New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-23
BOSTON SEVENTY YEARS AGO.
EDWARD EVERETT HALE'S "REMINISCENCES
OF TOYHoOD.
A NEW ENGLAND BOYIlo0D. ny Edward p. lIai'
pp. xXiii. 267. Casscll Publishing Company

vrw FvGJtVD ROYIIOOD. ~ Edward F.. Hal"
Pm. xiii. 267 CasscI Publishing Company.
Much has been said one tine and another ahou The
,vroc. NJ America but after all existence In a
counrv where single lifetime reaches back 10 wh"'
may well he called antiquity has It's "d'"n'"p'S
Tie United states has moved so rapidly III 'h' INV
~ civilization that # has covered III" wh"e III
teryol between "dugouts" ara tail dwellings I'""o
with s,onc In thc mcrcst fraction OF the time which
o,hcr nation, took Ia make thc same journey nam
lets hive become villages. villages towns ana town'
cities in less than Il lifetime and oven th" oldest
communities sometimes indicate belief that t'"y
roov only began a short time since 10 grow Mr. iaF
in this entertaining little book Is obliged \" enc
fcw figures Just show Bostonans and New, orhcrS
~ tho present generation that The to"iS "' "Hioh
they are so Justly proud did great deal {" gro"''s
in earlier decades well as later ones. N'N'r.n'
loss fine Boston 10 which he introduces his readers
WA. for numbers about equal 10 fine county c"pn'
~ tho nrcsont day There were no railroads. though
tho rumor Of them was ia the air ana MI iiae ;
father devoted the enthusiasm and ac'ivi'y OF III
energetic nature 10 successful enof' Ior '"n"S
homes and anticipaons on this point INV" r'"''''
There IS bit OF story which illustrates how human
nature clngs 10 the past. even when making nS'i'
ridiculous bv so doing. There was In Mr. Haze
family an old servant named Fullnm After IN" com
plc,on Of a portion Of the Boston and Worcester
Railroad the family went is summer Journey III
n train instead Of with horscs and carriage. Brs ~
tlc carrage would lie useful In The country, II was taken
on a at-cnr attached to the train. And Fulum roo"
in the carriage instead Of taking his place In the
passenger like reasonable being
Child life seems to have been less affected by ar
rfclal aduncs sixty or seventy years ago than now
Mr. Hale shows hearty dislike for some methods
Of teaching children. Any system that has the look
OF forcing the child's mind IS hateful to him. II"
congraulates himself that his teacher FOR some years
was to 'nse his emphatic word q simpcton
Though school was irksome 10 him he somehow man
aged TO learn inst though The lessons were part
OF the amusement Of the day. He should remember.
however that he was manfesy trained 10 look at
the .eutlcs Of HE somewhat more scdatcy and TO
see them more clearly perhaps, than others, even
his cnn;emporures when the New England conscience
was AT IT'S best There Is hint anywhere in this
book that he was tempted TO plny truant. Doubt
less the influence OF home made the thought OF such
a thing impossible. II found traces In his
record Of school life Of some such struggle between
duty and ploasurc-a sore one, every one vino has
ever PLAYED tr,.an who has resisted The tempt aon
can test,fy-hen might DO Inferred that his training
was less plctc than II seems to have been. lie
smiles little at the boundlcSs HOPES inspired by
new fancies about education in those days but really
the calm memory OF his own early years suggest ;
that there was much good In the devices then used.
II was the day Of societies for the dlffu.fon Of
knowledge Of popular experiments In scicncr when
every boy his OWE chemist and his own toy
maker and what not. after the manner Of the Edge-
worth brood OF p'rfcctlbe little folks. Mr.. Hale
himself Is an admirable example Of results under the
old system. Even Lord Brongham. the apostle Of
knowledge as a means OF growth In goodness. might
well be proud OF him.
But Mr.. IInle's boyhood was NOT oil dcvoci 10
the school There the pleasure Of the attic at
home with its tool box and chemicals ~ ra1~.rc
the rarr holidays the Common especially pIcetion
DAYS and training days there were country walks
which involved the minute study OF the country
about Eoston and there were longer Journeys by
carriage and railroad train. Finally there liar
YARD College which Mr.. Hale entered IN Lis four-
tccnth year. He was thus still boz wien no
Graduated and he was truly TO be cnvl that with
some wears between him and legal manhood he
could mediate what he was TO do in He. or
examinations as he knew them he speaks with some
severity and he Is genally humorous at the expense
OF the graduating exercises aud The degree which
fcrs Sd little in such sounding Latin phrases.
Bnt his boyish life must have been altogether pleas
ant or else he has forgotten The dsusrccabc episodes
In it. The book contains . number Of Illustrations.