The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-11-14
TRYOUR
CHILDREN
6N5l d NEd slaKee. %.

In an illustrated travelogue the
other day-perhaps you saw ia
naked child of India was walking
in circles pushing the lever OF a
crude hand-milL
He was dirty, belonging to that
class of "untouchables" OUTSIDE al
class or privilege in their country.
we were informed that he worked
all day for the sum of two cents
and knew little of any other life:
Long, matted hair hung over his
forehead and neck. His 1.-THE BODY
II Judged him to be about ten
was straight, strong and brown.
But 1t was his eyes that held ones
attention. They were not dull, un-
happy eyes as one felt they should
be. quite the contrary-big, keen
and evidently enjoying the man
with the queer-looking camera,
who found him SO important.
I've thought q lot about that
| boy, slave to a system we would
not tolerate here for a second.
Unaware OF Hardship
Why was he so unconcerned with
| his life? Why SO seemingly content
and healthy? There was no ques-
| tionine the look in his eyes, think.
Yet there he was, doing work we
wouldn't put dog to. Around and
| around he went throwing his
weight against the bar that will
say seemed to move easily enough.
think this Is 1t. He didn't know
any better. His life was fixed and
he accepted it. There was some
thing he had to do and he did 1t,
without questioning or resentment.
All over the world we observe
children doing fairly well under
circumstances that we think would
ordinarily kill them. How about
| our own Indian babies strapped on
| boards so they can't move? We
are told never to bind a baby-that
restriction does terrible things to
temper and nerves. But If ever
there was a placid creature on
| earth 1t is the papoose.
Eskimo children are VIGOROUSLY
happy and the most honest and
truthful in the world we are told
| as well. Yet their lives are the
antithesis of all we hold necessary
| to happiness and health. True, Es-
| kimo life is brief as a rule, but
their mental content is legion.
| Whatever the life expectancy of
| children of Oriental origin may be,
we find a placidity almost unknown
1
among us here.
And yet we find it here some
times, too. Recently saw two lit
tie children in a foreign settlement
who were unbelievably dirty and
ragged. Their clothes had never
seen water. But they were as happy
as birds in tree. Heaven knows
how they lived, and what will be-
come of them, but that they were
entirely content with what they
had was evident.
Now then what? Aren't our own
carefully raised children as happy
as these? Haven't they the same
clear content expression in their
eyes?
No. Their eyes are too old, es-
pecialIy the eyes of our city chill
dren. They are not entirely spon-
taneous any more. I think we be-
gin, as of course I guess we have
to, to mold them to our ideas of a
successful social life, when they
are too little and easily confused.
And with hundred things to re-
member and mind, they are old be-
fore they are young. Life is mot
simple for them.
Is our child's nerve growth able
to stand all the things we put to
him? Some day there may be
complete reversal of our present
methods. If the race is to last,
nerves must last first of all. Per-
haps we are trying too hard to
save the child who asks nothing
better than to save himself.