Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1875-01-20
Old Children.

A complaint, often made by close OBJ
servers of human nature is that there
are no more children they are all ma
tured into middle-aged people. The
complaint has been pictorially illustra-
ted very well by Punch, who has given
us the wise, blase, and fashionable
young-old little people in great variety.
Charles Augustus, aged s, is represen-
ted as speaking in languid terms of the
latest fayorite actress, and saying to
his companion, aged u ''You should
have seen Ellen Tree ;" and the juven-
lie politician of Belgravia is depicted
with his infantile brow knitted, while
he speaks of Disraeli as ''a muff." Our
own reports of fashionable life occa-
sionally give us glimpses of children's
parties, where the little girls wear point
lace and dance the German, and the
boys appear in evening dress and fiirt
desperately. On the whole, we do not
wonder that sentimental people dole
fully declare that there are no more
children. Here and there is well-or-
dered and happy homes, may be young
folks who have not exhausted life at
the age of ten years, to whom the PAN
tomime is rare treat, and for whom
Partisan bonbons still have a breathless
charm. We are glad to believe that
there are some sensible parents who try
to keep a few sweets of life for the graf
iication of the young ones when they
shall be older than they are now. But
it is nevertheless true that childlike
children are comparatively few. We
have plenty OF unfortunates who are re-
quired to "act like ladies'" or 'walk
like little gentleman ;" but the brood
of hearty children is so small that
child-loving visitor grows sorrowful in
the midst of the sad little manikins of
the present age.
This holiday season, with its bright
show of gifts for the young, very strik-
ingly illustrates the disappearance of
the children. The boys are taught en-
gineering, architecture, and mathemat-
les, by means of what are called "phil-
osophical toys" His box of blocks is
no longer thing of childish delight
it brings him the binomial theorem or
a model of the Parthenon He does
not sail shingle-built sloop IN the
pond /; he stands with languid pride on
the bank while his toy side wheel
steamer is propelled over the mimic
wave on purely scientifc-principles.
He cannot whittle ont a wind mill or
construct a jack-o- lantern, but he can
make drawing room bow and speak
some execrable French His little sis
ter, who is proud of wearing a wider
sash than her next-door infant neigh
Dor despises rag babies and the
toys of the past generation. Her dolls
for dolls she has-are ballroom
bellies, dressed in the height of fash
ion, or they are models of the latest
style of walking and carriage dress.
The miraculous inventions of the doll
that said papa" and "mamma" no
longer thrills our child-world. Dolls
that walk, dolls that waltz with male
dolls, and dolls that wear eyeglasses
and certain high-bred hauteur, are
most numerous in the market. Nay,
having portrayed through these pup
pets all the mystery of life. the purvey-
ors for the children have been produced
widow dolls, and the curious visitor to
the toy shops may find a rosy waxen
image clad in all the luxury of woe,
with widows weeds and grief Swallowed
handkerchief, and personifying to the
unhappy little possessor that subdued
elation which some people think should
bloom beneath the widows cap. From
the cradle to the grave these young
old chicken deceive these quick i'm
pressions. They absorb the whole
mystery of life before they are 10 years
old. The little girl who glorifies bits
of broken crockery into the finest china
service, or animates her rag-baby with
a real soul, is wronged when Sevres and
widow" doll are put into her hands.
Give the young folks the old-fashioned
toys that may perish with the using and
make nobody bankrupt. Let the little
ones romp and tear their clothes ; it is
a thousand-fold better than "deport-
ment" and fashionable attire. In spite
of the unnatural depression of parents,
child nature will try to make its way.
The curled darlings who NOPE and pine
in drawing. room ana parlor, are pre-
maturely unhappy, as well as prema-
turely old. Sorrow and disappoint-
ment come soon enough; let us keep
our children young and gay while We
can.