Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1897-12-30
CHILDREN'S IDEAS.
EXAMPLES OF THEIR CURIOUS VIEWS
OF LIFE AND DEATH.

70 How Young Minds Take Hold ON Great MY
IS teries-some Afraid to Die, Others Will
K out Such Fear-Thc Life That Woul
Pleasean the Death They Would Choos
Y The Rivista 1taliana di Fi1osofia COZ
!. tains an article by DR. Marpillero O
s children's ideas of life and death, dc
d scribing how he questioned humble
of young children on these subjects a
an elementary school at Rovigo and tn
answers he received. We quote some o
: the most curious. In answering tn
3 question, "What is life?'' the boys wer
l much more bold than the girls Man,
$ children, boys. defined life as "a spiri
that runs away as soon as we die. :" 4
boy Of 9 years philosophically observed
Life is sea of troubles, which ont
may cross well or with great unhappi
ness A boy of 10 said, Life is 6
thing which is never extinguished p
another. Life is good work to cal
WE'LL; another, Life is an invisible
thing which vanishes when it likes and
never returns y A little girl of 10 said,
Our life is a fluid . A small girl OF
poor condition, aged 8. said, Life is
paradise !" A very general answer was.
Life is beautiful, or the opposite,
Life is ugly. and most of the chill
dren who thought life the last were of
well to do families To the question,
What is death?' many replied mega
lively. especially the girls. Very few,
and these only boys. noted the phenom-
enon of death. and one gave as answer:
Death is pure spirit The blood dries
up; one neither moves nor feels. y
Another boy of = years gave an an.
swer bordering on popular superstition.
Death is thing that, when | die,
pulls my feet. Another boy of 8 had
tinge of medical knowledge and replied,
| Death is when one has more than AZ
degrees of fever . Another said, death
| is thing that one never sees again,
never again. TO the question. Are you
afraid OF dying" 2 children. all boys.
gave no reply; 50, OF whom were girls,
replied negatively; all the others-that
is. a large maJority-said, Eyes +" A
little girl OF 10 of well to do parents
gave the answer. II am not at all afraid
OF dying because am tired of living"
All the orphans replied in the following
sense, Il am not afraid of dying because
! want to see my parents again " A lit
tie girl of 3 said, II am not afraid Of |
dying because it is thing sent by |
God. A boy OF II replied. Il am not |
afraid OF dying because 1 am healthy /
and have no disease Another, II am /
not afraid because l am strong and |
healthy = A little girl of II said, 81
fear death because it might come at
night and pull my feet = Another little
girl said. II am afraid of death because
1t seems that it is my mother who is
dead. A girl of | l. who had evidently
been told some CHASTITY stories, replied,
l am afraid OF death because it is SO
ugly. and one day Bernard went to bury
dead person. and it got hold of Bernard
and gave him kiss.
Another boy CT said, 81 am afraid
OF dying because could not play with
do boy said Il am afraid of dying be-
cause when one is dead one cannot see
the men gathering the harvest CT grapes
and SO many nlce things. A little boy
OF q answered. Il fear death because l
shall hot be born another time after
he majority OF answers to the cues
lion. DO you want to grow old?' were
Ia the negative A we'll to do little boy :
81 years answered. II should not like
10 grow old because l should have no {
strength to work and might die of hun
ger
A little girl of 9 said mo, because !,
'honid have TO work hard for my chill ,
1ren to feed and clothe them - Many
slfis feared to become ugly, saying
No, because l should be without !
eeth, and, No. because | should be !
asiy. Oh gray. Or STOPPING A little .
'iri said she would like to grow old | 4
md have grandchildren A boy said, 4
IS. SO that l might go to paradise /" 4
Another OF 10 years said, Yes, because \
shonid have finished almost all my
sishes When asked, How would u
Gu like 10 tive: most of the children
vere very modest and did not give way !
0 fancy
Many poor children wished that they q
lisht live "on broth and breao, (" ION
lie. on poienta, or said, II don't :,
'ans TO suffer cold aud hunger /" A az
hild OF Is, boy. said. Il should like | n
, i've with my father and mother -
uother poor boy OF 10 said. II should !! Sit
Ike to live content in my own home, be- vi
ause then am happy Another poor n
rphan boy OF 10 said. II should like to 60
ave enough to 1--we on and go and be 81
18th my father and specially my moth
). OF whom | am always thinking" OF
cry few expressed wish to live in a VI
ass superior to their own, but a boy =
said. Il should like to live without
orklng and be gentleman y Anoth-
Nof q years replied. II should like to
We well dressed and have hat and 20
1t walking !" little girl of said
should like to live like lady and
'yer work and always be served. . To
g question. How would you like 60 s
e! the answers frequently alluded to
mily life A boy OF 6 said, II should liz
re to die IN bed with my mother Il
ne OF 10 answered Il should like to I
at 81 years. with my parents by my -
10. One boy of IL would like to die I2
With the hope CT finding my parents >
d brothers and sisters. +" A boy of 10 L
I'd. II should like to die all alone, Va
wing no brother or any one else IN a.. ~
rth. There were some small boys
40 wished to die on the field of battle, ]
d others who did not wish to grow