Year: 1859

The Springfield Republican has capital arti-
Gle on this subject Here are some extracts;


HIS REGULATION WITH THE "oLD MAN"


We suppose that the first severe trial boy
has to undergo, is to submit his will to the old
man, whom he is taught to consider his father
To be restrained in doors at night, to be forbid
den to go in swimming five times day, or to be
hindered from pinching the rest of the children
just for fun, is interference with natural, in-
alienabe rights, every way injurious to the feel
ings. And then when upon some oTerwhelm-
ing temptation, the boy asserts his independence
of parental control, and receives " tanning"
with switch from ounce bush, either upon
his back or his bare feet, it became really very
serious thing We never could see that the
smart of an operation like this was at all as
suaged by the affsctonate assurance that it was
bestowed out of pure love.


SITTING WITH THE GIRLS.


The next great trial of the boy is to be
obliged by cruel master, to sit with the girls at
school. This usually comes before the develop
ment of those unde6nable sympathies and afin-
tiles which in after life would tend to make the
punishment more endurable. To be pointed out
as sgal boy" to be smiled at grimly by the
master, who is so far delighted with his own in
eifable pleasantly as to give the little boys the
license to laugh aloud, and to be placed by the
side of q girl who has no handkerchief, and no
knowledge of the use of that article, is, we sub
nit, a trial of no mean magnitude. Yes we
have been there, and have been made to " sit up
close" with big Rachel, laughing and blushing
till we came to hate her name. We wonder
where the overgrown, frouzy creature is now,
and what the condition of her head is?


! THE FIRST LoyG-TAILED COAT.


We do not believe that any boy ever put on
| his long tailed coat without sense of shame
| lie first twists his back half off looking at it in
the glass, and then when he steps out of doors,
it seems to him as if all creation in broad
grin. The sun laughs in the sky the cows turn
to look at him there are faces at every window;
his very shadow mocks him. When he walks
by the cottage where Jane lives, he dares not
look up, for his life. The very boards creak
with consciousness of the strange spectacle, and
the old pair of pantaloons that stop light in
the garret window nod with derision. If he is
obliged to pass group of men and boys, the
trial assumes its most terrific stage. His legs
! get all mixed up with embarrassment and the
flap of the dangling appendage is felt upon them,
moved by the wind or his own agitation he
could not feel worse were it dish cloth, worn
MS a badge of disgrace. 1t is a happy time for
him when he gets to church and sits down with
his coat tails under him; but be is still appre-
hensive with thinking of the Sunday school, and
wonders if any of the children will ask him to
q swing his long tail blue"


GOING HOME WITH THE GIRLS.


The entrance into society may be said to take
place after boyhood has passed away, yet null
titude take the initiative before their boards are
presentable. 1t is great trial either at tender
or tough age. For an overgrown boy to go at a
door knowing that there dozen girls in
side, and to knock or ring with absolute GER
tainty that in two minutes all their eyes will be
upon him, is severe test of courage To go
before these girls and make satisfactory tour OF
the room without stepping on their toes, and
then to sit down and dispose of ones hands
without putting them into ones pockets, is an
achievement which few boys can boast. If a
boy can get so far as to measure off ten yards of
tape with one of the girls, and cut it short at
each end, he may stand chance to pass a
pleasant evening, but let him not flatter himself
that all trials of the evening are over. There
| comes, at last, the breaking up. The dear girls
don their hoods, and put on their shawls, and
| look so saucy, and mischeyous, and unimpresi-
bic, and Independent, as if they did not wish
any one to go home with them. Then comes
the pinch, and the boy that has the most pluck
makes up to the prettiest girl his heart in his
throat, and his tongue cinging to the roof of his
mouth, and crooking his elbow, stammers out
the words" Shall | see you home p She
touches her fingers to his arm, and they walk
home a foot apart, feeling as awkward a
couple of goslings. As soon as she is safe inside
her own doors, he struts home, and thinks he has
really been and gone and done it Sleep comes
to him at last, with dreams of Caroline and cal
leo, and he awakes in the morning and finds the
doors of life open to him, and the pigs squealing
for breakfast.


CONCLUDING REMARKS.


We have passed over churning, and learning
the catechism, because we were fearful of max
| ing this article too long, although we nigh,