Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-11-27

WHAT IS TO BE DONE WITH OUR
CHARLEY?
By HARRIET BEEcHER STOWE.

Yes-that is the question 4! The fact is, there
seems TO be GO place 10 heaven above, or earth
beneath. exactly safe and suitable, except the bed.
While he is asleep there, our souls have rest-we
know where he is and what he is about, and sleep
is a gracious state but then be wakes up bright
and early, and begins footing, hamering. singing.
meddling. and asking questions 10 short, over.
turning the peace of society generally for about
thirteen hours out Of every twonty-four.
Everybody wants to know what to do with him
everybody is quite sure he can't stay where they
are. The cook can't have him in the kitchen.
where be infests the pantry to get flour to make
paste for his kites, or melt lard in the new sauce.
pan. If he goes into the wood shed, he is sure
be sent up into the garnet, you think for awhile
that ysu have solved the problem. till you find
what a boundless field for activity is at orce open
ed, amid all the package boxes. bags, barrels,
and cast of rubbish there. Old letters. newspa
pers. trunks Of miscellaneous contents, arc all
rummaged, and the very reign Of chaos aud old
night is instituted. lie sees endless capacities in
oil. and he is always hammering something, or
Knocking something apart, or saving, or p'aning
or drawing boxes and barrels in all directions, &c
build cities or lay railroad tracks. TIL every body
head aches quite down to the lower floor, and
everybody declares that Charles must be kept out
Of the garrett.
Then you send Charley to school. and hope yor
are fairly rid of him for a few hours at least. Blu
he comes home noisier and more breezy than ever
having learned Of some twenty other Charley,
every separate resource for keeping up a commo
49, .ha, l. -:.t:.. - -
originate. lie can dance like Jim Smith-he ha
learned to smack bis lips like John Brown-ant
Will Brigg has shown him how to new like a cat
and be enters the premises with a new war'whoop
learned freu Tom Evans. lie feels large and val
orous ; he has learaed that he is a boy, and has
general impression that he is growing immensely
strong aud knowing, and despises more than ev
or the conventionalities of parlor life in fact. HI
10 moro than ever an interruption 10 the way o
decent folks who want TO be quiet.
Itis true, that if entertaining persons will de
vote themselves exclusively to him. reading anc
telling stories. be may be kept quie, but the,
this is q iscnuraging work. for he swallows a stor,
ss rover does a piece of meat, and looks At you 70
another and another, without the slightest consid
Grafton. so that this resource is Of short duration
and then the old question comes back What's t.
be done with him?
But after all, Charley cannot be wholly shirked
for he is an institution a solemn and awful fact
and on the answer to the question. What is to b
done with him ? depends a future.
Many q hard. morose. bitter man has come from
. Charley turned off and neglected many a pa
rental heartsehe has come from a Charley left L
run the streets, that mamma and sisters Nigh
play on the piano and write letters in peace. II i
easy % got I'D 1t hi@. a,ers are fifty waysof do
ing thai lie is spirit that eau be promptly laid
but If not laid Alright wih eSsss hack. by-and by
a strong man armed. when sou cannot send hin
Of at pleasure.
Nsmms and sisters had better pay q kSds ia,
TO Charley now. than a terrible one by.aud-by
There is something significant in the old Ens$ist
phrase, With which our Scriptures render " IA