The Santa Fe weekly gazette. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.T. [i.e. N.M.]) 1851-1854, 1853-09-10

then, that, in the time Of the great bard, youth
was nothing more nor less than an lncpent man.
Though physically juvenile, he was self-opinion-
ally endowed with all the ripened attributes Of
manhood. He scorned to be called boy, though
he proved himself child by pouting when ad-
dressed my ad' Because his mothers apron
strings were then, as now, composed Of gum
elastic, which stretched so as to allow him to roam
somewhat at random, he foolishly imagined that he
had clipped them asunder with the scissors Of in
dependence, and was at liberty to enjoy all the
rights and privileges Of the adult. Yet boys will
be boys, in spite Of their strongest endeavors to
appear men.
My friends in these degenerate days Of ours,
we have no youth among the masculine gender,
They are either babes or men, No sooner has a
lad arrived at the age Of sixteen than he begins 10
curse, swear and swagger, like graduate in the
sckoo Of profanity and pomponsness-c -chews to
bacco as a horse eats hay-smoke cigars as If his
reputation were based upon the commitment or
nom Commitment Of the act--drink rum as though
his character might suffer disparagement If he
didn't indulge according to the habits and customs
Of his elders; and try to cultivate whskers for the
sake Of exciting the jealousy of his fellow play
mates How proud is the ledgmg when he first
dis overs few penfeathers starting from bis cal
low chin He is no longer child then, but
man in every sense of the word. Should his mo-
ther ever have the temerity to scod him, he calls
her mo gentleman; Z and If the father undertake to
chastise him, he complacently draws his finger
across his upper lip as much as to say, III you lay
hold Of me- you take the lion by the beard.' Oh
these modern youth they are bright enough with
out any extra rubbing: let them alone. All they
want to become perfect men are, heathenlsh
whiskers, standing shirt collar, high-heeed boots
and big pocket book II they don't shine then
in full meridian spendour, they never will But
VIII 1 looks worse upon the cheeks OF boy than .
pair of precocous whlskers? They resemble to
my minds eve paucity Of half-s ared ichens en-
cirrllng sickly fungus. And then as for chewing
tobacco: to see such temple Of primal purity,
clean and new from the hand of the Great Archi-
tect, bedaubed with the flthiest Of the filthy, is
enough TO turn the stomach Of an ostrich. As to
youth imbibng alcohol that double distilled dam
nation to young souls, for he sake If beng thought
men, would rather that son Of mine should
saw his legs off, or venture upon a speculation in
Wall street, than be guilty Of such mind debasing
ant body-destToylng practice Then to hedr Q
lad, before he is old enough to wrestle with full
grown grasshopper, boldly take the name Of God
| III vail. dUu set dt utHdHCt tHu HVsts VI
the minions Of hell is indeed most awful. | don'
mind boy's swearing little, Just little, accord
trg to what he is allowed by those who are Older
and have a right to swear as they choose Fol
instance, he NAV make use Of such expressions as
'Bv Golly,' BY Gosh or BY the great never
living jumping Moses These will all do pretty
well; they gome near to the mark, but doA'
touch. They tesposs not in the least upon the
profane privileges of grown people. But here in
Gotham, this city of swearing, gambling, swagger.
ing, hypocrcy, foolishness, foppery, afectation
and all sorts Of SIM see no difference between
boys, young men, and men Of mature years Put
them altogether in baglof colossal dimensions
give them good shaking-up, and empty them ont
in he p, and It would puzzle Old Nicholas him
self to Tell which is the man and which the boy.
This is great country, my friends; it grows
with its growth, and the underground groweth
with marvellous rapdty. Heaven only know:
what we shall arrive at in the end but sincerely
hope and venture 10 trust, that we shall all reach
heaven at last So mote it be.