Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-01-05
[For the National Era.l
Leaves from the Diary OF Young
VesterM Housekeeper.

For the National Era
Leaves from the Diary OF Young
Western HOusekeeper.
Oc.. 30.-Tommy delights greatly in old
Roman legends, and fights Punic wars
with the clothes pins and chess-menl or
struts around with bunch of rods nj his
back, filucying himself an old Roman lie
tor. and longing 20 exercise the prcrogn-
tive of Office upon poor little Lew, who is
guilty of many an act of high treason,
and whose little dimped shoulders are no
doubt very suggestive. | often compare
Tommv's childhood and education with
my own early experiences; he gives prom
Use OF Il bright intelligence, gathering his
crumbs Cf knowledge through pictures
and cheerful answers to his eager ques-
tions. Sometimes under the shell bark
trees. or in ride to the post office as
pony jogs along, this little six years old
rogue will acquire the leading incidents of
stone, or at least such incidents rs would
strike a child's fancy; and I hold, with
Walter Scott, that it is useless to burden
child with anything more, they reject hard
thought with disgust, and it is wasting
ones breath to hammer it into them, and
they break down into dyspepsia and pale
faces over the hateful task of the school
room.
have often thought would write the
history of the United States myself for my
children, rather than drag them through
the inquisitional pages of Frost and Grim
shaw. | would tell them all about Pnca-
hontas, ana Nlng thlIiP ana ratner Hen-
nep!ni ana tie haHd favored oId turllnhs'
or read them h:ight sketches OF reNoiU-
tionary days IN llaTpcrs Magazine; but as
E., Inns Of dutpS and columns abOut
tents and ch"sters, and war negotiations
and all suc-l ,horrtEt- hohsNSllPst TO tender
minds, wouldn't nave one OF tneht III
Iommys DooE; ana YET ne shoulu nave Us
good knowledge OF history as any BOY
Of his age, whose animal spirit mas not
been "nnlhiiatca oy the pedaGoEhe'
These views are not very orth"Hox' "nt,
t omy mind, there Is no greater ohlcc' OF
compassion tnan sweet iauEhihG n"S ol
twelve, with his heart in!l o' merriment,
and MS Iimhs !N'riy acn'hG IoF Hct'Nily'
and his mead mil OF skating ana Shlh"cy'
and the goose tnnt nc saw gong nome in
the ihIniiy dinner "nskct, an pinned uo"H
IKE maniac IN Stralght JACKET WIN
Lexicon ana mathematics hafhSsln% ms
very soul, ana wNn8ing rom MS rosy Ups
eNecrat'on5 an" lamentations sHch as
make angels weep.
present generation cannon DC S"ihcien!'y
thankful Tor such amcHnrauon as mas
been wrought ~ men IKE Annot' Hht
EoHner. who have set forIH Drt niue thnt
- not lively arh attractive III thelr pages
-Gnd only dHte here ana thSre-gfctL
! landmarks OF fame. on winch memory
( Should rest with uncrring dIStInstneaS.-
Eut as for the heart-s,ckenlng chain Ci
dates ttTom the days'ot Noe GOWN WhIch
was expected OF sch0ol-chIlnfen III my
time, must lit up my protest against II
Us Il species OF juvenile mlrlyrdom equal
to the Chinese shoe or the clamp OF Tie
t'at-hcaded !n'lan.
IS | write, seem to see the grim iiGure
OF my quontam tioodT Nv" Shoes rising
before me, ike BanHuoS EhoSt, "ith her
long curl-1apers ana lcg-ot-mut'on sleeves
and strong nervous contraction OF the
palm OF my mana reminds me OF hcF ma
lic!ous old fcru!e. can hear her now,
rcvCiiug in such questions as these: AT
what time does this period begin p
''Whcn docs il end? AT what time was
the charter granted to the Plymouth Com
pauy?' and so on. And see my twin
sister and myself again shivcrinS in the
class, vita It dozen other trembling
inroCcnts. rs the ineXOrabic "Next, next,
passes from one poor little dropping
head to Gnothcr, and then the angry dis
mission TO our seats, with the sentence
passed that we are kept in',-ond there
we sit. in vacant, silent absorption, nn:i!
ouT two extra hours are fttlflled, and with
empty stomachs and broken hearts we At
last reach our homes. Here danger is over,
hut dear old Ellen, the houscEccPcr, has
pnt away out platc-full, good and warm,
and oh she looks so vcrT sorry. for our