SHORT  LECTURES 1



TO  YOUNG  MEN  AND  YOUNG  WOMEN. 



IN  giving  a  course  of  very brief  lectures 

to  the youth we shall  enter into their everyday 

life, and shall  point out  errors to  which 

they  are  exposed,  and  shall  give  them  the 

instruction they need.

One  of  the  earliest  errors  into  which 

many  youth  run  is  that  of  being  in  too 

great  haste  to  become  men  and  women. 

They  get  ahead  of  their  years.  They  put 

on  airs  to  give  a  ripe  appearance when  in 

reality they are green boys and girls.  This 

makes  them  appear  in  the  eyes  of  all    

sensible people  extremely  green.  Such  are in 

danger of  feeling  that they are  older  than 

their  mother,  and  know  much  more  than 

their father.

This fast feeling  sometimes  gets  hold  of 

quite small  children.  We knew a little boy 

who  once  asked  his mother  how  old  he  was. 

His mother answered,  "You are four years 

old."  The little fellow, inspired  by  the 

fast  feeling,  then  stated  to  his  mother, 

"Yes, I am four years old, most five, and 

shall be six  before the summer is  out."

In small children  this  fast  feeling     

appears  sometimes  rather  amusing  and    

cunning.  But in  lads  and misses  from  twelve 

to sixteen  years  of age it  is  really  disgusting 

  and  painful.  By this time they should 

have learned to  "put away,"  as  Paul says, 

"childish things."  When youth reach the 

age  of twelve  to sixteen,  they should  know 

that the riper judgment of  their  parents  is 

far preferable  to  theirs.  By this time they 

should  understand  that  "childhood  and 

youth  are  vanity."

This fast feeling often leads lads and misses 

to appear what they are not.  They will 

sometimes 

put on  a spirit  of bluster,  and  appear 

as if doing  a  large business.  It is this that 

leads  the lad of eight,  or  ten,  or  twelve,  to 

put his  pencil,  with  a  good  deal  of  business 

dignity,  in  his  hair over  his ear, in imitation 

of business  men.  It  is  this,  mingled  with 

pride,  that leads the young miss to  take her 

muff  as  she  goes  out in  a delightful spring 

morning.

Now  in  the  place of  things  of  this kind, 

we  recommend  a  thoughtful,  modest,  yet 

natural, simplicity of manners, which always 

give  to  youth the real  and  true  beauty  and 

loveliness  of  their  age.  Every youth should 

guard  against  efforts  to  be what  they really 

are  not.  They  may  reach  forward  for 

qualifications  of  true  manhood  and  true 

womanhood.  But they should guard against 

leaping over  youth,  and  affecting  to  be men 

and  women,  when  they  are  really  only 

children.

This  spirit  indulged  in  youth,  will  cling 

to some in riper  years,  and, in  those whose 

senses  have  been  blunted  by such follies  in 

youth, it may  appear  to  poor  advantage in 

middle age.  To illustrate:  A certain keeper 

of  a  tavern  in  our  native  town  asked  if a 

book  peddler,  who stopped  at  his  house for 

the night,  to let  him  see  his  books.  With 

the  airs  of  a  man  of  letters,  the  landlord 

handled the books, and, taking up an algebra, 

asked what  it was.  And  being  told  what 

it  was,  replied,  "Oh!  Yes;  when  I  was  at 

Maramashee  I  saw  a  man  who  could  talk 

algebra,  and before I left I could  say some 

easy  words."  This  man  learned  in  his

youth to  affect  what  he  was  not,  and  the 

spirit of  this  disgusting  folly followed  him 

up  to  manhood,  and  makes  him  appear to 

those who  know  that  algebra is  not  a    

language,  but  a  branch  of  mathematics,  the 

biggest kind of a simpleton.





J. White