Farm Boys and GirlsMcKeever, William A. (William Arch)
Science
Farm Boys and Girls
McKeever, William A. (William Arch)
Boys; Farm life; Girls
The supervisor of the social affair is advised to discourage all games
that tend to an over-amount of silliness and that allow for undue
familiarity of the sexes. There is, however, a dignified form of fun and
merriment quite as enjoyable as the baser sort. And, too, the leader of
the evening need not be reminded of the many little opportunities for
inculcating wholesome lessons in dignified manners. Many a "green" and
awkward country youth is started on the way to salvation through the
courteous treatment he receives from some older and much respected
person. Simply to treat him as if he were a dignified young gentleman
amounts to inciting him to put forth his greatest effort to make a show
of manliness. A close student of young nature will often observe that
merely to address such a youth as "Mister" So-and-So causes him to
straighten up and try to look the part.
The hostess and guide at the rural party of young people will err not a
little if she feels under the necessity of preparing a banquet or even a
heavy luncheon for the occasion. Something as simple as a light drink
and a wafer or two will be quite enough. The object of the refreshments
is not merely to feed the young people to the point of stupefaction, but
rather to give physical tone to support the vivacity of all.
WHAT ABOUT THE COUNTRY DANCE
Unless the country dance can be radically reformed, it must be very
strongly advised against. There is something about this occasion as
usually conducted which seems to invite coarse characters and
disreputable conduct. The country dance has so often been the scene of
vice, drunkenness, and other such evils as to have received a permanent
stigma of cheapness. The only seeming possibility of making a success of
it is by the method of inviting a very exclusive set to attend, and this
thing is so suggestive of aristocracy and snobbishness as to cause not
a little ill feeling in the neighborhood. Under present conditions the
country dance cannot be so managed as to make it contribute to the
social and moral uplift of country young people. There are many better
forms of entertainment which may be substituted for it.
Along with the country dance should be rated the cheap professional
entertainments that are so often given in the country school houses.
Many of these are not only degrading but are morally evil in their
suggestions, while they tend to give the young a depraved taste in
respect to public shows and theaters. The school trustees may well
exclude all such "shows" from the building.
ADDITIONAL FORMS OF ENTERTAINMENT
The farm parents most desirous of leading in the young people's
entertainments, and best fitted to do so, may find it impracticable to
invite the young into their home. In such case, there are several other
ways whereby the desired ends may be achieved.
[Illustration: PLATE XXIV.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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