i 4 MORE POT-POURRI 



than in girls. School-life brings boys to their proper 

 level. Home-life with absolute freedom rather leads to a 

 girl becoming too confident that her own opinion must 

 be the right one. She rubs up against so few who can or 

 will take her down. The independent girl generally rules 

 those of her own age. Of course you cannot lay down a 

 hard-and-fast rule for any child. Each one has its differ- 

 ent character, to be formed and improved by those who 

 live with it. This ought to be done by the mother, but it 

 is more often left to an ignorant governess, who does not 

 try to understand the child, who has her own narrow- 

 minded ideas of right and wrong, and never makes allow 

 ance for high spirit and temper.' 



' You must remember that the people I was brought 

 up amongst take their duties as parents seriously, if 

 narrowly and many of these, as far as they still exist, 

 will be a little startled at some of your theories, and the un- 

 moral (mind, I don't say immoral) tone. Parents and child- 

 ren are a subject of perennial interest. We have all been 

 the one, and many of us the other and the rest of us stand 

 in loco parentis to some at least of the younger generation. 

 But as long as the world lasts there will be difficulties in 

 that relation. Si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait is a 

 saw which has many meanings. I totally disagree with 

 your idea that the young must never be sacrificed to the 

 old, or the healthy to the sick. Why, your own remarks 

 on nursing testify to the good that may come of such a 

 sacrifice.' 



This last sentence proves to me that my remarks were 

 not clear, and the impression conveyed is certainly not 

 what I intended. What I really think is that the old 

 have no right to command the young to sacrifice their 

 lives to them. But, on the other hand, the voluntary 

 sacrifice by the young of their own lives, though it should 

 be carefully watched by those about them, is certainly not 



