The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-07
LITTLE CHILDREN OF THE RICH.
Deserve Credit IL They Come Through
the Ordeal Of Wealth Unspoiled.


Spectator" in the Outlook.
The Spectator wishes that Mr.. Jacob Riis
would publish companion volume to his
Children Of the Poor" entitled THE Poor
Little Children of the Rich" Theoretical
ly it is fine thing to be born with sill
yer spoon in ones mouth. But, unfortu-
nately, good many other things appear to
go along with the spoon. At home the
Spectator sees little save the brightness of
the spoons and the radiant well-being of
their little proprietors. But this fall a
prolonged visit to a typical middle West
ern city where little grandson acted as
guide, philosopher and friend gave him
a generous glimpse of the reverse of the
shield. An exclusive private school-one of
the pedagogically inerrant variety-four-
ished in the neighborhood, and past the
Spectators window every morning filed the
little sons and daughters of the rich on
their way to be scientifically educated.
President Stanley Hall is wont to say
that the most beautiful thing in the world
is the look Of wonder on a little child's
face. 1t must grieve him to see that look
passing from the faces of the children of
the rich. When the Spectator was young
ster he went about in a delicious maze of
his own imagining, quite absorbed in his
personal pursuits and humbly mystified
with the game his elders were playing. If
anything mystifies the little plutocrats of
to-day-save, perhaps the processes of
arithmetic-the Spectator does not know
what it is. An ultra-modern, ultra-expen-
slve education skins for them the cream of
every subject under heaven and serves il
up in predigested form, SO that before they
are fairly out of the kindergarten they
nave pried into the choicest secrets of
science and are base for the rest of their
educational careers. They are, moreover.
no respecters of the marvels of the age
puts the Spectator out Of countenance-is
to them merely convenient necessity by
which to summon their friends to come and
play. The auto" is chestnut" the
graphophone a worn-out toy; the me-
chanical piano player no more to be won
dered at than the hurdy-gurdy on the
within their ken. At an age when the
Spectators pockets bulged with traders"
and ms whole soul was bound up in pic
| ture cards this grandson and his budding
contemporaries discuss the coal situation'
And they discuss it so glibly. with such off,
hand use of sounding English that il is not
even naively amusing, but merely gro
Listen, you who are murmuring 'oId
rogy under your breath, listen to three
short but pregnant tales. Past the Spec
| tators windows one morning loitered two
| chubby little lads, their arms round each
others necks The Spectator thought to
himself seh. what pretty picture Of childish
spoke; however. he caught his breath Il
won three dollars yesterday" remarked the
younger ro OF the, the two who may possibly
manded the other big-eyed. "Oh. nv
father and bet on a race, and my horse
won. was the nonchalant reply. Before
the Spectator had fairly recovered from
| the staggering effect of this speech a grouu
OF little girls drew up before the house
One OF the littlest Of them was in difficult
WI foh ho1 49,
in some occult feminine fashion beyond
| the Spectators power to describe and had
slipped its ribbon. AS an older girl strug.
gled to reduce II to order she said, remon-
| stratingly, What makes you try to wear i,
this way, Gladys? It's much too short .
The little tot turned on her whitening
| glance. It's the fashion, she exclaimed
with crushing fnality. To these disclosures
| of unblinking sophistication may be addef
the tale of neighbor whose little bow &
just six: He had hoped to keep the child
unconscious that he is the heir of millions
and had brought him up in the strictes,
simplicity. And yet. the other night. as h,
night kiss. he electrified the father by de.
manding, Papa, how much are vol
WORTH"
The Spectator entertains a profound -.
spect for the little people who come through
the ordeal or a moneyed childhood nm
spoiled. From his window he has. in spit,
OF himself, witnessed many a high-hanfIe,
alteration between long-suffering nurse,
and their autocratic young charges an.
the commanding tone and gestures OF IN,
little overlords convinced him afresh tina
IL is not well TO be made too carly .on,
in authority" He has heard too the snh
tie or outspoken fattery with which IN
children were piled by grown people VIII,
| ought certainly TO have known better An.
he was not surprised that some OF tben
acquired the impression that the world WA
| their private football. nor that they adonfe,
toward the rest OF the earth's Inhabitants
manner which was. to say the least cav
alier. That many OF them did so opine am
so proceed. the Spectator had abunda n
| opportunity TO attest. While he stood in
extensively upon his own doorstep one dav
little miss-the child of a money kino'
approached him and demanded. without an
sort of preamble. Have you got nv kit
ten?" Madam" said the Spectator iifs
ing his hat. do look as IL / had your III,
uneasily. NO. she said, but she's los,
and 1 thought you might have seen bs'
If you do" she went on. recovering hersei
completely. If you do. you may send he
to as Blank street" With these words al
turned on her heel and departed. The Srsl
tator verify believes she expected hin, (,
make duttful note Of the address
II has long been one Of the Spectator,
! | pet theories that the unkindest conseouenc
| Of being born rich was that one was 40
permitted to live the strenuous. and fhs-s
, | fore zestful life- He has watched VIII
compassion the development OF a svctc<
| Casa little lad who has been a. 49, 49,
80