The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1882-12-30
Children's Sayings.


Sometimes, too, there is a sort of wit in
the piercing directness with which they
go to the heart of question Mr..
Howard Paul. in collection which he
has Just published Of "CIcver Things
said by Children" makes them too
clever by half. .
The story of the board school stu
dent who could not be made TO Under
stand the nature OF a miracle, and who,
instead OF giving the answer expected
from him, declared that if he saw the
moon shining in the daytime he should
saw il was the sun, and that if his master
assured him il was not the sun he should
say his master was drunk, appeared
originally in an official report. The
mingled dizziness and ingenuity with
which children will sometimes throw
new light on a question by their mode
of answering it, is often very amusing
An order to explain in strikingly intel
Eigible manner the necessity of regua-
ting one conduct. a school-master asks
a boy what, when watch sometimes
goes too fast, sometimes too slow, the
owner ought to do with it. "Sell it."
replies the boy. The reputation for
veracity enjoyed by George Washington
m ring ow-countrymen the subject
of innumerable jests; and it appears
that some lecturer on moral philosophy,
having questioned pupil as to why
WashingtOn's birthday was celebrated
more than the lecturers own birthday,
received the prompt answer: Because
ne never told lie."
There can be no doubt as to the
- o. L.. -
the boy who, as he was removing the
outer part of piece of cheese, and was
told by his father in a tone of remon-
STRANGE that he ate the rind, answered:
- am cutting this off for you" Many
of the sayings ascribed to innocent lit
tie children are at least as rude as they
are witty. What else can be said of The
daring repartee uttered by the boy who
wished first to know whether his
grandpapa had been with Noah in the
ark, and, being answered CURLY in the
negative, inquired of the old man how
IL was that he escaped drowningP
There is deep pathos, on the other
hand, in the tale of a child who, hav-
ing been presented with half-crown.
and assured moreover that it was a
good one, expressed his regret, saying
that if il had been bad he might have
kept it, but that as 1t was good his pa
rents would take it from him. There
IS drollery sometimes in the navete
with which child will state the char
acter of an action. A young man, for
instance, coming home from party so
late that he thought it desirable to take
of his boots before walking upstairs,
was told by his infant brother in COM
manding position on the staircase that
he need not be AFRAID of waking the
family, since they were "all up.
To stories of the "enfant terrible"
Kind there is really no end; for the terri
bic child is always among us, andnever
ceases saying the wrong thing at the
wrong moment. 1t was one of Gavarni' s
own "enfa,sts terribles' who, when a
visitor showed the child a packet of
bOn-bons and said he should give them
Go him upon going away. called upon
the gentleman to depart at once. Some
@f GaYarni's ''entdnts terribic' were
almost too terrible to be funny. They
let out the most compromising things
about their PARENTS In English stories
of the same type, the .'enfaat terrtble''
confines himself to identifying casual
acquaintance as the man who kissed his
sister on the night of the party. There
was not much in the indiscretion COM
united by a child who had been warned
not 70 make any personal remarks to q
gentleman who had recently lost his
arm in battle ''She obeyed orders
implicitly unit she went to kiss
him Good-night,' she exclaimed:
adding. i haven't said anything about
your poor arm have II" Heroes do not
AS a rule resent illusions to wounds
honorably gained. The case may here
bic mentioned OF a boy who in large
assembly caused a general feeling of
CONSERVATION by claiming o. ,pecuniary
reward for exceptional m erit lust dis
played He had been cautioned not
90 laugh during the singing of a lady
who could not sing without making
grimaces, and he was promised six
pence if he succeeded in complying
with the injunction given to him. II
want my sixpence, MAJ he cried out
at the end OF more than usually snowy
cavatina; al didn't laugh once" Some
of MIR. Howard Paul''s best stories of
clever sayings by children present, as
before observed, the effect of endowing
the little ones with wit beyond their
years. The explanation, however, is
good, whether "a little girl gave it or
not, of clearing false witness against
your neighbor.' to the effect that .'it
was when nobody did nothing and some
body went and told of it.''-SE James
Gazette.
English k-NOtes-HOw They Are
Made and Printed.