Year: 1879

I butWu0B Ntyu III UeBlunlnB bcIIes VI
sketches concerning the youthful days Of
eminent people, it seems fitting that we be-
gin with Adam.


It is rather difficult to conceive Of Adam
as a boy, we admit, owing to the popular
superstition which has painted him coming
into the world full grown, with whiskers
and moustache complete, and the prevailing
| belief that there wasn't boy in the world
until Eve came and raised the old boy with
Adamj yet we prefer to think of our ancient
progenitor as having had something of Il
boyhood, and we suppose we have as good
right to theorize upon the subject as anyone
else.


Adam was probably as mischievous nat
urally as boys generally are. In fact Dar-
win says he was perfect little monkey"
which we believe, is a synonym for mis-
chevousness the world over. But he had
no companion in his gambols. Ii he stayed
out after dark, aud got to cutting up, it was
all by himself. And what sport could
he have ringing door bells without Il
lot of other boys TO scamper away with?
And considerable melancholy fun OF fastem-
ing cords across the walks at nighl, with no
body to trip over them.


We can imagine young Adam, with all
the instinct of u boy two inches thick in his
nature, looking about for some way to di
vert himself as other boys do and whimper-
ing TO himself, "Can't have any funW Of
couise, he couldn't by any possibility have
any fun.


No fun running away from school, or
stealing of tog so in swimming, because there
was no one to lick him when he got home
No fun sneaking up in the hay NOW to in
dulge in surreptitious game of euchre -
always had to 'play it alone" lie couldn't
play tag, because he might yell, "I've got
the tag" all day, and there would be no one
to take it away from him. "IIispy" had
no charm, for a boy soon gets tired of hid
ing when he has TO 90 to work and find him
self.


The more we think about Adams lonely



him. lie never knew what circus meant,
at least not until Eve came and introduced
him to one. But we have nothing to do
with that now, as we are ouly treating of
Adams boyhood,


True, there was big menagerie all around
him, but the animals were tame affairs,
lambs and lions lying down together IN the
most spiritless concord, and the hippopota-
mus and canary birds playing with each
other like kittens.


Little Adam never sat wav up on the
highest seat and gazed, awe stricken, as
man in sPangled tights sprang, whip in
hand, into cage of savage beasts that roll
ed their eyes, gnashed their teeth, and roar
ed until the canvas overhead tapped for
very fear. No, indeed.


He never saw thin-legged female in
short skirts riding a Looping horse round
ring, and jumping through hoop, while a
man with his face painted white and his
mouth red exaggeration, tells that conclus-
i've story about stufling hay into his shoes
to fill them out, and his calves going down
to eat the hay. Young Adam never saw
the "old CLOWN" though he came very soon
after Adams day, and the jokes he COM
menced with he he's been getting of ever
since.


And how about base ball? Do you sup
pose Adam knew anything about that ex-
hilarating diversion that is now doing SO
much toward developing the intellect of
our American youth? There is no likeli-
hood of it, not while he was boy. His son
Cain, however, seems 10 have been the
first TO get up a club" but it was the death
of his brother Abel.


While there was so many things that the
boy Adam missed, think not that his solita-
ry life was without its compensation. There
was no other boy to steal his marbles, or
hide his top, or jeer at him because he had
to wear his big brothers cast-uif clothes, or
holler across the street that he had ga letter
in the post-ofice," or fix a bent pin for him
to sit down on. Adam escaped those and a
thousand other annoyancos that boys sub
ject each other to. lie hadn't any brothers
or sisters to tease and worry him.


Whatever trouble and annoyance his
matrimonial life may have brought him, we
find kind Of satisfaction in rejecting that
Adams boyhood was exceptionally free
from care, and on that account we are bound
to conclude that his life was not entirely a
failure.