THE CALLOUSNESS OF CHILDREN. [To THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR."]
SIR,—Should one not say rather that with children the sense of justice is rigid and ideal? In their code, expediency, extenuating circumstances, and degrees of guilt have no place. Everything is absolute. Mr. Pett-Ridge's Mord-Em'ly, when her teacher says " Good " to her sum, promptly exclaims : "Good be blowed! It's right." And so with all grown-up people ; they must be either good (i.e., perfect) or bad; and if the latter, no retribution can be too awful. The wicked step- mother must be rolled down-hill in a barrel of nails, and the old witch must be changed into a mouse for her own black cat to pounce upon,—" good-riddancely," as a little girl with a genius for coining adverbs once aptly remarked to us. In short, humanity consists for children of three classes,—viz., children, " grown-ups," and animals. Children are curable by judicious punishment; animals are not responsible beings, and one must be very tender towards their frailties, even sympathising with the " poor tiger who hadn't got a Christian." " Grown-ups," however, must be faultless, otherwise the barrel of nails is their just portion, and the sooner the better. Is it callousness, or is it the response of the primitive soul to the awful principle—" Whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all," before it has learnt that "Mercy rejoiceth against judgment" ? At dinner lately Ronald's father gave us an animated description of a bull-fight, is propos of the one held at Boulogne. " Wouldn't you like to see one, daddy ? " " Why no, my boy. Surely you wouldn't like to see cruel men bait- ing the poor bull, and unfortunate horses being gored to death ?" "No," replied Ronald, aged eight, "I wouldn't like to see the horses hurt. But " (after reflection) " I wouldn't mind seeing those men gored, though ! "—I am, Sir, &c.,
C. W. M.
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