Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-01-05
CHILDREN IN AMERICA.
The Tyranny OF the sweet Young Will.

The Tyranny OF the Sweet Young VIII.
From the Boston Manuscript
MIR. Henry James, Jr., in his work "The
Point of View" makes Miss Sturdy-per
haps the fairest minded of all these fictitious
letter-writcrs-wrtc the following words to
her friend:
Apropos of the young people, that is our
other danger; the young people are eating
us up, there is nothing in America but the
young people. The country is made for the
rising generation; life is arranged for them
they are the destruction of society. People
ialk OF them, consider them, bow down to
them. They are always present and when
ever they are present there is an end to
everything else They are often very pretty ::
and physically, they are wonderfully looked
after; they are secured and brushed they
wear hygienic clothes, theygo every week 10
the dentists But the little boys kick your
shins, and the little girls offer 10 SLAP YOUR
lace There is an immense literature entire.
ly addressed to them, in which the kicking
of shins and slapping of faces is much rec
commended. Asa woman of fifty, protest :;
l insist on being judged by my peers. 1t is
too late, however; for several millions of
little feet are actively engaged in stamping
out conversation, and don't see how iheV
can long fail to keep it under. The future
is theirs; maturity will evidently be at an
increasing discount. Longfellow wrote n
charming little poem called "The Childrcn's
Hour" but he ought to have called it 1.-THE
Childrcn's Century" And by children. of
course, don't mean simply infants; m, an
everything of less than twenty. The social
Importance of the young American increases
steadily up to that age, and then it suddenly
stops. me young girls, of course, are more
important than the lads but the lads are
very important too. | am struck with the
way they are known and talked about they
are little celebrities; they have regulations
ana prelensions they are taken very ser =
isusly.
One needs not to travel out of his own
country To be able to pass judgment on the
idellty TO the nature of these statements ;
and what American can deny the absolute,
humlliating truth of them?
IT MIR. James had added to his arraignment
that they smoke, chew, swear, drink to in
toxicatlon, SNOWFALL and shout disrespect.
fully AFTER passers-by in the street, and make
themselves an intolerable nuisance, first to
| lhelr parents, and then, when the parents.
with sigh OF relief get them out of the
hQuse, TO every one wnh whom they come in
contact, he would have told but half of the
truth ana no one must complain, because
tie ouehuers, lorsooth, are so young, and
snail therefore work their own sweet wills
uDrestrained.
Gan any one fail to see where this license
OF youth Is leading us! What can be looked
1or IRON a race OF selfish, insolent and black
guard men and womeny
II we are willing to dispense with our own
comfort to indulge the whims of these little
tYranls, do we not owe something of training
In the manly and womanly virtues to the
rising generation Is it not about time fo,
more sensible view Of the rights and duties
OF children to obtain among us, and TO Iele-
gate these most selfish and irresponsible Of
despots TO their proper place in the nursery
And the schsol9