News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-11-27
TALKS WITH THE BOYS.
THE YOUNG FELLOWS OF TWENTY
FIVE YEARS AGO.
How They Lived-The Amusement They
Had and the show they Had for Start
in Life.
BY NJ. QUAD.

BYM. QUAD.
A boy in Iowa writes as follows:
ST am greatly interested in your talks
With the Boys In some of them you
have spoken of the boys of twenty or
twenty five years ago. 1 take it you are
old enough to tell us something interest
ing about the boy of that period"
Well, my lad, 1 wish q dozen times a
week that L was a boy of to-day, but
never once do I wish to be set back to
the boyhood of twenty-five years ago. I
presume there was considerable differ
ence between the boys living in
cities and those dwelling in towns or
living on farms-I mean in the matter
of dress and privileges, but it was lone
some enough to be boy anywhere.
What was home Well, the very rich
bad carpets, cane-seat chairs and a
melodeon and ''kept hired GIRL" but
the commonly well-off people had rag
carpets on the parlor floors and the
others went bare. Splint or flag bottom
chairs were thought good enough and
the dollar chromos of to-day would have
been considered fit for the parlor of the
richest man in the village. Wall paper
had scarcely been heard of and all furni-
ture was of the plainest description. All
the beds of those days had cords and a
straw tick, and all boys up to IA or Is
years of age slept in trundle-beds. 1t
was seldom that common family lighted
more than one candle of an evening, and
this furnished the light for all. 1t was
something extra when two candles were
allowed. and the sight of three or four
burning at once in one house would have
created the greatest establishment out
side.
1t was the way all people ived-sim-
pie, economical, and without any heed
for society or fashion, but it was terribly
dreary compared to your homes of to-
day.
What was our living? One meal was
almost the counterpart of another. In
village of 500 inhabitants perhaps
three families could afford wheat bread.
but it was 'johnny cake" with all the
rest week in and week out. Fresh meats
came at rare intervals, and salt pork
filed the gap. The average meal was
| johnny cake, salt pork, potatoes, apple
''sass, and a very crude sort of pie, and
weak tea or barley coffee. Mind you,
the children got no warm drinks, and
though almost everybody kept a COW the
milk was saved for pudding. While
butter was not more than six cents per
pound, the children were expected to eat
gravy in place of it; and while eggs
might have been had for five cents
dozen they were looked upon as luxury.
Up to the time when boy was IA he
had no chair at the table, but stood up
to eat. 1t was rare thing for a young
person to give party, or for young peo-
pie to be found at lectures or exhibitions.
The rule was to force them into bed soon
after dark. At the age of Is had never
seen show of any sort, nor had any
thing of the kind ever been in the vii
lage Had there been one every week
it would have done us boys no good.
Not three out of the hundred knew
could have raised dime to pay his way
in, or would have been allowed to use
the money in that way.
How did we dress ? Well, the oldest
son had rather the best show. Fathers
wornout clothes were ripped up, dyed
over and made up anew for him. The
rest of us had to take our chances when
''store order" was traded out. Every
mother was a tailor and she cut the
clothes according to her own ideas. The
pantaloons might be too shorts but never
too long. If the coat happened to fit it
was all right; if not the boy had to wear
it Just the same.
1t was considered sin to let boys
wear boots or shoes during the sum-
mer. Therefore, from May to October
boys went barefoot, even to church. A
pair of cowhide boots were good enough
for anybody's boy, and six-shilling
cloth cap fitted him out for head-gear
What amusements did we have? In
the towns and villages the boys had
their games for Saturday afternoons,
but during the rest Of the week were
| expected to put in their spare time at
thea wood pile or i'm the garden. On
farm it was not more than twice a year
that boy got half day off, 1t was
considered sinful to dance, and singing
was not much encouraged. If lad had
any musical talent he had more enemies
than friends. The idea of most parents
seemed to be to prevent their boys from
having good time. If lad could not
be loaded down with enough work to
keep his spirits in check, there were
plenty of women in the neighborhood
to tell him to his face that they expect
ed to live to see him hung for murder.
As to family government, the oId-time
| father was supposed to be infallible. He
could not take his sons life, but he
could come very near it and escape even
censure. The boys were not requested,
but ordered, to do this and that. I can
remember many fathers who made it
practice to keep ''gads" in the house.
About once in so long they made trip
to the woods to cut biue-beech and
hickory switches, and these were laid by
to season. The boy who did not receive
clicking" once week felt that some
thing dreadful was about to happen in
that community. 1t was considered the
correct thing to ''tan his jacket" OF gen.
eral principles. Many parents reasoned
that unless a boy was thrashed about
once in so often he would be pretty GER
tain to go to the bad. cannot remem-
Der of a case where boy did not stand
in fear of his father.
Our school advantages In the vii
lagos we had but one school for all sizes
and ages, and when a boy had so far
progressed that he could ''read, write
and cipher" he was considered fairly
educated. The schoolmasters knew but |
little more, and seemed to take more |
pleasure in punIshing a scholar than in |
encouraging him over hard lesson.
What show was there for boy to get |
start in life ? None at all, compared |
to the chances of to-day. If he started |
out to learn trade he was bound like a |
slave, treated little better than one, and |
paid almost nothing. Instead of hu-
man being he was drudge. If he |
worked by the day, he must do dollars
worth of work for shilling, simply be-
cause he was boy. When 1 look back |
and remember how the boys of that age |
were treated-how little they had to en- |
courage them-what few chances offered |
I wonder that so many turned out so |
well.
The business of this country to-day.
my boy, is being carried on by the men |
who were boys twenty and twenty-five
years ago. All the grand tunnels and |
bridges and buildings are being built by |
them; all the great discoveries in science |
and art are being made by them; they
are our Mayors and Governors and law.
makers; they are our poets, statesmen,
editors, bankers, lawyers and merchants.
IF, under such disadvantages of early
life, they have been able to achieve these
triumphs, what can we not expect of YOU?
In about a score of years the world will
be turned over to Won to run, What
will you do with the legacy?
A WOman's Stratagem.
A young girl and an elderly woman
-