New-York tribune., 1909-03-14
PLIGHT OF THE CHILD
Present Conditions Are Crushing 1t,
Says Ellen Key in Her NezC Book.

The twentieth century has been called the cen
turv Of the child as the nineteenth was the wom-
ans but according to Ellen Key. in The Century
Of the Child" &C. P. Putnams Sons. New 1orh ana
London). the world IS still very sad place for httle
folk. The book is wholesale indictment OF eX-
isting conditions as they affect children, she says
and sees no salvation for them except In com
plete reorganization Of society.
Beginning with the right OF child to choose It's
parents the book says:
while children continue to be born in the cold
atmosphere of duty, in the stormy atmosphere
of discord, while people continue TO regard such
marriages moral while people can transmit 10
their children all kind Of Intellectual muttlaton
and bodily unsoundness. and their parents continue
10 be called honorable. so long will the world De
without the slightest conception Of that morality
which will mould the new mankind
The new mankind demands. also says Mrs Key
an entire readjustment of the position Of women
IN society, and she does not think that the wom-
ems rights women are likely to solve the problem
They have looked It TIL now she says only
from the point OF view OF woTans right to take
care Of herself" Her idea is that the state should
take care Of its mothers while they are engaged
in the care of the new generation The mother
will thus be freed from dependence on the man, and
the man. when not pressed down 10 the ground
by the maintenance of his family, VIII be set free
for the duties Of parenthood-
The modern school Mrs. Key accuses Of soul
murder" on a gigantic scale. 1T has succeeded"
she says "fn doing something which. according 10
the law OF physics is impossible; the annihilation
Of once existent matter. The desire for knOwl-
edge the capacity for acting by ones self the gift
OF observation all qualities children bring with
them 10 school, have a rule. at the close OF the
school period disappeared They have not been
transformed into actual knowledge or interests
This IS the result Of children spending almost the
whole OF their life from the sixth TO the eigh-
teenth year at the school desk hour by hour,
month by month. term by term. taking doses Of
knowledge first in teaspoonfuls then IN dessert
spoonfuIs. and finally in tablespoonfus. absorbing
mixtures which the teacher often has compounded
from fourth fifth hand recipes"
Even the kindergarten. supposed by many 10 be
the source of all salvation IN education. comes IN
for the same scathing condemnation.
'One OF the tasks OF the future says Mrs
Kew will be the creation Of a generation OF
trained mothers who among other things viii
ernancpate children from the kindergarten system
Children are handled in crowds from two and
three years up: they made 10 appear before
the public in crowds made 10 work on the one
plan. made 70 do the same petty. idiotic and use
less tasks. In this way, we believe at the present
time that we are forming men. while actually we
are only training units. Any one who remembers
how as a child he played the beach or in the
wood in a big nursery in old-fashioned attic.
OF has seen other children playing in these sur
roundinRs viii know how such unrestrained play
deepe7s the soul increases the capacity for IN
ta7tiou and stimulates the imagination q hun
dredfold more than chiIdren's games and oCCu-
nations devised by the arrangement, and promoted
by the Interference. Of elder persons Adults are
accustomed to anuse children in crowds. custom
which comes from Intellectual vulgarity, instead
Of leaving them alone TO aruss themselves. Be
sides this system encourages children 70 produce
what they DO not need, and leads them 10 imagine
that they are working by SO doing"