Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1886-05-02
SMILING ON SCABS.
A MODERN REVISION AND
TIMELY APPLICATION.
"Oyer the Garden Wall A Prac.
tical Lesson for the Courier"
The Danger of Smiling Upon
and FOndling Scabs.
The Boycott

"lle Jests at scars, that never felt
a wound
So said young fellow who had
Just succeeded in getting cover the
garden wall. and consequently
things looked propltious Gf per
chance a critic should take excep-
tions, and claim that "things" are
not properly organized to 'look,
let him be "anathema,' etc. for
the consummation of his hearts de-
sire, to wit an interview with his
lady love, or, in the better English
Of modern times, his ''best mash. :"
The occasion of this exclamation
quoted, was presumably the fact that
IN the process of getting on the
fright side Of the fence" or wall,
he had come IN abrupt and unpre-
meditated contact with some of the
cver-present al ilncts of garden walls,
namely, broken glass, iron spikes,
and so forth. These things, though
not designed for ornamentation, are
embellishments without which
such structures would fail to fill that
gap in human needs, for which they
were intended.
TO the mind of the ordinary
young man who is about to interview
his best girl, the fact of having run
afoul of iron spikes or broken glass,
is, to say the least, not reassuring ;
for, not alone must it be distressing
to present a lacerated appearance, or,
should we admit that, in this case,
the wound from its location was not
visible to the casual observer, vet
the fact of the victims inability to
to maintain that ease and grace when
*dfIng IN the presence of his girl, SO
desirable on such occasions in conse-
quence thereof, would make it none
the less doubtful to him, whether
"llfe was worth living; but, as init
mated, this would not be all for in AL
dition to the physical suffering and
mental discomfort, there would be the
anguish of the thought, that he had
many Il time and oft, jeered at 9th
ers' scars or scabs and now. poor
unfortunate that he is, he has one,
or is about to have one on his own
hands. When it is said that he is
about to have a scar or scab on his
own hands, it must be understood
as a figure of speech, for as everyone
knows, the point Of greatest CON
tact-if the phrase is admissible
Of the human body and the top OF
the wall, during the yicissitudes Of a
transit, would almost preclude the
possibility OF the scars or scabs being
located on the parts mentioned. In
introducing the word scab, We trust
no one will be so fastidious as to take
offence for, not only is it term of
deep significance at the present time,
but We are pleased to be able to i'll
form our readers that Il critic of un-
questioned ability, has looked up
the original manuscript copies OF
Shakespeare and AYERS that the exca
nation of Romeo should read -
"smiles on scabs that never felt Il
wound" " Now, though not prepar-
ed to say that this form is stronger
than the other, yet from a logical
point of view it seems the more
proper of the two. And, for this
reason scar is not ordinarily SC
conspicuous a thing as to occasion
jeers or smiles; in fact, such little
matters can be readily concealed.
Not so with the unblushing scab,
which makes presence not to be
put by So it must appear. that ii
is altogether more probable that tht
original text was in the form quoted.
Again, if We judge of the past by
the present, and no one will deny the
propriety of such view, unless,
indeed, We except some of the at
taches of the Courier office and tC
be sure, in appealing to the public