, 1874-08-09
GOTHAM.
Children's Day at the Central
Park.
Some Reflections upon Parental Tre-.- =;
ment Of the Little Ones.

Special e"F'espondts'ee a. TIE cnicag" 7rfi5,,:
NEW Yozx, aug, 6. 1871
AS every juvenile resident Of Gotham knoys.
We have music by Dodworth's Band, of ovar fift1
| picked performers OIL the Mall at Central Park
every Saturday afternoon at o'clock. Saturday
IS therefore the childron's holiday; aud, judging
from the fond mothers and fathers, the zig elder
brothers and sisters, to say nothing OF the nurs'
ery-matds and inaumerable s. 'bonnes," who fre-
queut tho Park NTH tlleir infant charges, Satur.
cay afternoon is none tho less holiday for oIdc
| people, who seem to so in quite as largo NUN
oers, and to enjoy it quite IS thoroughly. as tit
younger ones. oYen although they can no longer
| by any possibility OF rejuvenescence. bs c1assed
among tho chi1drea- Tho Mall prescnts
Az ASrATED PICTURE
on every Saturday afternoon, and the music is
telec.ed to suit all tastes, combining Strauss
| waltzes with tho *'Aida Grande Marcle," &C.
lectlons from the Opers With popular EaIops;
md being faultless1y rendered, and yerv enjoy
able. The closcy-cut lawn, On muaic DAYS, can
| be said to he q Common" from the little red
| signs. so dessnated, stuck up all over the vel
| vet5 surface; and, though it seems almost crael
to walk over the green lawn, jet, On that day 1t
least, people wander at will ccder the shady
trees, or dfeamlly io On tho grass, drinking in
tho music, and resting both bodies aud souls
Inc eTer-sh11tug panorama is a tit scene for
painter ant: as the music swells and dies away
among tae foliage, the splashinS fountains the
light aud shade sitting throughthe branches tho
picturesque groups lying md sitting under tho
shrubbery the absence Of all dust tho laugh
ter OF g1ily-<lressed .~Iittlo ones, riding in tho
aoat-carrages or mounted upon the back of tho
Sleepy camel, With his none-the-less sleepy and
tacituru dra5oman in Turkish costume the
numoerless baby-carrlages, and their cunning
!ittle occupants. ronnd-eyed in baby-wonde1. OF
luled to sleep by tho music tho young lids and
| maldens, fault1asaly 4ttred in tasteful suumery
clothing. aud enjoying their first limitations the
rePose OF the labor1nS people, cleanly clad, and
enjoying the music, the ha?py f1ees Of tho
them the lncossaut roll OF the pLaetous. cou-
PES landaus, and broughans OF tho wealthy,
passing around tlls Grand Stand tie paving vi
tho hoofs OF the horses ridden By lady and gen
ten1en equestilans, yet seeming to enjoy llle
nnslc sthey pranee and dance 70 i:s movements:
tho stream OF newcomers; tho dozens OF
little cauvas-tents OF MI shapes and sizes erect
cd on the grass III situations convenient to both
sight and hearing the constant p,oulen,sdiug
up and down the long, straight nyeuucs and
tho ciecr, soft air, tnnt fansstno leaves and
comes III grateful coolucss to the aenses,-al}
these combine to make An afternoon spent 1t the
Mall one OF the mos.
DELIGHTFUL AND ENJOYABLE
Of all summer rarnbles.
0nly one thing uetractel from, the complcte
enjoyment. It was the sl1ill snappishness OF
tho mothers, the peevish Seedlings OF the
fathers, and the croHenese and abeoiute vicious
ness Of the nurses to tho little ones, during
the Eauaes Of the music Many little tired one
bad dragged weary feet = long way before reach
ing that grateful shade. Aauy child has No
other recreation than these pleasant Saturday.
during the hot summer months. No brain il
more active than that OF little 3 or 4year-old.
And little children are far more susceptible ID
the Oppressive heat OF summer than grown
people. 1t WAS . hot summer day, and the little
ones Eero unreasonable in Their demands for
ice-cream, ice-water, and for change Ths
novelty OF scenery amused them, the music
sootnel them, aud the excitement Of the place
made them happy. But it seemed to me as it
all the natural restlcssness of busy feet snd
t1relcss limbs WAS met With q ngor OF parentM
discipline taat WAS re-y injurious, and that left
no good effect upon the child. It was constants
y, Willie, como right here T. - Susie, you
shall not go oyer these!" "Don's sit down
angry slans on tbs little face or hand and by
yelis anu cries on the part OF the juvenile. /
eaid to G friend, ''Wlat shame it is that these
parents act 30, Who are themselves .ianguid,
peeyish, aud unreasonable. If they ctraa only
exercise forbea-ance to their itto ones; it, whea
the heated summer comes on, they would fore
go their stern discipline and be IA ready to
soothe, to encourage to fortear, and to comfort,
IS they arc to scold and to slap. to pull nnd to
+4A@2V
HOW MUCH BETTER
for both the tired children and the linus !feni
parents, and certainly better for the comfort OF
the listeners at the pleasant Central Park"
able in summer They require change aud vs.
rlety, IN dict, in ai1, in surroundings. The Il
physical wearuesB is greater than ours. and tho7
do not know how to bear tho discomfort Of heat
as re do We can Io in u darliened, shaded
room, book and fan in hand AID make our
selves Is cool s1d comfortable as wo may; bnt
for our child. too young to read and too
actise to sit atill, such course would bo mar
.yTcom. And 80, in the heat aud light, be or she
plays on, sHea.y and tired, crying and cross-
Children need to cease from effort as we'll as wo
= ho are older, and must deal tenderly xit1
HON, consult their little foolish iuclnat1ous a.
a. as ne can, compose them, and DO very kiad
Many delicate child would stand the severe
'rdeal of hot summer, il taken out often for III.
'e1sion aud treated with carefuness, that with.
,rs end faies not SO much from weak cons.r.1-
ion IS from too rigorous discipline and n;st1s
ZEN hazshness. And, We ourselves are more
'rone to nervous lenguor and fretfusness during
trying summer, surely va would do we'll tore
member and exercise more generous forbaar-
nee to our active Little ouas.
Sitting beaido nc, near tue music-stsnl, vasa
oother, heated and tired from her long raIk in
lie SUI, :Ed her beautiful iitIo girl Hardly
ad they seated themselves befuro the Ettlo girl
spled & friend under adjoining tent. anI
anted to 60 thosu aud sit besido Hattie. ''No.''
mapped the mother; "sit still here!7 and,
'hen the child grow restless and teasing, aha
aYo ner
SEVERE, HAsTY SLAP
q her flushed cheek. The child, astonished. did
OF cry. but becxme At once very 4uie: aud gale,
xcept where that rod mark burned INTO her
leek- But all the enjoyment ct tue music, the
easure Of tho day, was lost for that little, aon-
tive girl; and tue mother, jailed and heatsJ,
oked and acted ashamed OF her cbuliitIon Of
mper. believe in correcting child aud go.-
nlng an ill-behared one, but I failed TO seq
rbearence or GentleneEs exercised toward tho
tile ones for whose diversion and enjoyment
is Saturday amusement Has gottan up, and
tended.
THESE are some Of the moral reflections to be-
:ducod from the picnic ut the Contra! Park
ID, If they could be acted up to, both older
teners to the mnsic, and innocent little ones,
,uld BE- benefited. BEuLAQ.
MhE EfYETA HIS REf nNEn S1EEPo