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prey and fled； to my unforgettable； unspeakable relief。 I have never since
exaggerated my prowess in bodily combat。
Now what happened to me in the adventure of the goat happens very
often to parents； and would happen to schoolmasters if the prison door of
the school did not shut out the trials of life。 I remember once； at school；
the resident head master was brought down to earth by the sudden illness
of his wife。 In the confusion that ensued it became necessary to leave
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one of the schoolrooms without a master。 I was in the class that occupied
that schoolroom。 To have sent us home would have been to break the
fundamental bargain with our parents by which the school was bound to
keep us out of their way for half the day at all hazards。 Therefore an
appeal had to be made to our better feelings： that is； to our common
humanity； not to make a noise。 But the head master had never admitted
any common humanity with us。 We had been carefully broken in to
regard him as a being quite aloof from and above us： one not subject to
error or suffering or death or illness or mortality。 Consequently
sympathy was impossible； and if the unfortunate lady did not perish； it
was because； as I now comfort myself with guessing； she was too much
pre…occupied with her own pains； and possibly making too much noise
herself； to be conscious of the pandemonium downstairs。
A great deal of the fiendishness of schoolboys and the cruelty of
children to their elders is produced just in this way。 Elders cannot be
superhuman beings and suffering fellow…creatures at the same time。 If you
pose as a little god； you must pose for better for worse。
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How Little We Know About Our
Parents
The relation between parent and child has cruel moments for the
parent even when money is no object； and the material worries are
delegated to servants and school teachers。 The child and the parent are
strangers to one another necessarily； because their ages must differ widely。
Read Goethe's autobiography； and note that though he was happy in his
parents and had exceptional powers of observation； divination； and story…
telling； he knew less about his father and mother than about most of the
other people he mentions。 I myself was never on bad terms with my
mother： we lived together until I was forty…two years old； absolutely
without the smallest friction of any kind； yet when her death set me
thinking curiously about our relations； I realized that I knew very little
about her。 Introduce me to a strange woman who was a child when I was
a child； a girl when I was a boy； an adolescent when I was an adolescent；
and if we take naturally to one another I will know more of her and she of
me at the end of forty days （I had almost said of forty minutes） than I
knew of my mother at the end of forty years。 A contemporary stranger is
a novelty and an enigma； also a possibility； but a mother is like a
broomstick or like the sun in the heavens； it does not matter which as far
as one's knowledge of her is concerned： the broomstick is there and the
sun is there； and whether the child is beaten by it or warmed and
enlightened by it； it accepts it as a fact in nature； and does not conceive it
as having had youth； passions； and weaknesses； or as still growing；
yearning； suffering； and learning。 If I meet a widow I may ask her all
about her marriage； but what son ever dreams of asking his mother about
her marriage； or could endure to hear of it without violently breaking off
the old sacred relationship between them； and ceasing to be her child or
anything more to her than the first man in the street might be？
Yet though in this sense the child cannot realize its parent's humanity；
the parent can realize the child's； for the parents with their experience of
life have none of the illusions about the child that the child has about the
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parents； and the consequence is that the child can hurt its parents' feelings
much more than its parents can hurt the child's； because the child； even
when there has been none of the deliberate hypocrisy by which children
are taken advantage of by their elders； cannot conceive the parent as a
fellow…creature； whilst the parents know very well that the children are
only themselves over again。 The child cannot conceive that its blame or
contempt or want of interest could possibly hurt its parent； and therefore
expresses them all with an indifference which has given rise to the term
_enfant terrible_ （a tragic term in spite of the jests connected with it）；
whilst the parent can suffer from such slights and reproaches more from a
child than from anyone else； even when the child is not beloved； because
the child is so unmistakably sincere in them。
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Our Abandoned Mothers
Take a very common instance of this agonizing incompatibility。 A
widow brings up her son to manhood。 He meets a strange woman； and
goes off with and marries her； leaving his mother desolate。 It does not
occur to him that this is at all hard on her： he does it as a matter of
course； and actually expects his mother to receive； on terms of special
affection； the woman for whom she has been abandoned。 If he shewed
any sense of what he was doing； any remorse； if he mingled his tears with
hers and asked her not to think too hardly of him because he had obeyed
the inevitable destiny of a man to leave his father and mother and cleave to
his wife； she could give him her blessing and accept her bereavement with
dignity and without reproach。 But the man never dreams of such
considerations。 To him his mother's feeling in the matter； when she
betrays it； is unreasonable； ridiculous； and even odious； as shewing a
prejudice against his adorable bride。
I have taken the widow as an extreme and obvious case； but there are
many husbands and wives who are tired of their consorts； or disappointed
in them； or estranged from them by infidelities； and these parents； in
losing a son or a daughter through marriage； may be losing everything
they care for。 No parent's love is as innocent as the love of a child： the
exclusion of all conscious sexual feeling from it does not exclude the
bitterness； jealousy； and despair at loss which characterize sexual passion：
in fact； what is called a pure love may easily be more selfish and jealous
than a carnal one。 Anyhow； it is plain matter of fact that naively selfish
people sometimes try with fierce jealousy to prevent their children
marrying。
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Family Affection
Until the family as we know it ceases to exist； nobody will dare to
analyze parental affection as distinguished from that general human
sympathy which has secured to many an orphan fonder care in a stranger's
house than it would have received from its actual parents。 Not even
Tolstoy； in The Kreutzer Sonata； has said all that we suspect about it。
When it persists beyond the period at which it ceases to be necessary to
the child's welfare； it is apt to b