C H I L D S TU D Y AN D

C H I L D T R A I NI N G

W I LLI AM BYR O N O R BUS H

P res id e n t o f th e A m e ic
r an I i
F
ns t tu te o f Ch il d L if e

A u th or of Th e Boy P roble m , ” “
Th e Life of j es us ,
”
e m
.

NEW Y OR K
CHAR LES SC R I BNER S SONS ’

I 9 1 5
 C o p y rig h t . 19 15
BY C H AR L E S S c m B NE R ’ s S ou s
 CONTENTS

1 . CHILD STUD Y DO ME S T ICAT E D

WH Y PARE NT S A ND HO ME S ARE NEE DED
WHAT CO MPLE T E PARE NTH OO D I NVO LVE S
TH E MAI N P E RI OD S OF CHILDH OO D
TH E P RI N C I PAL TYP E S OF CHILDRE N
WHA T TH E B O DY H AS TO D O WI TH CHARACTE R
VI I . F O RC E S THA T MAKE A MAN
VI II . TR AI NING CH I LDRE N TO OB S E RVE AND DI S
CRIM I NAT E
H AB I T-F O RM I NG
TH E P RO B LE M S OF OB E DI E N C E
XI . S Ex I N S TRU C T I O N A ND D I S C I PLI NE
XI I . TH E I MA GINAT I O N
XII I . SOM E PROB LE M S OF THE I N S T I N CTS
XIV . DE ALI NG WI TH T H E E M OT I O N S
I NT E RE S T
XVI . WILL TRAI NING
XVII . P LA
Y
XVIII . WO RK
XIX . 13m STO RY
RE ADING
iv C O N TE N TS
P AGE

XXI . HOW TO TE ACH A CH I LD TO P RAY

XXI I . TH E B I B L E A N D TH E C H I LD
XXII I . S UN DAY
XXIV . PARE NT S P RO B LE M S CO NN E CT E D W ITH TH E
’

DAY S CH OO L

HOM E A N D S CH OO L
XXVI . CE RTA IN COMM O N F AU LT S OF CH I LDRE N
TH E HOM E T R A IN I NG OF S CH OO L CHILDRE N '
199

XXVI I I . CO M PA NI O N S H I P
AMU S E M E NT S A N D SO CIAL
XXX . MO N E Y
WH E N TH E CH I LDRE N B E C OME YO UNG
”
P EO PLE
VO CATI O NAL OPP ORTUNIT I E S
VO CAT I O NAL ED U CATI O N
XXXIV . VO CATI O NAL G U IDA N C E
XXXV . TH E C H URCH A N D H E R CHILDRE N
XXXVI . TH E GO AL : SE RV IC E F OR TH E K I NGDO M

LA B ORA T O RY E X P E RI M E NTS :
I . I N S TA N C E S OF MI S UN DE R S TA N D ING A N D OF

B E I NG M I S UN D E RS T O OD
II . TH E H I DD E N LO NGING S OF CH I LDHOO D
III . TH E I NT E RE S T S OF A N I N D I V I D UAL CHILD
IV . S CH OO L A N D TH E I NT E RE S T S OF L I FE
V . ARO UN D TH E C LO C K W ITH A C HILD AT P LAY
 C O N TE N TS

LA B ORA TO RY fE XP E RI ME N TS Con tinued m an

VI . A CHILD ’
S RE ADI NG
VI I . PRACTI CAL ST O RY-TE LLI NG
VI I I . CHILDRE N ’
S I DE AS OF PRAYE R
IX . CH I LDRE N ’
S I NT E RE S T I N TH E B IB LE
X . PERS O N S W H O H AVE I NF LUE N C E D ME
XI . CRI S E S I N A CHILD ’
S L I FE
XI I . HE LPI NG CHILDRE N I N HO ME STUD Y
XIII . HO ME D I S C I PLI NE AS S UGG E S T E D I N THE B I BLE
XIV . RE LI G I O N I N TH E HO M E
“ E TRAC E S OF T H E GA NG
TH E VACATI O N P RO B LE M
XVI I . A S URVE Y OF A S ING L E S CH OOL
XVII I . TH E SO CIAL S ITUAT I O N I N OU R H IG H S CH OO L 309

