle sloping hills which lie far beyond the walls of a great city that gets into the very fibre of the brain, into the marrow of the bone and muscles of the heart ; something which for ever after will stand in good stead the man who faces the battle of life, and even against great odds is determined to win himself a place in the world. * The freedom of the winds works itself into his very soul, and the strength of the sturdy oak is a constant influence upon the mind and character of the country lad. The freshness of the early morning, the limpid clearness of the brooks upon whose banks his

youth is passed, get in him steady nerves and clear vision. And so forever even after he is more ready for a struggle, his courage lasts longer, he works harder, he perseveres more persistently because his playground has been the open fields, and not the petty boundaries of a city square. ",'■''■

So that when one day the youth from the country appears on the streets of a great metropolis where he is determined to carve out for himself a path in life, his muscles are strong, his heart sound, and his will iron. The city boy may smile at his clumsy gait and bashful ways, but in a very short time the boy from the countiy by the strength of his untrammeled spirit and the freshness of vigor within him, goes straight on his way to splendid success, leaving those who smiled at his accent and shyness far behind him in the race.

' Look over the names of the most successful merchants, bankers, and lawyers in all the great cities. The great majority of them were country boys. The shy little man of yesterday, apparently so timid and awkward and self-conscious, is the prosperous merchant of to-morrow. The little chap who with queer clothes and clumsy boots a few years ago entered the great city without much else than the sturdiness which the country had given him, has become the great leader in many walks of life.

' And were it not for this continual influx of the simple character, straight and strong, from the hills and fields, the very prosperity of - our great centres would suffer enormous diminution.'