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And　the　truth　must　be　told；　that　in　the　morning　John　was　no　nearer　to　realizing　the　terrors　he　desired　to　feel。　　But　he　was　a　conscientious　boy；　and　would　do　nothing　to　interfere　with　the　influences　of　the　season。　　He　not　only　put　himself　away　from　them　all；　but　he　refrained　from　doing　almost　everything　that　he　wanted　to　do。　　There　came　at　that　time　a　newspaper；　a　secular　newspaper；　which　had　in　it　a　long　account　of　the　Long　Island　races；　in　which　the　famous　horse　〃Lexington〃　was　a　runner。　　John　was　fond　of　horses；　he　knew　about　Lexington；　and　he　had　looked　forward　to　the　result　of　this　race　with　keen　interest。　　But　to　read　the　account　of　it　how　he　felt　might　destroy　his　seriousness　of　mind；　and　in　all　reverence　and　simplicity　he　felt　itbe　a　means　of　〃grieving　away　the　Holy　Spirit。〃　　He　therefore　hid　away　the　paper　in　a　table…drawer；　intending　to　read　it　when　the　revival　should　be　over。　　Weeks　after；　when　he　looked　for　the　newspaper；　it　was　not　to　be　found；　and　John　never　knew　what　〃time　〃　Lexington　made　nor　anything　about　the　race。　　This　was　to　him　a　serious　loss；　but　by　no　means　so　deep　as　another　feeling　that　remained　with　him；　for　when　his　little　world　returned　to　its　ordinary　course；　and　long　after；　John　had　an　uneasy　apprehension　of　his　own　separateness　from　other　people；　in　his　insensibility　to　the　revival。　Perhaps　the　experience　was　a　damage　to　him；　and　it　is　a　pity　that　there　was　no　one　to　explain　that　religion　for　a　little　fellow　like　him　is　not　a　〃scheme。〃




XVII

WAR

Every　boy　who　is　good　for　anything　is　a　natural　savage。　　The　scientists　who　want　to　study　the　primitive　man；　and　have　so　much　difficulty　in　finding　one　anywhere　in　this　sophisticated　age；　couldn't　do　better　than　to　devote　their　attention　to　the　common　country…boy。　　He　has　the　primal；　vigorous　instincts　and　impulses　of　the　African　savage；　without　any　of　the　vices　inherited　from　a　civilization　long　ago　decayed　or　developed　in　an　unrestrained　barbaric　society。　　You　want　to　catch　your　boy　young；　and　study　him　before　he　has　either　virtues　or　vices；　in　order　to　understand　the　primitive　man。

Every　New　England　boy　desires　（or　did　desire　a　generation　ago；　before　children　were　born　sophisticated；　with　a　large　library；　and　with　the　word　〃culture〃　written　on　their　brows）　to　live　by　hunting；　fishing；　and　war。　　The　military　instinct；　which　is　the　special　mark　of　barbarism；　is　strong　in　him。　　It　arises　not　alone　from　his　love　of　fighting；　for　the　boy　is　naturally　as　cowardly　as　the　savage；　but　from　his　fondness　for　display；the　same　that　a　corporal　or　a　general　feels　in　decking　himself　in　tinsel　and　tawdry　colors　and　strutting　about　in　view　of　the　female　sex。　　Half　the　pleasure　in　going　out　to　murder　another　man　with　a　gun　would　be　wanting　if　one　did　not　wear　feathers　and　gold…lace　and　stripes　on　his　pantaloons。　　The　law　also　takes　this　view　of　it；　and　will　not　permit　men　to　shoot　each　other　in　plain　clothes。　　And　the　world　also　makes　some　curious　distinctions　in　the　art　of　killing。　　To　kill　people　with　arrows　is　barbarous；　to　kill　them　with　smooth…bores　and　flintlock　muskets　is　semi…civilized；　to　kill　them　with　breech…loading　rifles　is　civilized。　　That　nation　is　the　most　civilized　which　has　the　appliances　to　kill　the　most　of　another　nation　in　the　shortest　time。　　This　is　the　result　of　six　thousand　years　of　constant　civilization。　　By　and　by；　when　the　nations　cease　to　be　boys；　perhaps　they　will　not　want　to　kill　each　other　at　all。　　Some　people　think　the　world　is　very　old；　but　here　is　an　evidence　that　it　is　very　young；　and；　in　fact；　has　scarcely　yet　begun　to　be　a　world。　　When　the　volcanoes　have　done　spouting；　and　the　earthquakes　are　quaked　out；　and　you　can　tell　what　land　is　going　to　be　solid　and　keep　its　level　twenty…four　hours；　and　the　swamps　are　filled　up；　and　the　deltas　of　the　great　rivers；　like　the　Mississippi　and　the　Nile；　become　terra　firma；　and　men　stop　killing　their　fellows　in　order　to　get　their　land　and　other　property；　then　perhaps　there　will　be　a　world　that　an　angel　would　n't　weep　over。　　Now　one　half　the　world　are　employed　in　getting　ready　to　kill　the　other　half；　some　of　them　by　marching　about　in　uniform；　and　the　others　by　hard　work　to　earn　money　to　pay　taxes　to　buy　uniforms　and　guns。

