Weekly Trinity journal., 1870-06-04
Tied to Apron Strings.

Perhaps the greatest misfortune that can be-
fall man is to have an only son brought up by
tender and timid widow mother. 1t is easy to
see at glance among crowd of boys, who
has been educated under exclusively feminine
influence. The long cured shining hair, the
fantastic tunic-gcneraly kind of hybrid be-
tween tunic and n frock-the lavish use of en-
broidery, the soft pretty behaved manner, the
clean unroughened hands, all the mark the boy
of whom his mother has so often wished that he
had been girl and whom she has made as like
a girl as possible His intellectual education
has been unboylike as his daily breeding.
Mothers boys are taught to play the piano, to
amuse themselves with painting, or netting, or
perhaps little woodwork in the evenings-any-
thing to keep them quietly seated by the family
table, without an outbreak of boysh restestness
or inconyenient energy; but they are never
taught to ride, to hunt, to shoot, to swim, to
play at cricket, football or billiards. unless
there is a stalwart uncle about who takes the
reins in his own hand at times, and insists on
having word to say about his nephew's educa-
ton. There is danger in all, and evil in some
of these things and women cannot bear that
those they love should run the risk of either.
Wherefore their boys modest and virtuous
truly, but they are not manly and when they
go out into the world, as they must sooner or
later, they are either laughed at for their prig-
gishness they go to the 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 unpre-
pared either to fight or to resist, to push their
own way or to take their own part. They have
been 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 90 free. But she holds on to the last mo-
ment. Even when the time comes for college
life and learning she often goes with her dar-
ling, and takes lodgings in the town, that she
may be near at hand to watch over his health
and morals, and continue her careful abors for
his destruction. The chances are that a youth
so brought up never becomes n real man or
worth his salt yhow. He is a prig if he is
good a debauchee Of the worst kind if he kicks
over the traces at all. He is more likely the
first, carrying the mark of his apron string
round his wrist for life. Like tame falcon
used to the hood and the perch and the lure
home, no matter what the temptation of the
quarry afield, he is essentially "A domestic man,
case only in the society Of women; a fussy
man. a small man, delicate in health and with
dread of strong measures, physical, political,
or mental n crotchety man, and given to pass
ing quackeries, but not man fit for mans so
ciety, or for mans work. Where there are
many boys, instead of only one, in widow 8
family, the opposite Of all this is the case. As
soon as they have escaped from the nursery,
they have escaped from all control whatsoever
and if one wants to realize a puerie pandemo-
MUM of dirt, discomfort, noise, and general dis
organization, the best place IL the world, is the
household of feeble-spirited mother of many
sons, where there is no controlling masculine in
fuence.-LOndon Saturday ReUiew.