The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-09-22
THE CALEDON "A
Bouncing Boys.

These modern DONs-DoyH WIZ eAS ooiAi
cb,stcned. breeched. and married, and set
nm in life all in trice those boys take
owav nv breath. wonder sometimes if
they can possibly be Of the same genus as
the bows with whom associated when |
myself was boy. paid visit lately
to gentleman in the country, and In 60
inc over the house to view its lions was
shown into room where my hosts boys
printed weekly newspaper for their own
amusement! There were all the appli-
ances of printing office: cases, galleys,
rules, imposing stones and presses; ana
two young gentlemen, whose united ages
probably did net amount to tive-and-
twenty. were SO far familiar with their use
as to be able. unaided, to compose and
print weekly sheet containing news and
articles of their own writing. l thought
of INV play room and what it contained.
had vision of a pemy-top, pop-gun
roughly made from branch of an alder
tree, kite composed Of a halfpenny cane
and sheet of brown paper, worsted ball
wound upon an old barrel bung, and a
teetotum.
Again: the other evening | went to a
party. and had scarcely entered the house
when my hosts two boys carried me off
into the garden to take my photograph.
One, quite little fellow, posed me in the
chair. instructed me to look Mt certain
spot, and warned me Of that principle of
the convex lens which has a tendency to
enlarge feet and hands which are placed
too much in advance of the rest of the
body. The other boy, meanwhile, was in
dark room, playing with subtle cheml-
Gals, of whose nature and properties his
grandfather the eminent chemist had
never even dreamed. In less than five
minutes these two youngsters had used one
of the closest secrets OF nature to fix my
IMAGE on piece of glass. 1t was as easy
:, feat for them as ii was for Inc to lit my
top, while spinning, in spoon or III the
hollow of my hand
Lad another vision: OF a party at
home, when !, as a boy the age of that
Juvenile photographer, was considered
rather a bore, and was only permitted to
bother the guests for half an hour or so
after dinner 1t was not supposed that !
had any entertaining powers whatever.
The guests. in the goodness of their ma
ture, would kindly endeavor to entertain
me. by giving me an apple and perhaps
telling Inc pretty little story, all i'll sim
pie words of one syllable. After which
was carefully sent to bed before supper
But these modern boys, they bring you
their newspaper to look at, they photo
graph you, they play the accompaniment
to Your songs they astonisl your weak
mind with the magnesium light, they sit
up to supper they tell you the latest news
by telegram-in fact they entertain you.
When was a boy, my stock of play lit
crature consisted of some half-dozen six
penny books, such as Jack the Giant
Killer, Puss in Boots, the History Of Cock
Robin, and an abridgment of the Arabian
Nights. | remember that l kept them
locked up in deal box, and was exceed
ingly chary Of lending them, or even let
tine any one look at them. But boys
nowadays take in their monthly and
weekly magazines, correspond with the
editor, answer riddles and REFUSES. contrib
ute puzzles and engage in chess tourna-
ments by correspondence; nay, they club
subscriptions to Mudie's, and read all the
new sensation novels as they appear. l
see some square capped boys, of not more
than fourteen years, going to school every
morning reading their penny newspapers.
have no doubt whatever that they read
the law and the police reports under their
desks when they ought to be learning their
lessons. Boys and hobbedehoys used to be
n nuisance, because they were lumpy, and
awkward, and uninteresting: and because
they were too young to share in the con-
versaton of grown-up people. But now
a-days, if the boys are voted nuisance at
all-which they will not tamely permit
ii is because they are too clever by half,
and know great deal too much. In
wardly and outwardly the British boy has
undergone a great change Everything
about him is in an advanced state. His
mind is manly and so are his clothes.
Tour modern infant grows so fast that you
never can catch him in jackets When he
energies from his swaddling- clothes, he
slips through your fingers and vaults into
tailed coat He casts aside his feeding
bottle and his pap-spoon to clasp a cigar
or a mcerschaum pipe into his mouth
al the Year R0u,d