Evening star., 1901-05-04
FACTS ABOUT CHILDREN

Il wonder why It Is" inquired bachelor
with couple OF good eyes in his head.
that most folks, treat young children as
If they were idiotss Stoughton bottles or
cigar-store signs2 I've been wondering
about that for long time now. I'm per-
fecty positive that'I had a better pair OF
ears a more acquisitive mind. stronger
desire for information and foxier way OF
making believe That 1 didn't know any
thing when l was five years old than
have at the present moment, when I'm an
old fogy. I distinctly remember yarns
that were repeated In my presence before
l was five years oldLremember 'em word
for word A number of my mothers wo-
men friends would call on her, and they'd
get as women do. to narrating little iEci-
dents OF a-er-humorous nature, and no
account whatsoever 'ud be taken of my
presence, and SO grabbed up and caught
pretend all the time to be fooling with
my lettered blocks or Noah's ark and
there'd be an expression of beatifc childish
innocence on my face, I've no doubt: but
l was listening for all was worth, all the
samee. and not a line of the conversation
ever got away from me. have often
thought about that, and I'd no sooner let
out any remarks in the presence Of five
year-oid young one that didn't want to
have remembered and stored up as having
proceeded from me than I'd walk backward
on a car track.
''The shrewdness Of children Is not ap-
preciated at all by most people, think;
| nor Is their extreme sensitiveness taken
into account. 1 don't mean that sort OF
sensitiveness which causes some young
ones to begin blubbering when they are
harshly spoken to. but the KIND or sensl-
tiveness which induces many children OF a
less emotional nature to lay up feelings Of
deep wrath-no less deep because 1t is
childish-against persons who deliberately
sit down upon them and crush them on the
theory that children have mush instead OF
brains in their heads, and are therefore IN
capable Of feeling an affront. I'll give you
a little case in point. I've an aunt my
mothers sister. whom I've positively de-
tested ever since I was six years Old al
though 1 have never seen her since was
that age, nor wanted to see her. My moth
er visited her, out in the country, and TOOK
me, a six-year-old, along with her NOW,
I wasn't what you could call rubberlnS
kid; I didn't ask too many questions;
was pretty well trained, and l knew now 10
behave myself. Well, the parlor organ IN
the front room Of the country home OF TINS
presume to touch the instrument but
looked at 1t lot during the first few days
of the visit The stops puzzled me con-
siderably. l had never seen them operateu
and didn't know what they were for So
one day l very mildly inquired OF my aunt
things for?
why, to make music. OF course-you
must be thick" she snapped back at me.
Well, l curled up in my little shell right
there and then. didn't get the weeps
didn't say anything to my mother about
the incident. 1 didn't do anything. But l
said to my little self, with just as much
bitterness Of spirit as 1 am capable of ex-
periencing at this hour: All right for you,
my good aunt: You've dished yourself with
me forever. You don't go with me little
bit You're a frost so far as my little
scroll is conc arned. I may be thick, all
right but I'm not so thick but what can
remember, and I'm going to keep right on
disliking you until the finish didn't
think the matter out in these words. Of
course. but the spirit of them was there.
sure enough, and, as l say, I've had a dis
tinct and decided and, unconquerable aver
sion to that particular aunt of mine ever
since / can't help it. There's no use in my
trying to reason it ott that in addressing
me as she did on that occasion she figured
more or less of nuisance, and all that
sort of swash. don't like her, and never
will like her. Her husband comes on here
to Washington once III a while, and take
him around, and We get along first-rate-
but 1 find myself just naturally curling up
whenever he mentions my aunts name, and
he long ago noticed that, and so he never
speaks of her any more when l see him. I
send some little. Christmas token to all of
my relatives every year, but I've never
sent her so much as a tin whistle, and 1
never will / don't think have ever form
ed an aversion since / reached the age Of
s1@ oIio oii6 do Aliy W ILLS
aunt.
THE simple fact Is that the Impressions
conceived when one Is in the formative Pc
rlod are vastly more tenacious than those
formed when the mind is moderately ma
ture and developed Take the hero-wor-
Shipping proclivities Of growing boys as
another example of this. When l was
growing up in my little town there were
certain lads. a few years older than l.,
whom l looked upon as being little less
than dem1-gods. They were good swim
| mers, or good hunters. or good wrestlers
| or good fighters. or good tobacco chewers
or good players on the mouth organ-any
| old thing Of the sort that appeals to
| younger boys-and their accomplishments
caused me to lie awake nights wondering If
| I'd ever get to be as great as they. Well,
| since growing into manhood I've gone back
| to visit the little old town. and seen these
| fellows. and found them exceedingly com
| monplace Jumps who called me sir and
| grinned Sheepishly at me-and yet dive
| know, / still found myself sneakinsly look
| ing up to 'em. and still regarding 'em way
| down deep in me. as mighty ine puissant.
heroic chaps. And. by the same token.
| when. on the occasions Of these visits rye
met up with the girls 1 was hopeiessly
] and madly in love with when about seven
or eight years old, and found most Of 'em
| to weigh something like 1877 pounds, and to
| be the mothers OF a numerous progeny.
| I've nevertheless been quite unable to dis
associate from them in their commonplac ce
| maturity the appealing attributes In them
| that captivated me so many years ago."