The title of Lillian Hellman's play, The Children's Hour, does not, seemingly, have anything to do with the content of the play itself. In the late 1920's, radios began broadcasting a popular segment of public radio called "The Children's Hour" in which the educational and informational needs of children were discussed and taught. Originally garnered from a popular poem by Henry Longfellow ("The Children's Hour"), the radio show became a staple in homes across the world. Therefore, this seemingly trivial title does not seem to have a purpose. Perhaps Hellman intended to use this title to comment on the stories we should be telling our kids.
When it comes to the stories and education that we provide children today, there are copious amounts of debate. For instance, there has been a baseless, unfounded rhetoric implying that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people are "grooming" children. In fact, conversations surrounding the education of the younger generation(s) has enacted a particularly heinous bill in Florida put forward by their governor, Ron DeSantis. This new bill limits classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity. Technically called the "Parental Rights in Education" bill--more accurately denoted by critics as the "Don't Say Gay" bill--, Florida's primary education instructors (in grades kindergarten to grade three) are prohibited from classroom instruction on or relating to sexual orientation or gender identity. It also prohibits any instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in any grade that is deemed “not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students” (Florida House of Representatives) and prohibits schools from restricting parental access to their student’s education and health records.
In Hellman's play, Mrs. Tilford defends herself against Martha and Karen by saying that “[they’ve] been playing with a lot of children’s lives; and that is why [she] stopped [them]” (48). This is reminiscent not only of the play’s title, but also the not-so-modern-day concern about how queer media influences children to this day. Mrs. Tilford goes further to say that she has done “what [she] had to do. What they are may possibly be their own business. It comes a great deal more than that when children are concerned in it” (48). This could be a reference to the belief that children should not be exposed to certain modes of thinking during this time (and still to this day). Furthermore, Mrs. Tilford’s concern, one could argue, is not for the children but rather due to the fact that she does not “understand it and [does not] want any part of it” (49).
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