Falls down from above.
HE CHRISTMAS image of the babe in the manger is with Charles Wesley's gentle Jesus teek and mild and school children all over the country are taught this model of behaviour education being the only com pulsory school subject), It represents our present myth of childhood in which the child is ascrual, apolitical, wholly depen dent on adalts, never cogaged in serious activities such as work or culture. Particularly at Christmas nentally as playthings blased will and al lies can do is play, hence the vast sale of toys at this time of year.
Clearly this is a particular interpretation of the story Jesus, as Blake points out:
Was Jesus Humblet or did be Give any proofs of Humility?
When hut a Child he ran away And left his Parents in dismay, It is crucial to look at different interpretations historically to see that childhood is a social invention and not a natural sate.
In the Middle Ages children were dressed exactly like adults. they played the same games as adalts.
from them. Often at che seven ther left home. A twenty-four year old man could be found in the class as an cleven year old child. In the sixteenth century Thomas Flatter, aged ten, went around the schools of Europe for five years Charge solehim The youngest charge of him. chikiren from the age of five could wear a sword. Children of eleven устя co poinco me army and you could be a lieutenant by the age of Lourten. As 1ale as 1724 Doe argued that all children over the age of four or five could carn their own bread.
The invention of childhood as a separate state corresponds with the transition from feudalism to capitalism. The sons of the rising bourgeoisic were the first modern children as they separated off activities and undergo Jong training preparation TOT working lives. The fact that they middle class WETC ignificant. Girls could learn chei Tuture work in the home and so di not need schooling. Similarly it is clear from the way working class children had to work in the mines, potteries and mills that there was no chidhood for Enemi tbe opposition to this expipitation of child labour that led socialists to lake children QuE factories and off the land and put them into schools till fourteen, fifteen, and now sixteen years of age. Il is understandable when you read wbat Engels reports on children working DOUCHES.
The hand Ishour, the Irregular of the hours, the freques nightwork. BHU COLI HID Fahreoheit), pender chüldren lebility disease 3200 especially Alfec DE En 47E Of the rift that runs through the world, Dividing us just as surely as the rain танев, апи пештат (Religious the children mISE such heat that the WHERE SIBOO debillry and chest affections.
clear in they are public schools. Abolition children's factory present formi tion, ete chosen occupation.
ape of SUIC You only youngest published ALLU LIEVE I SEE TOUCH sheep.
be working in the untiative:
save him getting caught.
Recently there side of childhood, largely school children.
lessons. ting, and strikes.
that seventeenth the form of strikes in the STUCTION school for the Ted flag the companies bayoncis had to be suppress a rising of the pupils.
homel time, suffer from violent ПашУа, ТОР СинЕЛь. 1X95 oflen go boards CHEN IT MUT THESE 1000. 100 21455 blowers usmally die young of However Marx and Engels make The Communist Manifesto thar it is not children's work as such that they wish to abolish. The tenth demand rends: *Free education for all children in of Combination Similarly the Paris Commune's Education Commission claims "the right to a complete education and training corresponding to the inclinations and abilities of cach Individual and crabling him actually to begin working in his Marx oftce remarked whar he liked best about Jesus was his love of children, bur children can he loved without being separated off as if they were a different species.
paracula! work, sex and politics that we deny have to look at children's books to see the image of childhood that is presented by adults to children in this country.
Compare a couple of books for a - Janet and John, Peter and Jane. year. similar age group which bave been in China where very young children are cogaged in real productive work in their schools. Safe Sisters of the Caression B the story of two Mongolian girls.
who battle through a blizzard for a whole day and night to protect their flock of And in Secret Bulletin a boy and a girl before the revolution are involved in printing and distributing revolutionary bulletins. Significantly it is the girl who cakes she knows more about how to print the bulletins and she has been a joterest in the political as a result of the political actions of These include Jarge-scale truancy, disruption of demonstrations, leaflerAs a result it bas been discovered political action by school children is not new. Mutinies took place in French schools in the picketing, eighteenth century England the the same Winchester the boys occupied the twO troops with fixed AL Rugby the pupils set tire to their books and desks and withdies to SULT SHO AUCE BIG TO DC LARCEN assault by the army.
More Important, Dave Marson revealed in his History Workshop samphlet "Children's Strikes it 1911° that thousands of workin class children up and down th country came cul on strike that As the Hall Daily News wrote:
Hull escapes little in the way of trnehle, and so if came to pass yesterday thut hundreds of hool-bor care out on stak Tull has thes been involved ОГАННІЙ СТЕГУ О ВЕ which has trumbled the countr uring the past few months, Fo weeks there has beem a fecling n MUSIC PAINE CHE KAMIE BOD T dockersi them the millers, seurat workers, timber ers, rallusy news hass, factory giris and now the S2000 0015.
Strike committees were formed, marches and flying pickets organised, statements made to the Their demands includer homework, payment for attendRisinghill School in Istiegion incladed children as young as SUPPORT 1914 two teachers were distinissed from ENCE JOD. 10 STINE MU support them, a thirteen year old girl called Violet Potter girl described what happence:
Violet Porter brought a paper to school with all our names on it.
Rad to put a cross aguinst thei Since 1908 when the French schools' action committees played an important part in the May events, school students in thi coumis have been organised, initially Action Union and Free School Campaign, and more recently the National Students, set up in 1972. Ibeir main demands this year have been a full comprehensive education system, no corporal punishment or school uniforns, schools, grants students, no secret files, democratic control ot result has been the general Jack of support and even hosrility Tom the main teachers National Union of Teachen The Internationale.
is the Internationale!
Bertolt Brecht - This is an extract from e book: called Changing edited by Marrie Hoyles, to be bymartin and the next day offices in master get the Schools School sexist in Tor school education cub, The most depressing Fascist union, the When the sixteen year old seamstress Emma Ries Stood before the examining magistrate in Czernowitz She was asked to explain why She had distributed pamphlets which Called for revolution - a criminal offence.
She shouted at him: "Stand up! This Childhood.
• ARMS Action this rear has taken place It organised by the NUSS. School Students have picketed the council Ayleshury. education is beine cil by million. Thes have gone on strike at Wanstead High against cuts 1 education and over-sized classes They walked out of 5t, Ronaventure's in Torest Gare because the heating system had broken down. Twu school students were ? arrested while distributing leaflers outside the City of Leeds High Nottingham school walked our after the head-A complained that Jooked like 'tarts and in Strath- 2 clyde a campaign to enahle girls to y wear trousers ended in a das of ac tion when 700 girls turned up a 2 school in trousers and so won their the moment is that being waged National Frant.
Students at schools such as Clissold Park in Stoke Newington and Trinity Comprehensive in Canning Town have been handing out pamphlets explaining the polities of the National Front. A far cry from gentle Jesus mock and mild.. published next wear by the Writers and Reader Palisting Coopera-
----- pull-quotes -----
ance, free pencils and rubbers, a mockly half-day holiday. There is
From the same period comes the 51911 to achers wee
village school in Norfolk came Oled by
En reply she stood up and sang As the examining magistrate shook his head