CHILDREN AND SAVAGES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2199, 23 April 1896, Page 42

CHILDREN AND SAVAGES.

By 0. M.

. Children are a set ef savages whom an unprincipled class of people, known as parents, are constantly bringing into oar territory. Instead .of being universally shunned for this abominable treason parents are everywhere treated as patriots, and have actually hocussed the State into taming their young barbarians for them when the job gets too onerous for their own shoulders. The cod quest of these young savages forms the most important work and the principal anxiety of our times. Were it possible to stop their immigration for a score of years, this world would turn into a Paradise which nobody would want to live in, a great many people would have nothing' to do, and things would be peaceful and miserable generally. Of late years a balo of poetry has been painted above the head of childhood, and with " the tuberculosis virtues," as Oliver Wendell Holmes called them. Imagination has freely endowed them. Our grandparents were wiser in theory, however much we may deprecate their practice. They did not go the right way to work to make their children good, but they realieed, with bitterness, that their children were bad. We have got to realise it without bitterness ; we shall never treat them properly till we realise h< w very bad they are. They are ourselves with the masks off, or rather they ponrtray in Iheir immaturity what our far-off ancestors were in their maturity. In those few years before school life begins we see the primitive state of man, his feeble intellect, his superstition, his timidity, his ineptitude to comprehend the spiritual, and his indifference to the pain of others. Of course all this is not noticeable is every sbild. It i»

seen most in children who associate with each other, and least in those that associate with their parents ; and if the parents be gay as well as good, tbe ohild rapidly acquires the virtues of civilisation without losing a jot of that buoyancy whioh is the only virtue he originally possessed. ' I should therefore advise all infants of tender years to aisooiate with their parents as muoh as possible,

When a small cbild goes about the world, yielding up its sweetmeats and toys to all and sundry, grandma mast modulate her delight. A child's generosity with • its possessions is not altruism in embryo, because altruism in its highest sense is radically impossible in the young. A child's virtues are temporary, like its milk teeth. Those sweet, phlegmatic dispositions which are praised and petted so besauee they do not mind littfe Ciasio breaking their doll rarely grow up into unselfish characters, for their generosity is founded not on love but on want of will. The tiulj altrutotio are made of stuff that is not always attractive in childhood, that cleaves sullenly to its own till a new senße of the spiritual and the unseen softens the bard, hard heart of childhood and pushes its own sma^l self from the centre place in the univtwe.

No doubt it will fill many a mother's heart with indignation that' her "sweet; pets" should be classed with the-savage races, -but were she to train up her ohildren on tbat assumption both they and she would find it easier to understand each other, for to realise that, you never oan understand- children is one step in the direction of doing so. All the harm is done by certain wise folk who "know all about them," and who would be surprised could they know the dumb scorn with which the young braves regard them. Treat them as savages, my good madam. And how do we treat a savage ? Well, when we catch him and bring him home, our first plan, like Robinson Crusoe, is to impress him with a sense of our supreme wisdom and authority. We do not, if we are wise, inculcate him with a sense of his own importance by planting him in the middle of the room to reoite " Mary had a little lamb," which is the way of the modern feminine savage-tamer. At the same time, we allow him his war dances and his wboop3 about nothing; we do not take bis beads away from him, but we smile in a superior way as we show him better things, till a day comes when he throws away his gimoracks of his own accord, and then, with occasional relapses into savagedom, be gradually becomes ■ respectable, civilised, and dull — like ourselves.

