Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-02-18
A Gem of Juvenile PrccOcity.

love children. Jhere IS SOmCtnlnH morally
wrong with such a man. If his tenderest
sympathies are not awakened by their in
nocent prattle, if his heart does not echo
their merry laughter, If his whole nature
does not reach out In ardent longings after
their pure thoughts and unselfish inn
pulses, he is u sour, crusty, grabbed old
stick, and the world full Of children has
no use for him. In every age and cline,
the best and noblest men loved children
Even wicked men have tender spot left
in their hardened hearts for little children
The great men of the earth love them,
Dogs love them, Kamehamekemokimo.
dahrOah the King of the Cannibal Islands
loves them. Rare, and no gravy. All
yes, we all love children.
And what a pleasure 1t is to talk with
them. Who can chatter with bright-cyed,
rosy checked, quick -wittcd little darling
anywhere from three to five years, and not
appreciate the pride which swells q
mothers breast, when she sees her little
ones admired All, yes, to be sure Only
yesterday, lady friend on shopping ex-
cursiOn left her little It'd toddler, Of five
bright summers, in our experienced
charge, while she pursued the duties
which called her down town. Such a
bright boy; so delightful it was to talk to
him. We can never forget the blissful
half hour we spent booking that prodigy
up in his centennial history.
"Now listen, Clary, we said-his name
is Clarence Fitzherbcrt Alencon de
Marchemont Carulhers-" and learn about
George Washington"
Whose he?" inquired Clarence, etc.
Listen, we said, he was the father
of his country"
"Whose cOdntTyY'
Ours yours and mine; the copfcdc.
rated union of the American people,
cementcd with the life blood of the men
of '7e, poured out upon the altars of our
country as the dearest libation to liberty
that her votaries can offery'
Who did ?" asked Clarence.
There is peculiar tact in talking to
children that very few people possess.
Now most people would have grown i'm.
patient and lost their temper when little
Clarence asked so many irrelevant ques.
tiOns, but we did not We knew, how
ever careless lie might appear at first,
that we could soon interest him in the
story, and he would be all eyes and ears
So we smiled swectly-that same sweet
smile which you may have noticed on our
photographs, just the faintest ripple of a
smile breaking across the face like a ray
of sunlight, and checked by lines of ten.
der sadness, just before the two ends of il
pass each other at the back of the neck.
And so, smiling, we went on.
Well, one day Georges father"
George whof" asked Clarence.
George Washington. He was little
boy then, just like you. One day his ia
ther-"
Whose father?" demanded Clarence
with an encouraging expression of interest
George Washington; this great man
we were telling you of. One day George
Washington's father gave him a little
hatchet for a."
Gave who little hatchet?' the dear
child interrupted with CLEAN of be
witching intelligence. Most iden would
have got mad, or betrayed signs of I'M
| patience, but we didn't. We know how
to talk TO children. So we went on:
"George Washington. His"
"WhO give him the little hatchet?"
1" His father. And his father"
Whose father?"
George WashingtOn's.
| "Ohw
Yes, George Washington. And hi,
| father told him"
"Told who?"
"Told George"
ooh, yes; George"
| And we went on just as patient and a!
| pleasant as you could imagine. We tool
up the story right where the boy inter
rupted, for we could see that he was jus
crazy to hear the end of it. We said:
" And he told him that "
" George told him?" queried Clarence
" No, his father told George"
"Oh"
"Ycs; told him that he must be care
full with the hatchct--"
"Who must be careful ?"
" George must"
"Ohr'
" Yes; must be careful with the hatch
et---n
"What hatchet?"
Why, Georges"
Yes with the hatchet, and not cu
himself with it, or drop it in the ristcrn
or leave it out on the grass all night. s.
George went round cutting everything HI
could reach with his hatchet And at las
he came to a splendid apple tree, hi
fathers favorite, and cut it down
and -"
"Who cut it down."
George did"
"0hr'
But his father came home and say
ii the first thing, and"
"Saw the hatchet?'
mo; saw the apple tree. And he said
who has cut down my favorite appl
tree?''' .f..Ei -
q" Whose apple tree?"
Georges fathers And everybod
said they didn't know anything about ii
and -"
Anything about what?"
The apple tree"
"Ohr'
"-And George came up and heart
them talking about it"
"Heard who talking about it?'
"Heard his father and the men,"
What was they talking about"
about this apple tree"
What apple trees?
"The favorite apple tree that Georg
cut down"
George who%
George Washington.
comp
$50 George came up and heard then
talking about it, and he"
"Nhat did he cut it down for?'
"Just to try his little hatchet."
Whose little hatchetT
"Why, his own, the one his father CAV
him"
"GaYc whog"
Why, George Washington.
"Oh"
$50 George come up and he said
Father, | cannot tell lie, Il"
Who couldn't tell lie?"
why, George Washington. He said
Father, | cannot tell lie.' 1t was
" His father couldn't?"
Why, no, George couldn't"
ooh! GeorgeY Oh, yesp'
1t was cut down your apple tree
/ did -"
His father did?"
No, no : ii was George said this"
Said he cut his fatherY"
No, no, no; said he cut down his ap
pie tree"
Georges apple tree?"
+" No, no, his fathers"
"Ohp'
" He said-n
He G,,I,,, %, Il .