CHILDREN'S CORNER

Evening Star, Issue 15578, 22 August 1914, Page 2

CHILDREN'S CORNER

CINEMAS TEACH YOUTHS TO ROB A CHURCH. Picture palaces and trashy literature were said at the Lancaster Assizes the other day to have caueed sacrilege and theft. Norman Philip Harwood (23), Vincent Tennant (17), and William Cecil Haworth (18L Blackburn weavers, 'were charged with breaking into St. Stephen's Church, Tockhoks, and stealing silver vessels, registers, and an iron safe. It was said that Harwood told a friend that ho meant to use an explosive to get at £l5O which the safe contained. They were disturbed in the act by the vicar. Police evidence showed that Tennant and Hawortb, who had been connected with the Sunday school and choir, were led away by Harwood, an Army deeerter. The school influence had been undermined by tTashy literature and picture palaces. "Tennant and Haworth were bound over, and Harwood was given 12 months' hard labor. ANYTHING BUT A LOG. Four boys belonging to well-known southern families nearly lost their lives through a fight with an alligator at Waveland, Mississippi, a. summer resort where President AVilson .recently spent a holiday. While the children were bathing in tha river, at the point where it Tims into the sea. one of them discovered what he thought was a log sticking out of tho mud. and proposed to. his companions to set it afloat and make a raft of it. When the lads had begun to prise the '"log" out of its retreat it suddenly came to life, and proved to bo an enormous alligator that had been lying partly in and partly out of the- water, basking in tho sun. It immediately attacked tho children, two of: whom seemed paralysed by fear. The j screams of the others brought help, amd men with poles beat off the alligator, while the children scrambled for safety". One boy had his clothes entirely torn off, and va'o rescued just in time. HUMOR AND RESENTMENT IN CHILDREN. The Child Study Society of London have been considering the subject of humor in children. It appears that children have a sense of fun, more tlinn a true sense of humor, lynd that broad comedy or farce makes to tbem the most risible appeal. Sausages, fat people, red nosres, and huge animals make children laugh most, as they do frequenters of mtiKic-halls and circuses, who are grown up. Several hundred elementary school children have been questioned as to what was tho funniest thing they had ever seen of could remember ing of, and among tha replies the items oE comedy just mentioned figure frequently; as do people in a fix, the breaking of rules which ends in disaster, puns, riddles, and personal oddities. On the other hand, it appears that parents arid teachers do not always suspect the depth of resentment and the tenacity of anger among youngsters. There is the case of a child who, having; been whipped because he had punched hia brother's head for an alleged "telling of tales" out of school," was asked if ho was not now sorry. "Yes, I'm sorry," ha said grimly. ""Sorry for what ?'" " Sorry I didn't kick him as well." Connected with the ready laughter and the la&ting anger of children is the fact that they are slow to pity, in many oasf.s, sympathy being a feeling rather late in -derelojpiijg. ' ,

£IOO A WEEK FOB A BABY. America's second richest baby is little Lucille Spofford, tha 34 mouths old daughter of Lieut. -Commander Edward Spofford, of the United States Navy. Lucille is to have £IOO a week allotted to her for her support until she is 21, and this places her next to young Vinson M'Lean, Mr Edward M'Lean's sera, who is known as " The £20,000,000 Baby." Lucille's mother died on the day the child was born, and left an immense estate, the income of which, with the exception of £3,000 a year, which she left for her husband, she willed to be held for her child until she reaches 21. In April the child's grandmother died and left in her will the provision that £3,000 a year should be placed to the credit of Lucille. The father has now applied to the Courts for the eupport of his daughter, and has been granted £SO a week from each of the estates of the mother aind grandmother. When Lucille comes of age she will probably be the richest girl in America. SCHOOLCHILDREN'S STRIKE. A "strike" of hundreds of elementary schoolchildren occurred at Bedworth on March 4, states a London newspaper. The trouble arose in consequence of the education authorities keeping children at school after 13 years of age, a regulation which is greatly resented by many parents. They contend that juvenile labor is in such demand in the district that children should be allowed to finish their education at 13 years. On the night of March 3 the children created it scene of disorder in the vicinity of a school where the managers were holding a meeting, and the police had to interfere. On the following day at an early hour some hundreds of scholars, accompanied by numerous adults, assembled ' at Cbllycroft, and marched on, the other school in the town. The police met them on the way, and drove them in different directions, but later the " strikers," as they called themselves, attempted to get other scholars to joini their ranks. With much difficulty the teaching staffs dealt with the situation, and the scholars had to be locked in. The " strikers " did some damage to the school buildings. In the afternoon the scenes were repeated. Large crowds, including many women, assembled in the vicinity of the schools, and demonstrations were made against the teachers and police, who were reinforced. WISE COUNSEL TO~A SON. Let me suggest to my son that during his journey in life he should never forget the family motto, " Craignes Honte " ("Pear Disgrace"). Thus spoke the Duke of Portland to his 4,000 guests who partook of the eplendid festivities at Wfelbeck on the occasion of his heir (the Marquis of Titchfield) coming of age. And let him also be mindful of the lines which are the special favorites of his dear mother: "I shall pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do, or any kindness I can ahow any fellow-creaturee, let me do it now, for I may not pass this way again."