XIX . TH E ST REE T L I FE OF B OYS

WHAT W A S GO ING ON I N OU R TO W N LA S T
WEE K F OR YO UNG PEO PLE ?
XXI . TH E M OTI O N -P I CTU RE SH O W S I N OU R TO W N 31 2

XXI I . OB S C E NE L IT E RATURE
XXI II . M SO CIAL E V IL
XXIV . TH E SALOO N A ND YO UNG PE O PLE
XXV . OU R P LAYG RO UND S
XXVI . TH E PUB L I C L I B RARY AN D T HE C HILDR E N 31 7

XXVI I . TH E I NF LU E N C E OF C I VIC B E AUTY U PO N

YO U NG PEO PLE .
 I N TR O D U C T I O N
The pur pose of this course Of Study is to furnish a basis
of work for classes in terested m C hil d s t udy .

T he subj ect of huma n developmen t from infancy to

maturity is being recogni ze d in col leges and among in
telli gen t people elsewhere as on e of the very greatest
importance I t is t he crown of biology and one of the
.

bas es Of ethi cs Wi t h such study is na t urally associated

.

investiga t ion into t hose changes in human development

T hese a r e Of the deepe st interest to all W ho care for the

physical ment al soci al and moral be t terment of m ankind
, ,
.

Chil d study and chi ld t raini ng are t herefore two , ,

C losely rela t ed subjec t s of study .

The me t hods of study are t he se The t ex t gi ves a few

.

of the commonly accepted facts wi t h page references to

,

autho ri t ies for further readi ng Interchange Of expe rience

.

and Ob servation in the class will add to the knowled ge Of

“
a ll
. The laboratory me t hod of dir ected Ob se rva t ion
is particul arly emphasized durin g the lat t er part of the
c ourse when the s t udent h as become prepared to d o such
,

The course is direc t ed defini tely toward a wi ser parent

hood Youn g people today are coming to realiz e that
.

they are not seriously facing the chief probability of ma

ture life unl ess they do so wi t h intelli gence T hose W h o .

are already parents know that they need all the wi sdom
that i s available N ot onl y studen t s in no rmal schools
.
,

but those outside su ch insti t utions W h o intend t o be teach

ers in secul ar or religious schools are dem andin g in s tru c
t ion in Chil d study an d chil d trainin g .
 Ch ild S tu d y an d Ch ild Tra in in g
C H AP TE R I
C HI LD S TU D Y D O M E STI CAT E D
W H A T I s A C H I LD ?
A very natur al and common answer to thi s ques tion is ,

A lit t le adult I t is an eas y supposi t ion tha t a child is

.

li ke a grown u p human being except that he is less

-
He .

is eviden t ly smaller in body he knows less he can do less

, , .

Bu t we sh al l discover in t hi s course tha t the Chi ld is no t

so much less as he is difieren t T he body of a li tt le child
.
,

for example is not onl y smaller t han t ha t Of an adul t bu t

, ,

its proport ions are very difier en t H e no t onl y kn ows

.

less bu t he thin k s differen t ly T racy compares a chil d s

’
.
,

in t ellec t to t ha t of an adult by comparing a pane of glass

to a prism . He h as psychical as we ll as physic al traits
t h at are so difieren t from t hose that he will po ssess when
mature that t hey re semble t hose posses sed by t he lower
”
animals . Int ellec t ually and morally as Bol t on poin t s
,

ou t,
he lives in a realm lon g ago pas sed over by his
”
parents and teachers and n ot only so bu t t hey in
, , ,

t urn have so comple t ely moul t ed t heir chil di sh trai t s

,

t hat t hey woul d n ot recognize t hemselves as t hey were if

an exac t reproduc t ion of thei r own chil d life coul d be
furnished them .

I t is t hi s theory that t he chil d is sim ply a small adul t ,

coupled wi t h t he inability of adul t s to recollec t t hat ex ,

plains ma ny es t ablished misunders t a ndings of chil dren .

Thi s i t was tha t sugges t ed t he t heological defin i t ion Of a

child as a lit t le S inner .T his i t is tha t explains t he
conduc t of an ignoran t paren t who t humps a child in t o
docili ty o n t he groun d tha t he knows as much as t he
,

parent does bu t is merel y obstina te

, .
2 CHILD S T UD Y AN D CHIL D TRAIN IN G

O n the other hand a child has been de fi , ne d as a

member of another race wh o will sometime become a
member Of ours Thi s is an error in the opposite di
.

rection .If a child is not wholly a manikin neither is ,

he wholly an animal He will it is true experience some

.
, ,

very remarkable C hanges before he becomes an adult ,

but not all Of these C hanges are from the animal to the
human .A child of six for instance has just as quick
, ,

insight as a man Th e memory powers of eight will

.

never be more extraordi nary .

