Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1863-07-23
Frightening Children.

The following true story shows what
comes of frightening children.-A few
years since | resided in Wales, at the
entrance Of a valley, opening into a
beautiful bay, on each side of which rise
high cliffs os limestone, covered with
soft tutf on which the Welsh sheep feed I,
and climb like goats. On the highest of
these cliffs stood a solitary cottage, over
looking the wide expanse of sea; on
which, during every month in the year
that has the letter r in it, the little
oyster boats are seen in great numbers
The poor men dredge for these with
heavy iron nets; it is very laborious
work; but as they can generally sell their
oysters, they are glad to do it. You
know the tide, on nearly all the coasts
ebbs and flows; and these little boats 20
out with the tide, and they cannot re-
turf to land until it flows in again, and
thus carries them ashore. In this cot
tace on the cliff lived one of those poor
men, whose name was John Tovey, with
his wife and sixteen children. Some of
the elder ones had grown up, and were
married, and had gone to live elsewhere;
some were out at service: some worked
in the potattoc fields; and the little ones
were often left at home by themselves.
The fern, which grows on the cliffs, the
poor people cut and use in the winter
for various purposes. There was small
rick of this fern standing few yards
from the house. The cottage was white
washed, aud had a thatched roof. When
these children did anything that was
naughty, or the mother was angry with
them, she used to tell them that an ug
ly old Man lived in the rick, and that
If they were not good he would come
and have them So these poor ignorant
children believed what their mother so
often told them, and they wished very
much that the frightful old Man did
not live there always. So, one day,
when their me ther was gone to market
to sell her potatoes, and the father was
out in his boat dredging for oysters,
there were three of these little children
staying at home by themselves; and they
thought that they w!uld burn hin out.
So they set light to the rick, which was
all in flames in few minutes. and they
went and set down under hedge at the
edge of the cliff to watch; perhaps they
expected to see the Old Man run out
when he felt the Gre-or else they
hoped that he would be quite burnt to
death, and so never trouble them any
more The fire blazed very high, pres
emily caught the cottage also, and so it
all burnt away together. Just then the
father, who was off in his boat, saw his
house and all on fire, and he knew that
the children were there alone, and yet
he could not come to them till the tide
turned, and for this he had to wait sew
eral hours. Oh, how very greatly dis
tressed he must have been not to be able
to get home to see it his poor children
were burned 20, late in the evening,
the mother returned from market, and
,on the father also, and found the
house entirely burnt down, and every
thing in it, all but the stone walls: and
the poor little children still sitting under
the hedge, so frightened that they did
not know what TO do They were obli
ged t. 20 and beg some kind person in
the ucxt vltagr to take tn III in that
night And hope the parents learned
a lesson, never again to tell their child
ren what was untrue, and never try to
frighten them. A few years ago young
man was brought before Mr.. Hammill,
a London magistrate, for kicking, and
striking, aid trying to choke an officer
and a student. Poor young man, it was
not his fault, for he did not know what
he was doing; he was mad And how
do you think he went mad? His mother
said, Sir, he is subject to fits of a dread
ful character, and all because, when six
years of age, he was put into dark
room as a punishment, shortly after
which the fits came on and have become
worse. Our circumstances were once
bright; but we have spent 80 much mon
ey in trying to cure him, that we are
now quite poor. The fits come on every
two hours, and then he is like a man
iac.' MIR. Hamill said, this is shock
ing result of frightening children You
had better show this to your parents
and servants. Young England