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Literary
January 5, 1901
Wauwatosa News
Wauwatosa, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
What is this article about?
Reflective essay advising on teaching children about death by protecting them from shock, presenting it as a gateway to eternal life, and sharing an anecdote of a child's fearless encounter with a deceased friend, emphasizing positive framing to avoid lifelong horror.
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CHILDREN AND DEATH.
What shall we teach our children
about death? Certainly while they are
very young, every effort should be made
to guard them from shock or surprise, to
keep them from receiving impressions
which may lead to suffering during future years. The great mystery of death
is baffling us all; in its presence we sit
hushed and awed, even when our faith
leads us to look beyond it into the shining land, and to regard death as only the
gate to the endless life. When the house
is entered by the great angel who comes
with the message that one of its dear
ones must go into the beautiful home
whence they pass no more out, it is well
to hide from the children whatever is
ghastly, whatever is repellent. Let them
not witness morbid grief. In their presence let us speak of the dear ones as only gone away, not as forever lost, and indeed it were well for us all if we
habitually thought of our dead as living,
freed from the limitations of this state
of being and incomparably happier than
with us.
Some years ago a dear friend died,
leaving her home sadly desolate, yet
bright with the joy of her immortality;
she had long been a sufferer from an incurable and most painful malady, and
yet no strife or anguish of disease had
conquered her blithe spirit or shadowed
her serene hope. No windows were darkened while she lay in the house asleep,
before they carried her to the flower-
lined rest of the bed in the little God's-
acre; the doors were wide open, for it
was summer, with bird-songs and sweet
scents everywhere, and the house was
beautiful with roses, every corner of it a
bower, while they were heaped about the
lovely form of her who had slipped into
the life everlasting. A child came in
and stood by her couch, looking at her
long and fearlessly. "Mother," he said,
"I shall never be afraid to die. I have
seen Mrs. A." In the memory of that
first acquaintance with death, the little
lad would always be free from the horror
which is to some people a haunting spell
all their lives.-Mrs. Margaret E. Sangster in Good Housekeeping.
What shall we teach our children
about death? Certainly while they are
very young, every effort should be made
to guard them from shock or surprise, to
keep them from receiving impressions
which may lead to suffering during future years. The great mystery of death
is baffling us all; in its presence we sit
hushed and awed, even when our faith
leads us to look beyond it into the shining land, and to regard death as only the
gate to the endless life. When the house
is entered by the great angel who comes
with the message that one of its dear
ones must go into the beautiful home
whence they pass no more out, it is well
to hide from the children whatever is
ghastly, whatever is repellent. Let them
not witness morbid grief. In their presence let us speak of the dear ones as only gone away, not as forever lost, and indeed it were well for us all if we
habitually thought of our dead as living,
freed from the limitations of this state
of being and incomparably happier than
with us.
Some years ago a dear friend died,
leaving her home sadly desolate, yet
bright with the joy of her immortality;
she had long been a sufferer from an incurable and most painful malady, and
yet no strife or anguish of disease had
conquered her blithe spirit or shadowed
her serene hope. No windows were darkened while she lay in the house asleep,
before they carried her to the flower-
lined rest of the bed in the little God's-
acre; the doors were wide open, for it
was summer, with bird-songs and sweet
scents everywhere, and the house was
beautiful with roses, every corner of it a
bower, while they were heaped about the
lovely form of her who had slipped into
the life everlasting. A child came in
and stood by her couch, looking at her
long and fearlessly. "Mother," he said,
"I shall never be afraid to die. I have
seen Mrs. A." In the memory of that
first acquaintance with death, the little
lad would always be free from the horror
which is to some people a haunting spell
all their lives.-Mrs. Margaret E. Sangster in Good Housekeeping.
What sub-type of article is it?
Essay
What themes does it cover?
Death Mortality
Religious
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Children And Death
Immortality
Grief
Faith
Eternal Life
What entities or persons were involved?
Mrs. Margaret E. Sangster
Literary Details
Title
Children And Death.
Author
Mrs. Margaret E. Sangster
Subject
Teaching Children About Death
Key Lines
What Shall We Teach Our Children About Death?
Let Them Not Witness Morbid Grief. In Their Presence Let Us Speak Of The Dear Ones As Only Gone Away, Not As Forever Lost, And Indeed It Were Well For Us All If We Habitually Thought Of Our Dead As Living, Freed From The Limitations Of This State Of Being And Incomparably Happier Than With Us.
"Mother," He Said, "I Shall Never Be Afraid To Die. I Have Seen Mrs. A."
In The Memory Of That First Acquaintance With Death, The Little Lad Would Always Be Free From The Horror Which Is To Some People A Haunting Spell All Their Lives.