O ne other fact must be mentioned in beginning the

investigation which we are about to make concerning
”
child nature We speak of the original nature Of a
.

child by which we mean cer tain specific reactions which

,

the child would make to specific S ituations certain more ,

general tendencies and certain complex groupings Of

,

these tendencies and reactions These apparen t ly con .

s titu te the origin al nature Of the C hil d but in the absence ,

Of a human environment no individual child would b e

come human as distinguished from animal An in di .

vidual wh o has always lived by himself is imbecile .

Since we cannot t hi nk Of the intelligent C hild apart from

his environment it is evident that we cannot understand
,
“
the s o called o ri ginal na t ure or the di sposition of the
-

child apart from what childr en do in particul ar environ

“ ”
ments . The great illusion of child study says Coe , ,

is t hat inside B illy and Sally there is th e ch i ld a thing ,

in itself which if we could once get at it would explain

, ,

Bil ly and Sally There prevails a tendency to attribute

.

to origi nal child nature the effects of the child s expe ri ence
’

”
in a particular environment F or example we have .
,

gotten the impression that the nervousness Of some ado

l e s cen ts under ou r high pressure life is a un iversal diffi
,
-
,

cul ty of adolescence as such We shall n ot get a correct.

understanding of nervousness on the part of t he a d oles

cent until we learn something about the environment
whi ch stimulates it We must go even fur t her and recog
.

nize that a child not only cannot be intelligent wi t hout

an environment but that it cannot be good without an
,
 CHILD S T UDY D O ME ST ICA TE D 3

environment His reli gion is n ot an individual matter

.
.

We are dealin g wi t h a reli g ion of social idealism Chil d .

na t ure t hen is to be defined n ot by What we ca n di scover

, ,

abou t a C hil d momentarily separa t e from the world

,

around him bu t by the social reac t ions which C hildren

,

freely make in t heir envir onmen t Chi ld s t udy t here .

,

fore involves a t least some lit t le s t udy of so ciety

,
.

We are eviden t ly n ot prepared a t t hi s st age of our

study t o define chil dhood Any defini t ion now wo ul d be
.

deductive and tenta t ive B ut we have been wa rn ed by

.

our ignorance to consider the next point :

TH E I M P O RT A N C E C H I LD STU D Y
OF

Wh en men believed t ha t chil dren were sm all adul t s

t he in t erest of educa t ors was in pe rfec t in g t he a r t Of im
parting knowledge ra t her t han in un derstanding nour ,

is hin g or unfoldi ng t he chil d We see al ready t hat we

.

shall be very clum sy in imparting any subj ec t of knowl

edge if we d o n ot un ders t and how a chil d apprehends i t
, .

In the Old legend of t he mi ssionary so ciety in E ngland

“
t hat impart ed warming pans to t he B ermuda s we
are t ol d n ot only t ha t the nat ives had n o use for t hem for
their design ed purpose but t ha t t hey did utili ze t hem for
,

their own p u rpo w n am ely as clipper s for cane sugar

, .

So when an adul t imparts what is to hi m knowledge

for a gi ven purpo se t o a child whom he does n ot under
s ta nd t he child may ei t her n ot receive it at all or he may
qui t e mi suse it F urther it is qui t e a s li kely to turn ou t
.
,

t hat wha t we tea ch wi t h t he grea t est difficul ty a t on e age

m a y be s o well adap t ed to a later or an earlier s t age Of
development t ha t i t woul d a t i t s proper t ime be a pp re
hended wi t h the greatest ease F or example we have .
,

learned t hrough child s t udy t ha t by postponing ma t he

m a tics for sever al years beyond our earli e r cus t om a
child will do two or t hree years work in the subj ec t in
’

on e, while to pos t pone a S peaking acquain t ance wi t h

foreign languages immensely in creases the difficu lty in
mas t ering them We may expec t to lea rn t ha t moral
.

t rain ing has al so its own laws and seasons .

