[Illustration: THE BAD BOY]
Almost anybody can make something out of a boy who is naturally good,
but it takes one of very Christlike power and patience to make anything
out of a really bad boy. Yet all boys may be reclaimed, reformed, saved;
at least so I believe. And the first step in making a good man out of a
bad boy has to do with the boy’s body. The Holy Bible tells us that our
bodies are the temples--the dwelling places--of the Holy Ghost, and
every boy, and every teacher of every boy, in the home or day school or
Sunday school, should give more time and attention to the body in order
to make it a fit place for such a holy being. It is as true now as of
old that plenty of soap and water will exert a wholesome influence in
making bad boys good. Some one has said that cleanliness is next to
godliness, and somebody has added that soap is a means of grace. A boy
who is taught to bathe regularly and who is taught to keep his clothing
neat and clean at all times will in that way learn the great lesson of
self-respect quicker than in any other way; and, in my judgment, the
shortest way to the purification of a boy’s habits, a boy’s morals, a
boy’s character, is to teach him first to keep his body pure. Keep it
pure not only by baths and clean clothes, but keep it pure and sweet by
keeping it free from whiskey and tobacco in every form. Exercise,
regular and systematic exercise, whether as work or play, will go a
great way towards keeping the body clean and healthy. Every boy is
mistaken, every parent is mistaken, who thinks that labor is unworthy,
or that any kind of honest work is degrading. The body needs to be kept
alive and vigorous by the frequent use of all its parts, and there is no
better way to keep the body vigorous than by doing some kind of
work--work that requires the use of the hands and legs and muscles, work
that stimulates the blood and makes it flow freely through the body.
Another step in the process of making a good man out of a bad boy has to
do with the mind. The body grows not alone by exercise, but the body
grows by what we put into it: the food we eat and the water we drink,
etc. We might say, I think, that the body grows on what it feeds on. It
is the same way with the mind: the mind grows on what it feeds on. If we
feed our minds on obscene pictures, on bad books, on vulgar stories,
told by ourselves or our associates, we cannot expect to have minds that
are keenly alive and active for good. Our thoughts control us, boys and
girls, whether we understand the process by which they control or not.
Our thoughts control us. If our thoughts are pure and sweet and noble,
we will be pure and sweet and noble. If our thoughts are impure, vile
and ignoble, we will be impure, vile and ignoble. Our thoughts rule us.
So every boy should guard well his thoughts; every boy should guard well
what he puts into his mind. Every boy’s mind feeds on what he puts into
it, and every boy’s mind grows on what it feeds. It goes without saying,
then, that a boy should not read “blood and thunder” detective stories,
stories about the “James Brothers” and other outlaws and bandits; nor
should a boy read filthy so-called “love stories.” All such literature
should be shunned, as a boy would shun deadly poison. A boy who desires
to become a good man should read only those things which will give him
confidence in himself that he can and may become a good man--good for
the service of God and the service of his fellow-men. Bad company must
also be left behind if a bad boy wants to become a good boy. Those boys
who tell smutty jokes and stories should not be allowed to associate
with that boy whose eyes have been opened and who wants to feed his mind
on good and wholesome food. Character, boys, in its last analysis
depends chiefly on three things: Heredity, environment and will. Now you
cannot do much to change your inherited tendencies--the tendencies you
receive from mother and father at birth, but you can do much in
offsetting, in overcoming these tendencies. You can also do much with
the aid of a generous and enlightened public to change your surroundings
if they happen to be bad. I confess that your mothers and fathers, your
teachers and pastors ought to do much more in this regard than you; but
if they will not exert themselves to get you out of evil surroundings,
then, as you value your own life and time and possibilities, by the help
of God, try to get out yourselves. The will is very largely influenced
by your surroundings. Hence you can see the importance of having good
books and good associates.
But whatever you do, boys, do not forget Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world. The highest part of your nature is
your spiritual nature, and, while you are building up the body and
building up the mind, do not forget to build up your soul. If others
will not assist you in this greater matter you can help yourselves. The
Master said: “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid
them not.”