Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-01-02
LEARNING FROM EDWARD
BY DR.. Frank Crane

BY LII. TGdllk OIdlG
| Charles Edward is the ruler of a small
kingdom in a certain town. His subjects are
his father, his mother, the hired girl, and the
! man who does odd jobs around the house.
I go to this house sometimes and am quite
interested in watching what takes place. The
grown-ups think they are teaching him. Really
Charles Edward is teaching them. Some of
the things that | have found out from him,
for he also teaches me, are as follows:
In the first place, Charles Edward THINKS
that it is perfectly foolish for people to eat
at certain fixed times of the day. Why not
eat when you are hungry, and what is the
use of sitting down to the table when you are
not hungry? Also why at table any time?
Why not just go to the cupboard and get what
YOU want and carry it about the house eating
it? That is the way dogs do and other ami
mails the they are healthier than we. Herein
Charles Edward agrees with OilYer
Wendell Holmes, who said that one OF the
surest signs of old age was eating at certain
stated intervals.
Charles Edward is also entirely persuaded
as to the folly of washing so much He can
not see the sense of this eternal scrubbing
behind the ears and bathing and picking at
his finger nails.
Charles Edward does not see any particular
sense in undressing when you want to sleep.
AADNN--
ing to story sitting chair or standing
in the corner. He is usually uRdressed after
he has fallen asleep instead of before. IN
dressing is nuisance, anyway, ana IL IS
much better to have it performed while you
are unconscious.
Charles Edward finds it difficult to get
over his surprise at the fact that groWn-uES
want to keep still They make entirely too
much of quiet He prefers to make noise,
preferably a loud noise, but any kind OF a
noise will do He seems to find it difficult
to speak in low tone
He also does not understand the desire OF
grown-ups to be continually sitting down AS
for him. he prefers to jump and run con-
stantly.
Charles Edward does not understand why
girls we're created. They only annoy him. He
likes dogs much better. Girls are fintcky and
bothersome They don't like fight and they
are always putting on airs.
Charles Edward is very much in favor OF
Christmas. The idea Of everybody giving
everybody else presents appeals to him. Inc
only trouble with the custom is that 1t is con-
fined to one day in the year. He contlded to
me the ether day that Ne did not understand
why he could not have Christmas every DAY.
There is something in that
Charles Edward is very much puzzled to I'M
derstand why anybody lives in the city. Ihere
is no grass, there are no trees there is no
sand nor water. There is nothing but streets
where his mother will not let him play, and
stuffy houses, where there is little fun to be
had.
Charles Edwards idea of life Is that it is a
place where one can have fun. He goes at
this in the most simple and direct Of ways.
He does not want to do anything that does
not amuse him. Grown-ups go at the matter
in much more complex manner and are not
generally so successful as Charles Edward.
81 +hn Af7H a
and forgiving mother and the stern father has
no place in Charles Edwards beliefs. His
father is his companion in crime and is always
ready to second him in any sort OF an adVen-
ture, including eating what he should not and
stealing things when he cannot get them hon
estly. His mother is the one who makes him
walk the chalk. And then his mother is al
ways hugging and kissing him. His father
wrestles with him, runs with him and occa-
sionally knocks him down, which suits
Charles Edward much better than affection.
Altogether Charles Edwards philosophy of
life is interesting whether we approve of it or
not
Copyright, 1929