4 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD TRAINING

The name Child Study need n ot be al arming I t is .

Often associated it is t rue with psycho physiological

, ,
-

laboratories wi t h pretentious q uestionn aires and wi t h

,

delicate scientific experiments But some Of the most .

valuable studies of children have been made by ordi nary

Mrs W S H all s On e H un
’
parents and teachers . . . .

dr ed D ays in a B aby s L ife wa s little more than a faith

’

fu l di ary kept by a mother Of a ll the activities of her Chi ld

durin g his first thr ee months D r James Sully s Studies
. .
’

in Childhood is a volume Of considerabl e scientific value ,

”
but the informal E xtracts from a F ather s D iary in ’

the appendix of fully as much interest involve no

, ,

records that might not have been kept by any alert

’
father D u B ois
. F ireside Child Study has flashes of
keenest insight .

There are really four methods Of C hil d study and they ,

are al l accessible to the earnest student .

O ne Of them su ggested above is

, ,

O B S E R V AT I O N
There are a number of great advantages in fireside Child
study Not onl y is the child always natural because he
.
,

is unconscious that he is being specially observed but ,

the opportunity for patient consecutive comparative , ,

investigation is unparalleled I t is bound to have an .

intimacy and a human quality that are Often lacking in

more ambitious but distant efforts The fact that the .

Observer is inexperienced need n ot defeat him if he is

ins t ructed as to certain precaution s which he S hould take
in his study F or ins t ance his sympathy is not a barrier
.
,

to knowledge but rather a help thereto if it does n ot de

, ,

generate into sentimentality Candor Of Observation and

.

accuracy of record are Of course presupposed B ut per

, , .

haps the most important S in gl e requirement is a defini te

understanding as to W ha t is being sought Miscellaneous .

entries such as are provided for in th e usu al

’
B aby s
B ook are hardly novel or extensive enough to yield any
,

thing more than souvenirs for pleasant review by the

child when he is old enough to read them Such an .
 CH ILD S TUDY D O ME S T ICATE D 5

in quiry as t he on e propo sed In t he la t er p ar t Of t hi s course ,

”
Around t he Clock wi t h a Child at P lay woul d ,

certain ly be Of interest even to sp ecial studen ts if t he ,

child s sex and exact age were noted an d the essen t ial
’

condi t ions and if the observations were measu rably com

,

p l e.te T wo s t udi es in t his very field o n e recorded

, by
Major and t he o t her by Tracy have already been of
,

consi derable val ue in le tt ing us know at about what age

’
veri t able imagin a t ive play begins in a child s life There .

is need for many more such records in t his field by a

number of observers and at a grea t er number Of ages t han
those which have S O far been studied The whole rea lm
.

of life be t ween the years of eight and t welve wi t h i t s ,

inte rests Of play experiment and work its ideas and

, ,

ideal s and i t s ruling mo t ives is largely an un t ill ed field

,
.

Infan cy and adolescence have occupied at t en t ion to such

a degree t ha t t hese impor t an t years have remained com
p a r a tiv ely unstud i ed. T hey are years during which w e

ve ry much need tes t imony and they are years too when
, , ,

t he child s t ill much of his time in and about t he home

, ,

may be easily and t hough t ful ly Ob served . At every age ,

and especially during adolescence we are in wan t of,

wisdom as t o wha t is going on in t he lives of young people

of the s o cal led mL eg c t em perament We
t hose of t he sangui ne and sen t ime ntal types are fond Of
find .t ha t

self-expression and we suspect tha t we have t ried to

,

in t erpre t t he whole of childhood by the ir partial wi t ness .

T hese illustra t ions indi ca t e j ust a few places where the

home s t uden t would n ot be merely t olera t ed but hea rtily
welcomed by the professional s t udent Of childhood .

O bse rva t ions by a group of studen t s focussed upon a

‘

single topic Of inqui ry are also Of consi derable value .

T heir value of cour se depends upon how representat ive

they are and h ow abun dant upon any o n e t opic or pe riod .

B ut any group Of persons using t hi s t ext book migh t easily

concen t rate i t s Ob se rvations for a time upon an age or a
problem that woul d yield comparative resul ts Such a .

group coul d wi t h the CO-Opera t ion Of a t eacher make a

, ,

un ited st udy of t he interes t s in a single public schoolroom .

