Life — December 18, 1884 — page 11: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

- EYEE ; FOUR-LEAFED clover comes to me On paper fastened hastily, And under it in pencil writ This screed—“ Mine own wish wish I thee In every place.” Unsigned it comes, but therein lies No difference in particular, For one who tries can recognize Those letters slantindicular. I know, I claim, from whom it came; This message send I back to her: “ Of all good luck significant Thy four-leafed clover comes to me. Thy wish, it lies with thee to grant, My wish, where thou art, there shall be, For more than all I wish for thee In every place.” M. WHY HOME IS NOT ATTRACTIVE TO YOUNG MEN. NE of our social philosophers gravely propounded the question: ‘ Why are young men loth to spend their evenings at home ?” He need not seek far for the solution of the problem. The poet who sang the praises of home in a ballad which has caused hearts of stone to pulsate and dry eyes to become moist with tears, would probably have rested his title to fame on a Bacchanalian ode had he been shut up like a hen in a coop after leaving the tea table, and forced to spend his evenings at home. a Bohemian. nor roam like the pirate on the seas. The domestic idea pre- dominates in his mind so far as to suggest to him the propri- ety of keeping a dog to attach him to home, and the use of | the latch-key. He may clink glasses with a social pariah buf- feted by the adverse winds of fortune, who whines over his beer-mug that home is a humbug; but he would not marry a | woman as restless as a witch on a broom-stick, not hire a fire-bug to burn down the family mansion, however heavily insured. Still, home life, to his mind, is a poetical abstrac- tion, nothing more. He is not likely to forget the fact that he state of business activity. The average young man is not | He has no desire to fold his tent like the Arab, | 353 owns a roost; and yet the thumb-screw could not extort from him the confession that it is well to pass an evening at home; when he considers that a man has but to open his eyes to see | more life in the wilds of Tartary than in the family circle. As this is the case, it is not worth while to enquire why the moths of pleasure leave the warm light of the drawing- | room for the ghostly glare of a tallow dip ina tap-room. | Neither is it at all strange that a game of whist at home breeds yawns, and that the click of balls on the pool-table causes the gilded youth to seek his cue in the comedy of life where he may score success tinder the tranquilizing influence of hot rum and tobacco smoke. It is true that checkers and | cat's-cradle are pleasant games; but the portentous fact stares him in the face that boxing matches develop the muscles, and draw-poker affords a finer scope for the study of eccentricities of character. Also, the man who has no appetite at home has a feverish anxiety to dine at the club, and then visit a free-lunch counter, at any hour of the night. and stir up a dish of baked beans in a sort of epicurean ecstacy. After considering these facts, it may occur to our bright- est minds, who wrap themselves up in the delusions that home is the best place for young men, that only a subtle witchcraft can render home attractive on winter evenings to the jeunesse dorée. Mf they were hypnotized, or locked in their rooms, or tied in baby-jumpers, their parents might safely turn down the gas at midnight and lie down to sweet repose. But a persecution of this kind might revive the ticklish sport of climbing down lightning-rods and _fire- escapes; besides, it would never win the approval of young women, and in the modest view of the proprictors of skating- rinks and pool-rooms it would not be conducive to a high H. Vv. S. IN THE SWIM. ACK says November is the most charming month in the ij year to be in the country. Cool breezes, fruit and that. Wants me to take a little run with him down to L—. Knows. lots of good, sensible people down there who are of the right sort. Believe in going in for comfort and that in life. Noth- ing of the “ keep up appearances " about them. Sure of their position in the world, and act accordingly. Received ev- erywhere for what they are and not what they seem. Knows I can spend an awiully jolly ten days or so. Nature's tonic and that sort of thing for opening of winter's campaign. Family of girls there, knows I'll be delighted with. Noth- ing particular to do in town. Think I ‘Il go. ACK said take as little as possible. Only a grip sack. Expect to live in blue flannels for the week or ten days. “Not a bit of ceremony, dear boy.” Followed Jack's ad- vice. At depot find his luggage consists of a trunk, two satchels and a hat box. Indignant. Jack explains that he knows some of the people at L—. “ That makes a difference, dear boy.” Fail to catch drift of his remark. comicbooks.com