Yet，justasintheeffeteFrenchsocietybeforetheRevolutiontheQueenplayedatArcadia，theKingplayedatbeingamechanic，everyoneplayedatsimplicityanduniversalphilanthropy，leavingformostdurableoutcomeoftheirphilanthropytheguillotine，asthemostdurableoutcomeofoursmaybeexecutionbyelectricity;—
soinourownsocietythetalkofbenevolenceandthecultofchildhoodaretheveryfashionofthehour。We，ofthisself—
conscious，incredulousgeneration，sentimentaliseourchildren，analyseourchildren，thinkweareendowedwithaspecialcapacitytosympathiseandidentifyourselveswithchildren;weplayatbeingchildren。Andtheresultisthatwearenotmorechild—like，butourchildrenarelesschild—like。Itissotiringtostooptothechild，somucheasiertoliftthechilduptoyou。Knowyouwhatitistobeachild？Itistobesomethingverydifferentfromthemanofto—day。Itistohaveaspirityetstreamingfromthewatersofbaptism;itistobelieveinlove，tobelieveinloveliness，tobelieveinbelief;itistobesolittlethattheelvescanreachtowhisperinyourear;itistoturnpumpkinsintocoaches，andmiceintohorses，lownessintoloftiness，andnothingintoeverything，foreachchildhasitsfairygodmotherinitsownsoul;itistoliveinanutshellandtocountyourselfthekingofinfinitespace;
itisToseeaworldinagrainofsand，Andaheaveninawildflower，Holdinfinityinthepalmofyourhand，Andeternityinanhour;
itistoknownotasyetthatyouareundersentenceoflife，norpetitionthatitbecommutedintodeath。Whenwebecomeconsciousindreamingthatwedream，thedreamisonthepointofbreaking;