CHILDREN'S BOOK COLLECTION * LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES konfaftiece. The sad Effects of Climbing Trees. THE ACCIDENTS OF YOUTH : CONSISTING OP SHORT HISTORIES, CALCULATED TO , IMPROVE THE MORAL CONDUCT OF CHILDREN, . Warn them of the Many Dangers to which they are Exposed. [Entered ;it Statioiiors'-hiill.] LONDON: PRINTED FOR JOHN SOUTER, AT TUB JUVENILE AND SCHOOL LIBRARY, 73, ST PAUL'S CHURCH-YARD; By Jas.-W. an.l Chas. Adlard, 23, B:ir?hclcmcw-Clcse. 1819. TO MY YOUNG READERS. MY DEAR CHILDREN, THE inexperience and thoughtlessness natural at your age exposes you to many dangers : I have therefore pointed out some of them in this book, which contains several instructive little his- tories, in which you will behold the misfortunes that arise from disobe- dience and want of thought. When your parents desire you not to climb upon the chairs, or touch the fire, or play with knives, or pins, it is i 11. not because they wish to prevent you amusing yourselves ; they are only anx- ious to keep you from harm. If you were allowed to do whatever you pleased, many accidents would happen through your own indiscretion : for instance, when climbing on the furni- ture you might fall, and break a leg or an arm; and might burn yourselves, by playing with fire ; or cut your fingers, by playing with knives ; or might swallow pins, in putting them into your mouth. Thus, you see you might often lame or kill yourselves, if your good mamma or papa did not guard most of your actions. Do not suppose, my dear children, Ill that I wish to prevent your playing and taking proper exercise. On the con- trary, I am very much amused by your games, though they are sometimes noisy; and I admire your harmless mirth. I wish you to be gay and to amuse yourselves at proper times ; but you should never be rash or disobe- dient. You can play very well without climbing up to the window, on the fur- niture, or other improper places. If you see guns, pistols, or other dangerous weapons, yo^u should never touch them, as you may always find play-things more agreeable, and free from danger. Why should you play with a knife or with the fire? and Bg IV, why put things into your mouth, at the risk of poisoning yourselves? These things are forbidden you; and yet your amusement is the wish of your parents. They desire only to see you happy, and guard you against accidents which your own discretion would not avoid. If you are good children, you will pay attention to the advice of your friends, and receive it as a proof of their love. THE ACCIDENTS OF YOUTH. THE CLIMBERS. LITTLE HENRY, who was about seven years old, came in one day crying very sadly, " Oh, papa !" said he, " if you knew what has happened such a dreadful accident I" " Well," said his father, " what is the matter? tell me; I shall then be able to judge whether the accident deserves the sorrow which you express." u Oh, papa, it is worse than you suppose. You know little Charles Loveday, who is only a year older than I am : he certainly will die." " My good boy, say what has hap- pened to the poor child." 6 The Accidents of Youth. " Ah, papa! it was all our fault. Five or six of us were playing in the meadow, where you told me I might go, and, as we were running about, we observed a bird flying round a large tree, which is in the middle of the meadow, near the fountain. George cried out, ' Here is a nest, let us look for it !' We all said, < O, yes ! let us look for it ; let us look for it !' I must own that I said so as w r ell as the rest ; although you desired me never to tor- ment the poor little birds, and I pro- mised you I would not ; but just then I had forgot what you had said. u George looked about, and soon saw a nest near the end of a branch ; but it was impossible for us to take it, as the branch was too thin to bear the least boy amongst us. We were all agree- ing that it could not be taken, when The Accidents of Youth. 7 Charles called us a set of cowards, and boasted that he could take it. We defied him to do it, and said he was as great a coward as we were. Upon this, he began to climb up the tree just like a cat, which niade us all laugh ; and we jumped round the tree, crying out, ' He will never go to the end of the branch !' I confess I wanted to climb up as well as him ; so I put my arms round the tree, and told William to help me, and he was pushing me with his head, when poor Charles, not liking to be called a coward, went upon the branch, which bent under his weight, and then he hesitated : he would have done well if he had come down again ; but we began to laugh, and cry out, louder than ever, ' He is afraid ! he is afraid !' This made him advance; but the bough broke^ and 8 The Accidents of Youth. poor Charles fell to the ground. Wil- liam, who was holding me up, was so frightened that he let me go, and I fell also; but I did not hurt myself. " We all got round Charles, who could not speak, and the blood ran from his mouth and nose. We called to him, ( Charles ! Charles ! why don't you speak ?' He seemed to be dead. We were all crying, when William ran to fetch a man, who was passing along the end of the meadow. As soon as the man saw Charles, he shook his head, and said, ( Poor child, if he is now alive, he cannot live long.' These words made us cry more than before. The man took poor Charles in his arms, and carried him to his father's, whilst we all followed, saying to each other, it was our fault ; for, if we had not laughed at liim^ he would have come The Accidents of Youth. 9 down again when he found the branch was too weak to bear him. Ah ! papa, if you knew how his mamma cried when the man brought Charles home, co- vered with blood, and unable to speak ! as for us, we stood trembling, and did not dare to go in." " This is, indeed, a great misfor- tune," said Henry's father, when he had heard his son's account of it ; ' and I am shocked that you should have con- tributed so much towards it : the thought of it will always make you un- happy, as you will have to reproach yourself with having been the cause of this misfortune happening to your friend ; for, according to your own confession, he would have come safely down again if you had not piqued his vanity by your raillery. How could you excite this poor child to kill him-- 1 The Accidents of Youth. self? You knew the danger he was in, and your conduct is therefore as cri- minal as if you had pushed him off the branch yourself. How much more humane it would have been in you to have told him of his danger, and en- treated him to go no farther. Ah, Henry ! I regret that you have so little feeling." " But Charles was very silly to suffer his vanity to prevent him de- spising, as he ought to have done, your cruel raillery ; and, in climbing up the tree, he disobeyed his parents, who are wise people, and, no doubt, had often warned him of the danger : as to you, Henry, you know very well, that I for- bid you to climb up trees ; but you have neglected my commands, and, perhaps, if your unhappy friend had not alarmed you by the terrible acci- dent which befel him, I should at The Accidents of Youth. 