Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-01
WHAT OF FUTURE
Of WARCH|LDREN?
Will These Youngsters Be Better
Than Men and Women
of To-Day.
PROFESSOR SERGE SAYS YES
Believes Coming Manhood Will
Profit From Wars Chast-
ening Influence.
PROFESSOR SERGE SAYS YES
By CAMILLE

ROME. June 30.-Will the WAR
Armageddon-who have heard Tor
three long years the weird, CHASTITY,
revolving stories OF blood and uias-
sacres; who have heard counted by
the hundreds of thousands the number
of dead and wounded: who have BEEN
fed on short bread rations; who have
gone through privations Of all kinds
and have forgotten the taste of but
ter, pastries and other d~elicacies, the
youths who have begun to work whom
their lungs and their nerves 5all clam
ored for fresh air and sunshine-wtll
these youngsters be better than we s
are?
Professor G.. Sergi, the wen-known
~anthropologist. has w the above
question in the affirmative. Beside, ia
has extended the Investigation to tho
youngsters Of every social class. the
humblest included. and the result OF
his thorough work Is that. whatever
tho consequences OF the war win be in
other fields. the present experienco.is
preparing n better and nobler typeeof
citizen.
The revolution brought about BY
the conflict" Professor Sergi aye, sthe
States unusual demand on the fndi-
vidual cannot escape the attention OF
the wide-awake boy Of to-day. For
the last two or three years these boyv
have been performing mature mems
work In the stables, the fields, and the
factories. To-day even the school
term is shorter and life Is their, sole
school. hav seen boys Of twelve or
thirteen plant vines or trim. cherry
tress-the work of wise. experienced.
farmers-undcr tho watchful eyest OF
their grandfather. I have seen other
boys handle the cattle with the skin. OF
veteran shepherds.
EVERYTHING TRESrBLEs 80
UNDER HUMANE FURY
This effort and this co-operntion
on the part OF our children occur It =
time when everybody realizes that
everything is in danger, not only In
Italy. but in Europe.
Everything trembles, creaks, yaciil
iates, as If on n moving ship under
the fury Of the hurricane. whileafho
FOG still hides the goal which he with
a strong heart is sure to reach.
All this the boys realize and see.
And wouldn't the fact that their
rather Is up there at the front. be,I
tween life and death, be sufficient; to
make them realize that the whole
world is on the verge of ollapsinc?
They Will be serious, pensive men.
these children who have grown IN
amid so much blood. and they WIN
defend their rights with nail and tooth
before kneelinE or weeping In front az.
a Judge. But they will also resuecf
other peoples rights. and they will be
men or few words and extremely bard
to govern. -
These boys will also be more en-
ergetic. moro frank and humane
shrewder and harder to convince than
we have been. And they will not fall
INTO the lethargic sleeps in which we
have sweetly rested for so manv va.rs
only to be rudely awakened all OF, =
sudden. -
Many say that war. even a war
ilhe this. VIII not change men. That
"t'er so many wars man has remained
always the same. with his sorrows. his
joys and his miseries. These peopIe
are right, but only in part, as thev
forget that victory can endow a peo-
PIE with energy and self-conhdence!
"hile defeat may PROSTATE it for fY}v
OF 100 years. 80
war is not waged only for what
can be acquired through a neac1
treaty, but above all for the good n
Will produce on ourselves. within s,
consciences. for it makes us better
And our children will QUILTED \.
better than we are"