The verse in the Bible, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things,” must not have registered on this group of people living in San Francisco in the 19th century.
U.S. newspapers in 1875 reported on a group of people in San Francisco that called themselves “Child Christians” who governed their actions by the Biblical text that reads: “Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven,” Matthew 18:3.
The adults would imitate children, trying to “appear as guileless and innocent as possible” and they would “play, laugh, and talk like children.” Even the elderly would wear checked aprons, pantalettes (frilly undergarments), and little jackets. They would play marbles, eat gingerbread, and play leap-frog.
