The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1884-01-17
IFrom Chambers Journal.1
SAYINGS OF CHILDREN.

At public meeting in Edinburg
some time ago, Professor Blackie told
his audience the following story: IA
little boy at presbytery examination
was asked, what is the meaning OF
regeneration?' oh, to be born again,
he replied. Quite right, Tommy.
You're very good boy. Would you
not like to be born again?' Tommy
hesitated, but on being pressed for an
answer, said: No why, Tommy?,,
For fear | might be born lassie!
he replied
This appears to be an excellent IL
lustration of the folly of asking chill
dren difficult theological questions be-
fore they are old enough to grasp the
difference between worldly fact and
divine allegory.
Much more to the point, and a
splendid specimen of childlike re-
proach, was the reply of little urch-
In, who, with his brothers and sisters,
were always scolded by their grand
father whenever they dared to invade
the precincts of his library. "Would
you like to go to heaven, BERTHE"
his mother asked of him one evening,
when she had been reading to him
Mrs. Hemans' beautiful verses on
"The Better Land" mo, mamma"
was the quick response. "You
wouldn't like to go to heaven, my son !
Why?" "Why, grandpapa will be
there. won't hep "Yes; 1 hope he
will" "Well, when he sees us chill
dren he'll come scolding along and
say: 'Whew! whew! what are you all
here for?' No, mamma; | don't want
to go to heaven, if grandpapa is
there"
We Gull the following from one of
the French papers. A little boy was
sitting by the bed Of his grandmother,
who was very i'll. "Ah, my poor
child" she said, II am very bad: | am
going to die" He looked very much
mystlied for few minutes, and then
suddenly exclaimed: "Why will you
die? Does God want an old angel?'
'Grandpapa,' ~ said another intelli-
gent little fellow, "who made those
great bitches in your forehead?"
"God, my dear"
"What did he make them for?"
II don't know, Willie. Don't ask
silly questions"
Willie was thoughtful for few
moments, and then said: Il know
now! Father can tell how old his cows
are by the wrinkles on their horns.
Is that what God put wrinkles on
your brow for, grandpapa?"
Some remarkable answers are some
times given by children is response to
questions put to them in school. At
a school at Wallsend, near Newcastle,
the master asked class of boys the
meaning of the word "appetite;" and
after a brief pause, one little boy said:
II know, sir; when I'm eatin, I'm
happy: and when I'm done I'm
tight"
Another teacher asked bright lit
tie girl what country was opposite to
us on the globe?
81 don't know sir" was the reply.
"Well, now,'' pursued the teacher,
IF | were to bore hole through the
earth, and you were to go in at this
end, where would you come out?
"Out of. the hole, sir" replied the
pupil with an air Of triumph.
Children frequently put puzzling
questions at home to their parents on
various subjects, as is evinced by the
one which smart boy, who had been
reading the newspaper, put to his ia.
ther. ''Pa, has the world got tail?"
mo, my boy; it is quite round" re-
piled his parent. WELL" persisted
young hopeful, why do the papers
say, SO wags the world, if it amt got
a tail ?"
As an instance of juvenile precoci-
iy, we mention the stratagem employ
ed by little six-year-old fellow
whose mother had told him that it
was impolite to ask for cakes or other
things which they might see being
prepared, while visiting at other peo-
ple's houses. Calling at house in
the neighborhood where cake was
being made, he eyed the precious COM
position very wistfully for some time
without speaking, but at last he ven
tured to say in an undertone, Moth.
er says it's not polite to ask for cake. "
NO. was the reply; ''it does not
look we'll for little boys to do so.
''But she didn't say l must not eat a
piece, in Gas you gave it to me, was
the unanswerable rejoinder.
Of similar kind was the sugges-
tion Of little girl who, while at a
party, had left upon the table half an
orange. On passing the house the
next morning, she thought of the or
ange, and feeling like finishing it. she
entered and said to the lady; Mrs.
M, [ left part of an orange here
last night, and / have called to see
about it. lie you cannot find it, you
needn't trouble yourself about it, as
whole small orange will do just as
WELL"
Children, if permitted, will some
times try to argue question; but 1t
is seldom that they venture on closing
an argument, when it is particularly
addressed to them A certain Aunt
Betsy was, however, trying to per-
suade her little nephew to go to bed,
and by way of argument said that all
the little chickens went to roost at
sunset. "Yes," replied the boy, "but
the old hen always goes with them.
A little girl who had heard that ev-
cry one was made Of dust. was one
day standing at the window, and ap-
peared to be very intently watching
The eddies of that staple of creation
as they were whirled up by the wind.
Her mother, observing her, asked her
what she was twinkling about; and
she responded in very serious tone:
Il thought, mamma, that there was
going to be another little girl" This,
however, was not so precocious an ans
ver as that wrung from another little
girl who was reproved for playing
With the boys, and was told that be-
ng seven years old, she was too big