Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-06-30
AIR-CASTLE BUILDING
Bill Gossstts Seliloquii3 Upon This
Mythical Cilpsntsf's Work.
CAUGHT HIS HEAD IN THE HOLE.
An Amusing Incident Of school-Boy
Ltfe-The JOYS and Sorrows Of Pie
nics-Bloomers and knickerhock"
ers ~ Bicycle Costumes.

hopes and aspirations nave not pee"
pictured In airy. fairy forms; whose am
billions have not been portrayed in the
erection OF mythical edinces brighter than
the Egyptian palaces. and spreading out
like the Bonded heavens? Well. ! guess
not. and 1t Is really very sweet and child
like to build these dream-like, unsubstan-
tial palaces while we sit and muse the
long, dull hours and weeks and years
away as they melt into decades. wen,
indeed, do I remember n Ions time ago.
when In the Joy and innocence or my
childhood days, i wended my painful way
10 school with a paper OF tacks In one
pocket and a mouth-harp In the other'
and built air-castles all the way. of
course. l had few other thoughts. as L
endeavored to get tack wrong end up
In the teachers chair; but even then was
doing this same kind OF carp;nters WORK.
Though / have built many of these loVeiy
castles, l never lived in one. and would
for the tiniest OF tiny considerations give
a full releasc-deed and a clear bill OF sale
for the dreary. desolate structure. and
everything in IL. OF all edifices. the easiest
10 build and the hardest to pull down are
castles in the air-mythical cities OF
waking dreams illuminated by the ener-
vescent dazzling light OF hope. that SHINES
through all It's corridors, where II is never
dark. and where despair never enters.
Nothing that man. woman, or chiid ever
did reveals more clearly the happy SIDE
OF human life or causes the gay voice or
gladness TO resound through the chambers
of the soul like the building OF air-castles.
But for these fairy homes of the imaSina-
ton, Ambitions hand might palsied faii'
and the fires of youth shoulder in for
gotten past. while Hope would sit In the
charnel-house. despair would be with US
and sorrow would ever gnaw our hearts.
Verify. / say unto you. Build air-castles.
and faint not. for they do no harm, ana
may prevent you getting into mischief
IAN idle BRAIN etc. etc.
Speaking about school-days and mouth
harps reminds me OF an incident that
happened when in the long ago ! gave
brilliant school marster" splendid op-
pOrtunity to train young idea up the
ladder OF fame. In those days there were
no baseball bats, or footballs. or boat
paddles 10 carry along with you. j fear
he did not avail himself OF the chance
thus afforded to turn out a meteor that
would flash from the rock-covered coast
of the Atlantic, where the eastern song
OF tha sea begins its morning lullaby, TO
the distant shores of the mighty Pacific,
where its western waters lovingly chant
an evening benedicton. As the readers
OF this column have. no doubt, lon5
since learned | came from the country,
where the big and the little boys went
to school together. and where we little
fellows generally got the worst OF every
thing, even our own lunches. There were
two rooms to the school-hOuse, and the
teachers seat was in the door between
them. Whether this was 10 give him
an opportunity TO see the scholars In both
rooms or 10 get the cool breeze as II blew
through the house. | am unable TO say,
hut / well remember how he sat there.
rule IN hand, and how ! dreaded 10 pass
by. Well. one day be- was called out of
the house and thought / would be
funny. There was stoye-pipe hole III
the wall between the rooms. and through
this poked my head. and gave recital
of BOY stood on the Burning deck" with
several variations found in a comic alma
nae. In the midst OF the Performance.
the Professor" returned. but he forgot
IL send a messenger ahead TO announce
his coming. Without a word he walked
UP TO where | was. and grasped me with
a firm hand where, II Is said, Queen VIC.
1
get my head back, and | really didn't
know who it was that had me by III.
neck. This was followed by the use
of a rule that made me think a fire had
broken out in the room that my head
was not in. My recitation about thu
alleged hero OF the destroyed boat was
changed 10 language such as is not heard
in my friend. George Tibbittss parlOrs.
but / certainly did feel mean in more
ways than one WHEN the Professor
liberated me. and | saw who II was. II
is hardly necessary TO say that l had
about as little use for chairs the fol-
lowing week as Mr.. Gold-Buck Parker
will have for Richmond in the future.
This is the season when picnics become
tha fashionable Tad, and more little
children, and medium-sized children, and
full-srown children attend Sunday school
than any other in the year. Though the
weather has been trihe off for the
successful conduct Of these outings. there
seems to be at present full assortment
to select from. and. from the Sunday
run TO Ocean View TO the night street
car ride to Forest HILL the average fellow
has an opportunity 10 have a picnic tfat
Is delightful indeed to contemplate, end
very often stll more pleasant TO realize.
And then, too, there is a great deal Of
fun al a Sunday-school picnic You spread
your dinner out with some one else upon
the green grass. provided there is any
grass. and you find you have Just about
twice as much as your neighbor, and
about half as many 10 eat. While you
lugged your basket around on yea arm,
your neignhOr Yut his in the baggage
car and when the opening-up time ar
rived IL was very pleasant 10 see hir
fish the ham-sandwich from the DIRE
nj t.lyn xHlA
tion in the sponge-cake, in the hope
finding the hard-boled eggs. The C
tea that was bottled up so carefully is
wrung from the napkins, wnile the mus
tard is separated from the tomato pre-
serves The ice having melted Oh the
way to the grounds. the nice. warm. mel
low lemonade is served with live grass
hoppers. and the fellow that can't have
fun under such circumstances really
ought not TO be in Sunday school. Rain
is great drawback to picnlcs. and |
really don't believe that old Jupiter Plu-
vius is in sympathy with these pleasant
little outings OF course, a fellow could
take an umbrella, instead of a girl. ana
he would really find the former much
easier TO shut up than the latter, but then
the umbrella is not so nice 10 get lost IN
! the woods with. And. then, one feels so
nice the next day after picnic Inc
little fOOt-raCc ne ndQ WIN tHc Po'soh
leaves his limbs so nimble and Young
like. and such a pleasant sensation hovers
around his craw as result of the mixed
dinner he ate. that working is source or
great joy and he feels like wishing that
all the year was a picnic. and he was
master Of ceremonies.
A Chicago alderman has come INTO
prominence by introducing measure be-
fore his city government prohibiting
the use OF knickerhockers or boomers
In connection with the bicycle. i think
the gentleman from the White City Is
entirely OF, and. should any Richmond
councilman contemplate acting In a SINH
lar way, l would suggest to him that.
while there Is yet time. he should fee
to the mountains OF Hepsidam and swop
bitter tears with the lonely and mourn
ing Whangdoodie. or go to Manchester
and Join the Ragamuffins. OF course. the
pork dealer Is entirely wrong, and Is evil
| IDENTIFY not up In society development or the
rise and progress In breeches. There may
possibly be few people who object to
bicycles and do not wish to see them
lbeautified. but for my part i say let the
| boomer come. and come quickly Unless
the bicycle be eliminated altogether the