Certainly Not What You Need

Henry. Tallahassee. 24.

laphamsquarterly: So you want your boy to become a man, who do you call? Justin Bieber? No, you call Theodore F**king Roosevelt, that’s who. He’ll teach your boy not to bully, but to instead beat up bullies.  The boy can best become a good man by being a good boy—not a goody-goody boy, but just a plain good boy. I do not mean that he must love only the negative virtues; I mean he must love the positive virtues also. “Good,” in the largest sense, should include whatever is fine, straightforward, clean, brave, and manly. The best boys I know—the best men I know—are good at their studies or their business, fearless and stalwart, hated and feared by all that is wicked and depraved, incapable of submitting to wrongdoing, and equally incapable of being aught but tender to the weak and helpless. A healthy-minded boy should feel hearty contempt for the coward and even more hearty indignation for the boy who bullies girls or small boys, or tortures animals. One prime reason for abhorring cowards is because every good boy should have it in him to thrash the objectionable boy as the need arises. From “The American Boy,” part of our Ways of Learning issue

laphamsquarterly:

So you want your boy to become a man, who do you call? Justin Bieber? No, you call Theodore F**king Roosevelt, that’s who. He’ll teach your boy not to bully, but to instead beat up bullies. 

The boy can best become a good man by being a good boy—not a goody-goody boy, but just a plain good boy. I do not mean that he must love only the negative virtues; I mean he must love the positive virtues also. “Good,” in the largest sense, should include whatever is fine, straightforward, clean, brave, and manly. The best boys I know—the best men I know—are good at their studies or their business, fearless and stalwart, hated and feared by all that is wicked and depraved, incapable of submitting to wrongdoing, and equally incapable of being aught but tender to the weak and helpless. A healthy-minded boy should feel hearty contempt for the coward and even more hearty indignation for the boy who bullies girls or small boys, or tortures animals. One prime reason for abhorring cowards is because every good boy should have it in him to thrash the objectionable boy as the need arises.

From “The American Boy,” part of our Ways of Learning issue

3 months ago

  1. beardmansshaggyscruff reblogged this from thatcalminglife
  2. thatcalminglife reblogged this from lesboules and added:
    I want to be a man like described here.
  3. lesboules reblogged this from laphamsquarterly
  4. garethkeenaninvestigates reblogged this from laphamsquarterly and added:
    Happy Presidents’ Day, ladies. *Also, the internet seems...have absolutely no consensus on...
  5. ajitmusic reblogged this from purns and added:
    Good advice for a Boy or Girl.
  6. thenelsontwins reblogged this from theconceptlibrarian
  7. certainlynotwhatineed reblogged this from laphamsquarterly
  8. notesnsailboats reblogged this from georgevaldes
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  10. georgevaldes reblogged this from laphamsquarterly
  11. avoidingmyex reblogged this from davetrains
  12. davetrains reblogged this from laphamsquarterly
  13. carlottavaldes reblogged this from laphamsquarterly
  14. headwreckage reblogged this from laphamsquarterly and added:
    Mostly I agree with
  15. purns reblogged this from laphamsquarterly
  16. seancpullman reblogged this from laphamsquarterly and added:
    I wonder how Cristin feels about this, seeing as how she hates Teddy Roosevelt. Interesting values, I just don’t agree...

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