Donahoe's Magazine, Volume 15, No. 2, February 1886Various
History
Donahoe's Magazine, Volume 15, No. 2, February 1886
Various
Periodicals
Many people seem to forget that character grows; that it is not
something to put on ready made with womanhood or manhood; day by day,
here a little and there a little, grows with the growth, and strengthens
with the strength, until, good or bad, it becomes almost a coat of mail.
Look at a man of business--prompt, reliable, conscientious, yet
clear-headed and energetic. When do you suppose he developed all those
admirable qualities? When he was a boy. Let us see how a boy of ten
years gets up in the morning, works, plays, studies, and we will tell
you just what kind of a man he will make. The boy that is late at
breakfast, late at school, stands a poor chance of being a prompt man.
The boy who neglects his duties, be they ever so small, and then excuses
himself by saying, "I forgot; I didn't think!" will never be a reliable
man; and the boy who finds a pleasure in the suffering of weaker things
will never become a noble, generous, kind man--a gentleman.
HOUSE KNOWLEDGE FOR BOYS.
The Governor of Massachusetts, in an address before the Worcester
Technical School, June 25th, said some words that are worthy of noting.
He said: "I thank my mother that she taught me both to sew and to knit.
Although my domestic life has always been felicitous, I have, at times,
found this knowledge very convenient. A man who knows how to do these
things, at all times honorable and sometimes absolutely necessary to
preserve one's integrity, is ten times more patient when calamity
befalls than one who has not these accomplishments."
A commendation of "girls' work" from such an authority emboldens the
writer to add a word in favor of teaching boys how to do work that may
be a relief to a nervous, sick, worried, and overworked mother or wife,
and be of important and instant use in emergencies. A hungry man who
cannot prepare his food, a dirty man who cannot clean his clothes, a
dilapidated man who is compelled to use a shingle nail for a sewed-on
button, is a helpless and pitiable object. There are occasions in almost
every man's life when to know how to cook, to sew, to "keep the house,"
to wash, starch, and iron, would be valuable knowledge. Such knowledge
is no more unmasculine and effeminate than that of the professional
baker.
"During the great Civil War, the forethought of my mother in teaching me
the mysteries of household work was a 'sweet boon,' as the late Artemus
Ward would say. The scant products of foraging when on the march could
be turned to appetizing food by means of the knowledge acquired in
boyhood, and a handy use of needle and thread was a valuable
accomplishment."
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.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account