1 1 this moment have to deplore your death." For several days the fate of Charles was uncertain : at length, however, after a long and painful illness, he was again able to play with his compa- nions ; but very different from what he was before the accident : he was now a cripple for the remainder of his life! THE BANKS OF THE RIVER. THE sun had risen above the hills, and was darting its rays upon the wet fo- liage of the trees : the birds, animated by its warmth, were singing sweetly around, whilst hopping from branch to branch. The same joy appeared in the river, which ran by my side: a swarm of insects hovered over its sur- 12 The Accidents of Youth. face ; and the fishes were playing their gambols in its crystal stream. The joys of Nature had gladdened my heart; and I was walking slowly, ad- miring the beauties that surrounded me, when I saw through some wil- lows, that grew near the river, a fune- ral procession coming towards me. Among those who were following the venerable clergyman, I observed a great number of children, from six to twelve years old : the girls were dressed in white, with wreaths of flowers ; and each of the boys held a white rose in his hand. The children were formed into two ranks, and their parents fol- lowed. A covered coffin, containing the body of a child, was carried along by four youths. This child, I found, was the only son of a rich farmer in the neighbourhood, and had been The Accidents of Youth. 13 drowned through playing too near the banks of the river^ leaving his family in great grief. As his father was a worthy man, and much esteemed in the village, every one shared his af- fliction, and many followed the body of his son to the grave. The good clergy- man, who neglected nothing that could add to the comfort of those around him, had requested his neighbours to bring their children, to attend on this solemn occasion. lie bade the procession halt at a part of the river w r here the stream ran most rapid, and had undermined its banks. When the coffin was set down, he called the children round him, and ad- dressed them as follows : " Behold this coffin, my dear children ! a few days ago, he that is in it was playing with you in the meadows, in as c 14 The Occidents of youth. good health and spirits as any anrong you. But this youth, who promised a long life, is now dead : you no doubt expected to have lived with him many- years ; but, by a sad accident, he has lost his life, and you a cheerful companion, c May his death, my dear children, be a powerful and lasting example for you ! It was the consequence of his imprudence and disobedience : twenty times did his tender mother desire him never to go too near the banks of the river : he did not listen to this kind and excellent advice of his parent ; and you now behold the sad effects of his conduct. A life of sixty years, perhaps, he has lost in a moment. Judge, then, whether you would do right to imitate him. Look! it was here that he perished ; this is the turf from which his foot slipped. You saw The Accidents of Youth. 15 him fall, and the stream carry him away. " O, my dear children, pay attention to the voice of your parents, and al- ways follow the advice which they give you : they desire only your welfare ; and the dangers that surround you make them tremble every moment lest some accident befal you. Listen to the cries of the poor mother of this child, observe the grief of his distracted father ; and learn from thence how dear you are to your parents, and how cruel you are when, by your disobedience or want of thought, you give them pain or uneasiness." As the good clergyman finished this address, he lifted up the lid of the cof- fin, which had been left unscrewed on purpose, and shewed to his attentive hearers the lifeless body of their former c 2 16 The Accidents of Youth. friend and companion ; after which, it was replaced and screwed down. The procession then went on to the church ; and, shortly afterwards, the body of the unfortunate youth was put into the grave, and covered with earth. THE SINGULAR ACCIDENT. You have read of the dangers that arise from climbing up trees and playing by the side of rivers. I will now tell you Something of a different nature. A little boy, whom I will not name, for he was very naughty, got through a hedge into an orchard. When he was there, he looked about him to ad- inire the abundance of fruit with which the trees were loaded. You need not ask me if he wanted to steal any ; the wicked little fellow went into the orchard only with that intention. The Accidents of Youth. 17 He stopped at a beautiful apple-tree ; and, as he was very nimble, he soon got into the middle of it, and was en- joying the prospect of a fine feast, when the owner of the orchard appeared at the gate, with a large dog. You may suppose that the little rogue was not very well pleased with this visit. How- ever, as it was some distance from the gate to the tree where he was, he thought he had time enough to escape by the way he had entered. He, therefore, made haste to come down ; but, unluckily for him, his foot slip- ped, and he came tumbling clown from branch to branch. He might have broken an arm or a leg, and certainly he deserved it, for he was a little thief; but he was fortunate enough to be caught by the waistband of his troyvsers, on a large branch of the tree, c3 18 The Occidents of Youth. several feet from the ground, without being able to extricate himself from his awkward situation. The owner saw his apples fall, and was very much astonished to see a little boy following them, and all at once stopped in such a singular man- ner. He ran towards the tree, and his dog ran also. The good man was so humane, that he forgot the naughty little boy had come to rob him, and made haste to give him some relief. He would not, for all the apples in the orchard, have had him fall to the ground from such a height, and he got upon the tree with the intention of taking him down ; but, when he saw that the branch was strong, that the waistband of his small clothes was firm, and that he ran no risk of falling, he was determined to punish him, by The Accidents of Youth. 