The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-12-12
BOYS OF CORNWALL.
AS Jolly q Lot as Can be Found In
Chr!stondom.
WAKEMAN DESCRIBES THE LIFE
Led by These Youngsters. Their Boy.
ish Franks aud Gamcs..Forbiddcn
Plcnsurcs..1hc Christmas Time.
How They Learn to Work.


s lcorYRidlir 1911
Srtctd! Correspondence Of te Intoiioencer.
CEowAN, CORNWALL, Nov. est is n
talk and a seat" MS Cornish folk them.
selves cay, that Is a word and n blow,
and oftencr tho blow first, discipline OF
Cornish children, and particularly Cor.
nish boys.
Tho girls Of Cornwall give nobody
trouble in early lie. They are little M.
tomatonl in youth, silent rs pagan stone
circles in %.irlhood, voiceless and blush
ing thereafter until welded, when they
Mt once develop such strength OF char.
acter, temper and tongue that half the
men OF Cornwall are known individu.
ally as "jinny's jack" aud in raiIlcry
ure greeted with the inquiry:
flows the womun rs owns 'ee?'
Whether or not tho boys require
rough treatment, they get it. They
seem to expect it.. And they thrive
under it. They arc all boys OF parents
who labor severely, and whose fathers
before them for moro than = Thousand
years have drudged and striven in the
same sturdy way. Sentiment in child
training is here unknown. a drill.
hammer, n hob-nailcd boot, or Il huge
fist goes along smartlv with the rcpri.
mand. Disobcdicnce is almost unknown.
Whenever il occurs it Is Il nino-day's
wonder to the entire village. Recently
! witnessed an instance in Il mining
village. A miner had given his boy Il
command.
II went do't!" replied the lud stout
"Tla wusn't, Ell" Well, If thee
doesn't, III give tn n thunp in the
nudcck (back OF the ncck)!'
The words were not out OF the fathers
mouth before he had knocked the boy
senseless by n blow in tho "nudeck."
No one expressed surprise at the treat.
ment, and tho boy was left where he
foll unit. his senses returned, which he
marched %straightway to carry out his
fathers command. But the astonish.
ment and horror ut the boys dis.
obedience set the entire village in IN
uproar.
The Cornish boy is not permitted TO
imagine himself proficient. One boy |
know, ]apprcnticcd to his grandfather,
the village joiner and undertaken, had
made n lirtle dove-tailcd box with
hinges, lock and key, in which to store
his pennies and other boy treasures.
He was naturally proud OF tho achieve.
ment, and asked the old man il the
work was not we'll done. The latter i'm.
mediatcly proceeded to kick the too
aspiring lad from one end Of the village
to the other.
A COMPARISON.
As n rule our American boys have 4
keen ambition TO do, be, or possess
something, and are encouraged i'll such
ambition. l cannot find n trace OF this
in Cornwall. Its boys simply exist
until old enough for endless labor, and
then take their places unilinchingly in
the dangerous fishing boat, on the farm,
or inlthc mine, the hardest working and
the most blunt, rough and honest men
in the world.
Still in their way and within their rig
orous conditions OF lie, the boys OF
Cornwall are perhaps as jolly q lot and
secure rs much rough, boyish enjoyment
rs the lads OF any other country in the
world. Their costume IRON the ago OF
four to about ten is peculiar, and gives
them the appearance of rudely dressed
girls. Their feet are shod with light
hob shoes, over which short coarse
wooden stockings are always hanging.
4 bare reach OF shin intcrvcnes between
these and the canvas and corduroy
. .rn,pnr. . G,.hr t1,n 1,ttar - ~ c1-,,t a.,
with tho boys OF the west OF Ireland,
reaching to the knees. Trousers and
skirt hang from 4 rough WOODEN waist;
and ovcr all is a loose Saved" or save
all. OF canvas OF coarse muslin, some
thing alter the pattern OF q short smock
frock. The hcad-gear is supplied bv
the discarded caps or billy.cock hats OF
fathers, with the best Of ventilation al
ways provided,
At this age the Cornish boy is simply
nvoracious little animal, bent solely on
supplying a never wholly satisfied hun
ger; and his mothers chief duties
towards him consist in providing an
adequate supply Of what he is forever
demanding i'll the form OF "~tracle
mosscl." He means treac.e and 4 NOR.
sci Of bread, and the liappiest hours OF
his lie arc employed in its consumr.
ton. He has few ''chores' or crrands.
his chief labor being to supply tho
household with water. This is brought
in buckets or delft pitchers from long
distances, from q half mile 10 two miles,
from ''pcn-stalis," springs, or ancient
Celtic holy wells; and this he manages
to convert into diversion, us he is never
without company.
DoYHooD PLEASURES.
The Cornish boy, either while skir:cl
or when he has reached the corduroy
age, is never lonesome in his little IA.
bors or III his various sturdy pastimes.
All Cornish folk live in communities.
movo about in groups, and even emf.
crate i'll crowds. Cornish fishers live
in villages; miners arc universallyi found
i'll little mining towns; md from three
on four 10 4 dozen farmers with their
s,ead!ngs and tiny farm houses are hud.
died close together. So there are n
score OF young Cousin Jacks in .ho
smallest hamlcts;. and the ADVANTAGE
and pleasure o. numbers arc invariably
possessed. Their few cnjoyments are
thus the heartier; their registering tho
moro bo%istcrous; and their opportunity
Tor that ccasclcs5 round of harmless
mischief which Is the browning glory Of
all true and healthy boyhood, is do.
liehtiully increased.
Indeed themost marked characteristic
OF the Cornish boy ishis endless partici.
patton in mischief. 1t never goes tho
length OF brutality and harm; but it il
as though his whole ycas were n Mill