The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-18
The Child speaks.


.~-c>,<~o~-~->>--~.-,;>-.-,~-~
The Child Speaks.
Get back! Give me. air! Give me freedom and
Ehe warm: earth and bright water the crowding
sweet bloom.
, OF the flowers, and the measureless marvellous
ALI ofthese, all the time, and shelter close by,
Where silence and beauty and peace are my own
In a chamber alone
Then bring me the others "a child is a crime"
1t is i'children'' who grow through the beautiful
OF their childhood up into the age you are In.
aA ohildn must needs sicken and suffer and sin
The life of a child needs the life of Its kind,
''0ye stupid and blind
The wisdom of years, the experience deep,
That shall laugh with our waking and watch with
our sleep;
The patience of age, the keen honor of youth,
TO guide Us IN doing and teach us in truth;
with the garnered ripe fruit Of the world at our
= Both the bitter and sweet.
= - e
.LOveI: First give us freedom, the right of the
The air wih its sunshine, the earth with its fruitl
Love! First give observation-disclosures care,
That shall help to bring out all the good that is
there.
Love! First give justice, there's nothing above,
- And then you may love.
''- In This Our World by g. P. SrErsoN.
Where Children Walk in Gay Attire.
eyes, Saturday is pretty bad but Sunday
p is the worst day for children in the park"
: That is the plant of a sad-eyed protector
2 Of the peace who wears nice gray uniform
with polished doorplate on its bosom,
and whose dream of life it is to see Golden
=. Gate Park swept. and garnished-and
: deserted.
it looks SO disorderIy to see people
struggling along those well-kept paths in
unsymmetrical groups. If visitors cannot
be kept out of the park, why should they
not at least be compelled to form in ranks
and to march in step-two abreast in the
narrow paths, and four or eight in the
wider ones2
When people sit down on the benches
why can't they just as well sit in prim
little rows, enough of them to fill bench,
or else two of size on each end of it, and
one, a larger person, in the middle?
OF course the guard didn't say all that,
but he implied it, and great deal more,
when he talked about "the worst day for
Children
L
and the squared benches and the beds
where flowers are tortured said it for them
selves. why should you go dancing and
laughing over meP" the grass cried out
to the children, when I have to be
pounded and rolled and cut and drowned
into shape to please the public eyer
''Why should you be happy and free"
the plants were screaming, when we that
hurt nothing when we are let alone, that
can grow strong and beautiful only when
we may stretch our fingers to the sky, and
turn our cheeks to the sun for kisses, and
wriggle our slim little toes deep, deep
down into the .earth-when We, say, are
prisoners?
!. Eyes, prisoners. One might Just as well
live in Jail as in box. And here we are,
packed in together as if we had no feel
Ings and no likes and dislikes. Some of US
are even subjected to the indignity OF being
made into designs Designs, indeed
GAS if everybody but the maniacs in
linen busters who stop to stare at Us didn't
know the things were imitation night
mares, intended to scare dogs and children
out of the parkW
1 rode out to the children's afternoon
parade in Geary-street car. So did two
worried little ladies'. aged respectively
about g. and 6 years, and attended by an
obsequioQs mamma.
l sat inside the car in order to defeat the
wild winds efforts to take the curl out of
my hair The worried little ladies did the
same, and for the same reason.
They were immediately gloved, these
small persons, and their manners were
irreproachable..
AS Miss Three-year-oId was wedged into
corner beside me. and widely separated
from her attendant, permitted myself the
indiscretion of addressing a remark to her
without having been properly introduced.
The young lady stared at me coldly, and
q
phrase which at once answered my ques-
ton and put an end to the conversation.
The little six-year-old grandmother, care
worn and anxious in her picture gown and
big lace bordered hat, came down the car
at last to twitch my younger friend skirts
into place and to perform other duties in
cident to the Office of chaperone. Return
ing, she delivered some slight instructions
TO the mother, and composed herself again.
Not until we had passed the grand-stand
entrance could rid myself of a suspicion
that these worldly wise young persons
were going out to play the races. They
really were not. They would nave consld-
cred the races inelegant. They were going
out to assist in the Saturday afternoon
parade at the park.
There were several hundred children
tplaying' at the park, and almost all OF
them were less than 10 years old. NO, that
is wrong. They were less than 10 years
Dig, DuL Iney were Oluer Luan NY pAHiAi
could comprehend.
The trees that waved their branches in
consequently above them might have
sprung from seeds these grave Lilliputians
had planted; the grass, the flowers were
as fresh as the morning; the very hills
smiled youthful by comparison. ~,
Only the donkeys-the sphinx-eyed little
beasts who must have paced the hills OF
some far land while yet the seas washed
over these-onIy the donkeys are old like
the children.
Solemn boys in stiff hats and knee
trousers stare at each other through their /
spectacles.
Yes, spectacles:
of them.
VI course, we. ought all to be devoutly
thank1ul when we see babies in lace caps
ana spectacles that peoples eyes are so
well looked after nowadays.
But II the fad should go little farther
just very little farther-and baby should |
sometimes be compelled to manage a
monocle In his eye and rubber nippIe in |
his mouth at the same time it would al |
most begin to be little bit funny. would |
it not