CCT Dewrlptlons of balls, &c, must be endorsed bj either th witnesi correspondent for the district or by the secretary to the ball committee. The MS. of any correspondents who do no comply with this rule will be sent to the secretary for endors-t merit prior to appearing.— KMMEMNE. | To ensure publication Id the forthcoming issue, letters should reach the Witness office if possible on Saturday night! but on so account later that Monday night. WEDDING AT RATANUI. - Dear Emmeltne,— The wedding of Mr Arthur Stoddart, thud son of the late Mr Richard Stod- i dart, of 6re?n Island, to Jane Leal, fifth daughter of Mr Thomas Leal, late of Green Island, took place at the residence of the bride's brother (Mr W. Leal), Ratanui, on the 9th inst. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Mr M'Laren, of Owaka, in his usual happy yet earnest style. The bride looked charming in a corn-flower blue bengaline trimmed with shot silk and bead trimming. She was attended by her sister, Miss Bella Leal, who wore a pretty maroon dress, and both wore handsome gold brooches, the gift of tVe bridegrcom. Mr Walter Stoddart acted as best mau. This was a typical " bush wedding," and many of the guests came a long way over very bad roads to take part in the wedding festivities, over 30 guests sitting down to an excellent wedding breakfast. Among those present I noticed Mrs Leal (mother of the bride) in ahandt-ome black dress with very becom- j ing cap ; Mrs Lorie(Tahakopu), in dark skirt and ! handsome silk bodice with ribbons to raateh ; Mrs Elliott, black lustre : Mrs Dewar, black dress with cap; Mrs White, black dress; Mva Taylor, maroon costume ; Mrs Harland, dark skirt, white bodice, and blue ribbons ; Mrs Weir (TahatikaJ, dark dress; Miss NeaL (Green Island), navy blue shirt, pretty print blouse ; Mrs CMlahan, pretty tweed dres^ ; Mrs Warnock, navy blue skirt, print bodice ; Miss Allan (Saacliff), fa*n c<sfcume; Miss White, tweed dress with blue ribbon* ; Miss Newmarclj, pretty gray costume trimmed with pale -blue ribbon*. Iv the evening a dance w->s held, when everything went as merry as a marriage bell. The mußic was supplied by Messrs J. Draper and R. Warnock (violin and accordeon), who also acted as M C't, and were assisted by Messrs Neal and Manson. A large number of young people responded to the invitation, and among those present I noticed the bride, wearing a pretty tweed skirt and pink silk blouse; Miss Lval (bridesmaid), maroon skirt, pale blue delaine blouse ; Mis Garlton, dark skirt, crushed strawberry silk blouse ; Miss Berney, black skiit, white bodice ; Miss Findlater, dark skirt, white blouse ; Miss B. Findlater, tweed costume with pretty lace collar and cuffs ; Mies Stewart (Port Chalmers), gray costume ; Miss Wilson, maroon skirt, cream blouse ; Draper, dark skirt, white blouse ; Miss Cox, fawn costume ; Miss Proctor, pretty tweed . costume ; Miss Jessie Tayljr, maroon dress with lace trimmings. Gteat merriment was caused by making the bride's and bridegroom's elder brothars wear green ribbons and dance in their stocking soles. Songs were sung during the evening by Mrs Lorie, Mrs Elliott, Messrs D. Neal, J. Manson, R. Weir, J. White, A. Montgomery, and R. Warnock. Next day the bride and bridegroom proceeded to their home at Rimu, and as this is the first married couple to go into this block their bachelor friends gave them a very hearty reception. The following i* a list of the presents : — Mr W. Leal, silver and oak biscuit barrel ; Mr T. Leal, jun., silver breakfast cruet ; Mrs Leal, pillow and towels ; Mr James Leal, teaspoons ; Mrs Warnock, pillow and fowls : Miss Leal (bridesmaid), tablecloth ; Mr W. Stoddarfc, cheque ; Mrs Taylor, glass jelly dishes; Mra Weir, slippeis; Miss Wilson, glass butter dish ; Mrs Elliott, satin pincushion: Mrs Lorie and Miss Newmarch, glass cake dish, butter cooler, and toast rack ; Mr Carlton, basket of grapes (locally grown) ; Mr Stansfield, box of tea ; Mrs Crawford, teapot ; Mrs Harland, teapot ; Mr* Smart (Caversham), teapot ; Mrs Dewar, cake tins ; Miss Draper, wine glasses ; Mrs Callahan, tumblers ; Mrs Neal (Green Island), half-dozen tea knives ; Miss London, tray cloth ; Miss Cox, glass cake dish ; Mr Caskie, clock ; Mra George Scott, tea set ; Miss Richardson (Eviiugdale), crcatn jug, sugar babin, and jelly dish ; Miss Wingfleld, d'oyleys ; Mrs Johnston (grandmother of the bride), feather pillow ; Mrs Thomson (Dunedin), frying pan.— A Guest.