6 CHI LD S TUDY AND CHILD TRAIN I N G

T hey could ge t a kind of moral census Of the attitude of

boys and of girls of the same grade Of development in t he
communi ty upon some given matter .

O bserva t ions t hat have already been made are on rec

or d,
and are useful to confirm or compare with o ri gin al
studies that may be made by an indivi dual or a group .

’
I t is best not to refer to such records un t il one s own
study is well under way and then to be certain of accuracy
,

Of method ra t her than of the cha racter of the result for ,

any study t o be worth while S hould be independent and

’
u ni n fiu e n ce d by supposed probabili t ies Kirkpat rick s .

”
T he Indivi dual in the M aking contains many such records
upon the very subj ects likely to be in t eres t ing to the
beginning s t udent E arl B arnes
.
’
Studies in E ducation
would be sugges t ive in helping on e to undertake study
in fields parallel to but not identical with one s own
’
,

A second me t hod of study is by

REM I N I S CEN CE
Memory is of course not S O accurate as present Ob
, ,

servation but i t is a help in confirming what one sees

, .
,

and i t is perhaps the most useful Of all methods for get t ing
the large vi ew of things The father wh o has not for
.

gotten what he wa s like when he wa s a boy is most a d

m ir a b ly fitted to interpret the on coming traits in his -

own son T he mother wh o has retained the di ary of her

.

girlhood has an unexpec t ed use for it when she brings up

her daugh t er I t is most wholesome for t he parent wh o is
.

cer t ain t ha t his Child is an unexa mpled problem to visit

his own fa t her or mother and be assured that he himself
‘

exemplified as a boy the most undesirable traits now

noticeable in his Child .

T he conj u nc t m emo ry Of a group is even more service

able I f the subj ect of di scussion in a group be for
.
,

example the social amusements of the young what they

, ,

all remember Of their you t hful desires of the a t titudes ,

assumed by their own parents of the posi t ion of the ,

C hurch Of the resources Of a generation ago would

, ,
 CHILD S T UDY D O ME S T ICA TE D 7

m ake a splendid background for real iz ing the present day -

situa t ion .

T he endeavor to study C hildhood by m ean s of r emini s

'

cen ce of s t ates Of mi nd or of conduct by coll ec t ing large ,

masses of memory —records t hrough ques t ionnair es was ,

carri ed to great lengths some years ago a t Clark U ni versity

and elsewhere T he value of t he resul ts Of thi s census
.

me t hod mus t evidently depe nd upo n the abili ty of the

ques t ioner so to shape hi s ques t ions and to an al yze hi s
answers as not to communica t e hi s own pre di lec t ions to
t he study upon both the t emperament t he candor an d
, ,

t he inte lli gence of t he answerers and upon certain l imi ta

,

t ions Of the method itself as a way of getting at facts .

Memories t hat have made t heir record in li t era t ure give

confirma t ory aid Old di ari es an d bundles Of Old le tt ers
.
,

the p rinted diaries of people of t he pas t the a u tobiogr a ,

phi es of such persons as Marie Ba s hkirtseff Le o T olstoi ,

and Richard Jefferies and the half veiled memori es in

,
-

”
s uch fic t ion as D avid Copperfield L ittle Women ,

and T he O ne I Knew the Best Of All are all useful .

Many a paren t has happened in such li teratur e upon t he

expl a na t ion of a phenomenon in h is chil d s life tha t o t her
’

wi se woul d n ot have been made plain to him .

A thi rd method treacherous but temptin g is that of

, ,

li t era r y rather t han scholastic interpret ation .

L I T E RAR Y I NT E RP RET A T I O N
The poets and t he a rtists have blesse d us her e F rom .

them we have some Of the most exqui si t e and suggestive

in t erpreta t ions Of chi ld l ife _Among the best in poet ry
.

are t hose of Steven s on Ril ey F ield and Whi tt ier ; among

, ,

t hose in story are the ones by Kenne t h G rahame William ,

Canton Myra Kelly Booth Tarkington and James

, ,

Hopper ; in imagina t ive prose we have t hose of Wal t er

Pa t er and Mrs Alice Meynell ; in art there are I sraels
.
,

de Hooch Le B run Eli zabeth Shippen G reen and Jessie

, ,

Will cox Smi t h M any of us have chi ldren whose char

.

a cters wis t ful dumbly afiection a te solitary or exuberant

, , , ,

have al ready been pain t ed t o the life in literature Cer .

