13 OCTOBER 1917, Page 16

HUMOURS OF CHILDHOOD.

[To THE EDITOR or THE SPECTATOR."] Sce,—Children's humour is so delightful, because it is so truly un- conscious. There is, however, in its reflex often a curious reflection on " grown-ups." 'the child who wrote a description of all the vices of Mary Tudor and who ended: " But you must remember, she had many step mothers," cannot have been wholly happy in its observations. One little boy, told to write all be knew of Elijah, speaking truly for himself, wrote: " We do not know much of this holy man," and added, " but -we know that he went for a cruise with a widow." To hare no sympathy with a child's point of view has clangers, as the mother found when her little girl asked : " If I went to Heaven, might I take my best doll ? " " Certainly not," said the mother. "Might I take my second-best doll ? " " No, child, there are no dolls in Heaven," was the impatient answer, provoking from the child the unexpected outburst: "Thou

111 go to Hell with my Golliwog." small maiden who ex- plained that she was collecting money for the "prevention of children," thought she was merely adopting the prevailing abbreviations of names of societies.—I am, Sir, Re., ,wr=ist SLTON-CFIRISTOPHEIL