Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-08-31
[Original.]
tWHEN I WAS YOUNG,1

OR, WHAT THE OLD WOMAN SAID TO HER DAUGHTER.
One summers eve I chanood to pass, whore, by
her cottage gate.
An aged woman in the sun sat, SEEDING to her
mate;
Tho frost of ago was on her brow, its dimness in
her eye, y
And her bent figure, to aud fro, rock d, oil uncon-
sSfousIy;- e e.
her tongue,
As she compared "the doings noaO with those when
she acas young.
" When I,cas young, young gals were meek, and
looked round kind o. y,
Aud when they were compelled to speak. they did
20 modostly;
Thoy stayed at home and did the work, made
Indian bread and wheat en-,
And only went to singing school, ard sometimes
to night-meeting;
And children obedient then; they had no sauoy
airs, ..s ..-s.. r-- I'll
And minded what their mothers said, and learned
to say their prayers;
But now days they know enough before they know
their letters,
And young ones that can hardly walk, will con.
tradict their betters;
Young women now 70 kiting round and looking
out for beaux,
And scarcely one in ten is found who makes OF
mends her clothes!
But thore I tell my daughter
Folks don't do az they d ought'sr!
They had not oughfer do as they do
Why don't they do o, they'd oughter?
When a0as young. If . m An had failed, he gave
up house and hall, Pass
And never ventured cut till night, If he ventured
ont at all
And his wife sold all her china plates, and his son
came home from college,
And his gals left school, and learned to wash and
bake, and sucA like knowledge
They gave up cake and pumpkin pies, and had the
plainest eating,
went to meeting
Tho MAJ that was q bankrupt called, was kind'e,
shun ned ty mea,
And haril dared to show hs head amongst hil
townsfolks then
But now-a days, when a m 'rohant fails, they say
he makes penny,
His wife don't have gown the less, and his
daughters just as many,
His sons, they smoke their choice cigars, and drink
their costly wine,
And size goes to the Opera, AMI he has folks to
dine
lie walks the streets, no drives hi, 6 'g-men show
him all civilities,
And what, in my day, We called debts, are aow hi!
le-a6ilities!
they call the man unfortunate who ruins half the
city
In my time twas his creditors to whom W gave
the pity
But there! tell my da lighter
Folks don't do as they ID eught'er2
hey had lot ought'sr do az they do,
Why don't they do 40 they d oughter?
When / acas young, crime was crime. it had no
other name,
And whom twas proved against man, he had to
bear the blame
They eal'i the man who stole "a thief"-thoy
vested NJ fine feeling,
W hat folks ca "petty larceny" in my day was
called st,aling-
They did not make a reprobate tho theme of song
and story,
As if tho bloodier was his hands, the brighter was
his 2isry- rErs--
But when murde, had been done, could they the
murderer find, er f4....-a
They hung HIM, as they would crow, a terror to
his kind "a .s
Bat noU-a days, il seems to me, whenever blood is
split, a~ ID "a
Tho murderer has cur sympathy, proportions to
his gnilt-- .-.-I -. ~.
A7d when the law has proved N to be secsnd
Cain,
A dozen jurors can be found to bring him In
"Zhsane"-
And III petitions will DO signed, and texts of
Scripture wrssted,
AID parsons will grow eloquent, and ladies inter.
ested, f"
Until the man who's proved to b, as blood, hrsty
ss Nero, ,
Will walk abroad like othsr men-onky greater
here! 4..., a.-....
But there tell my daughter
F'lks don't do as they'd ought'er
They had not GU sht'er do as they do,
Why Con 'tthey &c rs they'd ought'er ?"