Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-04-04
BRATTLEBORO, VT, FRIDAY APRIL 4, 1884.
Pnr,s,nn Children,

ParisInn Children,
The Champs Elys6es is one Of the public
Fairgrounds of the wel-to-do Partisan chill
dron, and is almost given up to them at Ger.
tain hours of the day. The nursery maids
are the most conspicuous figures in the show,
with their white caps wreathed with bows OF
ribbon ending in two broad streamers hang
ing almost TO their heels, and long round
cloak, often an entire costume, OF the same
color AZ the cap ribbons The children are
beautifully dressed like no many little princes
ard princesses by Vandyke and Velasquez, OF
small aristocrats Of the later times of Sir
Joshua Reynolds and Sir Thomas Lawrence.
There is rs much regard paid to adapting
their dress TO their age as If they were men
and women. The excess of fancy and hnery
is for the youngest; the dress grows simpler
as the child grows older, until boys about to
escape from knickerbockers (Which are worn
much later here than In England or with us)
are AZ soberly clad as little sportsmen, save
for their stockings and crRvats, while the cos
tune Of young girls who are not yet young
ladies Is picturesquely severe. The majority
of the children under seven years old wear
white often in fulfllment of vow to the
Virgin on the mothers part It cannot be
convenient to clotho suitably o sturdy boy,
who has cast off petticoats, under this re-.
striction, but blue, tho color dedicated to the
Madonna, can be used. There is a childrcn's
clothing establishment, called "a Penfant
vouG au bleu ct au blanc" after the enticing
French custom Of giving names TO shops, -
tho resort Of Roman Catholic mothers in this
difficulty. French children have been re-
preached with a lack of bloom and spirits,
but | suspect that this originated with those
Systematic dotractors of the French and all
other foreign nations, the English. After
watching the endless "march past" Of the
children on the champs ElyEees, day after
day, for half year, l am convinced that no
civilized country can muster a finer host.
Their forms are as chubby, their cheeks az
rosy, their eyes as bright, their teeth as
pearly, their locks as thick and glossy, as
those of any children have ever seen; in
this last respect they excel their little island
neighbors. The calves Of their legs may not
always be so robust as the little Britons, but
they frisk and caper upon them to such de-
gree that they must wear off the superhuous
flesh. Their spirits are ine1hsustible; they
seem filled with quicksilver to the tips of
their fingers and toes. They never look
tired or cross, or dirty never quarresome,
never naughty. They are captivating little
creatures, neither shy nor bold, caressing and
yivacious, restrained in their romps only by
obedience and precocious politeness, the
are graceful and gestculating their play is
like perpetual lliputian pantomime or bal
let,
Besides these well dressed and tended little
mortals there are the children Of the middle
and poorer classes, of whom an Eruption Oc-
ours every day before noon. The sidewalk is
suddenly invaded by scores of urchins be-
tween eight and twelve years old, fresh,
clean, and tidy, most of them wearing black
alpaca blouses, with broad white linen collars
and leather belts, which give them a clerical
aspect, and carrying their books, not in
satchels, but in black portfolios called seroi-
cites, such as lawyers use for their papers.
More than half these children have no head
covering "a French custom not confined to
children nor TO the male sex economical in
a way, Of course, but which must surely cost
most people dear, at some time or other, in
earache, toothache and neuralgia of the
head with its myriad tortures. The little fell
lows are not troubled by them yet, and come
bounding and babbling along the Streets
hand in hand, or with arms thrown round
each others shoulders for French children
are demonstrative, and not self conscious
They are very kind to their juniors. l new
er saw the hapless and hated tag tail, pant
ing and bubbering after his stronger fleeter
elders, kicked and cufTed out Of the way
Hutu tuey Chnnot uOuBe nun luere was III
ways bigger boy to take the small boy by
the hand, and run with him in the wake of
the party. l saw squabbles occasionally, but
seldom blows; only once or twice real
fight. Their alterations are very dramatic
l remember two little fellows in blouses, in
great wrath, to judge by their estures At
the climax one Of them raised his hand, but
not to strike he waved it with ineff able
scorn, calculating, "R r-republicain !" to
which the other retorted, with a motion of
utter defiance, "Aristo C r-r-rat :" and each
turned on his heel. They are twitted with
this absence OF pugnacity by our little An
glo-Saxon bullies, who set it down TO want of
pluck but people who settle the slightest
difficulty with sword or pistol cannot be sup
posed to lack personal courage. Mere love
OF danger, however, has not tho same attrac-
tion for French children as for our own;
they are not to be seen indulging in pranks
which make older peoples hearts stand STILL
such as hanging by their hands to the edge
of a roof, or trying how near they can come
to being run over in the street. But besides
love of danger, love OF disobedience has
great deal TO do with children's enjoyment of
perilols sport, and the French child is obvi-
ously more submissive and better trained
than ours.-AprH AtdHtic