Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-12-31
Sliding Down FfiiI.


There is nothing in the tropics that can
console a man doomed to dwell there for
the loss OF northern winters. Monkeys and
humming birds, gorgeous flowers and gigantic
vegetation, insects reptiles and luscious fruits
which you cannot eat without Il cholera
sweltering nights and roasting days Deliver
US from the intolcrable delights of tropical
luxury
But a northern winter is full of bracng
joys. In doors all is PUDDING and social and
out of doors ali is energy and manly Joys
A man who has blood and vital spirits glories
-sn the cold of winter. But Of all its sports
what one can claim superiority over coastiag
or, as in our boyhood days il was called, sliding
down hill =?
Long before we attained the age of sled
two barrel-stoves, fastened together by know
ing workmen, served an excellent purpose,
and required no mean skill in sitting and
steering A slight mistake in balancing, and
boy and slaves changed places, tie boy under
and the sliding machine a-top--and then
gradually rolling into promiscuous heap out
OF which came some ripping remarks not made
by the sled.
Next came the glory of full and real sled
siip-a sled with runners, and iron or steel
shod a sled painted and lettered With that
we detied the thermometer, and set our faces
against the north wind And now the long
hill, full halt mile, is sought, not all of gem
tie slope, nor yet too steep, but properly made
up, as all hills should be, with fine gradual
beginning, then pitch quite steep, then an
other long middle slope, and jounce here,
rude lock there, a sweep yonder around a
point and fetching.up place right over the
river On such hilltop with Sled we'll
muffled and mittened the boy sets himself on
his steed prouder than ever sat a king upon
his throne Away he goes with nimbe feet
reaching out before him. (tor sled carries its
rudder at the bowl and whose heels with
skillful touch steer the flying machine See
him make a leap over the rullock lifted clear
into the air, and coming down with jounce
that made everything crack-but the boy.
Boys have springs inside of them, under eve.
ry muscle, on all sides of each bone, and come
down with spring bound, that cars and car
riages may envy but cannot hope to attain
None of your belly founders This lying
down on sled, like buckwheat cake on a
grddle; or that side setting on the hind part
of it, with one leg corkscrewed out behind, for
steering, are not the thing. They are not or
thodox. They SAVIOR of compliance with
weakness and timidity. A real boy should
sit upon his sled fair and square, aud ready to
meet all difficulties with his breast to them
Nor let any one decry the long tramp up hill
that follows this fierce flight downward.
w nat ii II is long, Tue sleu HdHSlnS DSHluuy
the way slippery, and witha some peril of
those avalanches of other boys that come roar
ing and whirling down? The going up is still
an indispensable part OF the Epic 1t is the
dark that gives power to the high light. The
up makes by contrast the very glory of the
do,0n. Besides, IS it is appointed to every
hen, WHEN she has laid an egg, to enter at
large into the merits of the perto nance, and
to tell the barnyard, and neighborhood, her
opinion of that last egg, and doubtless if we
but understand the true interior meaning of
cdckle, 10 say Here's an egg, for omelettes,
omelettes, omelettes good also for cakes,
cakes, cakes; and the very soul OF custard,
custard, custard good raw, good boiled, good
fried. Good soft or hard good eggs, good
R5gs, very good eggs. $50 let me see that
intolerable hen has confused this sentence, so
that we don't just see how to get it together
--ah, here it is,-as this hen, having done all
the above, discourses Oft, (as per above trans
lation,) so the boy occupies the long ascent in
declaring the skill, speed and wonderful daring
of his descent, and is vehemently setting forth
what liked 20 have happened, to the thing
which we almost did
We never see the snow on the ground, old
as we are, that we do not feel the very spirit
of the sled again! And now, an old man, we
would, if we could, mount and plunge down
the hill again. Though n mans hair is as
white MS the snow under his feet he needs not
TO be ashamed OF a voyage on sed.-H. w
Beecber