Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1827-10-31
1fsiaeefIameoms Department..
From fhe Philadelphia Album.


ed in Ackerrnan's pretty Forget me Not,n has very
amusingly detailed the continual transmogrihca,ions of
the female part OF humanity in ITS progro through
chi'dhOod, girlhood, and woInanLood TO marriage and
old age. But 10 us of The more lordly sex, she Ina. de-
MED a m~utabfity which perhaps she has not SO much oh
scrved-thIs IS solely because she is not one of us, and
could scarcely have opportunities of rcmarking our
changes as closely as those of her own sex. She OBJ
serves. there ia very little change in men from early boy
hood u they keep the same faces however ugly. In some
instances it may be so; but. in general there are very
lew animals more unlike than the boy TO the man: but
perhaps Mrs. Milford, in this sweeping iadistiDcticn,
only alluded 10 the wearer of small frocks;' in that case
there is an end to argument; but supposinS the con
trary (which | 10. otherwise an excellent article would
he lost, I viii proceed To detail the history Of my own
transnoSrilcations.
cannot saw that I reoollcct myself, but I perfectly
remember a portrait that strongly rescmbled me, pain
ted for me when / was two years old, for INV dear and
tender mother, and valued accordingly. II represents
a Fat, roguish, black eyed, curly headed nrchin, sitting
on 4 bank with a lap full OF flowers, which showed
out nagnifcent!y from tue white frock beneath
them. There was happiness i'll every little feature; and
altogether suci, a child as 4 mother might be proud
OF. Three years after, 1 can recollect m~yself-the fat
was passing away was growing tall, slender, an
impudeGt self wifled imp, the delight of my father, the
torment of my sister; and the curse OF the servants.
My god father gave me II guinea, and | gave ii 10 a
groom as 4 bribe TO let me mount his horse and ride
him a few yards to water. I had a new beaver hat
| had no objections to sunbeams, and tho't | could turn
II to better account; ! cut It into the shape ola very
Ioierable boat and sent il down the stream. that. i,no-
i''S'1 ~ AV HIOullu5
let amid all this ~wildness, there might have been sspar.
klcs OF a better nature" for l had much tenderness in
my composition, glirnpses of enthusiasm, and some
queer underlined notions of the beautiful; for instance,
a gang Of gypsies sometimes favourcd .'our villare,'
by pitching their tents in the skirts; and many a time
have l slipped away from the paternal care of "Old
John, +" 10 listen to the voice OF one dark eyed gil
among tue troop, who had fascinated my young heart,
or q rather supposel my ear, by her singing. How
often have wept over the melancholy fate of the
lady, who, in the storm at sea, told her lover TO
Take a white napkin and bind nv head softly.
And then throw me overheard, me and my bab,;
and have frequently been elated to heroism. bv the
splendid portrait OF that hero who was lnartyrized at
Tyburn; his constancy at his trial won my feryeut ad-
miration.
My wild spirits were really taken CAPTIVE By tbcse
yagabonds; the lawless independence of their children
was an envy: they had no lessons TO learn, no elder
sister TO keep them IN order, no elder brother TO thump
them out of their pocket money; but their whole exis-
fence was to be paradisical. / believe If they had al
tempted To steal me, they would have found the bust
ness hall done 10 their hands.
Al seven years old | was breeched-I had n cloth
Jacket and trowsers-I was told that ! was a man: and
| thought ii was incumbent on me to be grave and gen.
tlenan like. ] paid more attention 10 my lessons and
the young ladies', and it was an imperative duty 10 dis
cover they were more amiabie and pretty than bows.
Soon this affection became siucere.-My sister was bel
ter loved than all my kin; TO her / flew to roar away my
grief, when my father took out Henry and left me at
home, or when be threatened TO sell my poney, or give
HIM 10 my play fellow, Richard Howard, whom I hated
ever after. In all my confidence, and in her gentle
bosom, deposited my tutors seventies, and my brothers
wronss-was, in truth, "a most pathetic nic.n
But at ten, 80, what a change was there.o No
~chrysalIs mctanorphosis was ever SO great. had
grown accustomed 10 my brooches. and no longer held
them in any considerations; was irnpuient 10 INV sister
contTadicted my father, fought nv own battles with mr.
brother, and played trlant with my tutor, till he made
a solemn complaint Of my manifold nominations. !
scrambled over the country, & came back with scarcely
A rag TO my back. d what were left me were so defaced
by mud or dust, as the weather would have il, that their
quality could be barely discovered. NV mother wept.
my father swore, my tutor said Tie devi! was in me-.
| was up to all sorts of yillainy; / stuffed a goose with
gun powder in the absence of the cook, who was pre-
pairing 10 put IT down TO the spit, and l felt no sort of
cornpunction, for her intense fear and agony, when, on
applying the lighted paper 10 single it, il blew into ten
thousand pieces and nearly knocked her eyes out. I
had thrashed my brother into respect for me; and nv
playmates consoled themselves for not being able TO
master me by bestowing on me the very expressive
cognomen OF 'sGallows!" At length / tired them ont.
my tutor gave in, and my mother acouiesccd with nv
father in thinking that school alone could preserve me.
SO toa public school | went, 10 learn dccorun and
obedience. In four years nnre there were no traces
OF young Gallows, but ! came home a monkey still,
only melancholy instead OF rnlschiegous-my early en-
thusasD returned, and my intense love of The b6auIi
tul, undirected by reason, exhibited itself in the most
ridiculous forms. l read novels, and the patbetic sto-
ries in the magaznes.-I contemplate the setting sun
-fei! III love with the moon, and made verses to every
little star that twinkled behind the clouds and before
the clouds. l would not have read or written any
thing lively for the world: ! should have thought fun.
an insult to my feelings; and understanding was q
slender boy, with long arms and legs, of an active,
light figure, but delicate consli,ution-eyery body said
| should be tall had looked in the glass, and obser-
wing a pale dark face, incIining to saIlow, masses OF
black curling hair, and a somewhat serious look, | con
cluded thatI should be a tall, ulin, pale, pensive looking
young man, and acted up TO the character according
~ loved to be thought an inyailed, and frightened
my mother TO death by sGectation Of a lectiye cough
which pretended 10 consider as a warning that |
should die early of a decline. / wrote a long string OF
verses called tie Dying Boy" in which lamented
my early doom, expressed my resignation, aud tool,
a tender and pathetic farewell Of the trees, and flowers.
1t bicIght the tears into my own eyes to read it. 7
hHYe since learned il had the same effect upon others.
,but from a very opposite cnoliou)-I sen, them to one
Of the most pi;;iul magazines, where they werc- God
knows why inserted. Oh! how proud was III was a
scholar and Il poet!
There was wanting but ONO thing 10 complete Tne-
| should fall IN lOvc-aud 50 ! did, but the affair was
more serious than could have imagipcd-moro of real
feeling mlnrlnI with iIc ihin~ linn s1innncnI ~