The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1858-07-20
4 Doy's Trials.

suffer, in greater or less degree. before ar
irving at the age Of twenty-one Wepropcse
70 consider some of them. We suppose that
the first severe trial boy has to undergo
10 10 submit his will to the old man whom ne
il taught 70 consider his father To DC re-
strained in doors ct night, to be forbidden
to 10 in q swimming Eve times in day; OF
% Be hindered from pinching the rest OF the
children lust for fun, is an interference
With natural, inalienable rights, every way
injurious to the feelings. And then, when
upon some overwhelming temptation. the
how asserts his independence Of parental con-
troll. and receives tanning" with switch
from 4 ounce bush, either upon his back or
hia bare feet, it becomes really q very seri
On. thing. We never could see that the
smart Of an operation like this was at all
assuaged BY the afectionate assurance that
il was bestowed out Of pure love.
The next trial of boy is in the concious-
ness Of the low estimate which his parents
place upon his judgement He feels himself
entirely able to take care of himself, if he
co1ld only have his own way. But his plans
are only laughed At and he grinds his teeth
with Impotence and anger. We remember
a little cabal of boys, who used to assemble
behind the barn, to talk over great plans OF
enterprise 1t was finally agreed that all
should run away, and, somewhere in the
golden empire Of the West, lay the foun-
daticns of fortune which would enable
us to return to our homes as rich as nabobs
Into their plans entered the enriching of
their parents with untold gold They had
not a doubt Of success It was a grand
scheme, above the wisdom Of plodding "a
Al. - Al 81, ho fho -
that could possibly emancipate them from
the yoke Of parental bondage. Two OF these
boys finally agreed to act as pioneers. They
procured box of essences to peddle by the
way, and, in the deep and dark night, started
out in search Of freedom and fortune. They
were to write to the others when the proper
time should come. There was great rum
pus in the neighborhood when the flight was
discovered, butthey were followed and caught
1t was said that they were glad to get back be-
cause their feet were sore. One OF them Is
now blacksmith with seven children, and
the other wire-worker, in comfortable cir
cumstances What they would have been,
if parental tyranny had not reclaimed them,
it is, of course, impossible to say; but if they
had been anything less than members OF
Congress it would have been a pity The
cabal met expressed their Indignation, and
voted that they would have fought the cap
tors to the bitter end before any one of
them would have been taken. Oh if par
ents could but appreciate the wisdom OF
their boys, what different world would this
be!
The next great trial Of the boy is to be
obliged, by a cruel MASTER to sit by the girls
at school This usually comes before the
development of those undefnable sympathies
and afiinities which, in after life would tend
to make the punishment more endurable -
To be pointed at as "gal-boy,' to be smiled
at grimlv by the master who is SO far de-
lighted with his own inefiable pleasantly
Us to give the little boys the license to laugh
aloud, and to be placed by the side of q girl
who has no handkerchief, and knowledge Of
the use of that article, is, we submit, a trial
of no mean magnitude. Yet we have been
there, and made to "sit up close, with the
big Rachel laughing and blushing till we
came to hate her name We wonder where
the overgrown, frowzy headed creature is
now, and what the condition of her head is?
The next trial in order is the assumption
of the long-tailed coat. We do not believe
that any boy ever put on his long tailed coat
without u sense Vi eHtulc Alc HIet tNA>ie
his back half off looking at it in the glass,
and then when he steps out ofdoors, it seems
to him as if all creation was on a broad grin
The sun laughs in the sky; the cows turn to
look at him; there are faces at every win
dow; his very shadow mocks him When he
walks by the cottage where Jane lives, he
dares not look up, for his lie. The very
boards creep with consciousness of the strange
spectacle, and the old pair Of pantaloons
that stop light in the garnet window nod
with derision If he is obliged to pass a
group of men or boys the trial assumes its
most terrific stage. His legs gets ali mixed
up with embarrassment, and as the flap Of
the dangling appendage is felt upon them,
moved by the wind or his own agitation, be
could not feel worse were it dishcloth,
wore as badge of disgrace. 1t is happy
time for him when he gets to church, and
sits down with his coattails under him; but
he is still apprehensive with thinking OF the
Sunday school, and wonders if any of the
children will ask him to Swing his long
tailed blue"
After the boy has become wonted to hi:
long.tailed coat, his extreme youth becomes
a trial to him. Various resorts are adopt
ed to hasten tae development of manhood
He watches for the dawning Of q beard up
on his upper lip and when at last the shad
owy promise comes-hoats into his vision
on its dowy wings-he borrows the first ia
zor, and goes at it. His mother, or his sis
tiers, catch him at it, too, and suggest a dial
of cream and cat as better adapted to hi
case than lather and q razor. Perhaps h
undertakes to chew tobacco, and gets terri
bly sick, or, possibly he undertakes. wit!
many qualms of conscience, little profanl
ty on private account Sometime indeed, j
he can overcome his bashfulness, he zoe
to see a girl, or walks home with one from
spelling school Still the years hang on, ant
we know cat least one boy who believed
that his parents cheating him in regard Il
the date Of his birth, with the design of get
ting twelyemonth more of work out Z
him. 1t was David Copperfeld, We believe
who was so. sadly affected by his conciou:
ness of ex IRENE youth, and there is no ma
who has ever had genuine boyhood VIII
will not recognize the touch as one of tn
most natural which the pencil of Dicken
has revealed.
The entrance into society may be said t
take place after boyhood has passed away
vet q multitude take the Initiative beior
their boards are presentaple. ~ is gree
trial either at tender or a tough age. Fo
an oyergrswn boy to 60 to a door, KNOWN
that there are a. dozen kirls inside, and
knock or ring with the absolute certaint
that in two minutes all their eyes will be ~
on him. is a severe test of courage. To G
before those girls and make satistactor
tour of the room without stepping On thel
toes, and then to sit down, and dispose {
ones hands without putting them into one
pockets, is an achievement which few boy
can boast. If boy can get SO far as
measure off ten yards of tape with one {
these girls, and cut it short at each end, h
NAV stand chance to pass pleasant ev'
ming, but let him not fatter himself that a
the trials of the evening are over Their
comes, at last, the breaking up. The dea
girls don their hoods and put on their shawli
and look as saucy, and mischievous, and vi
impressible. and Independent, as if they di
not wish any one to 80 home with then
Then comes the pinch, and the boy that ha
the most pluck makes up to the prettiest cir
his heart in his throat, and his tongue elm!
ing to the roof of his mouth, and, crookin