19 leaving him where he was a little longer. He therefore got down, and called together the boys of the village, to see him. In the mean time, the dog would not leave the tree, but remained barking and jumping with all his strength, in the hope of getting hold of the little robber. The boy was greatly terrified, and expected every moment to fall, and the dog to tear him to pieces; he cried and twisted himself about, shaking his arms and legs as if he \vere trying to fly. At length the children of the village arrived, and every one laughed to see the little robber so nicely caught ; for, no one could pity him, because nothing is more shocking than theft. The children danced round the tree ; and the owner of the orchard, having picked up the apples which had fallen, 20 The Accidents of Youth, gave some to each of them, who kept telling the thief, all the time they were eating them, how good they were. The owner, judging that he had now been sufficiently punished, took him down, and drove him forwards, threat- ening to set his dog upon him if he ever dared to come there again. I can as- sure you, he never did : but this wicked trick was not very easily forgotten : the boys of the village would no longer play with him ; and, whenever he went near a house, the door was shut in his face, for fear he should take any thing away. YOUNG ALCIBIADES PLAYING IN THE STREETS OF ATHENS. ALCIBIADES was one of the first per- sons of the republic of Athens, in The Accidents of Youth. 21 Greece. An anecdote is related of him, which proves that in his youth he was very obstinate and foolish. He was playing with several children of his own age in one of the streets of Athens, and, just at the time when they were in the middle of their game, there came towards them a waggoner, driving his oxen, who desired them to get out of the way. Every one obeyed, except Alcibiades, who requested the waggon- er to wait until the game was ended. The waggoner laughed at his unrea* sonable request, and drove on, telling him he might get out of the way, or remain and be run over, just as he pleased. " Well," said Alcibiades, " pass then, if you dare!" and irnme^ diately laid himself down in the middle of the road. The waggoner, asto- pished at such obstinacy, and finding 22 The Accidents of Youth. that Alcibiades was determined to be crushed under foot rather than give way, shewed himself the wisest of the two, and stopped his oxen whilst they finished their game. Do not imagine that I relate this history to you as an example which you ought to follow. I should, in that case, give you very dangerous advice, and teach you to be obstinate, and kill or lame yourselves ; for the waggoners and coachmen of our times are not in general so humane or considerate as the waggoner I have mentioned, as they now drive their carriages through the streets, crowded with people, with as much rapidity as if they were in the middle of a desert ; and, if you do not get out of the way, they will as- suredly drive over you. In general, the streets of large towns The Accidents of Youth. 23 present too many dangers for children to play in them ; awheel might run over you, break your limbs, or kill you on the spot. Such misfortunes happen too frequently : and, if you were to ask all the lame people that you meet, the greater part of them would tell you that they met with their accidents under the wheel of a coach or the feet of horses. Shun, then, these places, which you have so much cause to dread ; and avoid, as much as pos- sible, going into public places, except with persons who are capable of taking care of you. OLD DADDY SIMON; Or, THE THREE ACCIDENTS. THERE was once a little man who was lame, blind of one eye, and had only one hand. He was called, Old Daddy 24 The Accidents of Youth. Simon. The naughty children of the neighbourhood ran after the poor old man, and laughed at his misfortune. This was very improper, for age should be respected ; but they derided him, and said, "Good morning, Mr. Simon: tell us why you are blind of one eye, and lame, and have but one hand."' " Ah!" replied he, " it was because I was mischievous, like you. If I had been good and obedient, I should not have been blind, and should have had both hands and eyes, as you have/' " Oh! tell us how it happened, Mr. Simon," said the noisy group, jump- ing round the little man. he sent me to a distant school ; and, from that time to this, I never returned home or saw my father. He died a short time ago, when I prepared to leave school, and to visit the grave of my mother. " Thus, sir, you see that, without any wicked intention, 1 have done that for which 1 am doomed always to be miserable.'' This melancholy tale will surely teach children how dangerous it is to throw stones at any time, and how fatal F3 54 The Accidents of Youth. the effects of disobedience may be, even to their own comfort ; and consi- der, that the greatest accidents may proceed from this practice, even the death of a tender and indulgent mo- ther ! KXIVES AND SCISSARS. " WHAT, sir ! you are playing with a knife, though I told you not to do so?" said Mrs. Belmont to her son Augus- tus. " I shall not cut myself, mamma ;" replied Augustus. But, at the very moment he was speaking, he cut his finger almost to the bone. He was rightly served ; and all disobedient children deserve the same punishment. I one day met a little boy running very fast, with a knife in his hand : The Accidents of Youth. 55 " My child, (said J,) take care ; for, if your foot should slip, you would fall, and perhaps hurt yourself with the knifed " Oh, no, sir," said he, " I shall not fall" He had not proceeded a dozen steps, when his foot struck against a stone; and, in falling, he ran the knife in his side. He did not die of the wound ; but it was a long time before he was cured. A little girl, whom I knew, was al- ways playing with her mamma's scis- sars. One day, when she was playing with some young friends, with the scissars as usual in her hand, she made a false step, and ran the points into the eye of one of her companions. She vras very sorry indeed ; but that did not remedy the accident, which would 56 The Accidents of Youth not have happened if she had not play- ed with the scissars. When your friends tell you, my dear children, not to play with knives, or any other sharp instrument, it is not with the intention of depriving you of any pleasure, but to preserve you from the dangers that might arise from want of thought and experience. Your pa- rents love you so dearly, that the idea of your danger is sufficient to alarm them. Return their tenderness, then, by affection and obedience ; and do not make them unhappy by doing what you are told not to do. THE CANDLE. " LOOK at that obstinate little fellow ! I have told him ten times not to go so near the candle. If you were a little The Accidents of Youth. 