Year: 1859

n Wck1 OKUCEcU


A writer in Blackwoods Magazine thus de-
scribes the intoIerabe oppression OF living in a
family governed by jail-like rules:


al once spent week in one of these well-or-
dered families. 1t was great punishment to
me l hope, also, in some degree, to my enter
tainers. The iron rule of that house was a
place for everything, and every thing in Its
place. The disgrace my somewhat vagrant
habits led me into there was dreadful. The
very first morning, opened Pater-famlla's
newspaper, which was always laid in one par
ticular spot upon the breakfast table, never to
be violated by any hand but his. There stood
with my back to the fire. coming the outspread
sheet, and nodding o cheerful good morning
to my host, when he entered had the hardi-
hood even to read to him tout Of his own pa
per y the last Indian despatch--very politely,
rs thought-and to request his assistance to
decipher the possible place intended by dozen
letters which the telegraph clerk appeared to
have selected at random. To do him justice,
he bore this inroad on his rights with tolerable
outward composure; but was formally made
aware, on the first opportunity. by Mrs. p, of
the outrage hal committed, and made to feel
as uncomfortable as deserved Then left
nay handkerchief on the drawing-rOom floor,
one glove on the library table, another in the
governess's parasol (Which certainly was not
the place for it, and how it got there, l have no
conception and was formally presented with
each article separately, with an account of itt
discovery, in the presence Of the whole family
assembled for dinner.


''One day, the whole household was under
strict CT ciOss-examnation as TO who had come in
to the drawing-room with dirty shoes. l was
the culprit of course, but was too great cow
ard to confess besides, the lady knew perfect
ly we'll who it was but was polite enough to
entertain the fiction that such conduct was inn
possible in any well bred person it must have
been one of the children or the housemaids, of
course; and the whole investigation was intend
ed for my solemn warning and Improvement,
Just as they used to whip little boy vicaricus-
ly to strike terror into misbehaving little prin-
ces.


"Thcn the terrible punctuality which made
slaves of all of us, and kept me always looking
at my watch, and always afraid of being too
late for something as indeed was once for
dinner, in spite of all precautons-four min.
utes and half exactly. Shall ever forget it ?
II they only had had the charity to sit down
quietly without me; If they had put me Off with
no soup, cold fish, and the last ragged cut OF
the mutton If they had sent me to bed without
any dinner at all, as once happened to me when
was little boy, or inflicted upon me any 9th
or reasonable and humane form of punishment;
but no, there they we're, all waiting for me in
the drawing-room, all standing up. the door set
wide open, and the head of the family opened
Ere upon me at once, before was we'll inside
it, with, Now Mr., will You take in Mrs.
Pr OF course / hammered and stammered
over an apology, quite unintentional' and so
forth. 'Oh of course, they knew it must be
quite unintentional, only'-in sem-whisper-
Mr.. p. did not like waiting for bis dinner y


"There was an abominable child, too, in that
family, the very incarnation Of premature
method and order. All the other children had
redeeming points Of carelessness and destruct-
iveness about them; and we soon established a
sort of freemasonry among ourselves as fellow
culprits, trying to keep each other out of
scrapes as much as possible; they conveying to
me private warnings as to how soon the prayer
bell would ring in the morning. and furnishing
me with valuable secret intelligence as to the
enemy's weak points, and the Interpretation of
the laws of the Medes and Persians to whom
was in captivity and /, finding substitutes for
impounded pencils, mending broken Cupid
who carried the wax matches in his culver,
brushing the boys clothes after bird'snesting,
before mamma saw them, and actually cutting
up the ribbon of my eye-glass into shoe.strings
for one young lady who was generally in trou.
bic on that score. But as to the imp speak of
he was irreproachable. If left the door open,
he got up and shut it--not quietly, you under
stand, but officioasly and reproachfully. If l
took down volume from its shelf, and 1t left
my hand for one moment. if be could get at 1t
1t was up In its place again before knew what
had become of it, took courage one cold
morning, there being no one but he and in the
room to stir the fire, and put the poker, when
bad done with it, under the CRATE, (Which l
take to be the natural place for poker.) when
up jumps this well-behsved little monster, and
arranges it by rule and measure, where he has
been told it ought to be. l take credit to my
self for the very great forbearauce-he and
being alone-thatI I checked an inclination to
punch his head with it. Is it excusable in any
rational beings to put themselves under such
lifelong penauce as this, and to bring up their
children, and to force the poor unhappy stran-
ger whom they get within their gates, to do
likewise?n