Birds of a feather flock together. A man is known by his friends. It is
of great importance therefore that your friends should be such as will
show that you yourself are of the right sort. A boy, unless he is a
particularly disagreeable one, will probably have a fair number of
friends, that is to say, of fellows that he knows and associates with,
but above and beyond these he will probably have some one particular
chum, one who shares in all his plans, one with whom to talk over all his
schemes, one often with whom to join in some piece of mischief. Chums to
do one another much good should be about the same age. There may be a
friendship between an elder and a younger boy, or between a boy and a
man, but they will not be exactly chums. A friendship of this sort is
very useful if the elder is one who will lead aright, but if the elder is
the weaker of the two, or still more if the elder is viciously inclined,
such an acquaintance is one of the worst possible things for a lad. A
young boy, hanging on to an elder one, learning all his bad habits, is
only too likely to prove an apt pupil, and come utterly to grief.
Remember no one is worthy of the name of friend who would ever counsel
you to do anything wrong, or who would not give you a word in season when
he found you were going on a wrong tack. A chum of one's own age is
quite a different article. Very often they are not lads of the same
dispositions and tastes, and are drawn to one another by these very
differences. It not unfrequently happens that a bright active lad will
chum with a very quiet meditative one. The one doing the thinking and
the other the acting. Such friendships will last on sometimes through
life, but generally well through boyhood. Very often the last act of
chumship is the acting as best man at the friend's wedding. Such
friendships will work great good so long as they are on the give and take
principle, and that nothing is given or taken of the bad qualities which
may be in each. A boy without a chum is very likely to grow either
conceited or selfish, or both. A good-natured chum is a very useful
check. He does not mind chaffing him out of any little absurdities, and
rubbing against one another they manage to knock off many odd corners and
polish up one another. Any chumship in evil is to be avoided. If a
chum, however much he may be liked, wants you to go in for a partnership
in evil he must be given up. I don't say that you can give up caring for
him, but he must be made to see clearly that he must make his choice
between the evil doing and you--that he cannot be chums with both. Chums
should have strict honour between themselves, and always be ready to
stand up for one another. A good chum prevents one becoming a prig, and
there is nothing short of actual vice which is so hateful in a boy as
priggishness. There is as much difference between a prig and a right-
minded boy as between chalk and cheese. A right-minded boy goes on his
way trying to do right and live honestly and purely, because it is right
and honourable, and because deep in his own heart he knows he has
promised Jesus Christ that he will live a godly life. A prig is also
doing right and living purely and honestly, but is all the time trying to
make other people see it, and not doing it simply because it is right.
Hence he has not half the strength when real temptation comes, because he
has always been looking at the outside effect of his life, instead of
looking inward, to see if he is true to his promise. Avoid priggishness,
but do not be afraid of being called a prig when it is only the taunt by
which someone hopes to shame you into doing that which you know in your
heart is wrong.