THEY WOULD BE CIVILIZED.

Wairoa Bell, Volume 5, Issue 371, 13 November 1896, Page 5

THEY WOULD BE CIVILIZED.

The writer stayed all night several years! ago with a native of Missouri who -had moved himself and bis ‘ little fam'lv,’ as he called it, of a wife and 13 children, to the backwoods of Kansas to escape the demoralising influence of advanced civilisation in Missouri. ‘ But 1 didn’t coma soon enough,’ he said regretfully to me. ‘ Why not ?’ I asked, * Wal, my youngins got a kind of a taint o’ worldiness that 1 ain’t able to lick or argy out of ’em. Now, there’s my son Bill. He’s full o’ the pride o’ the airth, Bill is.’ Bill, a young man of about 26, long-legged and full bearded was playing with a coon out in the yard. ! Now, that Bill o’ mine won’t go town for anything until he’s stopped an’ put on his shoes—drat his pride ! An’ what ye reckon my daughter ’Mandy went an’ brought one day out o’ pure worldy pride ?’ ‘ I'm sure that I couldn’t guess.’ A toothbrush I Yes, sir; went an’ spent 10 cents for a toothbrush. Never was sich a thing heard of before in all my fam’ly. It’s all pride, pride, pride an’ the devil.’ He groaned aloud before sayiag: * An’ my daughter Jinny’s gettin’ so worldly she won’t drink coffee out of her sasser any more Says she’s read somewhere that it ain’t the proper way to drink it ! I tell ye the devil has his own way with young folks now a days, no matter how ear’ful they’re brought up. I ketched my son Jake cleanin’ his finger nails the other day an’ Bill's went an’ bought himself a white shirt to w’ar to meetin’ an’ Jinny’s gene to crimpin’ her ha’r. I tell ye s mister, It 3 kind o hard for a father to see his young* uns giving themsdves up to pride an’ the devil like that, I didn’t leave Missouri soon enough