61 farther off., sir, would you not see your pictures quite as well I you deserve to kave them taken away, for your dis*- obedience;" said Mrs. Dickons to her son Thomas, who with his knees upon a chair, and his elbows on the table, nearly touched the candle with his head. Every time his mother spoke to him, he drew back a little ; but a moment af- terwards he forgot her advice, and again put his head as near the candle as ever. His mother had occasion to leave the room for a few minutes. Thomas, neglecting her advice, held his head so close to the candle, that he set his hair cm fire. His cries soon brought his mother to his assistance, who was afraid of his doing some mischief to himself, and instantly put out the flamo with her handkerchief. 58 The Accidents of Youth. Observe, my children, that she put out the fire. This remark may be use- ful to you: if your hair or dress should catch fire, instead of crying out, with- out endeavouring to remove the dan- ger, make haste and smother the flame with the first thing that you find. I knew a little boy who set fire to his nankeen trowsers ; the fire was just beginning to burn him, and nobody w r as near, so that his cries would have been useless. He sat down on the floor, and, with a corner of the carpet, extinguished the flame. He thus saved his life by his presence of mind. Many children would have done nothing but cry, till they had been burned to death. As to the little boy I first mentioned, he escaped with the loss of his hair ; and the accident did him good, by The Accidents of Youth. 59 leaching him to be more careful and obedient. THE THOUGHTLESS BOY. EDWARD was walking backwards along the passage, and said to his sister, who was playing in an adjoining room, " Come and see how I walk back- wards ; you cannot do so, I am sure." As he said. these w r ords, he came to the stair-case, of which he was not thinking, and fell down stairs, back- wards. As he was quite senseless when he was picked up, they thought him dead ; but at length he showed some signs of life. He had fractured his head very badly, and was several days under the care of the surgeon. At another time, when he was play- ing with his sister, he hid himself be- 60 The Accidents of Youth. hind a door, to listen through the key- hole. His sister, who did not know it, and wished to surprise him, came into the room, and opened the door so sud- denly, that he was knocked down and very much hurt. His sister was very sorry for the accident, aad helped him up ; but the lock had scratched his cheek sadly, and he was ill for some days. Unfortunately, he was not the only sufferer by his thoughtlessness : his sister had her share of the accidents which resulted from it. H was twenty times nearly blinding her. One day, when she had her hand between the door, he shut it carelessly, as usual, and nearly pinched her fingers off. Scarcely a week passed without his falling frg/n a chair or table ; indeed, he did every thing that came into his head, 1 The Accidents of Youth. 61 without thinking of the consequences. Once, wanting to see what was on a very high shelf, he got a little round table, and put a chair upon it : the sight alone would have made you shud- der ; but he never thought of the dan- ger. After much trouble, he reached the shelf, just as the table overbalanced, and threw down the whole : he had only time to catch hold of the shelf, and save himself from falling. Suspended in this manner, his situa- tion was not very agreeable, you may suppose. If he fell, he would break a bone, perhaps ; if he called for help, he would be punished for his curiosity. He cried, however, very loud ; but, as no one came to him for some time, his arms were quite tired, and he was just letting go his hold, when his father en- 62 Tfie Accidents of Youth. tered the room. He took him down, and then flogged him well. FATAL EFFECTS OF PLAYING WITH THE FIRE. CAROLINE had been a very good girl, and her mamma gave her a little house for her doll, with pretty furniture, plates, dishes, &c. and she had a nice apple to cut in slices, to put upon her dishes. Caroline was so pleased that she in- vited all her play-fellows. The plates were filled, and placed on the table ; where Caroline did the honours, and helped her little friends. All this was very pretty ; and Caro- line kept saying to her mamma, " Don't I play prettily, mamma]" Her mam- ma replied, " Yes, my dear ; you en- Tlw Accidents of Youth. 63 tertain your friends like a very good girl." One day, Caroline wished to cook something in one of her dishes. Her mamma had often told her never to touch the fire, but the disobedient lit- tle girl, finding herself alone, put some charcoal into a pan ; but, while she was blowing it with the bellows, her mamma called her. Caroline hid the pan behind the window-curtains ; her mamma came into the room, having no suspicion/and said " Caroline, as you have learned your lesson like a good girl, you shall take a walk with me into the meadows:" she immediately accompanied her to the fields, where her mamma sat down under a tree, and began to sew, \vhilst Caroline went into the grass, which was as high 64 The Accidents of Youth. as her knees, and gathered some flow- ers to make a nosegay. They had been there some time, and were just thinking of returning home, when they heard a great noise, and saw a number of people running to- wards them. The same moment they saw the gardener, who cried out, " Ah ! madam, a sad accident has hap- pened : your house is on fire and near- ly burnt dow r n ! The fire began by the window-curtains in your room." Scarcely had he said these words, when Caroline uttered a dreadful cry, and fell down on her knees before her mother. The charcoal, which she had left burning, had set fire to the cur- tains, which had communicated to the furniture, and the flames soon reached every part of the house, and the sta- bles, ^vhich were full of hay and straw r ; The Accidents of Youth. 65 and thus all the premises were burnt, by the disobedience of this naughty girl. NECESSARY CAUTION WHEN VERY HOT. I LIKE to see you, my children, run and jump in the fields, play at ball, and other harmless games. You cannot run about too much in safe places ; exer- cise gives health and gracefulness : but it is necessary you should pay atten- tion to what I am going to say. When you are very hot and perspire, do not go into the draught, or sit down on the damp ground ; and, above all, be sure never to drink cold water, how- ever thirsty you may be : wait till you are cool. If you drink too soon, you will check the perspiration, and bring on an G 3 66 The Occidents of Youth. illness that may end in death. If, when you have rested a bit, you feel chilly, run again, until you are a little warm. Do not forget what I tell you ; a great number of imprudent children have died through neglecting this advice. THE BOILING SAUCEPAN. A GOOD countrywoman said to her son, Stephen, who was seven years old, " Stephen, my child, I am obliged to go out to take your father his dinner, who is working in the fields ; be a good boy whilst I am out." " Oh, yes, mother; I will be very good ;" said Stephen. " You see the saucepan," said the good woman ; " take care not to touch it, for it might fall and scald your legs." The Accidents of Youth. 