Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-30
TRAITS OF CHILDREN
LITTLE ONES GROW IN WORLDLI-
NESS AND SHRINK IN HEALTH.

Edward II. Cooper, In Parsons Magazine.
The question you ask is a difficult one to
answer. Indeed, do not think it can be
replied to by Yes" or No One could
only do so if there We're one great charac-
teristic common to all children throughout
the world, a characteristic SO pronounced
that it could be described as the essence of
childhood. But l do not believe that there
is any such common factor in chidlren's
nature.
One person will tell you that the principal
characteristic of childhood is noisiness, an
other that 1T Is curiosity, another Unsuitable
hunger. But you will never get six people
To agree on what is the dominating trait n
children.
AS 1 say in my book, THE Twentieth
Century Child''-and If l quote freely from
it during our conversation it Is not so much
for the purpose Of advertising my immor-
tai work as of saving myself trouble, which
1 hate taking-"I find 1t hard to believe in
some universal essential spirit of chill
hood. some ewig kindliche. dressed here in
furs, skirts. or feathers, there in pigtals,
patched trousers, bangles, or fez caps
sometimes a year old, sometimes sixteen,
but with the gist of the matter always
present so that l can love or hate it.
these are common to all ages; while many
a thousand children lack them ALL The
story of one child-life may be spiritual be-
yond the power of human words to tell,
book of faith and innocence written in
white on white; the thoughts and daily life
of another could be adequately described
only by the dullest and most rigidly real
istic PEN.
What have these two types in common
which shall enable me to answer the qT1es-
ticn: Are Children Becoming Less Child
lke?"
Let me point out in what respect the av-
erage modern child differs from his prede-
cessor, leaving it to the reader to deter
mine according to his ideas of what
constitutes the spirit of childhood whether
the modern child has or has not become less
ckild-lke
Critics of the new cult of the child are
heard occasionally to express a wish that
they own sayings and dongs had been
treasured carefully by admring friends,
which sayings would be found, they allege,
to be quite as clever those quoted from
the nurseries of the twentieth century
Regretfully and apologetically 1 doubt it.
Even during the past ten or twelve years
a close observer must have noticed the
increasingly rapid development of the nur-
sery intellect, a development which has
taken place, perhaps. at the expense of
physique, but is not the less noticeable for
that
The child of today thinks more. knows
more, questions more, talks a hundred
times more than its contemporary fifteen
years ago; 1t is yet more advanced being
than the child in whose company l viewed
Christmas trees and did lessons twenty-five
years ago.
Laws of growth and change do not spare
the spirit of the nursery any more than
they spare its individuals. The reason for
this particular change is very obvious
Fifty years ago children were unknown in
society life; a hundred years ago they were
unknown in any grown-up life at all They
saw only their mothers and a few women
specially appointed to their charge
They were not very happy, and eere dire
fully and observation-disclosures, let us hope
unconsciously-dull. Their books and toys
were few, their friends fewer, and among
their friends they saw a good deal of mar
entail neglect and cruelty.
The warnest admirer of the good old
times" would, l imagine, excuse the chill
dren of the upper classes from desiring to
return to the life and customs of these
predecessors. And such a life did not tend
toward brillancy of speech. This is the
especial property of the modern society
child
And throughout all classes of English
children, except, perhaps, among the very.
very poor, the increase in intelligence is
general. But it has to be paid for by de-
, crease in physique. TO quote again from
my book: Another new feature in the
chid-life of today is productive of much
original thought and ideas. Social rush and
restlessness, marrying the enfeebled bodies
bequeathed to us by the drunkards and
gluttons who did us the honor of becoming
our great-grandfathers, have filed modern
nurseries with DISEASE Many of these new
maladies-neurasthe for instance, and
all its accompaniments-are probably an
inevitable accompaniment of increased in
telligence; but others could easily be rec
tilted"
They are due to unwholesome food late
hours, prolonged excitement, and. above all,