The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1874-08-06

Jureu, out IL may surprise HldHy WHcn
say that great majority of serious acci-
dents, including drowning, are from
among adults. l speak from long ana
large experience. Who are the boys that
suffer most from accidents answer, it
is those who have accident eternally
dinned into their ears, and who are al
ways held in restraint. The accidents
are among the better classes; the reason
is obvious. Boys are always ON the
alert to prove they know more than their
parents.
l tell Philander that the ice is treach-
erous and the water is deep, and that
will make his life a burden to him if /
catch him on the one or in the other
Philander's first impulse is to prove to
me that am mistaken. He finds him.
self in danger; then at once his pres
ence of mind leaves him, and good-by,
Philander, and then another fearful AZ
told you so' is placed on record. The
boy that is run over in the street is not
the street Arab, but the boy with his
Sunday clothes on He falls victim to
lack of presence of mind, and maybe the
fear Of . fathers wrath,
What is true of bodily accidents is also
true of poisons and improper diet, such
as green stuff, ETC.; boys do not drink
everything they see in a bottle. If there
is any one thing boy won't touch it is
bottle; he is afraid of them; so far as
,,nr;,~o fru;t SC copcorpaJ p,otbor ,,otnro
has a way of dealing with boys If the
diet hurts them they get the belly-ache,
and if they don't suffer the fruit don't
hurt them, and this is their affair and
not ours.
Let me just here state fact that
think will be Il new one to many anX-
ious parents. A hair-brcadth escape is
not an accident nor a calamity. The
boy is all the better for it.
Out of respect for public opinion and
not to be thought peculiar, yielded to
Mariah's persuasions and overhaued
Pete the morning after his narrow cs-
cape, to show cause why he should not
be whipped for escaping with his life.
We weep for a child when he loses his
life, then why not thrash him when he
saves it?
What is this, sir, that your mother
tells me about your coming pretty near
a blowing of yourself up?'
Pete was not much surprised, rs boys
as a rule expect to encounter trowns and
sometimes worse fare after holiday
Parents must have some cseape-valvc
for the effects of their WEAKNESS and in
digestion.
Peter came in our room rubbing his
eyes and looking for his pants; scantly
attired he was.
Now don't make your reproof ridic-
ulous,' whispered Mariah.
Never fear, Mariah, my head aches"
replied. "Now, sir, go on and tell US
whether"-to save my life ] could not
just think what fault wanted to go at
" did you set your pocket atire on pur-
pose, sir; tell me about it, sir"
"Well mamma told me not 30 put any
fire in my pockets, and | didn't mean to;
but when | got down to Billy Mullikin's
house he was a-scttin' on his steps
Come out and shoot crackers, says /.
Mother won't let me- says he; she
don't let me have them Well, then,
come out and see me- Mother told me
not to leave the yard says he. Where
is your mother?' says |. She and pa
has gone on an excursion, says he. Why
didn't you go?' says |. She was afraid
10 have me on the cars says he. Did
she tell you l couldn't come and see
your says |. No. says he. So went
in and | shot off crackers. Then
says Bill, Can you shoot of POWDER
'Of course says l. Then he brought out
his fathers powder, and we put it all
along the vine by their porch, as Bill
said so, for he did not want his mother
to know it, and then he was going to
touch it off with coal, and the coal
didn't work, and when turned my back
he was on his knees blowing it. 'ltll
kill you,' yelled, and grabbed him by
the leg, and hadn't got him morn SO far
from the powder before off it went, and
the vine and the porch steps give jump;
but we didn't mean to blow things up,
only he put down too much powder. And
then l grabbed up cracker that hadn't
gone off yet and put it in my pocket and
when was getting over the fence, quick
like, heard noise ON the fence, and
before ] had time to grab the crackers
out of my pocket half dozen had gone
off-and-and Pm afraid that's how my
pocket came burned; but | didn't think
it would go off, said Pete.-Intertor.