The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-04-30
BY RUSkIN
Mankind Depicted in Dream OF
ChiIdren'S Party.
Conduct of Humanity in the World Not
at All Unlike That Described
by the Great English
Thinker.

dreamed l was at a Child's May
day party, in which every means OF
entertainment had been provided for
them by a wise and kind host. 1t
was in a stately house with beautiful
gardens attached to it; and the chill
dren had been set free in the rooms
and gardens, with no care whatever
how to pass their afternoon rejoicing
ly. They did not, indeed, know much
about what was to happen next day;
and some of them, thought, were
little frightened, because there was
chance of their being sent to a
new school where there were exam1na-
lions; but they kept the thoughts Of
that out of their heads as we'll as they
could, and resolved to enjoy them
selves. The house, I said, was in
beautiful garden, and In the garden
were all kinds Of flowers, sweet grassy
banks for rest, and smooth lawns for
play, and pleasant streams and woods,
and rocky places for climbing. And
the. children were happy for a little
while; but presently they separated
themselves into parties, and then each
party declared it would have piece
of the garden for its own, and that
none of the others should have any
thing to do with that piece. Next,
they quarreled violently, which pieces
they would have; and at last the boys
took the thing up practically, and
fought in the flower beds till there was
hardly a flower left standing; there
they trampled down each others bits
of the garden out of spite; and the
girls cried till they could cry no more.
And so they all lay down at last
breathless in the ruin and waited for
the time when they were to be taken
home in the evening.
Meanwhile, the children in the house
had been making themselves happy
in their manner. For them there
had been provided every kind of in
door pleasure. There was music for
them to dance to, and the library was
open with all manner of amusing
books; and there was museum full
Of the most curious shells, and ami.
mails, and birds, and there was a work
shop, with lathes and carpenters tools,
for the ingenious boys; and there
were pretty fantastic dresses for the
girls to dress in; and there were mi
croscopes and Kaleidoscope, and
whatever toys child could fancy;
and takle, in the dining room, loaded
with everything nice to eat.
But, in the midst of all this, it
struck two or three of the more prac'
tical children that they would like
some Of the brass-headed nails that
studded the chairs, and they set to
work to pull them out, Presently the
others who were reading or looking
at shells, took fancy to do the like;
and in little while all the children
nearly, were spraining their fingers
in pulling out brass-headed nails. With
all that they could pull out they were
not satisfied; and then everybody
wanted some of somebody else's. AND
at last the really practical and sensi
BILE ones declared that nothing was o.
any real consequence that Afternoon
except to get plenty Of brass-headet
nails; and that the books and the
cakes and the microscopes were of Nc
use at all in themselves; but only il
they could be exchanged for nail
heads. And at last they began tt
fight for nail-heads, as the Others