John　was　not　naturally　very　cruel；　and　it　was　probably　the　love　of　display　quite　as　much　as　of　fighting　that　led　him　into　a　military　life；　for　he；　in　common　with　all　his　comrades；　had　other　traits　of　the　savage。　　One　of　them　was　the　same　passion　for　ornament　that　induces　the　African　to　wear　anklets　and　bracelets　of　hide　and　of　metal；　and　to　decorate　himself　with　tufts　of　hair；　and　to　tattoo　his　body。　　In　John's　day　there　was　a　rage　at　school　among　the　boys　for　wearing　bracelets　woven　of　the　hair　of　the　little　girls。　　Some　of　them　were　wonderful　specimens　of　braiding　and　twist。　　These　were　not　captured　in　war；　but　were　sentimental　tokens　of　friendship　given　by　the　young　maidens　themselves。　　John's　own　hair　was　kept　so　short　（as　became　a　warrior）　that　you　couldn't　have　made　a　bracelet　out　of　it；　or　anything　except　a　paintbrush；　but　the　little　girls　were　not　under　military　law；　and　they　willingly　sacrificed　their　tresses　to　decorate　the　soldiers　they　esteemed。　　As　the　Indian　is　honored　in　proportion　to　the　scalps　he　can　display；　at　John's　school　the　boy　was　held　in　highest　respect　who　could　show　the　most　hair　trophies　on　his　wrist。　John　himself　had　a　variety　that　would　have　pleased　a　Mohawk；　fine　and　coarse　and　of　all　colors。　　There　were　the　flaxen；　the　faded　straw；　the　glossy　black；　the　lustrous　brown；　the　dirty　yellow；　the　undecided　auburn；　and　the　fiery　red。　　Perhaps　his　pulse　beat　more　quickly　under　the　red　hair　of　Cynthia　Rudd　than　on　account　of　all　the　other　wristlets　put　together；　it　was　a　sort　of　gold…tried…in…the…fire…color　to　John；　and　burned　there　with　a　steady　flame。　　Now　that　Cynthia　had　become　a　Christian；　this　band　of　hair　seemed　a　more　sacred　if　less　glowing　possession　（for　all　detached　hair　will　fade　in　time）；　and　if　he　had　known　anything　about　saints；　he　would　have　imagined　that　it　was　a　part　of　the　aureole　that　always　goes　with　a　saint。　　But　I　am　bound　to　say　that　while　John　had　a　tender　feeling　for　this　red　string；　his　sentiment　was　not　that　of　the　man　who　becomes　entangled　in　the　meshes　of　a　woman's　hair；　and　he　valued　rather　the　number　than　the　quality　of　these　elastic　wristlets。

John　burned　with　as　real　a　military　ardor　as　ever　inflamed　the　breast　of　any　slaughterer　of　his　fellows。　　He　liked　to　read　of　war；　of　encounters　with　the　Indians；　of　any　kind　of　wholesale　killing　in　glittering　uniform；　to　the　noise　of　the　terribly　exciting　fife　and　drum；　which　maddened　the　combatants　and　drowned　the　cries　of　the　wounded。　　In　his　future　he　saw　himself　a　soldier　with　plume　and　sword　and　snug…fitting；　decorated　clothes；very　different　from　his　somewhat　roomy　trousers　and　country…cut　roundabout；　made　by　Aunt　Ellis；　the　village　tailoress；　who　cut　out　clothes；　not　according　to　the　shape　of　the　boy；　but　to　what　he　was　expected　to　grow　to；going　where　glory　awaited　him。　　In　his　observation　of　pictures；　it　was　the　common　soldier　who　was　always　falling　and　dying；　while　the　officer　stood　unharmed　in　the　storm　of　bullets　and　waved　his　sword　in　a　heroic　attitude。　　John　determined　to　be　an　officer。

It　is　needless　to　say　that　he　was　an　ardent　member　of　the　military　company　of　his　village。　　He　had　risen　from　the　grade　of　corporal　to　that　of　first　lieutenant；　the　captain　was　a　boy　whose　father　was　captain　of　the　grown　militia　company；　and　consequently　had　inherited　military　aptness　and　knowledge。　　The　old　captain　was　a　flaming　son　of　Mars；　whose　nose　militia；　war；　general　training；　and　New　England　rum　had　painted　with　the　color　of　glory　and　disaster。　　He　was　one　of　the　gallant　old　soldiers　of　the　peaceful　days　of　our　country；　splendid　in　uniform；　a　martinet　in　drill；　terrible　in　oaths；　a　glorious　object　when　he　marched　at　the　head　of　his　company　of　flintlock　muskets；　with　the　American　banner　full　high　advanced；　and　the　clamorous　drum　defying　the　world。　　In　this　he　fulfilled　his　duties　of　citizen；　faithfully　teaching　his　uniformed　companions　how　to　march　by　the　left　leg；　and　to　get　reeling　drunk　by　sundown；　otherwise　he　did　n't　amount　to　much　in　the　community；　his　house　was　unpainted；　his　fences　were　tumbled　down；　his　farm　was　a　waste；　his　wife　wore　an　old　gown　to　meeting；　to　which　the　captain　never　went；　but　he　was　a　good　trout…　fisher；　and　there　was　no　man　in　town　who　spent　more　time　at　the　country　store　and　made　more　shrewd　observations　upon　the　affairs　of　his　neighbors。　　Although　he　had　never　been　in　an　asylum　any　more　than　he　had　been　in　war；　he　was　almost　as　perfect　a　drunkard　as　he　was　soldier。　　He　hated　the　British；　whom　he　had　never　seen；　as　much　as　he　loved　rum；　from　which　he　was　never　separated。

The　company　which　his　son　commanded；　wearing　his　father's　belt　and　sword；　was　about　as　effective　as　the　old　company；　and　more　orderly。　It　contained　from　thirty　to　fifty　boys；　according　to　the　pressure　of　〃chores〃　at　home；　and　it　had　its　great　days　of　parade　and　its　autumn　maneuvers；　like　the　general　training。　　It　was　an　artillery　company；　which　gave　every　boy　a　chance　to　wear　a　sword；　and　it　possessed　a　small　mounted　cannon；　which　was　dragged　about　and　limbered　and　unlimb