67 " 1 promise you I will not touch it, mother ;" said he. " I entreat that you will not, my child," said she : " and it is for your good that I do so." The mother took her basket under her arm and went out ; but not with- out saying once more, " Be a good boy, Stephen ; for, if you disobey me, you wiD be the sufferer." Stephen was one of those little boya who keep saying,*" I will be good," and yet always do what they are told not to do. As soon as he was alone, he looked at the saucepan, and then put his hand to the lid, which burnt him : this was a good warning, but it was lost upon him. He took off the lid, and tasted the broth ; yes, my dear chil- dren, the naughty little boy took off the lid! 158 The Accident* of Youth. At this moment he thought he heard somebody ; he made haste to put the lid on again, and turned himself round, as if he had been doing no harm ; but, unfortunately, his foot slipped, and his hand caught the handle of the sauce- pan, and overturned it upon him. He fell to the" ground, and the boiling broth scalded his legs terribly : his pain made him cry out most sadly ; but no- body came to his assistance. He could not get up again ; and the broth, which had soaked through his stockings, scalded him dreadfully. When his mother came home, she found him stretched upon the floor, and thought he was dead. She began to cry ; but picked him up, and, having undressed him, did all she could to ease his pain ; but his agony increased every moment. A surgeon was sent See page ' See page 70. The Accidents of Youth. 69 for, who said, when he came, that, if he escaped death, he would be lame all his life. He did, indeed, reco- ver, after a long illness ; but he was unable, ever after, to walk without crutches. Ah I the good woman said truly, " When you disobey me, you will be the sufferer." THE LITTLE GIRL WHO WAS BURNT. ELIZABETH was a little girl who thought herself very pretty ; she never went past a looking-glass without stopping to admire herself. She was very fond of compliments, and disliked every one who did not praise her beauty. This was a sad fault, and would have caused many disappointments to her 70 The Occidents of Youth. wh*n she grew up, if a terrible acci- dent had not put an end to her life. This accident arose from her ridiculous vanity. She was one day looking over her mamma's things, when she perceived a beautiful pearl necklace, and a pair of diamond ear-rings. She could not refrain from putting them on ; w r hich, you know, was very improper; and she went to the fire-place to look in the glass, that hung over the mantle- piece. While the simple little girl was ad- miring herself in these ornaments, and throwing up her head as proudly as a peacock, the fire caught her frock, and the flame communicated in a moment -to all the rest of her clothes. She ut- tered the most dreadful cries, which brought somebody to her assistance ; The Accidents of Youth. 71 but it was too late : the fire had burnt her clothes to ashes and scorched her in a shocking manner, and she expired, a few hours after, in the great- est agony, leaving a dreadful lesson to those children who play too near the fire. THE IMPRUDENT YOUTHS AND THE YOUNG HERO. NOT a year passes in which we do not hear of a great number of little boys who lose their lives by venturing on pools of water when very little frozen. It is therefore my wish, if possible, to caution you against running on the ice; and, although I have already said something on the same subject, I shall relate another story, which may, per- haps, make an impression, on my young readers ; and I take more pleasure in re- 72 The Accidents of Youth. lating this story, on account of a little boy who acted an admirable part in it. But, before I begin, let me just inform you that it is very true, and occurred under my own eye. During the winter of 1804, three little boys were playing on the ice of a pond near Richmond. The ice was by no means thick, and cracked under their feet ; but they laughed at it. Among the boys who were standing near the pond, there was one \vho was foolish enough to throw a stick on the ice, which rolled a great way, and he defied the other boys to fetch it. Excited by this cruel defiance, they all three ran towards the place where the stick lay ; but, the ice gave way, and they disappeared in an instant. While every body was deploring the accident, without venturing to their The Accidents of Youth. 7-1 assistance, another little boy, the son of a poor shoemaker at Richmond, whose name was Christian Hum- phreys, and who had been playing at cricket in an adjoining field, ran to- wards the pond. On finding what was the matter, he said, " As I am older than them, I will try if I can save them." Well knowing the danger of the at- tempt, he fell on his knees, and prayed to God for support; then, taking off his jacket, he walked softly over the ice. He had scarcely got half way, when his foot sunk in, and, in drawing it out again, he lost his shoe. This accident frightened him a little, but it did not stop him. As soon as he arrived at the hole where the little boys disap- peared, he recommended himself once more to God, and plunged in, H 74 The Accidents of Youth. Just as he was laying hold of one of J O the three, he was caught by each foot by the others : he had much difficulty in getting clear from them, which he did at last. He then regained the opening, and drew breath while he rested on the edge of the broken ice. After haying recovered himself a little, (for he was nearly exhausted,) he found that the ice would not bear two persons at once ; so he began to break it until he made an opening to the edge of the pond. His hands were covered with blood, and he suffered very much from the pain ; but neither his pain, nor the danger he ran, could discourage him. He then swam to- wards the place where the little boys gunk, and plunging in again, brought up one of them, whom he landed safe on the bank. He plunged in agaie, The Accidents of Youth. 