Evening star., 1939-02-10
DarkShad0Ws
Are Many in
Childhood
The BeWilderment
In Face of Grief
Is Very Tragic
Bv ANGELO PATRI.

Childhood is always spoken Of as
a happy, carefree time, lovely ex-
perience that colors all the rest OF
life in rainbowed hues. 1 doubt it.
The children I know about, in what
ever station of life they are placed,
have their full share of grief. Their
youthfulness insures ignorance,
helplessness and general bewilder-
ment in the face of trouble. Often
they feel so bedeviled that clear
thinking is impossible. even if their
stage of development permits it..
They hide their fear and doubt and
distress in their secret selves and
become the prey of brooding moods
and aching hearts. Childhood is no
shadowless morning in spite Of
wishful, poetic longing to have 1t so.
There are children born to labor
for their daily bread in America,
this land so proud of its opportunl-
ties for the individual, so certain OF
its liberty enightening the world.
Work is no curse on mankind; it is
a blessed privilege. But the work
of childhood is play, study, applied
learning. Children who are forced
to labor for a living, who are by
force of circumstances denied the
education they need, are not enjoy
ing a happy childhood. They are
suffering and afraid and ignorant
and helpless. Their state is chal-
lenge to all decent citizens OF
America.
There are children-by children
I mean little ones under 12-who live
in a shadow that never lifts. They
we're once happy in their homes,
depending upon father and mother
for love and care and the protection
all children feel they need in the
protecting power of understanding
parents. Divorce broke up all that
and they must go among other chill
dren marked, as only such children
understand too we'll, by misfortune.
Where is your daddy?" "She
isn't your own mother, is she?" I
have seen splendid children wilt
under this shadow, seen the light
die in their eyes and the spring
leave their step. Who is to restore
the happy childhood of such chill
dren?
Sorrow that touches home al
ways touches it's children. They are
as sensitive as barometers to the
feeling of the family. They suffer
when anything goes wrong with
those they love and they suffer on
their own account. Disappointment
over broken promises, grief over the
loss of a friend, anguish over the
treatment received at the hands OF
some loved and trusted one-there
is no sorrow known to men and
women that children do not know.
The fact that the grief is inarticu-
late lessons it not one whit.
Life is shadowed show. We say
that the shadows are necessary to
bring out the high lights, but in our
hearts we shudder at them. # by
taking thought we can tighten the
shadows that fall across the lives OF
children. we should do it. We should
speak no harsh word where gentle
ness might serve. We should COM
NIT no selfishness against child
who depends upon us. We ought, IN
humanity, to do our best to comfort
and sustain all children who come
within the reach of our influence,
for all children know pain and un-
derstand grief.
1t is too late to- be kind after
adolescence sets in. Childhood, that
period of precious dependency, IS
gone by then and all we can do is to
say, $50 sorry. If only we had
known"
Well, we might have known, and
we might have done something about
it If we had not been too busy pre-
pairing . perfect future for the little