Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1922-11-01

house, and brought TO me Two QanQe-
lion blossoms, as perfect as in June.
When l read my Republican journal
this week, l saw some lady took the
Journal editor bunch of crimson
ramblers, October Is.
I read in Vashtis letter that she
wants an otaheite, or strawberry be-
gonia. l have friend who had very
pretty, thrifty one the last time ! was
there. l will see her soon and get one
for Vashti. if she will send her ad-
dress. My name is Elizabeth w.
Waterman, Route 3, Belfast. Maine.
/ will send this poem:
TOO MANY OF WE!
The little girl asked, with sigh;
Perhaps you wouldn't be tired, you
see,
She was only three years old, the one
Who spoke in that strange, sad way,
AS she saw her mothers impatient
At the children's boisterous play.
There were half a Dozen who round
And the mother was sick and poor;
Worn out with the cares of the noisy
brood.
And the fight with the wolf at the
door.
For smile or a kiss no time, no place,
For the little one. least of all;
And the shadow that darkened the
mothers face
Ger the young life seemed to fall.
More thoughtful than any. she felt
And pondered the childish way,
How to tighten the burden she could
not share,
Growing heavier every day.
Only a week, and the little Claire
In her tiny white trundle bed,
Lay with blue eyes closed, and sunny
hair
Cut close from the golden head,
Don't cry" she said, and the words
Feeling tears that she could not see;
You won't have to work and be tired
When there amt so many of We"
But the dear little daughter, who went
away
From s,,' the home that for once was
Showed the home, from that dreary
day,
Alas, for those who have memo
res like that for all the years.
! There is no doubt that one Of the
great needs of life is patience with
children, and so many times they are
misunderstood. They are not always
quick to understand what is meant
which is asked of them or they are
told to do, or not to do. Often they
are blamed or punished for some
| thing, which, with an older person,
would be called an accident. Then
they have so much to learn that one
ought not to expect them to know
it all" and have judgment, which
older persons cannot always exercise.
l never took much stock" in Solo
mons spare the rod" theory. With
his numerous progeny. he must have
detailed the use of the rod to num-
Der of deputies, and quite likely they
ruined the disposition and life of
many of his boys who might have be-
come good citizens, otherwise.
This is no personal experience of
mine, but l could not blame a
mother, who covered multitude of
sins" in their offspring, if the father
was unreasonable. Corporal punish
ment has been discontinued in the
public school, but if people lived in
glass houses there might be some
painful and surprising revelations.
Too often, close watch Of child,
with an eye to noting every little
mistake or misdemeanor, will not
only get on the child's consciousness
to it's injury, but may equally get on
the nerves of the watcher" and
cause him or her to administer dis
cipline more to relieve nerve-tension
than for the good of the child.
A writer on children, recently
wrote this: They watch the chill
dren so constantly and vigilantly that
scarcely a motion escapes them, and
as a child rarely moves in precisely
the way the watching adult expects
him to move, there is immediate pro.
test. The stream Of protest Is just
nagging, nothing else. Speak only
when you have to, and then mean
it."
Child welfare" and father and
son banquets' may help much. but II
is sad commentary on American
families, when we read that In many
cases there is an effort to make
fathers better acquainted with their
own sons.