Mnu,..rH.l CIIIMHIKN. 117 



were s„ sc:ircf and sfcMicd so lii-hly i.rizcd llial we ncvn even llinii.ulit 

 (if ilHiiliriu.i;- if itifaiitirid.' was ryw prarticed. Ncv.tI lirless. Siin|,soii 

 speaks i.f the iH-curreiire ola case dinili.i; tli.' I'li.vei's \ isit ; '-liiil a 

 cliild. they say. is destroyed only wiien afllirlrd with disrasr ol' a fatal 

 tendency, or, in scarce seasons, when one (U' bolh |iarciits djc.'" Infan 

 ticide. aecordin.ti' to I'.essels. is fre(|nenlly piaci iicii anion.u the I'.skinro 

 of Smith Soimd, without re-anl of se\.- and Schwatka sp.'aks ol' fe 

 mah' infanticide to a limited extent ainon.i; llu' people ot Km- Wil 

 liani's Land.' 



Theatfeetiou of iiarents for their <'hildren is extreme, and the .-hil 

 dreu seem to be tboronii'hl.v worthy of it. They show hardly a trace of 

 the fretfuluess aud petulance so common amon.n ci\ ilized children, and 

 tbouj>hindul,i;ed to an extreme extent are remarkal)!yoliedienl. Corpo 

 ral puinshmeiit ajipears to be absolutely unknown and the children are 

 rarel\- chidden or ]>nnished in any way. Indeed, thes seldom deserx c it. 

 for, in spite of the freedom whi<-h they are allowed, they.lon.it oltcn •;.'t 

 into any mischief, especially of a malicious sort, hut attend .piietly to 

 their own atfairs and their own amusements. 



The older children take very j;'><>d care of the smaller ones. It is an 

 atnusiug sight to see a little hoy of six or seven patnmi/.in.i; and pro- 

 tecting a little toddler of t wo or thre.-. < 'hildren rarely ( ry except from 

 actual ])aiu or terroi', and e\en then little ones are remarkably jiatient 

 and ])lucky. The young children appear to receive little or no instiuc- 

 tion except what they pick iij) in their play or from watching their elders. 



Boys of six or seven begin to shoot small birds and aiiinuils and to 

 hunt for birds' eggs, and when they reach the age of twelve or fourteen 

 are usually intrusted with a gun and seal sjiear and accompany their 

 fathers to the hunt. Some of them .soon learn to be very skilllid hunters. 

 We know one boy not over thirteen years old who, during the winter of 

 l,SSl-',Sii, had his seal nets set like the men and used to visit them regu 

 larly, even in the roughest weather. Lads of fourteen or fifteen are 

 .sometimes regular members of the whaling crews. Li the meantime 

 the little girls are learning to sew, in imitation of their mothers, and by 

 the lime they are twelve years old they take their share of the cooking 

 and other housework and assist in making the clothes for the family. 

 They still, however, have plenty of leisure to play witli the other chil 

 dren until they are old enough to be married. 



Affection for their children seems a universal trait among the Lski- 

 mo and there is scarcely an author who does not speak in terms of 

 commendation of the behavior and disposition of the Eskimo .-hildren. 

 Som.' .if th.'s.' passages ar.' so appli.'aid.' t.i the p.-ojile .if I'.iint Barr.iw 

 that I ••an n.it f.irbear .pniting them. Kgc.l.' says:^ 



•j'hcv liav.' .-I vrn tni.l.i l.o\r lui tlii-ir Chililn'ii. aii.l rli.' Mi.tUtT always oarm-s the 



i|„, ,i, I, -,.,11 'KatunilisTT-..!. 18. pt. 9. p. 874. 



3S,'i',.ii.-.-' v..r4 1.. r.l4. ' GivinUiuil. p. 14B. 



