The Accidents of Youth, circa 1819If you didn’t have enough warnings from your mother, such as “you’ll shoot your eye out” when asking for a Red Rider BB Gun, The Accidents of Youth is for you. Written in 1819 and not excluding any gory detail, this book gives fair warning of the consequences of being mischievous. Lesson #1: Don’t pull a cat’s whiskers -Ellie My mother used to say, ‘Simon, you will be bitten, or scratched, or get kicked;’ but I listened to nothing that she said, and continued to do as I pleased. I was soon punished, as you will hear. “One of our neighbours had a Tom-Cat, whose whiskers were as long as my finger. I amused myself by pulling the hairs. &c.; for, as I have already told you, I was then as naughty as you are. My mother never ceased repeating to me, - ‘Simon, the cat will scratch you, if you do not let him alone.’ I took no notice of what she said, but went on my own way. One day, when the Tom-cat was in a worse humour than usual, and determined to defend his whiskers, he threw out his paw so nimbly, that he scratched me in the left eye, and burst it. Thus, for not having paid attention to the commands of my mother, God punished me with the loss of an eye.

The Accidents of Youth, circa 1819

If you didn’t have enough warnings from your mother, such as “you’ll shoot your eye out” when asking for a Red Rider BB Gun, The Accidents of Youth is for you.

Written in 1819 and not excluding any gory detail, this book gives fair warning of the consequences of being mischievous.

Lesson #1: Don’t pull a cat’s whiskers

-Ellie

My mother used to say, ‘Simon, you will be bitten, or scratched, or get kicked;’ but I listened to nothing that she said, and continued to do as I pleased. I was soon punished, as you will hear.

“One of our neighbours had a Tom-Cat, whose whiskers were as long as my finger. I amused myself by pulling the hairs. &c.; for, as I have already told you, I was then as naughty as you are. My mother never ceased repeating to me, - ‘Simon, the cat will scratch you, if you do not let him alone.’ I took no notice of what she said, but went on my own way. One day, when the Tom-cat was in a worse humour than usual, and determined to defend his whiskers, he threw out his paw so nimbly, that he scratched me in the left eye, and burst it. Thus, for not having paid attention to the commands of my mother, God punished me with the loss of an eye.

by elspethjane

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