The sun., 1898-02-14

A REAL STORY OF BOYHOOD.
BY JULIAN HAWTHORNE.

Bailey Aldrlch--have already shown us
that genius cannot be more delightfully."-
occupied than in retracing the scenes
and rccrcating the feelings that belong
to that golden period of human life when
we believed all things, hoped all things
and Mheid all things Illuminated with
the light that never was, on sea or land
Such records, rightly presented, must
always Ike full of humor, animation and
variety, with Il pathos underlying
them, due to the inevitable dispropor-
ton between the facts of this ancient
world and the dauntless authorizations of
inexr fenced childhood. They bring
with them a lesson, also; for we might
If we would, remain essentially boys all
our lives, and then the world would be
much nearer its millennium than it is
now. And, indeed. it is because the boy
turks, however well disguised, beneath
the seeming of every true man, that
books like this of Julius Chambers are
so lovingly read by men as we'll as by
boys. We love To be assured that there
are other grown up boys besides our
selves, and are thus encouraged to act
out the faith that is in us, and to let the
sunshine, which is always waiting behind
the clouds, beam forth more frequently
than it has become our habit to do
There is less farce and boisterousnesS
in "The Rascal Club than in the other
three mentioned; but the book thereby
gains Il hold upon our sympathies and
belief which the others hardly secure.
There is pcrmeating Mr.. Chambers mar
ratiye thread OF human tenderness
which cnrichcs every episode; it shows
on the writer's part All intimate and liv-
ing sympathy with boyhood which is
far rarer and more valuable than the
mere appreciation of Il boys absurdities
and animal spirits common to such as
view childhood from without instead of
from within. "The thoughts Of boy
are long, long thoughts;' his impulses
are often generous, his emotions sweet
and charitable; hut perhaps because it is
less easy to depict these aspects than to
recount the comic and headlong features
Of a buys career, we seldom find rounded
treatment of the subject in books about
boys. This, however, is what Mr.
Chambers has given us; and there is in
him no affectatinn of standing outside
his topic and commenting upon it in Il
vein Of amused, if kindly, superiority.
! Ir frankly and f;lithiully identifies him
self with his boy, and revercnces him
too much to ueddle with his thoughts
and uttcrances. We hear the boys
voice throughout, and no other. l wish
! could more adequately cor vey the
peculiar charm which this book exercises.
1t is full Of genuine fun and comedy; yet
sincerity, simplicity and truth are every
where paramount. When we part with
the boy we understand and love him and
bid him farewell with regret. He has
been made real to us; we should know
him if we met. Delicatel Y and convinc-
inglv real, too, are the scenes and per-
sons in and with whom he lives and acts
The little Ohio town Of Giraffe has been
made veritabe to lis in all its homely
its inhnbtants are familiar
acquaintances. No characteristic touch
has been omitted; nothing unimportant
has been insisted On. The literary art of
the writer appears in this; indeed, there
is only too much of Greek reticence in
his handling. There is nothing to be
skipped in this volume; on the contrary,
we seldom finish a chapter without wish
ing it had been longer But the severe
training of the accomplished journalist,
which has given distinction to the pro-
ductionS Of men like Bret llarte Shd
Rndyard Kiplng, is manifest l%r.
When Mr.. Chambers has stated his mes
sage lie lets ii stand, and will not add
another word. lie gives the reader food
for thought, but leaves him to do his
for himself.
Since Whosoevcr begins this book will
refuse to pass over any part of
it, it seems hardly necessary to point out
particular features of excellence. Yet |
may al|ow myself the indulgence of re-
calling certain passages which have given
ne especial pleasure. love, for example,
hat tragic tale of tn" type grinder" in
which We see the innocent urrhin. be-
;uiled into Juggling huge dumbbell
almost as heavy as himself from the
newspaper uilice on one side Of the com.
mon TO that in which he is employed as
office boy on the other; down one long,
narrow flight Of stairs, and up the toll
some Hill OF Difficulty OF the home cs-
adjustment; with the gibes of the popn-
lace in his ears, yet never losing faith in
ne gcnuincness OF his mission until, at
the end Of his arduous journey, he is
met with the uniceling laughter Of his
The story, admirably told,
receives distinction from the allusion to
he compassionate foreman, who would
have saved the boy from his humiliation
but from failure Of moral courage at
he critical moment. Then there is the
huge comedy, but with its pat hos, too,
If the imagined discovery of oil IN the
.ownshp tdue to the accidcnta! upset
ing OF barrel OF the liquid by the boy
INTO a drain communicating with the
ocal clrck). The town fathers meet in
solemn ,ncIave, and iorrtcll to one an
It her the enormous opulencc awaiting
hem; while the horror stricken boys
listen trembling. Again, there is the
charming and original episode
II he Fairy Godmothrr-an old, BALI
,razv woman, who has been regarded by
he BOYS as a witch and ogre, redeemed
o sanity and happiness by the spon-
ancouS humanity Of the boy. Or once
more, who can help but laugh at the
spectacle Of grave DR.. Shaw, before the
'iIlage audience seriously sitting down
% inlaIc pure air out of the bag which
le had filled with laughing gas, but
which had been surrcptitiously cmptied
hereof by the boys just before the
experiment" or shuddering at the ter.
'ible miscarriage Of justice in Condemn
ng and executing an innocent young
nan for a murder aterward proved to
lave been committed by another? But !
ind SINCE hacking oven hndlV to enllnlrr.