The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1876-04-19
Youthful Precocity.

does not love children. There il
something morally wrong with sucl
man. If his tehderest sympathies
are not wakened by their innocent
pratt!e, if his heart does not echo
their merry laughter. if his nature
does not reach out in ardent long.
lngs after their pure thoughts and
unselfish impulses, he is a sour,
crusty. Grabbed old stick, and the
world full Of children has no use for
him. In every age and cline, the
best and oldest men loved children.
Even wicked men have q tender
spot left in their hardened hearts
for little children. The great men
of the earth loved them. Kamehame-
kemokimodahroah. the king of the
Cannibal Islands. loves them-rare
and no gravy. All, yes, we all love
children.
And what Il pleasure it is to talk
with them. Who can chatter with a
bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked, quicl1-wit-
ted little darling anywhere from
three to five years and not appreci-
ate the pride which swells mothers
breast when she sees her little ones
admired? All, yes. to be sure.
Only yesterday lady friend on
shopping excursion left her little It'd
toddler, of five bright summers, in
our experienced charge, while she
pursued the duties that called her
down town. Such bright boy; so
delightful it was to talk to him. We
can never forget the blissfuI half
hour we spent booking that prodigy
up in his Centennial history.
"Now listen, CIary," we said-his
name is Clarence Fitzherbert Allen
con de Marchemont Caruthers-
land learn about George Washing
tom
who's hep inquired Clarence,
etc.
Listen" we said; "he was the
father of his country"
"Whose country?"
"Ours yours and mine the con-
federated nation of the American
people, cemented with the life-blood
of those men Of '76; poured out
upon the affairs of our country as
the dearest libation to liberty that
her votaries can offer?''
'Who did?" asked Clarence.
There is a peculiar tact in talking
to children that few people possess,
Now most people would have grown
impatient and lost their temper
when little Clarence asked so many
prevalent questions. but we did not.
We knew that however careless he
might appear at first, we could soon
interest him in the story, and he
would be all eyes and ears. So we
smiled sweetly-that same sweet
smile which you may have noticed
on our photograph, just the faintest
ripple of a smile breaking across the
face like q ray of sunlight, and
checked by rays of tender sadness,
just before the two ends of it pass
each other at the back of the neck.
And so, smiling, we went on:
"Well, one day Georges father"
George who? asked Clarence.
George Washington. He was a
little boy then just like you. One
day his father
"Whose fatherF' demanded Clar-
ence, with an encouraging express
sion of interest.
George Washington's this great
man we are telling you of. One day
George Washington's father gave
him little hatchet for "a"
"Gave who little hatchet?" the
dear child interrupted, with CLEAN
of bewitching intelligence. Most
men would have got mad. or betray-
ed signs of impatience, but we did
MT. We know how to talk to chill
dren. So we went on:
George Washington. His"
"Who gave him the little hatch
et?"
"His father. And his father"
"Whose father?''
George Washington's."
"Oh !''
"Yes, George Washington. And
his father told him"
Told who?"
'sTold George
"Oh, yes. George
And we went on, just as patient
and as pleasant as you could imag
inc. We took up the story right
where the boy interrupted, for we
could see that he was just crazy to
hear the end Of it. We said:
"And he was told that"
George told him?" queried Clar-
ence.
mo. his father told George"
"Oh!"
Eyes; told him that he must be
careful with the hatchet.'
"Who must be careful?
George must"
ooh r'
..Yes; he must be careful with the
hatchet-"
"What hatchet?'
"Why, Georges"
"Oh!'
s'With the hatchet, and not cut
himself with it, or drop it in the els
tern. or leave it out in the grass at
night. So George went round cut
ting everything he could reach with
his hatchet. Aud at last he came
to a splendid apple tree, his fathers
favorite. and cut it down, and
tWho cut it DOWN.
"George did,
"Oh p
s.But his father came home and
saw it the first thing, and"
'sSaw the hatchet2' ~
mo; saw the apple tree. And he
said. Who has cut my favorite ap-
pie tree?'
"What apple treeg
Georges fathers. And every
body said they didn't know anything