g good can be expected of a boy who is sent to
sea. He believes that the man will grow out of the boy; and to his
parental duty he applies the apostolic maxim, "Whatsoever a man soweth,
that shall he also reap."

The club boat and the boat club, as means of instruction and discipline,
as well as of amusement, were suggested by an accidental occurrence. The
"Bunkers of Rippleton," a set of idle and dissolute boys, had
constructed a rude raft, upon which they paddled about on the lake, and
appeared to enjoy themselves very much. Captain Sedley, who had
forbidden his son to venture upon the lake on the raft, or even in a
boat, without permission, overheard Charles Hardy, the intimate friend
of Frank, remark that the "Bunkers" had a much better time than they
had, and that boys who did not obey their parents often enjoyed
themselves more than those who did.

A few days after, the boys discovered the club boat, the light and
graceful Zephyr, resting like a fairy shell upon the lake, and in its
use the argument of Charles was effectually refuted. A club was formed
of the boys in the neighborhood, and under the instruction of Uncle Ben,
an old sailor who lived with Captain Sedley, soon became very expert in
the management of the boat. A building was erected for the use of the
association, in which, besides the boat-house, was a club room
containing a library, and furnished with conveniences for holding
meetings for mutual instruction and recreation. A constitution for the
government of the club was adopted, in which the object of the
association was declared to be "the instruction and amusement of the
members, and the acquiring of good morals, good manners, and good habits
in general." It defined and prohibited a great many vices and bad habits
common among boys, so that the tendency of the organization was to make
them better, wiser, and happier.

Their experience upon the lake, while the influence of the association
stimulated them to the strict performance of their ordinary duties, was
both varied and useful. Inasmuch as it reduced their recreation to a
system, the laws of the club acting as a salutary check upon the
waywardness of youth, it afforded an excellent discipline for the mind
and heart, as well as for the muscles.

Among the members of the club was an honest, noble-hearted youth, the
son of a poor widow, by the name of Tony Weston. In an affray upon
Center Island, Tony had taken the part of Frank Sedley again