The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-04-23
WHEN I WAS YOUNGER.


BY REV. FRANK NJ. BRISTOL. D. D. PASTOR OF
| METROPOLITAN M E. CHURCH.
WASHINGTON, D. C.
Many of the experiences of boyhood
and youth which may not be desig
mated by the romantic title of ''adven-
lures" have lessons which are quite
as interesting as they are instructive.
1t would be too much to claim that ]
had ever enjoyed any adventures OF
the yellow-backed dime novel order
during my youth. Nevertheless,
remember vividly incidents of consid-
cradle amusement and interest to me
as / look back to the
| "Days that were as long
As twenty days are now.''
My father died when l was but
twelve years old. From that time
had to earn my living, by the sweat
of my face, in various honest ways.
farmed, herded sheep and cattle,
worked in planning mill, clerked in
the grocery, the jewelry store, and
the drug store, even canvassed as a
book agent, solicited fire insurance,
and had a position in a bank. All
this time was ambitious to become
an actor, doing my share in school
exhibitions, and occasionally putting
on the burnt cork and shaking the
"bones." But the real tug of life be-
gan with my conversion. From that
time l found that I had conscience
to reckon with.
To be sure, those boyhood days
were filled up with the adventures
which then seemed exceedingly mo-
mentous but can now be regarded as
mere commonplace. I shall never
forget my attempt to break colt that
insanely took a notion to break me,
and nearly broke my neck. That
ended my horse-taming career. Of
course, like many another boy, had
thse this. amhIlittiian tfa2s away from hqpas.
walk the railroad track for Chicago,
| fifty-six miles away. At distance
of about four miles from home, as the
noon-time came, the pains of hunger
got hold of me- My vivid imagina-
ton brought before me the good Sun
day dinner of roast chicken which the
folks were just then sitting down to.
could hold out no longer. My am
bition evaporated. 1 turned on my
heel and started for that chicken-din-
ner, and made about one-third the
time in reaching home that had con-
sumed in running away. In fact, the
only ,un of the whole performance
was on that return trip. A little late
to dine with the rest of the family l
found that my mother had saved
a good bit of the very part of the
chicken I liked best, and had kept it
hot in the oven for me, wondering
why was 80 late" I did not tell
her, but as l devoured that plateful
of chicken and then tackled the pie,
1 said: "Yum, yum, homes good
enough for me-
| AS boy of eleven winters tried
to enlist in the army as drummer.
The war was on, and l had become
quite good drummer, as thought,
beating on orange boxes and empty
barrels with sticks and radishes and
green onions in my fathers grocery
store. I shall always carry with me
the sense of humiliation and disgust
that came over my boyish but patriot
ic spirit when the recruiting Officer
suggested that my infantile tender
ness precluded the possibility of my
helping to put down the rebellion, OF
distinguishing myself as military
genius.
There was plenty of good, old fash
ioned fun in my school days in Kan
kakee, Galena, and Rockford, Ill.
we'll remember that those were thu
good old days of the wholesome birch
and teachers believed in promoting
learning with rawhide. 1t mad
boys smart, in one sense, if not in an
other. I grieve now to look back
and have to admit that in ever,
school I attended / left a record 70
: thrashings received which ought t
. have prophesied success in life, O
even canonization. My last expert
: ence was in Rockford. Having beel
!, forewarned of coming chastisemen
which my superiors thought I deserv
|, ed, 1 made preparation for the comm
engagement by putting on two pail
+ of thick pantaloons that morning.
waited the onset of the dark browe
principal with an inward grin, and
sort of neon Macduff spirit of d.
fance. When the rawhide cam
+ down I scarcely felt it, but it made
n loud "whack," and 1 jumped an
. yelled like a young Indian. M
I "agony" nearly broke up that Sc:
l. sion of school, and likewise the des
j; old principals heart, for he let up c
Il me, and ever thereafter acted as if
7: was sorry that he hit SO hard and gay
d me such excruciating pain. If ye
find this out, o teacher mine, eith
. in this world or the next, I hope tn
3 you will smile with me over the 1ol
. of the double pantaloons, which eH
e IDENTIFY caused you so much and
it so little pain.
rs The great turning point in life W
reached when, with my conversion
: a Methodist altar, there came call
preach the gospel. Everything el
Rs seemed impossible. The ambition