San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-02

Some weeks ago / received in the
mail one Of those enchanting brown
paper parcels that are marked il
the corner Book" There is surely
none pleasanter among the minor de-
lights of life than this second, when
one studies the address and wrapper
expecantly, saying:
II didn't order this. It's a book
Oh, joy, l wonder what it ISL"
In this case it was memorable
occasion, because the enclosed book is
not only long out of print, but was to
me completely unknown. had never
heard its title, "Recollections of .tu.
Ion House." before, and the name of
the author given at &C. Auton) Au-
gustus Hoppin," was equally mystify-
ing.
But had only to hold this book in
my hand to know that here was a real
treasure; and book that Jndoubted-
ly slipped almost unnoted through its
own generation just because everybody
who read it forty years ago-it was
published in 1880 was too casually
familiar with the world it represents
TO realize how enchant.cgly faithful
and true the story is.
1t was published, / say, in 1880
but it was written by a man who was
old then, a man who could remember
the days when all real genuine cid
nurses remembered General Washing,
ton."
A Queer Book.
He was not, l gather, much of a
writer; he says himself that he only
wanted to record some of the habits
and customs of the passing world for
his own amusement. And simply and
unaffectedly be sets them down, illus
trates them in that Cruickshankian
way that makes one feel that nine out
of every ten persons Coz AVE been
illustrators in the day of Dickens ana
Thackeray, and goes upon his way
onto oblivion, or aim that.
So here we have it, a slim book of
less than hundred pages, printed
extravagantly upon heavy coated
paper, and starting with little sketch
Of Anton House." a big square Geor-
gian mansion with long scalloped
fence and willow trees for a setting
The story is simply of -'ch man
his wife. and their perfectly normal
family OF twelve children. Most OF
the outrageous absurdities of their
Life the writer takes calmly for grant
I'd, he IL in no way attempting to
make it seem unusual. But how odd
1t sounds to our ears!
y. Isn't 1t Funny?
For example, this crew OF uproar-
nous little Americans shared a large
roon; several of them in the four
poster, and several more packed INTO
the trundle bed that was kept under
the four-poster in the daytime. and
pulled out at night.
They all wore ruffled. long legged
night gowns, and the little girls wore
nightcaps, as well, and the bowling
pack played all sorts of crawling and
scrambling and jumping games for
hours before breakfast, Joined by sma !
colored boys from downstairs, who
appear to have been ringleaders in
the revels.
At this hour, and during the similar
riots that accompanied their retiring.
the children consumed large quantities
OF cold, shortened FIR Johnny
cake" y. shade of the baby that
was to be DR.. Hold, what did you do
then?"
But ] think that the most striking
fh, 2 "Nnut this description Of a nur-
sery one hundred years ago was .ha.
Deborah. the ng-suffering old nurse
who gave the boys their medicine
and made their clothes and shaved and
toiled and lived and died for tn an =,
probe''v for about ten dollars q
month slept in the four-poster in
their midst; bumped by their hard lit.
tie knees. crawled over, hammerei
upon, Weakened by their tossing on :,
nights. occasionally pushed to the
floor by their rioting.
Can You Imagine?
Can you imagine one of us toda
attempting to engage a nurse with "a,
phrase, "And, of Course. you'll slee,
in the room with the seven younger
children, and in the bed with three O,
rnem?"
The mother In this story wor,
night caps. too, with frills GOVERN:
her face. There is a pretty picture D
the children picking the first rasp
berries for her, and standing in CIR
Gle about her knee while size ate then.
When she spanked. the children sh,
lost her breath, hurting her own deli
cate hand more than she did them
and they retired shouting gleefully
"Jlt'n't hurt us a bit ~
Isn't II different from our psyche
ANALYSIS of the children today. on
sereful study Of their completes an'
re-
And the meals Of Anton House? The
<sther marketed, of course, on his wa'
&c his office. and the women of thl
fnn1ilr maeklv aMnifed fhn fncit com,