The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1903-03-30
4eo Sourtlapd 4ue., etIaDta, Ga.


that paper. 1t was bright and sparkling
and gave just such thoughts as would
originate in childs mind. Coming af-
ter long, doleful accounts and expert
eifceS or the war, that some women seem
| TO uellGht to resurreot and treat you to
| raw head and bloody bones" on all oc-
| casons the childs ideas were bright and
cheery thow can child look on the dark
! side of anythins): and so the whole au-
| dience was charmed and Interested II
mas the same effect that bright sun
! burst has after a dark, heavy thunder
| storm.
| Only two days after the above happened
| came TO me the article How l Used to
| Play When a Child II was intended
| for the Junior department. but was so
CHEEKY and bright THAT 1 begged to sub
NIT it to the grown up folks" and 1
am sure they will enjoy it. Let us give
this subject cur consideration and see
through our children's eyes and become
as little children among them How much
brighter the world would seem to ust
How I Used To Play When o Child.
There is no reality in life SO sweet
as the play of childhood. We might say:
Tell me how child plays and we viii
tell you how he shall live"
Nero, the spoiled, idle son Of Agrippina
found pleasure in killing flies and when
he was emperor of Rome killed Agnppina
his mother. A child's life indeed Is not
real; 1t is Imagination from morning to
might, from year to year. When Nero
was killing flies he was not killing in
sects; his ambitions. yet dull, animal in
stinctS, were cowardly subjugating some
thing weaker than himself: and
when tho flies "wriSgled" he saw
men and women of the future helpless
beneath the coarse thumb-pressure of
his power. TO rob children OF imagina-
ton is to rob them Of the sap of their
mental GroWth--to dwarf their intellce-
tual faculties A real toy horse, a real
doll, in a childs hand strips the mental
body of its own growing members-of its
legs and arms wherewith it can create a
horse from the shadow of its own hand
and a doll from a feather
Books of travel never took a child 50
far as the ali-oVer- the-wOrId intense jour
neys 1t takes through Imagination. There
is no limit to its boundary 1T reaches
the farthest wall of farthost space and
goes right on, around and around for
ever. There is no limit to its distance,
and the walls Of continents-in later geo
graphical bOoks-impede the progress Of
its infant toe-it stubs aud stumbles
against the baTricade that says "Thus
far shalt thou go. and no farther"
So, as a child l played, ana Travelled.
and saw things indeed, then not lawful
for utterance now-as beneath the CON
ceptlOn of modern child ana above
the understanding Of modern adult.
was a lonely child-(ths is no history
only as companion piece to the expert
ence Of some lone or lonely child who is
passing through the child life of its
young years, misunderstood, perhaps. or
pitiable, because among the swarms Of
living things it. alone finds companion
ship with trees. and grass and stone.
and the innumerable hosts of heaven GA
a starry nighD
Dolls l had--a- plenty-because "a good
old grandmother from her patchWorks
gave me the incest piece tied up with
threads and / put the miniature dolls, or
scraps with a button as a head on my
two index fngers-holding them there
with my thumbs-and into the air away
and aWay-the dolls gallOping IN the air
at arms length above my head. Where
they We're going i could not tell, but the
more wind there was in the day. and the
more my hair flew behind me, the faster
l knew We We're going. There were mag
mary voices in the air that led me on,
and often they led me TO the banks of
a stream about 10 feet wide--that drained
the farm lands around
Here In 81 hedge ] would place my dol
lies. where they could sit above the water
and look al it. Many, many times, j went
out and washed their faces from the
river would place them there again,
and bring them water to drink IN leaves
] had pinChed together as cups. | wound
visit them day by day. and ask tbem
what they had seen during the day and
night. II dollie had washed or blown
away by rain or wind. J would replace
her or change them all for clean ones.
When / thought they were tired thcle
usually buried them.
Once l had a dollie that ] loved very
Cearly-for she was six or eight inches
high and well padded out with rag
scraps-for / dressed her myself-sO That
she was large and stout too. A littie girl
was Visiting at our house, and she never
saw so handsome dol. | feared She
might want her and that [ might be
forced 10 give her up. ] took dollie out IN
the meadow field, whore q hedge fence
bordered. and along this fence on one
side the sheep used to roam and leave
large patches of their wool i'm the th0rus.
Dollie and I picked the wool to take IN
to grandma for spinning; bat it was time
TO return. and I wrapped dolie in some
Of the wool then laid her up in the thick
Of the branches where / was sure no one
could see her! Oh, how carefully l wrap