New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-01-13
THE MURDER or THE INNOCENTS.


THE MURDER or THE INNOCENTS.
The Italian padrones of this city receive a
great deal of condemnation, though no more
than they deserve. The dark -eyed children
| that fill our uptown streets and play their
harps and iddes with little claws lean with
hunger and blue with cold, are eloquent wit
| nesses against the brutal masters who send
them out in the morning half fed and half
clothed to their hard days work, and herd
them at evening in their foul resting places,
| whipping them TO bed if their gains are not
large enough. They deserve the execra-
tons of humane people and the re-
straning hand of law. But let us
not ease our conscences by denouncing these
foreign Herods. 1t will be better to see if
our own skirts are free from the stain OF IN
nocent blood. 1t is convenient thing to
denounce the Havana bull ring and the Pied
montese tyrants of Crosby-st. But if we are
not inclined to shut our eyes to our own
faults we can find at our own doors enough
responsibility for a cruel disregard OF the
lives and the health OF children where our
amuscnents are concerned.
The dispatch from Boston yesterday OF the
death of the baby violinst was full of a
pathetic significance. Not hong ago he formed
part of the evenings attraction at one OF our
spectacular theaterS. He was six years Old
At a time when he should have been tucked
away in his bed. he was standing before large
audiences playing music which excited n'm'
thrilled through and through by noise ana
plaudts that excited him tenf0ld more. His
little store of vital energy and nervous power,
which should have been subjected to no more
exacting drafts than the plays Of the nursery
or the caresses of his parents, was
wasted in this reckless extravaganza.
He went to Boston, and there played day
and night. The manager noticed, after
matinee, his look of exhaustion, and told him
to stay at home that night. His father made
him obey the Injunction, sorely against his
will. He missed the crowd, the lights, the
roaring applause, the fatal delight OF the HE
which was killing HIM. Father and son went
to bed and the former was soon awakened by
the murmurings of the child. He heard him
say, "Merctul God, make room for little
fellow" and with this strange and touching
prayer for a peace and rest denied Dim in
his short life the g fted and ill-treated infant
left this rough world.
The affectiOnate and tender friends OF these
little victims say with perfect sincerity, lie
loved his work he was never forced to IT,"
If a baby loved poison, would a father think
of gratifying such fancy2 The fact that
child of five years of age has a passion for
music should be reason for not allowing
him to indulge it, for it argues an exceptional
delicacy OF organization which should cause
his parents to exercise the greatest
care with him. When DR.. Clarke re-
Gently attacked that forcing system by
which so many thousand bright girls are
annually slaughtered, he was met by the reply
that the hardest students were the healthest.
The principals and teachers who said this did
not seem to imagine that it was merely saying
the healthiest students worked hardest and
so most completely undermined their constitu-
tons. The cases mentioned by DR.. Clarke
of girls who broke down suddenly upon
leaving school were ~thOse possessing
more than the usual stock of health to
begin with. Parents and teachers alike
are too ant to forget the advice viii ch
Phaeton came TO ruin by negecting: Use the
"relns and spare the whip An enthusiastic
child will very easily burn out its life If not
restrained. But what shall we say of parents
who not only do not restrain, but gOad on
these exceptional natures to mems work when
they ought to be in their cradles In every
place of amusement in this city little
children are from time to time brought
in to add to the attractions OF the
performance. 1t is an unwhoesome and
morbid taste which is consulted and gratfed
by these exhibitions child cannot sing. or
dance, or act, IN manner worth any ones atten-
ton. When a child does either of these things
on the stage it is the result of one of two
causes, each equally Objectionable. The child has
been forced into learning lis trick or has learned
it voluntarily through feverish Drecocity
To all judiciOus persons in the house the per-
Torrance of children is painful and weari
some. The wonder is that thoughtless parents
are led by their Instructive love of children to
delighted applause, and are not induced
to boot and hiss the cruel spectacle off the
stage.