Turning-point in School-life.

23

off at the top, and attached to an old ruler. It very much resembled the flappers seen in butchers' shops for destroying blow-flies. When applied rather sharply to the palm of the hand, it produced not an altogether unpleasant tingling feeling, and would, I should imagine, be a good thing to promote a sluggish circulation of the blood in those who are troubled with chilblains. When I had duly received the appointed number of strokes, I held out my hand for another and another; the master saw at once that this mode of punishment would not succeed with me. It was the first time since my arrival at the school that he had administered corporal punishment upon me, and it was the last. He led me into his study, took me by the hand and spoke kindly, and reminded me in gentle words how grieved my mother would be should he be obliged to inform my father of my bad behaviour. Tears flowed freely down my cheeks, and from that afternoon I was an altered boy. The good man had found out what others might have done before him, that gentleness and kindness will generally succeed, where severity and harshness totally fail. This was the turning-point in my school life; the kindness and confidence thus wisely manifested wrought so powerfully upon my better nature, that I began to love the master, who told my father at the end of the quarter that I was the most manageable boy in the school, and that he had not the smallest trouble with me.

I soon became a special favourite with the little son; but I was not so fortunate as to get into the good graces of the mistress she was a cruel and passionate woman; she had none of the qualities, either of mind or person, that were at all likely to tell upon such a nature as mine. I may just mention one instance, among many that come to my recollection, of her cruelty and spitefulness. Our heads were carefully inspected once a week with a smalltooth comb; and this not at all agreeable operation was always performed by the mistress, assisted by the house

24

66

Midnight-meetings.”

keeper, a good, kind creature, by the name of Rachel, and one who was beloved by every boy in the school.

The boys who had for any reason fallen under the displeasure of the old lady during the week were selected and told off for a combing, and upon them she would scrape away so unmercifully that many a time have I been ready to scream out at the pain inflicted.

Numerous are the tales of fun and frolic that recur to my memory while thinking of this period in my history, and the time would fail me to tell of the usual gambols which boys at school indulge in. We were always sent off to bed early, and the apartment I slept in contained about twenty boys. We used to hold concerts with an orchestra constructed with our boxes piled up, and frequent were the spouting meetings held in that room upon all sorts of subjects, to say nothing of leap-frog, blind-man's-buff, and other games.

I was often called upon to mount the rostrum, consisting of boxes, and hold forth upon some given subject, and it was not a little singular that at these oratorical displays at our "midnight meetings," I never found my stammering an impediment. I used to hang fire most of all when I stood up in class, and had not spent overmuch time upon my lessons.

I must, however, now take leave of this period of my history, and I do so with the feeling that the last two years of my school-days spent at Ashford were among the pleasantest of my early life.

III.

LEAVING SCHOOL, CHOICE OF A PROFESSION,

AND EVIL INFLUENCES.

"Look not mournfully into the Past; it comes not back again. Wisely improve the Present; it is thine own. Go forth to meet the shadowy Future, without fear and with a manly heart."

COME now to speak of one of the most important periods in my life and historythat of leaving school, and before entering upon any employment.

It would, I think, be well if parents thought more carefully of what they intended doing with their sons on leaving school. I have often found, on conversing with fathers on the subject, that there has been no decision arrived at as to the future destination of their boys; but in many cases they have imagined that something would turn up when the time for their leaving school arrived. Surely it is a subject of very great importance, that a youth should have selected for him some trade or profession that he may enter upon at once on leaving school, and for which his previous education shall have prepared him. Although the taste and predilections of a youth should be considered in a matter so deeply affecting his future welfare, and care should be taken not to make a boy a tailor or a tinker, if he is better qualified for an architect or a civil engineer; yet it is, I think, desirable that a father should thoughtfully and wisely select that oc

cupation for his son that he deems most in accordance with the leading tendencies and characteristics of the boy, and in the pursuit of which he would be most likely to succeed.

I fear in my own case that my father was so absorbed in his large business, together with his public and official engagements, as to have had little time for observation to study the individual character and tendencies of my brothers and myself, and to select the occupation most suitable for us.

I was accustomed to spend a good deal of my time in my father's printing-office, and had rather a liking for some branches of that business. My sympathies, however, were more with the pressman than with the more quiet and sedentary work of the compositor. I have many an hour when a boy stood and watched the snowy sheet laid carefully upon the block of type, and envied the man who, with the turn of a handle, and a hearty pull, could produce the ample printed page. I greatly admired the pressman, whose work in those days of printing was very different to that which obtains in the present day, when machinery has almost superseded manual labour. I remember that the person referred to was a tall, thin, wiry man, with shirt sleeves turned up above the elbow, showing an arm with unusual muscular development. sometimes would allow me to pull an occasional sheet; but these were generally cast aside as waste, for though I was a strong and sturdy boy, there was needed the length of arm, and the firm footing to produce the good impression.

He

My mother had a very strong objection to my becoming a printer, as the language and habits of those employed in that business were not such as to improve the moral status of a boy who had a decided leaning to imitate whatever he deemed manly in those around him.

I was very partial to the bookselling and stationery branches of my father's business, and many an hour did I spend in looking carefully through the new books, particularly the "Annuals" that were so numerous at that period. My father dealt largely also in patent medicines,

Juvenile Predilections.

27

and I was very fond of going through the long series of drawers containing these certain and infallible cures and remedies for all the ills that flesh is heir to.

My eldest brother was in the shop acting as an assistant, together with a young man who had served his apprenticeship to my father, so that my services were not much needed in the business. I was, however, useful on "Magazine days" in tying up and delivering the monthlies and quarterlies which were distributed among my father's

numerous customers.

When not engaged in the shop I used to visit the establishments of our neighbours, and so got an insight into "the art, trade, and mystery" of a good many businesses. Among these was a pastrycook's, where there were three very pretty daughters; and I have stood by the hour together to watch them make up the tarts and puffs, and "three-corners," &c, until I got quite to like, not only the pastry, and the company of the young ladies, but could also roll out the paste and manipulate some of the fancy articles manufactured pretty well.

There was also a large drapery business directly opposite to my father's, and I was allowed to have the full range of that establishment, and used not unfrequently to assist them in "taking stock." The haberdashery and the glove departments were the favourite branches with me.

I was a frequent visitor also at the shop of a chemist and druggist near us, who allowed me to gum the labels on the perfumery bottles, and sometimes to roll up the pills into swallowing order.

A butcher who lived within a few doors of us came in for a share of my help, for I thought chopping sausagemeat and filling the skins a very pleasant diversion, and I soon became quite an adept at the work. The slaughterhouse adjoining was not an uninteresting place to me, and I have for many an hour looked on at the operations taking place there. To see an ox led to the slaughter, and the noble beast felled to the ground by a single blow of