75 and brought out the youngest. Encour- aged by this success, he returned to look for the oldest of them, who was bigger than himself: he soon found him, and laying hold of him by the hair of his head, pulled with all his might, but was some time before he could raise him to the top of the water. The spectators were beginning to think he was lost, when he found the passage that he had made, and regained the ' o land with the big boy; but poor Chris- tian's hands were covered with blood, and he was scarcely able to stand. The three little boys were ill for se- veral days ; but their generous libera- tor, for want of comfortable things, was ill much longer. This poor boy, after having drank a little warm beer, went to his master's, where he was an apprentice, and stood H2 76 Tfte Accidents of Yuntk before the fire to melt the ice which clung to his hair. Wishing to get some- thing for the loss of his shoes, he went to the father of one of the children he had saved. This man was very poor in- deed, but he gave Christian a shilling. The poor boy being in his wet clothes all this time > he caught a violent cold, and was laid up for more than a fortnight. As soon as he got well again, Chris- tian sat down to w r ork for his master, and thought no more of the good ac- tion he had performed ; when one day a great lord sent for him. As Christian was very timid, he went to his lordship very reluctantly. This nobleman put some questions to him, and charmed at finding him so modest and sensible, made him a pre- sent of a good suit of clothes and a guinea, which Christian, like a good boy, carried to his father. The Accidents of Youth. 77 But Christian's good-fortune did not end here. The good action he had done was talked of by everybody, till the king himself heard of it, who, being pleased with such heroic conduct in so young a boy, put him to school, and ever after provided for him and his family. This story, my dear children, teaches you to avoid the imprudence which ex- posed the little boys to so much dan- ger ; but, if you should ever witness such an accident, the courage and Ivindness of little Christian will tell you how you ought to act on such an occasion. THE BROKEN WINDOW. " RUB, dub, dub ; I am beating the drum," said little Victor^ as he beat 78 The Accidents of Youth. his fist against the window; " Listen, it is just like the soldiers ! rub, dub, dub." " My little friend," said a gentleman who was on a visit to his papa, " you strike too hard; you will break the window." " Oh, no, Sir ; I am beating the drum: rub, dub, dub, is it not pretty?" His papa came into the room, and said, " Victor, what are you doing ? do you want to break the window ]" "No, papa: 1 ' and Victor left off. But no sooner was his papa gone, than he began again ; very gently at first, in order that he might nqt be heard ; then a little louder ; and at last, just as loud as he had done when his papa spoke to him. The rnaid eame to him, and said, The Accidents of Youth. 79 " What are you making that noise for, sir?" "What is that to you," said the naughty little boy ; " I will make a noise, if I like." " But you will break the window !" " That is nothing to you ; they are not your windows." " If your papa heard you, you know what he would do : let me advise you to leave off." " I will not leave off:" and he beat louder than ever. " Victor," said the maid, " you will break the window, and cut yourself; if you do not leave off, I will call your papa." " Let me alone," replied the naughty boy ; "let me alone." As he said let me alone, he beat very hard upon one of the panes of glass, which broke all to pieces, and cut his hand in a shocking manner. When he saw the blood flow, he cried out terribly. His mamma, who cSO The Accidents of Youth. was in the next room, ran to him ; but, when she found how he had acted, she could not pity him. She looked, how- ever, at his wounded hand, and having dressed it, said very seriously, " I desire you to leave off crying ; I have given you the assistance I considered necessary, but you do not deserve to be pitied ; your accident was your own fault ; you ought to have listened to the good advice that was given to you." . " But, mamma, I am in such pain." fc I do not doubt it ; but you must think yourself very lucky in having es- caped so well, for you might have been lamed for life. Go to your room ; your disobedience gives me more pain, than your accident," See page 79. See page 83. 81 THE PINS. A GREAT many children have a dange- rous habit of putting pins into their mouths ; they surely cannot know the danger, or they would not do so. For, in the first place, the pins may be dirty, and covered with verdigrease, which would hurt them; or, from want of thought, they might swallow them, and kill themselves. The following little story will prove the truth of this. George Walton was playing with pins with a young lady : in the course of their game, to take care of the pins that he won, he put them into his mouth. A large dog that used to play with him, came into the room unper- ceived, and jumped with his great paws 82 The Accidents of Youth. upon his back. George, who was not aware of his coming, was so frightened, that the pins slipped down his throat, where they lay cross-ways. The more he tried to vomit them up, the faster they stuck. The surgeon who was sent for used his instruments in vain. George, after having suffered the most dreadful agony for five or six days, died, and left all his friends to deplore his unhappy end. TUMBLING OFF THE FURNITURE. A LITTLE girl, named Emma, who never thought of danger, was standing on the back of an arm-chair, in which her mamma w r as sitting, who, not know- ing that she was there, got up sud- denly, and the chair fell down upon her, and she received such a severe The Occidents of Youth. 83 wound in her head, that she was obliged to be bled three times in one day. Her brother Anthony was never so happy as when he was climbing upon the furniture, the window, or a tree, where he used to look about him with much satisfaction, and thought himself a, great man. You must not ask how many times he fell down, or how often he hurt himself; this happened so fre- quently, that he thought nothing about it : but at length he was punished se- verely. One day he put a stool upon a chair, and got upon it. He had several times fallen from a tree without hurting him- self much, but this time he was not so fortunate. The stool slipped, and he fell backwards so forcibly, that he fractured his head, and died in a few hours. 