Morning journal and courier., 1882-12-21
ChiIdren's DrOI3eries.


 Children say many quaint things. Some. times too, there is sort of wit in the pierc- ing directness with which they go to the heart of question. MT. Howard Paul, in a col lection which he has just published of ''Clev- CT Things Said by Children" |" makes them. too clever by half.
 The story of the board school student who could not be made to understand the nature of miracle, and who, instead of giv- ing the answer expected from him, declared that if he the moon shining in the day time he ehould say it was the sun, and If his master assured him that 1t was rot the sun he should say his master was drunk, ap- peared originally in an official report. The mingled dullness and ingenuity with which children will sometimes throw new. light on question by their mode of answering 1t Is often very amusing. In order to explain in strikingly intelligible manner the necessity of regulating one's conduct, scheolmaster asks a boy what, when a watch goes some times too fast, sometimes too slow, the owner ought to do with it. ''Sell fl. .'' replies the boy. The reputation for veracity enjoy ed by George Washington in America has been made by his admiring fellow. countryren the subject of innumerable jests and it appears that some lecturer on moral philosophy, having questioned pupil as to why Wash. ington's birthday was celebrated more than the lecturers own birthday, received the prompt answer, Because he never told a lie."
 There can be no doubt as to the sharpness Cor as to the insolence) of the boy who, as he was removing the outer part of piece of cheese, and was told by his father in a tone of remonstrance that he ate the rich, an- swered, 1T am cutting this off for you" " Many of the sayings ascribed to innocent little children are at least as rude as they are witty. What else 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 curtly in the Il. gative, inquired of the old man how it that he escaped drowning :? There is deep pathos, on the other hand, in the tale of child who, having been pre- scented with half-crown, and assured more ovor that 1t was a good one, expressed his regret, saying that if it had been bad he might have kept 1t, but that as It was good his parents would take it from him. There is drollery sometimes in the aoatoete with which child will mistake the character of an action. A young man, for instance, com ing home from party so late that he thought it desirable to take off his boots before walking up stairs, was told by his infant brother from a commanding position on the staircase that he need not be afraid of waking l the familv-siz~~~- were all up.'
 1 To sI 'enfdnt ter7fble' kind there is really N1zv-z1y fer the terrible child i is always among us, and never ceases saying the wrong thing at the wrong moment. It was one of Gavarni's own ''entdnts te77s6tes" who, when the visitor showed the child a packet of bon bons and said he should give them to him upon going away, called upon 1 the gentleman to depart at once. Some of 1 Gavarnis ''e71tants te1ri6les' were almost too l terrible to be funny. They let out the most compromising things about their parents. In English stories of the same type, the ten l tant te,7tble'' confines himself to identifying a casual acquaintance as the man who kissed his sister the night of a party. There was not much in the indiscretion committed by child who had been warned not to make any personal remarks to a gentleman who had recently lost his arm in battle. "She obeyed orders implicitly until she went to kiss him: Good night she exclaimed j; adding, I haven't said anything about your poor arm, have I ?'' Heroes do not as rule present illusions to wounds honorably gained. The case may here be mentioned of a boy
 who in a large assembly caused a general feeling of consternation by claiming pecu- niary reward for exceptional merit just dis played. He had been cautioned not on any account to laugh during the singing of Q lady who could not sing without making grimaces, and had been promised sixpence if he sue ceeded in complying with the injunction giv- en to him. 1T want my sixpence, ma," he | cried out at the end of more than usually showy cavatina; 1T didn't laugh once.' Some of Mir. Howard Paul's best stories of clever sayings by children present, as before
 observed, the defect of endowing the little
 ones with wit beyond their years. The
 explanation, however, is good, whether ''a little girl" gave 1t not of bearing false
 witness against your neighbor," to the effect
 that it was when nobody did nothing and
 somebody went and told of it."