St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1901-06-19
Now Law Me-"

The Mothers Club is revolutionizing
the training OF children, said grand
mother lately. II will question no lon
ger if with proprety may be called an
old.tashioned old lady. My recent visit
to my grandchildren-my first personal
acquaintance with them-has settled the
matter. The night after my arrival my
little grandson, five years old, insisted
that grandmother should put him to
bed When he is snugly tucked in,' said
his mother, he will begin grooming Kip.
hng'S Mandalay.' his favorite recita-
ton just now. For a long time it was
The Hunting Of the Shark His render.
ing of 'Mandalay' is original with him,
and you will think it musical, am sure.
After 'Mandalay comes Our Father
that he will say with you, line by line,
as he lies on his pillow.
Now, being an old-fashioned grand
mother, l had positive convictions con.
corning blanket prayers, but suppressed
them, as l try to be wise mother-in-
law.
When the curly head was on its pillow,
and the light turned low, the little fellow
began to repeat The wind is in the palm
trees and the rest of it in his quaint
way. Then crossing his hands on his
breast, he said Our Father When that
was done l expected him as a matter of
course to follow with Now lay me-
but he had never heard it, and before l
could repeat it he was sound asleep.
| could not help asking why be had
never learned the little verse, and his
mother replied: Why, mother dear,
that belongs to the past, like teaching
children to kueel and many other things.
DO we want our children to kneel when
they ask us for anything? The Moth
ers' Club has taught us that Now lay
me is highly Objectionable, with the sug'
gestion in the line, IF should die before
wake. How cruel to implant such a
thought in the child's mind! remem-
Der too well the long hours have lain
awake lest | should die in my sleep. The
model parent of today has advanced be-
yond the convictions OF the model parent
OF yesterday, when to impress upon a
child fear OF death and to keep in his
remembrance that he must surely die
was the duty of every good father and
mother.
Think of the funerals children were
made to attend when you were a child
the funereal selection of the old school
readers, the horrible gloom that fell upon
home whenever death crossed the
threshold, the clocks stopped, the pictures
covered OF turned to the wall, and all the
rest. Perhaps the tul6ment of the
promise There shall be no more death
is nearer than many suppose; for what
is death when robbed of the fear of it
that fear which has been positive cult for
centuries lfor one believe that the blessed
day is coming when to die will be simply
passing OH, and, outside of the circle of
the dear ones Of the departed, it will be
almost without observation Ger
talnly there will be a welcome absence of
funeral pageants, the complete annihila-
ton OF the ashes after cremation, doing
away in time with sepulchral urns and
cna,pels for their preservation. Memo
rial monuments will then be in some
form contributing to the worlds better
ment. The wearing of mourning will be
thing OF the past, and that blemish on
many fair rural landscape, the neg
lected old graveyard. will have disap.
peared. Funeral professions will no
more go about the streets.
When had recovered somewhat from