Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1868-12-31
AMERICAN CHHLDR EN-

Obserat,ons on their Aasners by Darsd
Mene, q Seotchmsn-zRe Philosophy
Of their Precocity.
American children are undoubtedly
Iprecocious. l think this peculiarit,, /,
though partly owing to the quicken
ing effect OF climate, is due, to some
extent, to the American practice of
bringing children to the table from
their infancy. A New England lady,
who boasted of eleven children "a very
rare thing in New England), told me
that every one Of them had leea
brought to the table at seven months
and at thirteen months could handle
their forks as neatly as she could
Brought to the table SO soon. anl hear
ing all that goes en-, they begin at a
preternaturally early age to take an liz
terest in general aiiairs, and to acquire
the ideas and language of grown peo-
pie. An old doctor of divinity in
Canada said that, calling one day at a
friends house, little girl was sent in
to amuse him till her mamma was
ready, The child told him, among
other things, that she had been writ
ing parody on kingsley's song of
the 'Thrcc Fishers; but, when drying
it at the open fire, it dropped from her
hand and was burned. "Burnedn ex-
claimed the doctor; If had been the
fire | should have Stopped till you had
got it out again. 20 n, DOCTOR said
the child glavely, you couldn't have
done that. Nature, you know, is ma
ture, and her laws arc inviolabler' 1t
nearly knocked the doctor off his
chair.
l remember one day at dinner-
this was i'll the State OF New York
being amused at the exquisite cosbi-
nationof epicureanismand torethought
on the part OF little boy OF n.ne.
Mother said he, give me only
little OF the mince pie, as shall want
to taste the pudding"
The children's remarks on political
subjects tickled me the most, Tor the
reason, perhaps, that l have so rarely
heard anything OF the sort from chill
dren at home. A small boy Of eight
will stand up to you and say, "What
do You think, sir OF the state of
country"
l remember being amused beyond
expression at one little boy in Brook
lyn, who, during theimpeachment trial,
began, one evening at supper, to up
braid his father tor having supported
Andrew johnson.
In one OF my former papers spoke
OF little Canadian girl, who in the
midst OF conversation Oh politics,
threw III her opinion that Canada
should have had Maine and part Of
New Hampshire. A case suggested
by its similarity occurred in Boston,
where little girl not much higher
than my knee, with whom | was pay
ing game on the carpet, asked me
with a serious countenance, wha: et-
fect | thought the acquisition OF Rus
sian America would have on Great
Britain. | laughed, the question was
SO odd; but, on seeing the little eyes
looking up into my tace in mute sur
prise, recovered myself as suddenly
as possible, and endeavored to put
matters to rights by saying that the
tlnng might possible lead to some
snow ,balling between the two nations
But the little politician IN petticoats
evidently thought this was tritling
with = grave subject, and said no
more.
There is one unpleasant feature OF
American precocity-it tends much
more frequently than here to pertness,
and utter want Of reverence for par
ents. Papa, don't be FOOLISH Iheard
one little girl say, when her father was
attempting to describe to me how
some comical Frcnchman had spoken
at a public meeting. You will some
times hear child say to its parent,
You get awayror "Don't trouble me
just now" The parent never seemed
to me to feel this as Scotch parent
would.
remember an indulgcnt father bring
ing in bunch OF grapes tor his little