"Perhaps all credit is not due to me, but I will say that I gave Carl
the instruction I thought he needed and he has passed the good word
along. Several of the boys have met with me once a month to study
concerning themselves, and I can see that they have grown to have a
reverence for themselves and a deep regard for all womanhood. Carl was
in last evening, and said, 'Dr. Barrett, I am so glad Miss Bell sent me
with that note to you, for your talk to me that night has changed my
whole life, I know. I feel so much cleaner all through, and have so much
more respect for myself. And I think so differently of girls and women,
and especially of my mother, and I realize as I never did before how
important a thing it is to be almost a man.'"
A GATEWAY AND A GIFT.
Three gateways span the path of earthly existence: one at the entrance
which we call the gate of birth; one at the close which we call the gate
of death, and one at the entrance to the wondrous Land of the Teens,
which we call the gate of manhood or of womanhood. At each of these
gates a wonderful gift is presented to each individual. At the gate of
birth it is the gift of earthly life, at death it is the gift of
continued life, and at the gate which opens into the Land of the Teens
it is the gift of creative life. You see that each gift is of life.
The path of earthly life, beginning at the gateway of birth, passes
through the sunny meadow-land of Childhood, and also through a strange,
mysterious land to which we have referred as the Land of the Teens,
before reaching the Heights of Maturity. This Land of the Teens is
peculiar in that the inhabitants are neither children nor adults, and
yet, with the inexperience of children, they have many of the desires
and emotions of grown-up people. This constitutes an element of great
danger, while another source of danger is the fact that adequate
guidance is not always given in this transition period, or, if
proffered, is proudly rejected by those who think that being in their
"teens" makes them wise above that which is written.
When we visit foreign lands we are grateful for guidance and direction,
especially if we are not acquainted with the language; so, if we do not
hire a guide we, at least, buy a guide-book. It seems to me, then, that
we ought not to rebel against guides through the Land of the Teens,
realizing that one who has traveled through a country can point out
beauties and warn against dangers which would not be recognized by the
inexperienced traveler.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account