Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1896-03-12
CHILDREN AND CLOTHES.
To Effect Their Reconciliat.~n Is tn.
Problem of a Lifet.zoA

To Effect Their Eeconciliat!~n Is tn.
Problem of a Lifet.1nA
To mention the two things fogethe,
is to scent battle in the air-a battle il
which most mothers spend a good part
Of their lives. To patch up a peace be-
tween the lion and the lamb would be
easier than to reconcile the average
healthy, dirt-grubbing, play-lovine
child to his clothes. There is only one
other sort of child, and hat is the
little prinking peacock, who thinks
too much of them; and between the
two what is a distracted mother to do?
Clothes must be worn-both the law
and the climate require it; likewise,
they must be kept reasonably whole
and clean; also, h children must be
kept happy. To cap the climax, they
usually hate ~pinafores worse han
the clothes they cover, and that makes
things even harder for the children,
the parents, or the clothes, sometimes
for all three.
In Cuba they manage things bean.
tEully. There tots under seven and
eight wander about clad in nothing
not a f~gurative, but a literal nothing
and the nursery world turns merrily
on its axis. The life OF the ~laundress
is one unending song and mothers have
nothing to scold their children about.
But here, (which the same is not
Cuba, such an insipid state of affairs
will never be brought about while
there are Fauntleroy suits and French
gowns to be bought and put .on help
less innocents, whom, with the refine
ment Of sarcasm, we afterward bid tc
run out and play"
What on earth could a child play
save possibly the piano-and how could
he run in the elaborate costumes in
which the sma11 un~fortunateS are some
times arrayed? l had started out to
define the duty of children to their
parents and their clothes, but, as usual,
the other side is more interesting and
l must say q small something as to the
duty of the parents and the clothes to
the children. 1t is hardly true, either,
that the juvenile martyrs to fashion
are found chiefly among the Four Hun
dred, who are frequently far more sem
sible on this point than the unelect and
unselect four thousand, of whose off
spring it might be said: by their
frills We shall know them"
Making due allowance for the mother
pride, which SO dearly loves to see fine
feathers on her bantling, and for the
real difficulty of making a person OF
thirty or whereabouts understand the
feelings of a person of five, or there
abouts, still I never see one Of those
disconsolate little mortalsi in purple too
rich and linen too fine TO permit OF him
enjoying himself, that the unworthy
desire does not arise in me to cntice
him away from his guardian-or tie
guardian of his clotiles-introduce him
and the clothes to the possibilities of
mud-pie making, take him triumphant
ly back to his unnatural parents and
run.
This is, however. far from being
what l intended to say to good little
children, who can this Is a fact, not
airy theory and indeed should be
reasonable clothes. The youngster
who deliberately wipes muddy hands
on a fresh white shirt, walks
into puddles with new boots, or
rolls down hill in a Sunday frock, has
the instincts OF an anarchist and
should be ''nipped in the bud" like
Boyle's rat. To put it tersely, in the
words of one mother / know: Chill
o1SA MA w ~ VI OAS LII S4IS
shoes-those made unintentionally and
those made Intentionally. The rem
edy for the first is a new pair of shoes;
for the second, a spanking."
1t isn't necessary to brighten a child
with threats or worry him with the
sharp reminder hat CLOTHES cost
money" to teach him respect for prop
erty in clothes, as in other things.
Simply oblige the most destructive OF
small rebels to keep on wearing for a
day or two the dress or jacket or hat
he has willfully spoiled or soiled, and a
change Will ON over the spirit of his
dream. Or, if the garment must be re-
placed, a quiet refusal of some longed.
for toy or pleasure because ann
can't afford to buy you now clothes,
and that besides" has a wonderfully
salutary effect. They are quick to
know justice when they see it, and
though they would doubtless rather
tea the pinafore than wear 1t, the
wearing after the tearing is a conse.
quence which even the smallest sinner
will appreciate and avoid.-Philadel
phia Press.