he inhabitants are neither children nor adults, and
yet, with the inexperience of children, they have many of the desires
and emotions of grown-up people. This constitutes an element of great
danger, while another source of danger is the fact that adequate
guidance is not always given in this transition period, or, if
proffered, is proudly rejected by those who think that being in their
"teens" makes them wise above that which is written.

When we visit foreign lands we are grateful for guidance and direction,
especially if we are not acquainted with the language; so, if we do not
hire a guide we, at least, buy a guide-book. It seems to me, then, that
we ought not to rebel against guides through the Land of the Teens,
realizing that one who has traveled through a country can point out
beauties and warn against dangers which would not be recognized by the
inexperienced traveler.

We can visit England, Italy, or Germany many times, and at each journey
can profit by former experiences, but we pass through the Land of the
Teens but once, and the lessons we learn on that journey we can only
utilize for the benefit of others. This is why many people on the
Heights of Maturity are anxious to light a beacon for those who are
still in their "teens." They would gladly help others to shun the
by-paths where they have met disaster, for they have learned the very
solemn truth that in youth one is determining what maturity shall be.
The seeds sown in the sunny meadow of Childhood and in the broader
fields of the Land of the Teens are harvested in the uplands of
Maturity, and the harvest is always greater than the seed sown. The
petulance and pouting of the child hardens into the gruffness,
bad-temper, and moroseness of the man; the idleness and shirking of the
youth becomes the shiftlessness and unreliability of the adult; the
boy's neglect of duty and unwearied search for pleasure may be harvested
in dissipation and ruin in mature life. It is, then, a very serious
thing to be passing through one's "teens," and the wise youth will
welcome any guide who will show him a safe path. May I claim the
privilege of acting for a little time in that capacity?

The King of this land has made laws for its government and wisdom, has
builded paths wherein one may walk in safety. The laws made by the King
are not harsh and cruel, but are beneficent, and he denies no real good.
He says to the traveler, "You belong to me, and I am desirous of your