84 THE BULLOCK. A LITTLE boy, who took great delight in teazing animals, was tormenting a poor bullock that was feeding quietly in a Held. At length the bullock got an- gry, lowered his head, and caught him by the waistband of his small-clothes, and tossed him to a considerable dis- tance. Happily for the boy, he fell on a load of hay, and escaped with a sound shaking ; but he learned pru- dence from the accident, and never af- terwards played with horned cattle. THE FOWLING-PIECE. Mr. ARNOLD was just returned from a shooting party, and had put his fow- ling-piece down upon the grass-plot, The Accidents of Youth. 85 intending to clean it before he put it away; indeed he was just going about it, when some one called him, While he was gone, his son Frederic came on the grass-plot, and took up the gun. " Now," said he, " I will do my exercise with papa's gun. Carry arms present make ready." Unfortunately, no one was present but his sister, who begged him to lay down the gun ; but he laughed at her. <; You are only a girl,' 7 said he, " and the sight of a gun frightens you. As for me, I am a man : Carry arms ! pre- sent ! make ready !" Pointing the gun at his sister, he said, "Take care of yourself/' " Brother ! brother !" she cried, pray lay down the gun !" The poor little girl ran to hide her- self behind a gooseberry-bush. Her 86 The Accidents of Fouth. brother only laughed at her, and kept crying out, " Take care of yourself ! take care of yourself !" In the midst of his gaiety he unfor- tunately pressed upon the trigger ; the gun went off; and in a moment his poor sister was shot to the ground. Victor, dreadfully alarmed at what he had done, dropped the gun, and ran towards his sister. The report brought all the family to the spot, but Mrs. Arnold was the first who perceived her daughter stretched on the ground, and covered with blood. She took her in her arms, making the place ring with her cries, and calling to her child repeatedly. As the little girl could not answer, they thought she was dead ; but when the surgeon came, he said she had only fainted; and, in fact, she spoke in a The Accidents of Youth. 87 few minutes afterwards. On examin- ing the wound, it was found, to the joy of the family, and above all, little Victor, that the shots had lost milch of their power in passing through the gooseberry-bush ; so that the little girl was only slightly wounded : neverthe- less, she was ill a long time. V r ictoi% who had been overlooked in the confusion, appeared trembling be- fore his father, and fell at his feet, weeping bitterly. " Sir," said Mr. Arnold to him, " you have nearly killed your sister ; but I see you repent, and I trust you will remember the effects of your imprudence all your life." And let me, my dear children, re- quest you to bear this event in your mind, and you will never be induced to play w r ith fire-arms, which are dan- 88 Tfte Accidents of Youth. gerous to yourselves and those who are near you. THE BALUSTRADE OF THE STAIRCASE. A LITTLE girl once put her head through the balustrade of the staircase to look down, and could not get it back again. She remained in that position, crying, and making the most piteous complaints imaginable. Her papa, who was very angry with her, after convincing him- self that there was no danger of her body going through, said to her, "Remain where you are, or get out as you can ; I wish to make you remem- ber that your mamma told you never to look through the railing of the stair- case. The little girl continued to cry for a long time ; but at last she began to The Accidents of Youth. 89 consider how she should get her head out. After a great many efforts she succeeded ; but not until she had scratched her ear sadly. This story reminds me of a little boy who once got upon the balustrade, and said he was on horseback ; but he lost his hold, and fell to the bottom. The poor little fellow was killed on the spot, THE PIN IN THE SOUP. AMELIA had a habit of sticking the pins that she did not Avant in the front part of her frock. Her papa said to her, "Amelia, put your pins in some other place, or some day when you are at table, one may fall in your plate, and you may swallow it." Amelia paid no attention to the ad- i3 90 The Accidents of Youth. vice of her papa, and what he had foretold happened. One day she swal- lowed a pin in a spoonful of soup. She would have died if the surgeon had not put different instruments into her throat to get at the pin ; but she suf- fered dreadfullv. THE PIN IX A. CHAIR. THERE was once a very naughty little boy, who did every thing in his power to hurt his playfellows. One day he put a pin in a chair with the point outwards, and then called his sister to sit down. His sister, who knew what a mischievous boy he was, would not venture. The little boy not being able to trick his sister, went aw r ay to some other mischief, and forget the pin. The Accidents of Youth. 91 He did not, however, forget the din- ner-hour. His father and mother were already seated, and he took a chair to sit by them ; but in a moment he cried out dreadfully, and alarmed every- body at table. They asked him what was the matter ; he wept bitterly, but did not dare confess the truth. His sister drew near, and perceived the pin. " Ah ! brother," said she, " that is the pin you wanted me to sit down upon !" His father, finding the truth, looked very angry, and sent him away from table. The pin had made a very bad wound, and they \vere obliged to send for a surgeon. For some time everybody thought he would be lame for life ; but nobody pitied him. " It is a judg- ment," said they ; " the mischief you 92 Ttie Accidents of Youth. Intended for another, is fallen on your- self. The wicked must suffer at one time or other !" 1RIGIIT. MR. SMITH was passing through a street with his two children, when his attention was excited by a crowd. They stopped to see what was the matter, and observed a young man laying motionless on the pavement, His eyes were half-closed, his teeth set, and his mouth full of foam. In a short time, he became so dreadfully convulsed, that two men could not hold him ; and he struck his head so dreadfully against the stones, that everybody thought he w r ould kill him- self. This shocking fit lasted some minutes ; but he recovered his senses The Accidents of Youth. m at last, and, with some assistance, got up again. An old woman, who was crying by his side, supported him carefully : it was his mother. When he was sufficiently recovered, he leaned upon her arm, and they walked away together. Mr, Smith followed them; and by degrees* entered into conversation with the old woman. He asked her how it happened. " Alas ! sir," re- plied she, "it is all owing to a fright that he received from his playfellows when he was only twelve years old. One dark evening, as he was returning home through the church-yard, he saw, all at once, something white rise up and open its arms to seize him : this white figure had fiery eyes and mouth, and a long robe that covered all the body. My son was dreadfully fright- 94 The Accidents of Youth. ened, and fainted away immedi- ately. " The ghost, thinking him dead, threw off his dress, and a wooden case that served for a head, with three holes and a candle inside of it. This ghost was one of his playfellows, who, with three or four other boys, had played this trick to frighten him. They little thought of the consequences of their folly! They took my son in their arms, and, after trying in vain to bring him to his senses, carried him home. " My poor boy only recovered his senses to suffer still more dreadfully. Fright and terror were in his eyes ; he uttered the most horrid cries, and seemed to try to run away from some- thing he saw. The idea of the ghost was ever in his mind. He remained several days and nights in this w r retch- ed state : at length, after one sound The Occidents of Youth. 