Hermione and Her Little Group of Serious Thinkers/Parents, and Their Influence
PARENTS, AND THEIR INFLUENCE
MAMMA is unadvanced enough, goodness knows!
But poor, dear Papa!
"Papa," I said to him the other day, "all conservatives worth listening to were radicals in their youth." The loveliest man told us that the other night—our Little Group of Serious Thinkers, you know—and it struck me as being profound.
And isn't profundity fascinating?
But Papa only glowered and said, "Umph!"
Papa, you know, is an obstructionist.
"Papa," I said to him, "what is stubbornness in you has become will power in me. You will never dominate me—never! You should study heredity; it's wonderful, simply wonderful!"
Papa scowled and said "Umph!"
But you know, Parents are Doomed.
Our little group listened to a talk the other evening about Parents. Mothers, particularly.
"The Menace of the Mother," it was called. I always make note of titles.
This man said—he was a regular savant—I wish you could have heard him—my, if I weren't such an advanced thinker, I would be a savant——
Anyhow, he said, this savant, that Mothers held back Civilization through Selfishness—they teach the Child, you know, that it is—er, well, you know, they lose sight of Ulterior Ethics and Race Morality while inculcating Individual Self-Improvement.
It's frightful to think about it, isn't it? Simply frightful!
Then and there I resolved that if I were ever a Mother I would turn over the up-bringing of my children to experts and savants and specialists like that.
"Papa," I said, "you allowed poor, dear Mamma to make me selfish—you know you did! What have you to say for yourself? What right had you to make me a Self-indulgent Individualist?"
And, you know, I have struggled and struggled to get rid of the selfishness my parents trained into me. How I strive for Harmony and Humility! Nearly every night before I go to bed I say to myself: "Have I been humble today? Truly humble? Or have I failed?"
Children are not nearly simple enough these days.
Oh, for more Simplicity! That is what we all need.
Though I will say this for Mamma—that it would have been hard to train Simplicity into me even if she had known how.
I had such a high-strung, sensitive, nervous organism as a child, you know.
At a very early age my temperament began to show.
And one cannot hide one's temperament.
Especially if one is at all psychic, and I am, very.
But if I ever have Children—well, I will take no chances with them.
To begin with, I will Select their Father.
Mamma said, when I told her that: "Hermione, you are horrid!"
Poor dear Mamma! She's so stupid! "Mamma," I said to her, "of course I don't mean free love. I'm not that advanced, I hope! Though some very Nice People have written of it—it's quite respectable, as a theory. But you're hopelessly old-fashioned. I will select the Parent of my Offspring; you were selected."
Mamma only groaned and said: "Anything but a Cave-man, Hermione."
But I am not sure. It comes back to me again and again how Primitive I am in some ways.
And to wander barefoot in the dew!
Not really quite barefoot, of course—but with some of the new sandals on.