Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-02-26
These Little Ones.

These Little Ones.
FEW days ago the newspapers told us,
in the brief laconic way that newspapers
must, a story as full of pathos as any that
is ever told in threeyolume 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 languor 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. "Mercitul
God, make room for a little fellow" his
father heard him whisper and with this
strange, soTowfully-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 a passion with
this baby-perIormer; 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 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.stimulatcd do not die,
and occasionally one grows up and fultils
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
fantle education, and many others from
being brilliant specimens of baby pro
tciency become the dullest and most
commonplace of people when they ar
rive at maturity. The law of healthiul
! growth is gradual and slow, and above
ali things symmetrical; and the mind
! cultivated at the expense of the body in
the first years of life, not seldom sudden
" reaches point from which it can be
cultivated no farther. There are multi
tudes of mentally dwarfed young men
aud women whose barely respectable at
tainments are 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 admiring
owner-without a 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 hot be
made objects of display, even in private,
to crafty the vanity of their elders and
to awaken their own. When II comes to
bringing gifted children upon public
stage, and asking people in to SEQ 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 way that never can be
| made UP to il, and invites death to take it
| to a purer atmosphere and 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 mourntul and
pathetic sight
Second-though that matters less-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 fit
any artist for agreeably 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 a
while kills.
! Mothers, whose tears have dropped at
the petition of this poor baby, "Mercitul
| 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 8 great many ways OF
offending these little ones.--Hearth and
! Home,