Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-01-04


Charms Are Tiresome for the Twelve
Year-OId.
If in the former days OF New England chill
dren were repressed and kept in the back
ground, surely today that objection cannot
be brought forward On the other hand. our
children, east and west, are nowadays en-
couraged to ''speak their minds their opin-
ions are listened TO, and often their advice
asked, as if their experience were fully equal,
il not superior to that OF their elders While
the former method had its serious drawbacks,
our modern custom certainly has its disad-
vantages
The pretty little golden haired girl toward
whom your heart inclines as she enters your
friends sitting room, fresh from her bath,
rather checks your ardor when, In answer to
your ''How do you do, my dearP she answers,
81 don't do at all, but feel pretty well, /" and
mods her head and looks at you as il waiting
for your applauding laugh. The mother
says reproachfully, "Why, Maidie, dar-
ingi" but smiles approvingly.
THE JUVENILE BOOK CRITIC.
The little boy Of another acquaintance is
reading. You ask him IL he is fond of
stories, and remembering your own and
brothers delight in certain famous books,
mention them. ''OhI they're rather nice
patroniziugly-''but he made two or three
mistakes noticed" or, THAT book l liked
very well, but the last half has too little adj
venture, and the hero grows rather stale on
your hands" You open your eyes, and think
of the labor spent and unusual talent dis
played in these particular books, and
have some curiosity to know what book the
boy does Ike. You ask rather tImidly
in regard to this, that, and the other,
but all have their faults and drawbacks
and are dissected cooLy and critically. The
mother, who enters before You are through,
says: eyes, Stephen is so quick to see all de-
fects In the books that he reads; his teacher
says it is very remarkable in so young boy,
and shows unusual quickness OF perception
You say nothing, but the thought VIII intruds
itself, is not the,loss of warm enthusiasm ane
keen delight over a book and author some
thirg1 VIII even such wonderful prococious-
ness make up for this lossl We remember
that even the great Macaulay dearly loved
certain not very fire works OF fcticn, and
could not see their faults 1t rather comforts
US 20 think Of this. We remember how our
childish heart glowedover some noble action,
and how we longsd to be better ourselves
after reading Of it.
A child of an acquaintance Of tie writer
sat in the room during q call After the
visitor left the child said immediately: THAT
lady made one mistake in grammar while sho
sat there, and uispronouDced two words
quoting them. The same evening she over
hears her mother saying TO the father: at
is remarkable how Elsie notices mistakes in
language; it seems TO jar upon her sensitive
ear as discord affects a musician" The child
fancies herself st once an exception and mar
vel, and prtdes herself upon it accordingly.
How much better If that mother had said TO
the child after her criticism upon her caller:
"Yes; but, my dear, is that ali you noticedi
rust think of falling to hear that beautiful
account Mrs. Clare gave of her trip down tbs
st. Lawrence, and Of the wonderful work OF
Children's Aid society. You see you only half
heard these and they were worth many little
slips in language, however important they
may be-
COUNTING THEIR ELDERS ERRORS.
We remember, too, the little child who,
amid chorus Of adniring relatives urging
him on, goes the length Of calling his grand
father an extzxmely offensive nickname.
The mother exclaiuas: "Oh, FrrddyP tn .
shocked voice, bat Freddy hears mamma and
amt. rars-.tinc I. so cz.Ilers nsxt day AMID
r~als a, Is,,ybter Freddy think, be is an
extremely bright boy. and longs for another
o,-.rr+,ri,v IF aisnls v1n~ his smart sreecb~s.
The Young Girl from school enters TIE par.
lo- a. vou and In. mother ar. d.scs,sziny
nv "a hesn in,-rsss 70 you Laura seats
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