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 CHILDERS- CHILDREN year. After two years of study in Europe, in 1851 he South Edinburgh, and was Home Secretary in the succeeded Edward T. Channing, who had helped to shape Ministry of 1886. When the first Home Rule Bill was the style of so many Harvard authors during his occupancy introduced he demurred privately to its financial clauses, of the chair of the Boylston professorship of rhetoric and and their withdrawal was largely due to his threat of oratory. He studied the English drama (having edited resignation. He retired from Parliament in 1892, and Four Old Plays in 1848) and Germanic philology, died on 29th January 1896, his last piece of work being the latter at Berlin and Gottingen during a leave of the drafting of a report for the Royal Commission on absence, 1849-51 ; and took general editorial supervision Irish Financial Relations, of which he was chairman. of a large collection of the British poets, published in Childers was a capable and industrious administrator of Boston in 1853 and following years. Spenser was newly the old Liberal school, and he did his best, in the and thoroughly edited, with life and notes, by him. At political conditions then prevailing, to improve the naval one time he planned an edition of Chaucer in the same and military administration while he was at the Admiralty series, but contented himself with a treatise, in the and War Office. His own bent was towards finance, Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences but no striking reform will be associated with his name. for 1863, entitled Observations on the Language of Chaucer’s His most ambitious effort was his attempt to effect a Canterbury Tales, which did much to establish Chaucerian conversion of Consols in 1884, but the scheme proved grammar, pronunciation, and scansion as now generally a failure, though it paved the way for the subsequent understood. His largest undertaking, however, grew out conversion by Mr Goschen in 1888. The Life of Mr of an original collection, in his British Poets series, of Childers, published by Murray in 1901, throws some English and Scottish Ballads, selected and edited by him- interesting side-lights on the inner history of more than self, in eight volumes (Boston, 1857-59). Thenceforward one Gladstonian Cabinet. the leisure of his life—much increased by his transfer, Children, Cruelty to.—English law has always in 1876, to the professorship of English—was devoted to the comparative study of British vernacular ballads. He in theory given to children the same remedies as to adults accumulated, in the university library, one of the largest for ill-usage, whether by their parents or by others, and folk-lore collections in existence, studied manuscript has never recognized the patria potestas as known to rather than printed sources, and carried his investigations earlier Roman law; and while powers of discipline and into the ballads of all other tongues, meanwhile giving _ a chastisement have been recognized as necessarily incident sedulous but conservative hearing to popular versions still to paternal authority, the father is civilly liable to his surviving. At length his final collection was put to press, children for wrongs done to them. The only points in as The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, at first which infancy created a defect in civil status were that issued in parts (1882-98), and then gathered into five infants were subject to the restraints on complete freedom folio volumes, which remain the authoritative treasury of of action involved in their being in the legal custody of their subject. Professor Child worked—and overworked— the father, and that it was and is lawful for parents, to the last, dying in Boston, 11th September 1896, having guardians, employers, and teachers to inflict corporal completed his task save for a general introduction and punishment proportioned in amount and severity to the bibliography. A full and sympathetic biography was pre- nature of the fault committed and the age and mental fixed to the work by his pupil and successor George L. capacity of the child punished. But the Court of Chancery, in delegated exercise of the authority of the sovereign Kittredge. as parens patriae, has always asserted the right to take Childers, Hugh Culling Eardley (1827 from parents, and if necessary itself to assume the ward1896), British statesman, was born in London on 25th ship of children where parental rights were abused or June 1827. On leaving Cambridge he went out to serious cruelty was inflicted; while abuse of the power Australia (1850), and became a member of the Govern- of correction is regarded as giving a cause of action or ment of Victoria, but in 1857 returned to England as prosecution for assault; and if attended by fatal results Agent-General of the colony. Entering Parliament in renders the parent liable to indictment for murder or 1860 as Liberal member for Pontefract (a seat that he manslaughter. The conception of what constitutes cruelty to children continued to hold till 1885), he became Civil Lord of the has undoubtedly changed considerably with the relaxation Treasury in 1864, and in 1865 Financial Secretary to the Treasury. A devoted admirer of Gladstone, Childers of the accepted standard of severity in domestic or scholoccupied a succession of prominent posts in the various astic discipline and the growth of new ideas as to the Gladstone Ministries. He was First Lord of the Admiralty duties of parents to children, which in their latest developfrom 1868 to 1871, and as such inaugurated a policy of ments tend enormously to enlarge the parental, duties retrenchment. Ill-health compelled his resignation of office without any corresponding increase of filial obligations. . Starting from the earlier conception, which limited illin 1871, but next year he returned to the Ministry as treatment legally punishable to actual threats or blow s, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. From 1880 to 1882 he was Secretary for War, a post he accepted some- the common law came to recognize criminal liability in what unwillingly; and in that position he had to bear the cases where persons, bound under duty or contract to responsibility for the reforms which were introduced into supply necessaries to a child, unable by reason of its tender the War Office under the parsimonious conditions which years to provide for itself, wilfully neglected to supply were then part of the Liberal creed. During his term of them, and thereby caused the death of the child or injury office the Egyptian war occurred, in which Childers acted to its health, although no actual assault had been comwith creditable energy; and also the Boer war, in which mitted. Questions have from time to time arisen as he and his colleagues showed to less advantage. From to what could be regarded as necessary within this 1882 to 1885 he was Chancellor of the Exchequer, and rule ; and quite apart from legislation, popular opinion has the beer and spirit duty in his budget of the latter year influenced courts of justice in requiring more from parents was the occasion of the Government’s fall. Defeated at and employers than used to be required. But Parliathe general election at Pontefract, he was returned as ment has also intervened to punish abandonment or a Home Ruler (one of the few Liberals who adopted exposure of infants under two years (24 and 25 Yict. c. 100, this policy before Mr Gladstone’s conversion) in 1886 for § 27), and the neglect or ill-treatment of apprentices or G