The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-11-14
CHILDREN'S IDEAS.
EXAMPLES OF THEIR CURIOUS VIEWS
OF LIFE AND DEATH.

serles-9""io <Airaiu 10 Dle, Others With
out Such Tear-The Life That Would
Please and the Death They Would Choose.
The Rivista Italiana di Filosofia con-
tains an article by DIR Marpillero on
children's ideas of life and death. de-
scribing how he questioned a number
of young children on these subjects at
an elementary school at Rovigo and the
answers he received. We quote some of
the most curious. In answering the
question what is life?" the boys were
much more bold than the girls. Many
children, boys, defined life as "a spirit
that runs away as soon as we die" A
boy of 8 years philosophically observed,
Life is sea of troubles, which one
may cross we'll or with great unhappi-
ness. l." A boy OF 10 said, Life is a
thing which is never extinguished;"
another, Life is a good work to eat
WE'LL" another, Life is an invisible
thing. which vanishes when it likes and
never returns. A little girl of 10 said,
"Our life is a fluid 4" 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
we'll 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. /"
Another boy of : years gave an an
swer bordering on popular superstition,
death is thing that. when die,
pulls my feet. " Another boy of had a
tinge OF medical knowledge and replied,
death is when one has more than 40
degrees OF fever " Another said, Death
is a thing that one never sees again,
never again . TO the question, Are you
afraid OF dying?' 81 children. all boys
gave no reply; 50, Of whom were girls,
replied negatively; all the others-that
is. large maJority-sald, "Yes A
little girl of 10 Of we'll to do parents
gave the answer. 81 am not at all afraid
OF dying because am tired of living. !"
All the orphans replied i'll the following
sense, 81 am not afraid of dying because
1 want to see my parents again. lit
tie girl OF said, Il am not afraid of
dyirg because 1t is q thing sent by
Goo. % A boy of ~ 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 said, Il
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 |, who had evidently
been told some CHASTITY stories, replied.
Il 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 OF said, e! am afraid
Of dying because L could not play with
my sister any more. - Another well to
do boy said. "a am afraid of dying be-
cause when one Is dead one cannot see
the men gathering the harvest oil grapes
and so many nice things" A little boy
OF + answered, Il fear death because !
shall not be born another time after d"
The majority of answers to the Ques-
ton, do you want to grow old? were
in the negative A we'll to do little boy
OF years answered, 81 should not like
to grow old because l should have no
strength to work and might die Of hun
ger -
A little girl of 2 said, mo. because
should have to work hard for my chill
dren, to feed and clOthe them Many
girls feared to become ugly saying,
mo, because | should be without
teeth, =" and, "No, because L should be
ugly" or gray, or STOPPING A little
glrl said she would like to grow old
and have grandchildren. A boy said,
Yes, so that might go to paradise. .
Another of 10 years said, Eyes, because
l should have finished almost all my
wishes. When asked, How would
you like to liver" most OF the children
were very modest and did not give way
to fancy.
Many poor children wished that they
might live ION broth and breao, on
rice, !" ION polenta, - or said' II don
want to suffer cold and hunger. A
child of 6, boy, said, Il should like
to live with my father and mother "
Another poor boy of 10 said, Il should
like to live content in my own home, be-
cause then am happy" Another poor
orphan boy OF 10 said, II should like tc
have enough to live on and go and be
with my father and specially my moth
er, of whom | am always thinking.
Very few expressed wish to live IN
class superior to their own, but boy
of 2 said, II should like to live without
working and be a gentleman " Anoth-
er OF 6 years replied. 81 should like tc
live well dressed and have hat and &C
out walking" A little girl OF SAID,
II should like to live like lady and
never work and always be served. Ic
the question, "How would you like to
dieY' the answers frequently alluded &c
family life. A boy of said, II should
like to die in bed with my mother.
One of 10 answered, II should like &c
die at 80 years, with my parents by my
side. - One boy OF IL would ike 10 Gle