The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1893-04-08
THE TASTES OF CHILDREN.
uFhey Ought to Bo Consulted Matters
Where They Have q Ireference.

!
srhey Ought to Bo Consulted in Matter,
| Where They Have = Preference.
A great many good people in the
world arr Inclined to look Sigh ting y
upon childish tastes and childish pref.
, erences. as though they were in them
, selves SO frivolous as to be unworthy OF
! oil notice. Yet there are few grown
up people to-day who can not recall
! acute suffering in childhood becau use Of
| Il total disregard of these same tastes
| and preferences. The tastes of the
| woma n are quite likely to be the tastes
! of the child, modified only by years and
! experience.
A story to illustrate this is told of
Queen Victories eldest daughter, w hose
queenly mother kept her under some
what rigid discipline, even after she
! had arrived at the age when young
ladies' usually have somewhat of their
own way in the matter Of dress
| and surroundings The marriage
OF the princess royal had al
ready been agreed upon, and the prin-
cess, when visiting an attractive lingerie
shop. ordered a large amount of dainty,
attractive garments, which were en-
tirely different from the stiff, old-1ash-
toned linen which the queen had al
ways in sisted upon for her family. No
sooner were the garments sent home
tina n the royal mother returned them
~ d SPiilC VI CloI, ana oT&lcTcO
for her daughter duplicate of the
queer, old-fashioned troussenu which,
she had had made for her wedding so
many years ago. These the princess
must be content with, though. if re-
port says true, she shed many tears
over them, and after her marriage she
disposed of them as quickly possible
and bought dainty clothes to suit her
taste, which had some thing of the
French chic and air about them.
The old-fa shioned idea that there
was something sinful in pretty clothes
or that one was pandering to
vanity and folly in consulting
the taste in matters of dress has
passed away. There is no possible ha RIM
in allowing little girl who has ideas
of her own to have considera bic free
dom in the choice of her belongings
She should be guided. of course, by the
means at hand and by the Judgment of
older people to the utility of what
she chooses. But it is a cruelty to COM
pei her to wear anything which she in
stnctively dislil<cs as old-fashionet
and ugly when it is just as easy to get
her something that will please her
fancy and in which she will never feel
i'll at case.
The proverbial ease of manner Of the
dweller Of the city may be, after all
but a consciousness of appearing well,
while the a>vl<wa rdness Of his country
brother may just naturally be due
to a consciousness of ill-fitting attire.
The term urbanity, which originally
meant city bred, has in it's natural Sc
quence come to mean a tranquil and
polished dclncanOr. Now, if YOU wish
to make little girl awkward. dress
her against her own protests in clumsy
attire. Not all the teachers of deport-
ment can overcome the shyneSs that will
be bred of her young impressions. No
wise persons can fail to appreciate the
value of case and polish of manner. 1t
takes years sometimes to overcome 'hc
which begins in
childhood as the result Of this kind Of
petty household tyranny. which utter
ly overlool1s the Individuality and
tastes of the child and conSults only
the convenience of the moment
Let the little daugh tiers and sons of
the house have rooms Of their own
as soon as they arc able to take proper
care Of them. Let them be consulted
in the furnishing of the room. Yield
where it is not inconsistent
the room may be their very own.
Let them bring their friends there. Do
not buy clothes for any girl of an ago
to have tastes of her own without con-
sulting her Even boys sometimes have
decided ideas in the matter of dress,
though they are prOverbially more in
different than girls The daughters
and sons in snch homo usually fine!
home the sweetest place.-N Y. Trib-
une.