95 sleep, he appeared more tranquil ; but the fright which he had received, shook his nerves, and gave him a vio- lent complaint, which is called epilepsy. This complaint, of which you have just seen one of the fits, attacks him frequently. " Ah ! my little friends," said the good woman to Mr. Smith's chil- dren, who had been listening atten- tively, " take care not to imitate the example of the boys who ruined my poor son's happiness ; there are many other amusements ; and, although fright does not always produce such sad effects, it is never without an eviL I am very sure that now you are aware of the danger of terrifying your play- mates, you w r ill never join in such a barbarous proceeding." 96 THE BEES. " WILLIAM, your papa says you may walk in the garden.; but do not touch the bee-hives. The bees are armed with a sting, which inflicts a severe wound ; and they never fail to use it when they are disturbed." William, however, was a naughty little boy, who frequently did what he was told not to do ; he thought they only told him not to go near the bees, because he should not taste the honey. " What nonsense," said he, " to sup- pose that a little bee, which is not big- ger than a beari, should hurt me ! they talk to me as if I were an infant ; but 1 know better." William went towards the hives, where he saw the bees quietly -going in and out. This made him bold ; and The Accidents of Youth. 97 he formed the project of thrusting a stick in the hive, thinking he should get some honey ; for, next to sugar, he loved honey dearly. Hardly had he thrust in the stick, when a whole swarm of bees came out, and settled on his head. In a moment, he was stung dreadfully in several places. He ran away as fast as he could, but the bees went as fast, sting- ing his face, and ears, and hands, and every part that was uncovered. At length he ran into the parlour, where all the family were assembled, and hid his head under one of the bol- sters of the sofa. Everybody got up at the sight of this little boy, for he was still covered with bees ; and they, at length, drove them off. They washed his hands and face with vinegar ; he Buffered dreadfully, and in a few mo-* K 2 98 The Accidents of Youth. raents was as red as scarlet, and swelled beyond conception. The pain was so great that it was thought he would die. He escaped, indeed, with life ; but he had a terrible fever, and was ill a long time. I can assure you, that he never went again to disturb the bees, and wets ever afterwards attentive to what was told him. THE WELL AND THE WIXDOW. MANY children no sooner see a well, than they run to look into it ; and amuse themselves with throwing stones in the water. This is very improper : and they frequently throw dirt and filth into the water, which is used for drinking ; but, what is worse still, is that, in stooping over the well, they frequently fall in, and are drowned. The Accidents of Youth. 99 Take care, then, my dear children, never to go near a well, or a window., for both are dangerous. THE CARPENTER'S TOOLS, AND THE MASON'S LADDER. A CARPENTER was at work in a yard, cutting a large beam ; little Henry Newton was watching him, and very anxious to handle the hatchet. When the carpenter was gone to din^ ner, the foolish little boy got on the timber, took the hatchet, and lifting it up to prove his dexterity, made a blow at the wood. Unfortunately, however, he struck his foot, and cut it nearly in two. I will leave you to judge of his sufferings ; the best surgeon in the place was called to attend him, but he was lamed for life. K 3 100 The Accidents of Youth. Another little boy, seeing a mason's ladder, tried to get to the roof of the house, but he made a false step, and fell to the ground ; and, before any one could pick him up, he was quite dead. THE POWDER FLASK. MR. HERSEE was just returned from shooting, and laid his powder-flask on the table, When he was gone out, his two children, Valentine and Eliza, be- gan to play with the flask. " I smell a hare," said Valentine ; and pulled his ears to imitate a hare. While he was doing this, he dropped the powder- horn. When he picked it up, he said to his sister, " Let us make some fire- works." "Oh yes," replied Eliza; " let us make some fire-works." The Accidents of Youth. 101 Valentine opened the flask, put some powder in the palm of his hand, and threw a few grains in the fire. Then he made a train on the table, and set light to it with a piece of paper. All this amused them mightily. Eliza, who was not aware of the ter- rible effects of powder, took up the flask, and held it over the lighted paper, to make another flash, putting out a little at a time. Unfortunately, the flame communicated to the powder- horn ; and, in a moment, all the powder went off, with a dreadful explosion, breaking every thing in the room. The two children were struck to the ground ; when they were picked up, they ap- peared dead, and were sadly disfi- gured. The little girl's hand was shat- tered to pieces, and it was obliged to be cut off, to prevent mortification. 102 Tlie Accidents of Youth. The little boy lost an eye, and both were thus lained and disfigured for life. You see, my dear young readers, the sad effects of disobedience, and of touching things that you ought not. THi: END. BOOKS PRINTED FOR JOHN SOUTER, AT THE 3jufccuile and ^cfjaol Et&rarp, aVo. 73, North, Sde (\f St. Paul's Church-yard. 1. THE WELL-BRED DOLL; calculated to amuse and instruct Little Girls ; embellished with ten Copper- plate Engravings; price 2s. 6d. plain, and 3s. tid. coloured. 2. The ROCKING-HORSE; or, TRUE THINGS and SHAM THINGS, intended for the Amusement and In- struction of Little Boys ; by ROBIN GOODFELLOW : embellished with Engravings. Price 2s. 6d. plain, and 3s. 6d. coloured. 3. 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