Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1857-12-23
For the Spirit of the Age.
IDLE HOUSING. 8.
BY MANSE.

LILLE HO kS.-N0 .S.
BY MANSE.
"Why should he not be merry as the mer-
Sue p asked Fannie of her cousin who
had just passed a s~neering criticism upon her
lover, who had entered with zest upon a game
Of Golf with the youths upon the green.
90 it is so childish, Fannie"
We did not listen to Fannie's defence of
her lovers, but we walked away with food for
one hours thought and soon found our aus
tere self, coat off and golf in hand, in for fun,
because we could not help it. That is the
way of the world. A man must be careful
not to laugh loud or he loses caste, and for
one to play with children is a positive degra-
dation. We used to know a young man who
could jump farther, and run faster than any
one in school; and to see him in the heighth
of excitement, which a strong game of golf
always produced, he was the personification
o fmanly beauty and nobleness. But he stud
led dentistry, came home a ID. d.. S. and OF
what a change! He would not bear to see a
stiff collar spoiled by a game of ball and
with the mien Of a nobleman he would sheer
at the companions of a few months ago and
lisp out Z" childish 1t seems to be a settled
axiom now, that to be a man, one must wear
the look of a sage, keep the countenance per-
fectly unrutfled, never look gay, never show
emotion-in a word, freeze the heart and
wear a perfect d" going to the grave ex-
preston all the time.
And a minister-he play with children =
he laugh he enjoy life Never. He would
+ disgrace his calling. His must be a face of
!, stern, unruffled sobriety; one that fills the
, beholders with reverential awe; he must be
: in his dignity unapproachable to the vulgar
- mass. We never see gentlemen of dignity,
I4 q ~;o4,ro of NJ o-l Co...L
!, Birchrod, of school boy memory, presents
itself to our mind, and an irresistible propen-
G sity to laugh besets us as we compare the
G two. Sir Alexander, with his stern brow and
compressed lips sitting i--l. ~hinrney cor
h ner, while a dozen urchins press from behind
i their books at his highness, IS a man /; only
he is put up on a smaller scale than our D.
DIS, D.. d. SIS, NJ. DIS, &c. In short, rea-
= der, we have no use for this assumption of
u dignity by any man-this puppyism, we
T. mean. We want to see a man with aNsoul {;
r one that can laugh from very joy one that
instead of pinching his heart down with a
stiff collar and tight cravat, and wasting away
m soul and body to the dimensions of a tom-tit,
o+ or a crane can joy in manly exercises, in
sports that give suppleness to limbs and roses
:" to the cheeks: that give him life, and energy
&c and motion; that give him what God design
r. ed him to have-a sound mind in a sound
II body.
nv Give us the man who, instead of dreaming
away his days in sickly, sentimental visions
~ of friends deserving him, of life's hard stages
and the universal, irredeemable waste of q
III world welivei in; can shake the cares oflife from
~ his shoulders, and laugh from real exuber
he ance Of joy in the morning and in the eve
Die ming when it's cloudy and when it's sun
lu- shine. 1t is a fable, that this is a mise. abb,
4 tVunrl1 1fr-n mao s-a-4L1
10 ourselves so. Reader, instead of looking 70
IA thorns and feeling for rough places, look 70
~ roses /; and if you rub against a rough cor
10 ner, laugh and promise to avoid it next time
10 Read and treasure what Charles McKa7
ty- wrote
Bear lightly on their foreheads, time
Strew roses on their way,
'n9 The young in heart, however old,
Ceu That prize the present day
his And wiser than the pompous proud,
md Are wise enough to play.
ere
ont L love to see a man forget
id His blood is growing old,
And leap, or swim, or gathers flowers,
Ol Oblivious of his gold;
And mix with children in their sports,
to Nor think that he is old.
I'M
be | love to see the man of care
= Take pleasure in a toy
om l love to see him row, or ride,
90 And tread the grass with joy,
oe' Or hunt the flying eriket ball,
Gu As lusty as a boy.
Tins
All sports that spare the humblest pain,
rse- That neither MAIN nor hill,
tn That lead us to the quiet field,
Or to the wholesome kill,
Are duties which the pure in heart
v" Religiously fulfill.
dies Though some may laugh that full-grown m,
for May frolic in the wood,
Like children let adrift from school;
Not mine the scornful mood;
| honor human happiness,
L. And deem it gratitude.
she = y
snd9 Give us but health and peace of mind,
Elf a Whate'er our cline or elan,
Wen take delight in simple things
Nor deem that sports unman,
10 And let the proud who fly no kites
as Despise us, if they can.
'reat Rosedale, S. G.