My Boyhood and Touth 



the ancient inherited belligerence burning in 

 our pagan blood. Nor could we be made to 

 believe it was fair that father and teacher 

 should thrash us so industriously for our good, 

 while begrudging us the pleasure of thrashing 

 each other for our good. All these various 

 thrashings, however, were admirably influen- 

 tial in developing not only memory but forti- 

 tude as well. For if we did not endure our 

 school punishments and fighting pains without 

 flinching and making faces, we were mocked 

 on the playground, and public opinion on a 

 Scotch playground was a powerful agent in 

 controlling behavior; therefore we at length 

 managed to keep our features in smooth repose 

 while enduring pain that would try anybody 

 but an American Indian. Far from feeling that 

 we were called on to endure too much pain, one 

 of our playground games was thrashing each 

 other with whips about two feet long made 

 from the tough, wiry stems of a species of poly- 

 gonum fastened together in a stiff, firm braid. 

 One of us handing two of these whips to a com- 

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