St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-10-14
Sensational Reading For Boys.
BY MRS. MARIE B. WILLIAMS, OPELOU-
SAS, LA.

BY MRS. MARIE B. WILLIAMS, OPELOU-
sAs, LA.
Crime literature is the foul leprOsy
of modern times. A perverted taste
launched it on the market, and it is
eagerly bought, and the poison spread
through the multitudes. Parents and
guardians should no more admit 1t on
the shelves of their hOuseh0ld libra
ries, than they would leave bottle of
arsenic, or prussic acid, unlabeled on a
shelf with harmless domestic medi-
cines. 1t is like giving helpless pa
tient death draught, and then Won
dering at its effect.
There is milder form of this ram
pant evil, which often by slow grada
lions leads to the darker page of
crime, | mean that species of youths
sensational literature, which deals
with impossible adventures and youth
full heroes who are born to conquer
not only man, but the natural laws by
which man exists. OF course the boy
does not see the absurd side, and
sometimes the wicked side of these
stories. His heroes, who are to him
real lads like himself, usually run
away from home before they begin the
life of adventure which makes them
rich and famous. He VIII follow their
example, too, and run away from his
home. His first peril, or hair breadth
escape, will, he feels, develOpe in him
the giant strength and reckIessness of
his favorite heroes. He sighs for free
dom and adventure, and can hardly
LnnnIS nf hiC
home. How many of these misguided
runaways return in a better or more
contepted frame of mind than they
left They have touched evil things,
and they are defiled. How many never
return ut all, but drift down to the
great gulf which swallows 80 many
homeless waits and never even gives
back their names
A little incident which occurred a
few months ago, and came under my
personal observation, has given
warmth to my denunciatiOns of this
sensational literature. Like others, |
lpgw the effects must be bad, but we
cannot realize the dangers of distant
storm, unless we happen to be brought
face to face with its wrecks. | was
spending some weeks in the village of
b and heard a good deal about a
boy who had been lQqnging about the
streets in an aimless manner. He was
tramp, and he was always hanging
around the doors of grOg-shops.
Tramps were common in D., but
this boy | heard was evidently some
thing uncommon, and when | saw him
| agreed with the popular verdict. He
was apparently about seventeen, with
delicately cut features. His language,
when he was not cursing, was that of
a cultivated person, and there was at
times q refinement of manner and ad-
dress about him, which was strangely
incOngruOus with his ragged clothes
and general debasement. No one knew
whence he came, for even when intnxi-
Gated, he refused TO answer "a question.
1t was an amusement with the tOpers
of the village to ply the boy with Ii
quOr until he reached what they called
the "spouting STAGE" when he would
declaim long poems and speeches. He
did it admirably, too, with little tricks
of gesture and oratory, and in a we'll
trained voice which proved that much
care had been bestowed on that branch
of education. He was known by the
name of Jack, OF "Lord Jack" in de-
rision of what his boom companions
called his "toploftical airs"
One morning, in passing near one Ot
the many liquor dens In the village,
saw large crowd assembled on the
sidewalk, and Jack standing on dry
goods box in the center.
"NOw, fust thing, Jack, we wants
| nrraina > Shnnta6 hi0 rcd faaad
man. 'I'll gin you two big drinks et
you gives us that 'barOum, barOum
baree' like a real drum"
l stopped opposite. l couldn't helI
it. 1t was wonderful how that poor
drunken boy managed to bring out the
utterable woe and pathos of thai
strange ballad. But in the very mids
of it, he stopped, and began in pas
sionate tones the plant of Dido in the
1Eneid:
| MOremur nults
Sed mOriamur ait; sic iuvat ire sub umbras.
WAS positively stupetied to hear
those words in pure accent from thu
lips of the ragged vagabOnd who stoot
there. But there was an angry stir il
the crowd.
'We didn't ask fur none of your In
Jun talk" cried the man who had ask
ed for Lorraine" 'IWhen we want
that, We'll go to a full -bloOded, wilt
Injun. l reckon, Jack, you amt more'l
half breed, nohOw."
''Who calls me half-breed Indian Z?
the boy cried furiously, for he ha'
reached the quarreling stage of intoxi
) cation. 1'm a gentleman's son, d
You hear? Yes, Pm a judges Sol
who sends vagabOnds like you to jail
:, and to the penitentiary."
There was Il taunting laugh from tn
crowd.
''Hurrah fur the judges son, Per
, haps your honorable pa had bette
send You pair of whole pants. An
your honorable ma"
"Don't dare take my mothers nam
on your foul lips" he screamed, livi
with fury, and trembling all over.
| "Well, no." sneered the big red face
ed man, 81 reckon it amt 'xactly f
fur gentleman to"
: He did not finish his insult. Th
e boy leaped upon him like wild ca
I and the crowd laughed at the unequi
=, combat. With all his strength tn
e man beat him over the head, and o
= the chest, but suddenly he uttered
!, sharp cry. "He's stabbed me. He
!, got knife"
e In a second the crowd had torn til
e boy away, and .ierked penknife frol
II his hand. The Oaths and foul Lar
Il guage drove me from the place, I
$ which had been riveted by the rapi
: course of events. But | did not 10.
9 sight of Jack. He was carried to .jai
: hnt did not remain there long. as Il