Evening star., 1909-01-24

fell in with hoboes and tramped all over the West
and far into Mexico, begging living for himself
clever and brave the nerviest child ever met
says Mr. F1ynt. His mother had set her heart
his going to school and preparing for the academy,
and he had detenminedly set his heart against
the folly of higher education: So rather than
quarrel with her continually, he ran away
Different Causes of Wanderust
MANY children run away because they are impul-
A'A sve and sensitive and their parents are too
careless about wounding their feelings. Nothing
hurts child more than to have his honest motives
and good intentions doubted impugned. He
rebels with all the strength that is in him against
insulting insinuations and derogatory remarks.
Sometimes it is the influence of bad company
that leads them to away, and sometimes the
reading of exciting dime novels. At heart, they
no better than the average boy or girl
but they have been unfortunate enough to see
picture hear story of some famous rascal, and
it has lodged in their brains, until the temptation
to 90 and do likewise has come upon them with
such overwhelming force that they simply cannot
resist" famous student of tramps tells story
of little fellow about thirteen years old, who ap
peared night at hang-out near McCook, Ne
braska, logged out in Indian scout attire, which
he had made of pieces of leather, with enormous
revolver hanging at his belt, which some one had
been careful enough to make useless by taking out
an important screw He was out to shoot the
Indians, he declared as his much dreamed of hero,
Kalamazoo Chickamauga, had done in the novel
A very important factor, which IS often over
looked is the weather. Statistics show that by far
the greatest number of runaways take place in the
spring. And here again the phylogenetic point of
view helps us to understand the matter clearly.
Sprngtime is the season OF universal migration.
Housewives expressive1y call it the moving sea-
SON. And indeed, all Nature does literally get
move on itself. The fishes move from the to
rivers and quiet estuares, there to make love;
birds and insects begin then their nuptlal flights,
and even the animals which at all other times are
solitary such the lion the tiger, and wildcat,
now Join their mates and celebrate the spring festi
val.
The Primitive Summons
ITO primitive the call of the stream and the
L forest becomes as irresistible the song of the
Sirens; and the child who carries savage soul meath
the dress of civilization is filled with vague longings,
aches all over is restless, nervous. irritable. and
out of sorts His father indifferently says it's the
spring fever knowing that it is really the inner
Nature tugging ercely at the restraining ropes of
civilization in her effort to get free and return again
to the great outer Nature, which is the mother of
all If the inner Nature succeeds, as she frequently
does, the boy or girl runs away. The schools have
lately begun to recognize the priority OF Nature
claim on youth, and graC1ously step aside for
about two weeks in the early spring Some day
parents will also learn that the child has his sacred
rights, and that it is the highest parental duty to
step aside occasionally and permit him to 60 into
retreat and send his little soul-speck out
to receive the quickenng touch of the Mother Soul
of the universe.
Of course, children seem to be born with a
runaway mania which manifests itself early
the second or third year. They take to it nat
uraly as duckling takes to water, and it's no use
trying to break them of it.
In this, in other matters, great stride will be
made toward bridging the gulf of miscomprehen-
sion between parents and children II the former Will
learn to look upon the conduct of the latter not
something exceptional perverse, or morbid, but
rather something natural typical, and character
istc only of the OF the child but OF the race
when it was young. For the child does to-day what
the used to do in the long and it is no fault
of his that he has inherited from his remote rowing
ancestors instinct that stronger than his
of obedience or even fear of punishment