Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1898-01-29
CHILDREN'S IDEAS.
EXAMPLES OF THEIR CURIOUS VIEWS
OF LIFE AND DEATH.

flGaSe ana Jne DeaLh lney =" Oulu SnOOSe.
The Rivista Italiana di FilOsofa con
tains an article by DR. Marpillero on
children ideas of life and death, de-
sCrlblng how he questioned 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 years philosophically observed,
Life is sea of troubles, which one
may cross well or with great unhappi
ness A boy of 10 said, Life is a
thing which is never eXtinguished;
another Life is good work to eat
we'll anOti.er Life is an invisible
thing which vauishes when it likes and
never returns A little girl of 10 said,
'Our life Is fluid " A small girl of
poor condition. aged s. said, Life is
paradise A vesy general answer was,
Lille Is beautiful, or the opposite,
Lite Is ugly and most Of the chill
drpn who thought life the last were of
wfli to do families To the question,
What Is deatht'' many replied mega
uveiv especially the girls Very few
ana these only boys noted the phenom-
euon OF death, and one gave as answer
Death Is a pure spirit The blood dries
up. one neither moves nor feels -
Another boy of = years gave an an.
swcr bordering on popular superstition,
Death Is a thing that, when | die.
pulls my feet Another boy of had
tln9e OF medical knowledge and replied,
Death Is when one has more than AZ
degrees of fever - Another SAID. Death
Is a thing that one never sees again,
never agaln othe question, " Are you
afraid OF dylng?' 81 children, all boys
rel lied negatively; all the others-that
Is large majority said, "Yes. A
little girl of 10 of we'll to do parents
gave the answer II am not at all afraid
of dying because | am tired of living
All the orphans replied III the following
sense n am not afraid OF dying because
/ want to see my parents again A lit
tie girl of . SAID, II am not afraid of
dying because 1t is thing sent by
,4od A boy OF ~ replied. Il am not
afraid OF dying because | am healthy
and have no disease Another Il am
not afraid because L am strong and
healthy A little girl of ! | said, II
tear death because it might come at
night and pull my feet d" Another little
glIl SAID, "A am afraid of death because
1t seems that 1t Is my mother who is
dead, A girl OF ! /, who had evidently
been told some CHASTITY stories, replied,
am afraid OF death because it is so
ugly and one day Bernard went to bury
a dead person, and 1t got hold of Bernard
and gave INN kiss
Another boy OF s said, II am afraid
OF dying because | could not play with
my sister any more Another we'll to
do boy SAID. II am afraid Of dying be-
cause when one Is dead one cannot see
the men gathering the harvest of grapes
and SO many NICE things A little boy
OF Il answered. - fear death because |
shall not be born another time after
The majority OF answers to the CUES
ton DO You want to grow old?' were
IN the negative A we'll to do little boy
OF years answered, II should not like
TO grow old because | should have no
strength to work and might die of hun
ger
A little girl of said, NO because |
should have to work hard fer my chill
dren TO feed and clothe them Many
gllls feared to become ugly saying
No. because | should be without
teeth, and, mo, because | should be
ugly or gray, or stopping A little
girl 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, Yes, because
| should have finished almost all my
wishes When asked, How would
you like TO llve!' most of the children
were very modest and did not give way
to fancy
Many poor children wished that they
might 1--we on broth and breao, - Ion
rice. on polenta, or said. 80 don t
want to suffer cold and hunger - A
child of &. Il boy said. II should like
to live with my father and mother.
Another poor boy of 10 said, II should
like to 1--we content i'll my own home, be-
cause then | am happy IL Another poor
orphan boy OF U SAID. Il should like to
have enough to 1--we on and go and be
with my father and specially my moth
er OF whom ! am always thinking.
Very few expressed il wish to live in
class superior To- their own, but a boy
OF / SAID, II shuU4l like to live without
working and be il gentleman. AnOth-
Ell OF years replied, II should like to
live we'll dressed and have a hat and go
out walking A little girl of 8 said,
Il should like to live like a lady and
never work and always be served. " To
the question How would you like to
dlef the answers frequently alluded to
family lite A boy of Il said, Il should
like to die III bed with my mother
One of 10 answered / should like to
die at 81 years, with my parents by my
Side One boy of would like TO die
with the hope OF finding my parents
and brothers and sisters A boy of l3
SAID. i should like to die all alone,
leaving no brother or any one else on
earth There were some small boys
who wished to die on the field of battle,
AMI others who did not wish to grow
old because they would have to serve
III the army Two or three wished to
die and have "a fine funeral. One or
"a,