National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1869-07-09
Tied TO Apron Strings.
by AN ENGLISHMAN.


Perhaps the greatest misfortune
that can befall "a man is to have
been an only son, brought up by
tender and timid widow mother.
1t is easy to see at glance, among
a crowd of boys, who has been ed,
ucated under exclusively feminine
inhuenre. The long curled shining
hair, the fantastic tunic-generally
a kind of hibIid between a tunic and
a frock-the lavish use of embroid-
cry, the soft pretty behaved man.
ner, the clean unroughened hands,
all mark the boy of whom his moth.
er has SO often wished that he had
been u CIR, and whom she has made
as like a girl as possible. His intel.
lectual education has been as un-
bOylike as his daily breeding. Mo.
thers boys are taught to play the
piano, to amuse themselves with
painting, or netting, or perhaps
little woodwork in the evenings
anything to keep them quietly seat,
ed by the family table, without an
outbreak of boylsh restlessness or
inconvenient energy; but they are
never taught to ride, to hunt, to
shoot, to swim, to play cricket, foot
ball or billiards, unless there is a
stalwart uncle about who takes the
reins i'll his own hand at times, and
insists on having Il word to say
about his nephew's education.-
There is danger in all, and evil in
some, of these thugs; and women
cannot bear that those they love
shOnld run the risk of either.
Wherefore their boys are modest
and virtuous truly, but they are not
manly and wheu they go out into
the world, as they must sooner or
later, they are either laughed at for
their priggishness, or they 80 to t he
bad by the very force of reaction.
The mother has allowed them to
learn nothing that will be of any
use to them, and they enter the
great arena wholly unprepared eli.
ther to fight or to resist, to push
their own way or to take their own
part. They have been kept tied up
to the apron.string to the last mo.
ment, and only when absolutely
forced by the necessity of events will
she cut the knot and let them go
free. But she holds on to the last
moment. Even when the time
comes for college life and learning,
she often goes with her darling, and
takes lodgings in the town, that she
may be near at hand to watch over
his health and morals, and continue
her CAREFUL labOrs for his destruc.
tion.-Ihe chances are that u youth
so brought up never becomes u real
man; or worth his salt anyhow.
he is prig if he is good, debauchee
of the wolst kind if he kicks over
the traces at all. He is more likely
the first, carrying the mark of the
apron string round his wrist for life.
Like tame falcon used to the hood
and the perch and the lure home,
| llO uldtlCI W1tl VIC ttl1lttlOu vi tllt
quarry atield, he is essentially u do
mestic man, at ease only in the soci-
ETY. of women; fussy man, "a small
man, delicate in health, and with Il
dread of strong measures, physical
political, or mental; crocthety
man, and given to passing quacker.
les, but not man fiJ for mans So
ciety, or for mans work. When
there are many boys, Instead of only
one, in widows family, the oppO-
site of all this is the case. AS soon
as they have escaped i,om the nur.
scry, they have escaped from all
control whatsoever and if one
wants to realize puerile pande
monium of dirt, discomfort, noise
and general disorganization, tn,
best place in the void is the house
hold of feeble spirited mother o
many sons, where there is no con-
trolling masculine influence.