The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-26
Lines of Distinction Among Children.

Children aro susceptible to many pains
which we escape as our knowledge in
oreases. To them the fact that the friend
who sat all winter at On adjoining desk
without suggesting great dlifereDces in
condition is, on first appearance before
an admiring public, able to suddenly out,
shine them In splendor, arouses pain all
the more bitter because In its origin II Is
misunderstood. The laws OF cause and
effect-so much study and so much gain,
so much application and so many good
marks-have been those by which they
have Seen guided In the school room, by
which they have been taught TO measure
their every day progress. But here on
platform where the fruits Of all their
iabors are supposed to be displayed. where
for the first time the world IL admitted In
judgment-hers for the first time certain
superiorities never formulated before are
all Mt once folt and accontruated-
superiorities which. so far AS these
children can see, bear no relation what
ever either TO individual excellence or en-
deavor, and which. though arbitrary and
seemingly artificial arc as subtle and
pow erful in their influence as those which
owe their origin to virtue.
1t takes us who are older n long timc to
get our bearings among the shoals OF
social discrepancies. What wonder then
that a child should sometimes founder
in the effort The boy understands the
pain of the effort as well as the girl,
though he will not often confess II until
he has a boy of his own to guard. Then,
and then only, he confesses what were
somo of these agonies OF his youth
One cannot but applaud the wisdom
and tact of these public school teachers.
The problem they arc trying To solve Is a
difficult one, and cannot be easily settled.
For the rules they make for Commence
ment day, judicious as they are, are not
the rules which the scholar can profitably
carry into the rest OF life, unless there
goes with them an understanding Of prin-
ciples involved-the principles OF taste,
for instance, of general fitness which Ia
but another word for the same thing,
and of modesty and kindly consideration.
For the requirements OF life vary with
varying conditions, ano one Is as stupid
not TO obey them as one Is vain In OBJ
truding individual advantages. Not to
dress properly for great function Is as
vulgar as to overdress for small one.
And defiance of convention and taste IL
often but another form of expression
chosen by spirit that Is vain. For the
vanity OF opinion IL as subtle In Its sug.
gestions for display as the vanity OF
person.
.It IL a difficult task to make the young
understand fine distinctions. To teach
them certain well established ways OF
doing things-of eating, walking, move
ing for instancc-whcn their own ways
or those of an injudicious acquaintance
are preferred; to so train them in the
uses of fine appointments that they are al
homo among them, and so cease To be
self-conscious or awkward in their pres
ence; TO instil into them sense of pro
prieties without which they ore in danger
OF being vulgar--to do these things, and
while doing them to help cultivate In the
mind Of the child consideration having
no touch OF oondescensiop in IL for those
who havo not had tho same advantages =
10 do all this requires an ability, deli
cacy and retlnement to which we owe
all honor.
For children mt times are terrible snobs
worse snobs than Rrown-up people. "A
little girl in carriage on her way &c
dancing school last winter saw friend,
also going TO dancipg-school, get into q
stage. II don't think / ought to dance
with her any more, said the child in the
carriage TO her mother "Sbe goes To
dances in omnibuses. ~ "You will go that
way Yourself for the rest of the winter,
the very wise mother remarked. And al
great Inconvenience To herself she made
the child 40 in stages for the rest OF the
vear -Harper's = Bazar.