The Washington herald., 1922-04-15
JOHN BURROUGHS
LACKED PUNCH AND
COURAGE AS BOY
Noted Naturalist Paints
Picture of Dreamy, I'm
aggressive Youth.
HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Volume Is Published by Son
After Death of Distin-
guished Father.
"My Boyhood." by John Burroughs.
(Doubleday. Page a Co..

my hoyhooos " Sohu burrouEns.
(Doubieday. Pare a Co..
TN THIS retrospect Of his 'boyhood.
John Burroughs thought HIM
i self back into the Psychology of
his childhood as well as its material
surroundings. One gains a soft
toned picture of the farm life of
seventy years ago, it's hardships, its
serenities, its narrowness. But
more than this. the individuality of
Burroughs, at times appallingly
frank. looks out at you through
every page.
1t is hard to like him for every
thing he says; but then IL Is impos-
sible to dislike a person Of such un-
fiinching sincerity. For instance,
there is the surprising admission
on the second page of the book. 81
played no part in no great public
events-not even in the civil war, in
which my duty plainly called me
to take part. / am a man who re-
coils from noise and strife, even
from fair competition, and who
likes to see his days linked each
to each by some quiet, congenial
occupation"
Gives subtle Picture.
The same strain of uucomp-omis-
description of the family traits he
says he shared with his nine broth
ers and sisters. He ssys: We all
had the same infirmities of cnarac-
| ter; we were all tenderfeet-lack-
ing in grit. will power. self-asser-
tion. and the ability to deal with
men. We were easily crowded to
the wall. easily cheated. always
ready to take a back seat. timid.
complying. undecided, obstinate but
not cGmbative, selfish but not self
| asserting. always the easy victims
| Of pushing. se-Crained, design
ing men. My sense of personal
dignity, personal honor, is not a
plant of such tender growth that II
cannot stand rough winds and nip
ping frosts. That is a very fiatter-
ing way OF saying that We are a
very non-chivalrous tribe and would
rather run away than fght 40
time" Net an attractive but Ger-
ta.ey a subtle picture.
And there IS certainly food for
thought in the fact that the author
| OF this amazing bit of intellectual
/ honesty was writing about himself
| and that he was the close personal
| friend of that mans man. Theodore
Roosevelt.
Pictures of BOyhood.
But II bits of the Burroughs
psychology are dificult. the pic
lures OF his boyhood are endearing
enough to make amends. Especial
ly taking is his description of how,
as little tyke. ne would, after he
had driven the cows to the pasture
at night, sit and WOO the little frogs
| in the spring marshes until they
would sit in his open hand and
pipe. 1t brings up. somehow. a pic
ture OF a little Adirondack faun.
Nearly a half of the book is taker
up by Julian Burroughs sketch of
| his father, a careful and enlighten-
| ing study of the great nature lover.
4 splashed with touches of comic
| tragedy in his descriptions OF the
skirmishes that took place. appar-
| entity inevitably. between his and
/ the opposed personalities of his
| father and mother. My Boyhood,'
| is a real contribution to current
! literature 1t is a book that will in
terest you while you are reading II
| and make you think after you have
| finished IL. NJ. II.