Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-02-26
These Little Ones.

OIltSs
A FEW days ago the newspapers told us,
in the brief laconic way that newspapers
must, story as full of pathos as any that
is ever told in a three-vOlume novel. A
child, scarcely seven years old-uncom-
monty gifted in musical attainment for a
child-had been playing upon his violin
night after night to crowded houses. The
manager of the establishment at which he
was engaged, noticing his lag nor and
lassitude, insisted, much against the little
performers will, that he should rest; and
in the night, as he was resting, the over
taxed brain and the over-stimulated life
powers suddenly gave way. ''Merciful
God, make room for a little fellow" his
father heard him whisper, and with this
strange, sorrowfully-worded petition on
his lips, the tired child went "over to
the majority" where there is always
room.
No doubt it is true, as we are told in
this case, that music was passion with
this baby-performer that he loved to play
to throngs of listeners, and enjoyed the
lights, the flowers, the excitement, and
the applause. Not the less was his public
performing a fatal mistake, whether
permitted by parental pride or
caused by parental cupidity. The death
of the child was Natures answer to the
defiance his way of life had been to
her unchanging laws. All children thus
tasked and over stimulated do not die,
and occasionally one grows up and fulfils
the promise Of his early precocity. But
many little children loved and cherished
in beautiful homes, do die of overlooking
under our radically wrong system of in
fantile education, and many others from
being brilliant specimens of baby pro-
ficiency become the dullest and most
commonplace of people when they ar
rive at maturity. The law of healthful
growth is gradual and slow, and above
all things symmetrical and the mind
cultivated at the expense of the body in
the first years of life, not seldom sudden
" reaches a point from which it can be
cultivated no farther. There are multi
tudes of mentally dwarfed young men
and women whose barely respectable at
tainments are a painful disappointment
to those who listened with pride and
pleasure to the marvels Of their genius in
the nursery.
We never see child trotted out by an
admiring mamma for the purpose of
showing off how much it can do-in very
nearly the same way that promising colt
is put through its PAGES by its admlrlng
owner-without feeling Of deep regret.
We are very far from desiring that chill
dren should be taught nothing. What
we urge, with all the earnestness of which
we are capable, is that they shall Lot be
made objects Of display, even in private,
to crafty the vanity of their elders and
to awaken their own. When it comes to
bringing gifted children upon a public
stage, and asking people in to see their
paid-for performances, the injury is two
| fold. First, it hurts the child who is the
show, mentally, morally, and physically
| deteriorates it in a way that never can be
made M to it. and invites death to take it
| TO q nurer atmosphere and a tenderer
| home. The sight of child vino ought to
be tucked up in bed between blankets,
| and sleeping the sound sleep that all
| growing things need, playing upon piano
or violin or speaking pieces at eleven
O'Clock at night, is a mournful and
pathetic sight.
Second-though that matters Iess-it
! lowers the tone of public taste, and de-
frauds the buyers Of tickets, who ought to
! have their moneys worth for their money
! 1t takes long and severe training to fl
/ any artist for agreeabIy performing in
public. and no little child can do any
thing in a musical or dramatic way that
can be called highly artistic. 1t is the
little one, that the gaping crowd lis
tens to, looks at, applauds-once in q
| while kills.
Mothers, whose tears have dropped al
the netition of this poor baby, "Mercifu-
God. make room for little fellow ask
yourselves whether you do not, in ma
ternal pride, sometimes endanger the
darlings whom you love as your own
lives. There are great many ways o.
offending these little ones-Hearth ant
Home.
The latest agonizing Joke" Will,