The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-10-20
CHILDREN'S PLAY.
How It Drifts Into tho Most Seri-
GUS Matters.

@ papa, when will you die?" asked
one of the youngest of my children. A
strange question, thought I.
.Why do you ask, my dear?"
"Oll, because it will be such fun bury
ing you"
This little experience of the author of
"olla Podrida" originated in the death
of a pet canary which caused the young
people great tribulatlon. ITO amuse
them," he says 1--WE made them pa
per coffin, put the dsfunct therein, and
scwed on the lid, dug a grave in the
garden, and dressing them out in any
remnants of black we could find for
weepers, made procession to the
grave where it was buried" This lit
tie divert sement quite took their fancy,
and led them to wish for arepetition on
larger scale.
The memory of a back-garden little
cemetery of pet birds and kittens, over
whose graves the writer had erected
head-slates with appropriate epitaphs,
occurs to him after hearing of the late
obsequies of pet rabbit at Southport.
Little Amy's bunnie went the way of
all rabbits, and her playmates, sympa-
thzng with her affection, determined
to give it an appropriate funeral. They
arranged catafalgue out of soap
box. and with great solemnity dragged
it in procession to the grave. The
children, feeling that a service of
some kind ought to be performed,
but instinctively recognizing the unfit
ness of the ordinary religious ritual,
joined hands around the bier, and sang
with dlgnifed pathos the well-known
cd song: 'Oh, Bring Back My Bunnie
to Me-" They did it SO seriously, and
with such child-like good faith, that
even the grown-up listeners behind the
blinds forgot the bathos of the situa-
ton, and involuntarily sympathized
with the young mourners in their grief.
A stepping stone" as one of the pail
bearers afterward described it, was
placed over the grave, and the cere-
mony was over; but even the gorgeous
ness of the funeral pageant and the inn
pressive burial service could not wholly
console the owner for the loss of her
rabbit
A little girl who witnessed the capture
of a rat in u trap, exclaimed. with the
relentless thoughtlessness OF childhood:
"Me wants yon to dead him. SO me can
see him all buried in the seminary, y
this playing at funerals being evidently
fascinating amusement with many
little folks.
Much has been said about the power
Of mag nation in the young; but their
knowledge and experience being so in
complete, is it not rather the initiative
faculty that makes boy with wooden
gun act the hero or hunter, and the CIR
with rag doll, an affectionate
though rather capricious moth
err On their Lilliput stage
children initiate doings of adults, who
are mainly interesting to them as fur
nishing subjects for representation
They value the reproduction more
highly than the realities of life, on which
they look callously, and will parody
funeral, an execution, or q prayer
meeting with remarkable cheerfulness
One OF the writer's schoolfellows, b.
way of appropriate Sunday play,
once raised an altar of books, placed
lighted candles thereon, and tried tt
persuade some of his companions t.
jon him in further mummeries, which
however, partook much less OF Levitt.
than earnestness on his part.
A famous American author, wh'
makes some observations which are yer.
opposite. says: during walk from
St Nicholas in the shadow of the ma
lestic Alps, we came across some llttl
children amusing themselves in wha
seemed at first most odd and origina
way; but it wasn't; it was in simply
natural and characteristic way. The
were roped together with q string; the
had mimic Alpenstocks and ice-axes
aatl were climbing meek and lowl
manure-pile with most blood-curdllni
amount of care and caution. In
guide at the head of the line cut i'm
aginary steps in laborious and pains
un rs way, duu uOb iAohnSy SS'0
till the step above him was vacated. J
We had waited, we should have wit
messed an imaginary accident, no doubt
and we should have heard the IN
frepid band hurrah! when they mad
the summit, and looked aroun
upon the magnificent view, an
seen them throw themselves down i
exhausted attitudes for rest in tina
commanding situation" The sam
writer says: In Nevada, l used to Sc
the children play at silver-mining. q
course the great thing was an acclden
in mine; and there were two .stal
parts that of the man who fell dow
the mimic shaft; and that of the DARN
hero who was lowered into the depth
to bring him up. l knew one sma
chap who always insisted on playin
both these parts-and he carried h
point. He would tumble into the sha
and die; and then come to the suriac
and 60 back after his own remains.
Japan appears to be the children
paradise, from recent accounts. In n
other country, we are told, are tn
young people treated with such conslt
Grafton. The third day of the month
the girls festival. In every family 70
will find dolls in large numbers a.
ranged in one of the rooms reserved ie