8 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD T RAI NI NG

ta in ly no one could fail to be more gentle with a lad if

his prototype had been recognized in The Chil d in the
”
House . Real boys have had an easier time everywhere
since P enrod wa s published .

Wort h y t o be classed with the interpretations in li tera

ture is the vision vouchs a fed to parental love I t is poetic .
,

for i t sees the deeper meanings of the commonplace and

ugly ; i t is prophetic for it believes in th e u n fol d ed b lossom
,
‘

when it sees only the e nfolded b u d .

Above Such interpretation wa s said to be treacherous

, .

Pure insight is n ot treacherous only the clouded vision , .

”
If thine eye be single it shall be ful l of light It helps .

the power of l iterary interpretation if it be absolutely

’
true to memory and experience M ark Twain s T om .

”
Sawyer is marred by its dime novel sensationalism Of -

’
adventure I k Marvel s . Reve ri es Of a B achelor is
defective because of its adul t sentimentality imputed to
wholesome C hild life In the home too an indolent wil l
.
, ,

in gn e s s to see only the pleasant is a different thing from

an active trust in the inherent tendency of a boy to good .

F amily pride unaided by an honest desire to know is

, ,

blindness itself The best mother is the one wh o can be

.

g ri eved but cannot be fooled .

S om e typic a l literar y in te rp re ta tion s a re th ese : S te ven s on : A C h il d s

’

"
Ga rd en"of Vers e “Ril ey : Afte rwh iles
.
“
F iel d : W ith Tru m”pe t a n d
.
”

D ru m . Wh i ttier : S n ow B ou n d Gr a h am e : D re a"
.
”
m Da ys
“
Ca n .

ton : Th e I n v i s ibl e P l a ym a te a n d W V H er B ook

,
”
K. elly : L.i ttl e
,
.

Ci ti z en s. Ta r ki n g ton : Pe“nr od
“
H opp er : A Th ie f in th e Nigh t
.
“ ”
,

a n d Oth er S tor i e s P a ter : Th e Ch il d in th e H ou s e M eyn ell : Th e

” ”
. .

C h il d ren . H u n t : Un a M a r y
”
.

We still have left what we call

S CH O LARL Y ST U DY
All chi l d study should be scientific as far as it goes but ,

scholars have the privilege of collating obse r vations of ,

sif ting reminiscences of analyzing literary interpretations

, ,

and further of applying scientific methods and engaging

in long —continued and far reaching investigations that are -

beyond th e reach Of t he amateur B aldwin for example .

, ,

has devised ingenious tests to measure the distance and

 CHILD ST U DY D O ME ST ICA TE D 9

color perception of infan ts Bin et Simon and others have ,

-

worked ou t methods of measuring wha t is ca ll ed psycho -

logi cal as di s ti nc t from physiological age an d T homson ,

has tol d the world more of t he li m i t s Of heredity Child .

s t udy became an educa t ional fad so soon t hat has ty sum

mari es and statemen t s were put fort h in fields where
t horough research has revi se d suppo sed facts and upse t
early in ference s In no dep ar tment of study are scien t ific
.

methods more needed an d Of these es pecially the Open

,

mind the analyt ic compari son and the suspended judg

,

men t .

Wh at is here said should encourage t he be ginning stu

den t in hi s work M any things in life and in litera t ure
.

have al ready been equipping us for ou r task M ateri al .

for Ob servation and experimen t is more abundant than in

al most any o t her line Of scien t ifi c research Wh at we .

ourselves together or separately see and remember about

, ,

chil dren is child study and may be made child study Of

,

serious value The s t udent who t hroughout this course

.

wi ll ret ai n a t least one habi t t ha t Of obs ervi n g fres h ly is

, ,

bound to do good work No task in child s t udy has ye t

.

been S O thoroughly or accurately done t hat some t hing new

may no t be learned And in t he ca se Of t he in dividual
.

’
chil d he is so seldom in last mon t h s s t a t e of mind tha t he
may ever be regarded as a fresh subj ect of inves t igation .

