222 The Farm Boy's Interest in the Business 



1. Willingness to work. In this connection, per- 

 haps something will be recalled from Chapter IX. 

 We may at least be reminded of the difference in the 

 attitude of mind of the boy who regards labor as a 

 painful necessity and the one who enjoys a willing- 

 ness to work. So long as the youth feels as if he 

 were driven to his tasks there is little hope of arous- 

 ing his interest in the business side of it. His mind 

 will continue too much on the problem of avoiding 

 work and on ways and means by which to get some- 

 thing for nothing. 



There is probably a period of dishonesty in the life 

 of every normal youth. Following the dawn of 

 adolescence there is a great wave of new interest and 

 new meaning coming to him out of the business and 

 social world. The world is so full of interesting 

 enticements. Everything looks to be good and 

 within easy reach. He is especially prone to accept 

 material things at their advertised value. He spends 

 his dimes for prize boxes thought to contain gold rings 

 and other such finery. His quarters and half dollars 

 frequently go in payment for the "valuable" things 

 offered "free for the price of the transportation," 

 the purpose of this tempting gift being "simply for 

 the sake of introducing the goods." 



But it is well to see the boy safe through this period 

 of allurement. So long as the world seems to hold 

 out so many highly valued things which may be had 

 for a trifle the youth will see little need of his work- 



