Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-04-03
miscellaneous
OUR CHARLEY.
BIZ r .rows.

When the blaze OF the wood fro 6ickcrs MP
And down ia our snug evening parlur, there
dances upon the wall II little shadow wish n pug
nose, a domestic household shadow-u busy shad
ow-a little restlest srecimcn Of perpetual
motion ; aud the owner thereof lie "our Char
ley"
Now we should not write about him and his
ways If he were strictly n peculiar aud individual
existence of our own hJne circle, but il is not 81.
"Our Charley" exists la II thousand, nay a million
families; no has existed IN millions IN all tine,
his name is va riuusIy rendered in all The tongues
of the earth; nay, there areRa thousand synouy ms
for him in Eng isli for indisputn6ie Our Willie"
or 'oar Harry" or "our Georgy," belongs to
che same Stub nosed, rosy cheek ed, estless
shadow-mnker 81 in France he is Leonce," or
pierre" Ms well as "Uharle': IN ltal; he is
'Coarllnu" or Francisco; IN German Mas" or
"Wilhelm'; and ~ CbInese he j. Lung Flung J"
with a silk tail On the back Of his head. but, the
same household spriIe among them all in short
we take our Charley" ia a generic sense. and We
mean to trca' HIM rs u min thture epit"me OF the
grown nnan-enactiug in IL ~shadoNy ballet by the
6reside ali that men ACT IN earnest IA uiterIiie.--I
lie is looking glass for Z rown people III which
they may see how certain TIN IS become thern-in'
which they may sometimes even se streaks and
g,eamiugs OF something wiser than all the harsh
conflict of life teaches them.
"Our Charley is generally considered by the
world as Az Idle little dog whose pursuits, being
very Insignificant may be put eff Or put by f-
every aud any body bat The world as usual, is very
much mistaken. NJ mIu is more pressed with
business, ana needs more prudence, energy, tact,
and courage to carry oUt his schemes, in face OF
all opposing circumstances that grown people con
stantiy throw in his way. Has he not ships to
build and sail and has lie not vast epgiueerings
TO make ponds and DICKS in every puddle or brook,
where they shall lie Il. anchor? Is not his pocket
stuffed with material Tor ,ails and ~cordage? And
yet like n maj. ol the world as he il, this does not
content hiai, but he must own iailroad stock tun.--
II he lives where II steam whistle has vibrated, it
has awakened an uuquiet yearnlng within him, and
some day he harnesses all his cars in u train and
makes a lOcom tive Of our workable and a steam
whistle vt himself. He inSfectS toy. shop windows
gets up tirtations with benevolent %shopmen and
when he gets his mouth close to papa's ear. re.
veals to him how Mr.. S.-ani.so has y locomotive
that will win up anl ~ alnng-Sp cheap too
can't papa get 1t for him? And So papa (all papas
dol goes sOberly down and buys it. though he
knows IL will be broken in II week. Then what
rapture The Pear ucnmutive the darling black
chimney sleeps under his pillow that he may feel
of it in tn, night and be sure when he first wakes
that the joy is NOT eyaporated. He bores every
body to death with it as artlessly as grown people
do with their hobbies, but at last the ardOr runs
out. His darling is found to have faults. He
picks 1t To pieces to make it work better finds too
late thas lie cant put il together again so he casts
it aside and makes n locomotive out of n broken
wheelbarrow ana some barrel slaves. Do yon, my
brother or %grown-up sister, ever do anything
like this2 d, your friendships and loves ever 90
the course OK our Chnrley's toy? First -enthusi-
asm secund safety third dlscontent; then pick
ing to pieces then dropping and losing ? How
many idols are in your box of by gone playthings?
And NAV it not be Us week to suggest to you, wber
you find flaws in your next one to inquire before
you pick it to pie; les whether you can put it together
again. Or whether what you call defect is not u part
of its nature. A tin locomotive won't draw al
string Of parlor chairs. by any possible alteration,
but may be very pretty for all it was made for
Charley and you might both learn something from
shis. ..- .a
q Charlsy's business career, as we have before in
timated, has its trials, it is hard for him to find time
for il 80 many impairment interruptions. For
instance there are four hours of school, taken out
of the best part Of the day four mortal hours in
which he might make ships. or build dams, or
run railroad cars, he is obliged To leave all his af-
fairs, often in very precariOus situations. and 90
through the useless ceremony of reading and spell
ing. When he comes hume the housemaid has
swept his foremost into the fire, and mamma has
put his top-sails into the rag bag, and all hs affairs
are in n desperate situation. Sometimes he gets
terribly misanihropic and all grown people seem
cousplring against him 4; he is cailed away from his
serious avucatiuns So often, and his attention dis
tracted with such irTelevan ut matters, that he is in.
dignant, He is rushing through the passage in
hot haste, hands full of nails, strings, and twine.
and Mary seizes him and wants to brush his lair
he is interrup pied in n burst Of enthusiasm mud told
y y NorUI MS uui ~ hiIIic . bf ptIHiIh. u ~
er horror than all, company is expected. and he
must put on II clean n ew suit. just as he had made
all the arrangements for IL ship launching down by
the swamp. This dressing and washing he regards
with unutterable contempt and disgust secretly.
900, he il ~skepticai about the adcanfnges of going
to school and learning ~ regd he believes 10 be
sure, when papa aud mamma tell him Of unknown
future advantages To come when he Is IL great
man, but then, the present he is sure If his chips
and slnnps his bits Of string and fish hooks; aud
old cOrks and broken railroad ears ami aLuNe all
his new skates; these are realjtirs. And he knnws
also what Tom White and Bill Saith say and 80
he walks by sight more rhah by faith.
All, the child j. the father OF the mani When
be gets Older he will have the great toys of which
these are emblems he will ieiIeye in what he
sees and touches-in hunses, land and railrond stock
-he will believe ia these earnestly and really. and
in his eternal munhund, nnIninall, aud partially. =
And when his father y messengers meet him and
face him ab"ut, and take him of his darling pur-
suits, and sweep his big ships into the fire, and
crush his tull'gruwA cars, then the grown man
will cumolain aud muImur, and wonder asthe little
man does now. The father wants the future, the
child the present. all through life, till death makes
the child a man.
So. though our Charley has his infrmities. he is
a kttle biz of a Christi n after all. Like you,
brother, he has his good hours when he sits still
and calm, aud is told of Jesus, aud his checks
glow and tears come 10 bis eyes his bosom heaves
and row he is sure he is going TO be always good
he is never going To be nau ghty. lie will stand
sill To have his head cumbed he will come the
fret time mother speaks; he will never speak a
Cross word to Katy he repeh:s of having tyraniz
ed over grandmammN. and made poor mamma's
head ache and is quite sure that he has now got
the yie,ory over all sin. Like The lsraelites by the
Red Sea. he beh dds hds spiritual enemies dead IN
the sea shore. But to mOrruw. in one hour even,
what becomes of his goad resolutions? What be
comes of yours On Monday.
With all ''our CharIey's" hacksliding, he may
teac, us one thing which we have forgotten. When
Je sus would teach his disciples what fifth was, He
took a child and set him in the MI isl OF them. We
do not presume tha; this child was one of those
exceptional oncs, who have memnirs written, bur
q comnpH average ahill With is Smiles and tears
IT'S liWie naughtinessA and geodnesses. and its apt
ness as an exam pie vas mt IN virtue 0f an excep
u finn VI I'M - uniraE.nl- a.aLLn LIZ 90 -