The modern s t uden t of t hi s fascina t ing theme is on e Of a

company Of eager and expectant investigators The re .

ward Of inves t igation m a y be ad di t ion to the sum of human

knowledge ; it is s u re to be an added personal knowledge of
human na t ure in i t s sweetest and most irn pres sib le years
and an added power to help work desirable changes in
plas t ic human ma t eri al .

RE ADI NG REFE RE N C E S
An e x ce ll en t ou tlin e of c hil d d ev el op m en t with su gg es ti ons for m e th od s
,

of Ob se rva tion wi ll be foun d in B a l d wi n : S tory of th e M in d

”
, IV , .

Th e tru e s pi rit Of th e s tu d en t of c h il d h ood is su gg es ted in th e in tr od u ction

of S u lly : S tu di es of C h il dh ood
" M eth od s of Ob se rva tion a re ca re fu ll y
.

ou tlin ed in Kir kpa trick : F u n d a m en ta ls of C h il d S tu d y XV I I ”

I , : al so in
'
a C h a p ter of D ru mm on d s ou tli n e on ch i l d stu d y H ow to S tu d y a
:
Ba by .
A clas s ical ch a p ter u pon th e u se of sym pa th etic ob serva ti on in th e
10 CHILD S T UDY AN D CH ILD T RAI NING

i i g il
tra n n of Ch d ren is in D b i
B ck i g f
u o s: Li l H
e on n s rom tt e an d s , un d e r
il
th e t t e Fi B l Ac
Th e re ui d e rs .
”
g pp c c il
h a rmi n a roa h to h dh ood th rou h g
litera tu re is in th e rs t two h a te rs of M rs M ey n ell s
fi c p C il Th e h d ren
’
.
,

il
un d er th e t t e F ll T l
e ow it Bi
ra v e e rs w h a x llrd.
”
An e c e en t wa y to
n ote th ec i t i ic i l
on tra s t of th e s en t m en al a n d th e real s t a tt tu d e wou d b e to
c p
rea d a t r a n d om a n y W i li C
h a ter in W
l a m a n ton s
’
B k . V , H er oo , a n d
.

B ooth T ki g
ar P
n ton s
’
en rod .
”
 C HA PT ER I I

WHY PAR E N TS A N D H O M E S ARE N EE DE D

TH E M E AN IN G
I N F AN C Y OF

I t seems strange that human children the onl y infant ,

beings capable of being reall y educa t ed and of a tt ainin g

such an in di viduali t y tha t they a re t he sole livin g crea t ures
whose ac t ions are not predict able shoul d nevertheless be,

born the mos t helpless of all crea tures A baby canno t .

seek food cann ot feed himself does not lm ow food from

, ,

poison cannot keep clean ca nn ot change hi s position in

, ,

an y voluntary direction and woul d certainl y perish if

, ,

from t he star t he were n ot fed clean sed and exercised by

, ,

o t her h an ds .

The lengthenin g Of infancy in human C hil d ren is im

portant in at least thr ee ways : F irs t these years when t he ,

brain is plastic an d the child is meeting and mastering a ,

mul ti t ude of preli mi nary expe rien ces give the opport unity
for the chil d to develop indi vidual ity A nimals have .

li tt le if any individual ity

, , Given the circumstances and
.

the na t urali st can p redict wha t t he animal will do un der

t he influence of those circumstances The an imal has .

had no plastic peri od He has entered at once upon hi s

.

race heritage and does just what his in s t incts impel h im

to d o B ut the chil d has a long pe riod of plas t icity dur
.
,

in g whi ch he reacts to his environment as well as to his

and as hi s envi ronment is different from
that Of any o t her chil d he develops a different nature from
any o t her child Hi s mind 1 5 n ot merely passive either ;
.

it i s alert eager and fi ccr etive Out of pretty much the

, .

same en v1rorim en t which ano t her chil d has he will shape

some t hing difier en t for he is al ready po t en t iall y in di
,

vi dual .

Second during his lengthened and protected infancy

,

his p resent environment prepares him for adjustment t o

11
12 CH ILD S T UDY AND CH ILD TRAI N I NG

a l arger environment which is to come I n play for

examp le he mee ts ma ny Of the situations and utilizes
.
,
—
,

most Of t he faculties whi ch he wil l meet and use in his

work when he is mature So in fancy i s the
, . school of
the soldier whi ch gives the hardihood practice and ,

initiative needed in life s more earnest conflicts

’
Marvel .

lous as are the ins t inctive adapta t ions in the animal world ,

they are not measurably greater when the anim al i s l arge

than when he i s small and he has no power of making any
,

adapt ations that are not instinctive Kinn aman s mon .

