The spirit that leads to lying for the sake of a member of the
clique or gang has been contemptuously called “honor among
thieves.” Honor it is rightly styled. Many tests have shown
that it is indeed the spirit of loyalty that occasions it. Such
a lie is the lie heroic. Many a boy will persist in it and
take a punishment cheerfully rather than betray his chum. The
lie, of course, is wrong; but the spirit which prompts it is
right--indeed, is at the very core of moral character. Instead
of asking boy or girl to tell of the misdeeds of another, the
one who has glimpsed God’s plan for the shaping of a character
will ask the culprit to confess and save his comrades from
suspicion. The boy who will lie and take a thrashing to save his
friend will confess and take the penalty just as quickly, if the
spirit of honor is fostered.
The spirit of hero worship is strong in both sexes at this time.
Each one has his concrete ideal. Among the boys it may be the
pugilist, the border outlaw, the soldier, or the statesman, but
he is surely of the virile and aggressive type. Unconsciously
the youth is selecting during these crucial years the models
after whom his life is to be shaped.--E. P. ST. JOHN,
_Sunday-school Times_.
(1934)