Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-04-07
ABOUT BOYS.

There is a curious fact in the boyish
character which seems, at first sight, to
make good the opinion that private educa-
ton at home is the true method. Before
they 90 out into school life many little fell
lows of nine or SO are extremely original,
imaginative, and almost poetieal. They
are fond of books, fond of nature, and, if
you can win their confidence, will tell you
all sorts of pretty thoughts and fancies
which lie about them in their infancy.
have known little boy who liked to lie
on the grass and to people the alleys and
glades of that miniature forest with fairies
and dwarfs, whom he seemed actually to
see in kind of vision, But he went to
school, he instantly won the 100 yards race
for boys under II, and he came back a
young barbarian, interested in the theory
of touch lat football), curious in the art
of bowling, and no more capable than you
or l OF seeing fairies in green meadow.
He was caught up into the air of the boy
world, and his imagination was in allegiance
for season. This is a common enough
thing, and rather a melancholy spec
tacle to behold. One is tempted to
believe that school causes Che loss of good
deal of genius, and that the small boys
who leave home poets, and come back bar
barians have been wasted. But, on the
other hand, if they had been kept at home
and encouraged, the chances are that they
would have blossomed into infant phenom.
ena and nothing better. The awful infancy
of John Stuart Mill is a standing warning.
Mr.. Mill would probably have been much
happier and wiser man if he had not been
precocious linguist, economist and philos-
opher, but had passed through healthy
stage of Indifference to learning and spec
ulation at public school. Look again at
the childhood of Bishop Thirlwall. His
Primitia were published (by Samuel
Upper, London, lS0S) when young Connop
was but ii years of age. His indiscreet
father launched this slender bark" as
he says and it sailed through three edi-
tions between 1908 and 1909. Young
Thlrlwall was taught Latin at 8
years Of age, "and at 4 read
astonished all who heard him. At
7 he composed an essay "On the Uncer-
tainty of Human Life, " but " his taste for
poetry was not discovered till later
period" His sermons, some 40, occupy
most of this little volume in which these
" Primitie were collected Hejwas espe.
cially concerned about Sabbath dissertation.
Z" L confess" observes this sage of 10,
"wheD look upon the present and past
state of our public morals, and when con-
trast our present luxury, dissipation, and
depravity, with past frugality and virtue
feel not merely a sensation of regret, but
also of terror, for the result of the change"
1.-THE late Revolution in France, he adds,
"has afforded US remarkable lesson how
necessary religion is to State, and that
from deficiency on that head arise the
chief evils which can befall society" He
then bids us remember that the Nebuch.
adnezzar who may destroy our Israel is near
at hand" though it might be difficult to
show how NebuchadneZzar destroyed Israel.
As to the uncertainty of life, he re-
marks that Edward VI. died in his mi
nority, and disappointed his subjects, to
whom he had promised happy reign"
OF this infants SO sermons Gust as many
as the Articles), it may be said that they
are in no way inferior to other examples of
this class of literature. But sermons are
among the least "scarce and "rare of
human essays, and many parents would
rather have their boy patiently acquiring
the art of cket-keeping at school than
moralizing on the uncertainty of life at
home. Some one "having presented to
the young author copy of verses on the
trite and familiar subject of the Plowboy,"
he replied with an ode on "the Potboy :"
Bliss is not always joined to wealth.
Nor dwells beneath the gilded roof,
For poverty is bliss with health,
OF that my potboy stands proof.
The volume ends with this determine
ton:
Still shall seek Apolo's sheltring ray,
To cheer my spirits and inspire my Law.
1.-The Cernhill Magazine.