Litchfield enquirer., 1835-02-19

1 But these are extraordinary exceptions to general rules, as uncommon and disgusting as beard or lady's chin, or pipe in her mouth.
 Even men may condescend to sport with chiIdreH without fear of contempt |: and for those swho like to shelter them- selves under authority, and cannot venture to be wise and happy their own way, we have plenty of splendid examples, ancient and modern, living and dead, to adduce which may sanction a love for these pigmy pIaythings. Statesmen have romped with, them, orators told them stories, conquerors submitted to their blows, judges, divines, and philosophers listened to their prat,ie, and joined in their sports.
 Notwithstanding the infinite pains taken to spoil natures lovely works, there is principle of resistance, which allows of on- ly partial success and numbers of sweet children exist, to delight and soothe, and divert us, when we are weary or fretted by grown-np people, and to justify all that has been said or written of the charms of child hood. Perhaps only women, their natural nurses and faithful protectresses, can ,hor- { onghly appreciate the attractions of the first few months of human existence. The recumbent position, the fragile limbs, the lelhargic tastes, and ungrateful indif1er- ence to notice, of a very young infant, rem der it uninteresting to most gentlemen, ex- cept it's father; and he is generally afraid to touch it., for fear of breaking its neck. But even in this state, mothers, grandmoth- CTS, aunts, and nurses, assure you that strong indications of sense and genius may be discerned in tho little animal and have known chatter of surprise and joy excited through whole family, and mat ter afforded for twenty long letters and in- numerable animated conversations, by some marvellous demonstration ofin,ellect in a creature in long clothes, who could not hold its head straight.
 But as soon as the baby has acquired firmness and liveliness as soon as it smiles at familiar face, and starcs at strange one as soon as it employs its hands and eyes in constant expeditions o: discovery, and crows and leaps from the excess ofani- maj contentment-it becomes an object of undefnable and powerful interest, to which all the sympathies of our nature attach us- an object at once of curiosity and tender- ness, interesting as it is in its helplessness and innocence.
 Who has not occasionally, when fond- ling an infant, felt oppressed by ,he weight of mystery which hangs over its fate {? Per- haps we hold in our arms, an angel, kept but for few months from the heaven in which it is to spend the rest of an immor- tai existence; perhaps we see the germ of all that is hideous and hateful in our nature Thus looked and thus sporled, thus calmly slumbered and sweetly smiled, the mons ters of our race in their days of infancy Where are tho marks to distinguish Me- ro from Trajan, an Abel from Cain :? But it is not in this spirit that it is either wise or happy to contemplate any thing Better is it-whcn we behold the energy and animation of young children, their warm affections, their ready, unsuspicious confidence, their wild, unwearied glee, their mir,h so easily excited, their love so easily won---to enjoy unresrained the pleasantness of lfe''s morning; that morn- ing so bright apd joyous, and to teach US tha. nature intended US to be happy, and usually gains her end till we arc old enough to discover how we may defeat it.
 Little girls are my favorites. Boys, though sufficiently interesting and amusing, arc apt to be infected. as soon as they as- sume the manly garb, with little of that masculine violence and obstinacy, which, when they grow up, they will call spirit and frmness; and they lose, earlier in life, that docility, tenderness, and ignorance of evil, which are their sisters peculiar charms. In all the range of visible creation, there is no object to me so attractive and delight- fnl as lovely, intelligent. gentle little girl of eight or nine years old. This is the point at which may be witnessed the great- est improvement of intellect compatible with that liIy-like purity of mind, to which taint is incomprehensible, danger unsus- pecled, and which wants not only the vo- cabu!ary, but the very idea of sin. Even the best and purest of women would shrink from displaying her heart to our gaze, while lovely childhood allows US to read it's very thought and fancy.
 Children may teach us one blessed, one enviable art-the art of being easily hap py. Kind nature has given to them that useful power of accommodation to circum- stances, which compensa,cs for so many external disadvantages: and it is only by injudiciOus management that it is lost.- Give him but moderate portion of food and kindness, and the peasants child is