The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1902-06-12
WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN /?

Wn0T0 nave tie Children gOn0-llf
boys and girls Of ten, twelve and four
teen years? Has the Pied Piper OF Ham
elm risen again after all these years from
his crypt in the Businesses ofthe German
mountains and called them away from
us.
There are plenty OF diminutive little
girl women and men with unsuitable
grown peoples clothes and misft grown
peoples manners, who have put away
the childish pleasures that would help
give them youth eternal, and are grow
ing old before their time.
One cannot help longing for the re-
freshing sight OF a real, sincere, sweet.
faced, light-hearted little girl on the
streets, going her way demnnrely and
sedately, unconscious of the passerby,
the little girl who doesn't scorn to play
with dolls, who perfers to wear her hair
in pig-tail down her back, and who
loves Miss Alcott and the good old fairy
tales. Instead the present overheated
atmosphere is sending us would-be So
cietv woman OF ten, twelve or fourteen
years, who dresses her hair like her
grown-up sisters, wears decolette ball
dresses and has her card parties, and
beaux, with the utmost disregard for the
eternal fitness of things. She doesn't
hesitate to telephone this or that young
boy she knows to leave his school or
place OF business to meet her up town
and help her consume soda water and
ices ad libitum, when both the young
people are hardly beyond the mud-pie
age.
One longs to see real whole.souIed
generous, sport-loving boy, who, could
even accumulate little real estate on
his face and hands in order to avoid be-
ing classed as Top; boy who is deyel-
oping along the mental and physical
lines that so toward making nation
strong and independent. The compe-
tition in manufacturing and commercial
circles on the one hand and the tinsel
attraction of Lilliput society life on the
other are forcing the boy into the arena
with men and dwarfing rather than de-
veloping the best characteristics that
lie in him.
Social conditions are radically wrong
that take away, either for pleasure or
profit, the birthright OF youth from the
young people OF a community, transform
ing them into race of premature men
and women from whose round OF life the
big section belonging to childhood has
been cut away.
Even good old ST. Nichols is discour-
aged these days. The Christmases OF
dolls, rocking horses, fairy stories, tin
sword and drum are passing for even the
tiniest whorshippers OF the household
saint, and in their stead are demanded
questionable novels, cheap jewelry, use-
less triaes and health-menacin9 sweet
meats.
1t is only one Of the signs of the times
that is most evident in America, aud at
whose evidence the good mothers across
the sea raise their hands in just and
righteous horror and disapproval. There
is Sleeping Beauty of childishness,
sweetness and simplicity in even the
grown-ups, and how much more there
is in these would-be grown-up children.
What a pity the Prince of Common
Sense cannot come to kiss that Princess
OF life again!- Memphis Scimitar.
THE SOUTH AND THE PRESIDENCY
A note of revolt against the exclusion
of the South from the prizes of National
conventions issounded by the Mobile
Register. "Thegreat war which caused
the separation" says that paper, "came
to an end thirty-seven years ago, yet we
still speak ofthe North and the South as
contrasted and in some degree antagon-
istic entities Can the North and the
South be united truly as long as the
manhood of the South is disqualified
not.legally, but practically-for holding,
or even aspiring to hold, the highest
Office in the gift of the United States?'
This sort of talk will be heard from
many of the newspapers OF South before
long. The Mobile Register is one of the
oldest and one Of the most public opin-
ion. It's existence began back in the
middle Of Monroe's days in the presi-
dency, in the era Of good feeling which
came over four.fifths of century ago.
It is almost as old as the State of Ala
bama. It is older than the State of Mis-
souri,. Some very distinguished men
have been its editors. Great statesmen
of the anti-hellum time contributed fire.
quently to:its columns. No paper in the
South has better record for courage,
ability and sanity.