The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1956-01-20
GLIM P S Es
TIL E P A ST
nv CAROLYN IJ.OYD

A vivid illustration of the diff
ferences between youth and ma
turity has just passed by my win
dow. This is, or seems to be, the
coolest day so far of this winter.
The sky is gray, and bitter wind
whistles around the corners of the
house. / am sitting as close as pos
sible to the stove without sitting
on top of it and intend to remain
here unless some emergency arises
to make me brave the outdoors.
Yet, as / glanced out the window,
l wished for fleeing moment that
once more a warm heart could
make me ignore cold feet, as was
obviously the case with the young
couple passing by. They wore no
hats and the cold wind ruffled
their hair. Their noses were red,
but they were laughing as gaily
as though a light summer breeze
caressed their cheeks.
All, well, who doesn't remember
when the weather was of no i'm
portance except as the cause of an
argument with ones parents. Who
hasn't tried to slip off to school
Oh a rainy morning without the
hated rubbers and umbrella. To
parents, in my high school days,
those things were only sensible
aids to good health, but to the
younger generation they were the
symbols of sissy and death from
pneumonia was preferable to wear
ing them. The bare leg craze had
not come in, but we resisted val
iantly the efforts of our mothers
to make US wear heavier stockings
and sensible underwear; and, as a
final gesture of defiance, rolled
our hose below the knee. The
"head kerchief" era had not ar
rived, either, and we would have
suffered our ears to freeze and
fall off before wearing a hat to
school. Let a parent suggest that
it was too cold to go out with a
date; and we were amused at
the senility of such thinking that
would let weather interfere with
love. Of course, we sometimes felt
that it was too cold or too rainy
to go to church or to school, but
that was different.
Young people haven't changed
much. Some still fail to show up
at school in bad weather, or arrive
late, but are still the first to be
seen after school ambling about
town with as few clothes on as
possible. They still stay at home
with bad colds during the day and
are the first to make it down town
that night, having experienced a
remarkable recovery. Cloudbursts,
snowfalls, or cold winds do not
deter the couple out on a date.
One thing is for sure-they aren't
going to be caught sitting in the
"parlor".
Those days are gone for many
of US. It was nice while it lasted
to be able to lie in bed while some
one else made the fire and cooked
breakfast and never worry about
whether the fuel was going to give
out or who was going to pay for
it. 1t is still nice that we don't
have to get up and build fires from
scratch as most of our parents did,
but have only to turn up the gas
or oil heater a little higher or
adjust the thermostat. It.. is pleas
ant, too, not to be plagued with
the restlessness of youth that made
an evening spent lowering near
the source of heat intolerable. 1t
may seem sad to youth that there
will come a day when warm feet
are more important than Knowing
what is going on downtown, but
their day will come. Some day
they, too, will be saying, "Look at
those young idiots, running around
in this weather with no clothes on. "