The Cotton Factory Times. — 1907-11-29 (Manchester, Greater Manchester, England)

COUSIN MAGGIE.  CORNER NUMBER. 1,352 Walter Owen Roberts, lluddersfield.  Uncle Fred writes,—ln a family of children it is usually found that there is one, if not more, whose favouritism is conspicuous. Often it is the youngest ; or if there is only one girl and a number of boys, it becomes quite natural that the girl i,, the favourite. If she is amiable, unself.h, and naturally kind-hearted, no harm will be the result of such partiality. But to make a favourite of one boy or girl in preference to the rest, is a great mistake. Those members who read Fred Wild's School Days" may remember that one of the characters was named Edwin WelsLenholme. His tragic story is a striking comment spies the folly--to give it. no harsher name—of singling out a favourite in the case of brothers. Edwin was the elder of two brothers. He was of dark complexion—like his mother. His brother so,, inclined to be much lighter. The mother died while the boys were yet infants, and the father married again. One child—a girl—was born of the second marriage, a golden-haired, blue-eyed beauty. As she grow up it was noticed that little Louie would e, at any time to the younger of the two brothers, but cried when taken by Edwin. Hence, poor Ed 9:tl became the bugbear of the whole family. He was almost always in trouble, and yet his step-mother's hypocrisy was so keenly carried out that the father did ant detect the falsity of the tales constantly related him. Fred, the younger, was a sharp witted lad, and speedily got ahead of his elder brother at school, and the schoolmaster, encouraged by the rno,'ler, punished Edwin for what he believed to be sneer laziness. The result was that the boy ran away from home, and was absent more than a moeth. Then he was brought home by the police, the father beving to ra expenses. A severe thrashing was soon fol. oLt hdle,another bout of vagrancy This time he found his way into Scoris.v.-2, and entered tka Iwo/ice  of a farmer. At first the farmer did not work him too hardly, but presently he net him to hold the plough, and stood over him with a cart whip. Edwin found his way to the nearest constable, the farmer was summoned and fined 40s. and costs. The lad was again sent home, and the father, despairing of keeping him there, took him to Liverpool, and, after some trouble, procured him a berth as cabin-boy on board a ship bound for a long voyage. Unhappily the captain and some of the crew were fond of drink, and Edwin soon followed in their wake. At the end of the voyage, with some pounds in his pocket, Edwin went home. The foolish step-mother would have had the father refuse the youth—he was now 17 years old—admittance to the house. but he had returned home with a good character from his captain. and the father would not give way to his vindictive wife. A piano had lately been obtained on the hire system for the benefit of the girl, and in a paroxysm of rage the mother destroyed it with the aid of tho coal-hammer. The music people prosecuted her, and tho end of Edwin's stepmother was her suicide in prison. His future career showed that had he been fairly dealt with when a boy he would have risen in the world, as he did after the death of his stepmother. To fix upon children as favourites is an exceedingly dangerous practice.