The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1870-04-21
About Pockets.

Pockets are marked feature Of civil
lied life Their history is the history
Of humanity, and catalogue Of their
successive contents would furnish
condensed biography. There were no
pockets iu the fg-leaf apron Of Eden
our frst parents had no need to hoard
or appropriate, for the trees and her,
bage of the garden offered them freely
all their simple wealth There were 20
pockets in Adams first blouse Of skins,
for as yet he had no knife wherewith to
cut tobacco, aud was innocently ignor-
ant Of the potency Of the marvellous
weed. But when it grew bard and
human interests conflicting, thcu the
pocket became a developed institution,
a receptacle for the means Of daily So
lace, amenity and convenience. II isa
social, not selfish institution. II con
tains supplies, not boards. The treas
ures of the nliser are buried in q vault;
while the subsidies OF the pocket are
appropriately known as change From
its Yarmest corner comes the penny for
the strcet-sweeper, the tops for the pet
Of the fireside, aud the weekly gratuity
for charities Of every kindly name.---
But the most characteristic deposits are
not in money. Children prefer the
concrete TO the abstract, the end TO the
means. While the little man wears the
dress Of his sister, his pocket, like hers,
is filed with cakes and saudies. But
very soon he seeks a wider range Of
activities, and the sweet meats, not yet
ignored, dispute possession inch by inch
with jews harps, fish-hooks, tops, kite
strings aud knives. If he is mechanic
cal, the kite gains companion in on
ivory rule; il studious, in pencils and
paper. Then comes the beligerant pc
riod, when the country boy makes in
vestments in powder and shot, and the
young citizen is an amateur in pistols
and percussion caps. And as war al
ternates with peace, the toma hawk
with the calumet, so about this period,
if at al, is developed preference for
cigars aud 'fine.eut;" but these are nox-
ious weeds that are liable to choke out
all healshful growth. just as rats leave
a sinking ship, when the fragrant treas
ures find their way to the pocket, in
digdant moths leave the young man s
wardrobe in disgust. 1t will be If tho
odor does not serve to expel more desir-
able visitants than these. Then follows
tho youths latest pocket companion,
the watch, pointing with its golden en-
ger the silent moral Of the time. For
the girl, her carly sugar plums giya
place TO the cheap luxury of paper dolls,
soon followed by that familiar imple-
ment, the thimble. Hard upon this
comes the soribbling stage, when the
pocket finds room for pencils and paper,
for notes Of many pages duly crossed,
and filed with the fancies and follies
the friendships and fashions oe sixteen
Ii is but slight change from the ro.
mantiO missiyes to those of a warmer
hue, the billet-doux Of fboyish admirers
to be followed, we trust, by firm lines
that bear frank ayowal of manly love
Yet the last viii not long remain in tn,
pocket; they are too precious guests fol
similar treatment, and shall retire Il
some inner sanctuary, set apart for the
hcliest OF all. With love comes sorrow
with sorrow religion; so when our crown
ed woman has hidden away har heart,
treasures, hallowed by kisses if not b,
tears, amid shower of fallen rose