’

keys i n the Clark U niversi t y l ab oratory learned by practice

the manip ul ation Of door—latches whi ch for a moment
baffled G Stanley H all but they had soon reached their
.
,

lim it whil e President H all not onl y traversed in a few

,

minutes a g amut of skill a s great as that which they

had acquired i n several days but wa s able to do what,

none Of the monkeys co ul d do — invent n ew combinations .

Then he still had initiative left for further solutions and

'

invention if desired
, .

Thi rd prolonged human infancy gi ves the Opportunity

,

not o nl y for meeting new environments with abundant

powers Of adjustment but for extra instinctive (i e
, . .
,

c
ed fing _ with experience .

President a woul d probably ex plain hi s rather remark

able agili ty with the door latches as the resul t of his b oy
hood experiences on a B erkshi re farm where he had as , ,

he has recorded in an interesting paper some el ementary ,

practice in at least a score of manual ar ts NO animal .

would profit by such a tutelage I n spite of a ll Cl aims .

that have been made as to the ability Of educated horses

and do g s to reason there is no cl ear evidence that any of
,

them perform what is beyond the capab ility of others of

t heir kind except as they tread the pathway s of induced
habits under the dominance of the wil l and reason Of
,
'

their masters And none of them ever uses an y trick

.

that he has learned in solving any very new S ituation .

B ut the child is educab le E ven a baby a year Ol d per

.

forms experiments when he is alone He stretches after

.

the b all that is beyond his reach and S O learns to creep .

 '

W HY PARE N TS AND H O MES ARE NEEDED 13

After he h a s l earned to stan d he reaches for something

else tha t is outside his radius and so l earns to w alk H e ,
.

not onl y learns wor ds but he performs the miracle of

,

composing simple sentences Children s t ill too youn g to

.

mas ter t heir parents l anguage have been known to invent

’

a lan gua ge of their own for their mutual and exclu sive
use . Many illustra t ions of t hi s so rt will suggest them
selves to the reader But the essen t ial thing to remember
.

here is that i t is because the chil d is grante d time an d is

capable of taking advanta ge Of tim e to imi ta te t o learn , ,

and to experiment t ha t his infancy is a most S ignifi can t

,

fact One of our unanswerable colloqui alisms is

.
Wh a t ,
”
is time to a hen ? B ut time added to capacity and , ,

assist ed by an educa t ive environment is everythin g to a ,

TH E N EE D OF P ARE NTS
We can see at once therefore a t leas t two uses for
, ,

p arents and homes : t he very exis tence and the t rain ing
of a hum an chil d to any measure of its po s sibil ities de
pend upon such S hel ter and nurture Two somewha t .

well —known fac ts ill ust rate these to poin ts

'

One is t hat
‘

.
,

even in th eJi es t con ducted orph anages an enormous pro

portion of the babies un def on e year Old die a nd for n o
‘ '

o t her reaso n than t hat there seems to be n a m bs titu te fo r

_'w

—
nesting
l and crad l ing of a baby

W TI E OtHér i s t h at When orp h an S a r e a

i '

h tSr
‘
‘

li tt le Older and remain in custody they show li tt le human

intell igence lacking the very tools Of lea rning
,
.

I t woul d seem impo s sible to e xaggerate the importan ce

of h ome m d u ca tion during the years between on e and
four . The importan ce Of what is learned in t he ordi
” “
nar y home says Kirkpa trick
, is sugges ted by the fol ,

lowing notes taken from Miss Munro s account of a

’

child taken from an insti t ut ion at three years of age .

She coul d tal k ver y lit t le but coul d un derst and a number
,

of words . The attendant had n o t ime to ta lk wi t h her ,

but only to tell her wha t to do She h a d n o idea Of family .

rela t ions mam ma meaning any Of t he nurses

, Li ttle .
14 CHILD S TUDY AN D CHILD T RAININ G

had happened to her except to be fed washed and dressed

, , ,

and she had no idea Of the individual ownership of any

thing not even Of clothes The most she knew was how
, .

to care for babies lear ned by seeing and imitating the

,

nurses She had no idea of a doll d og cat or pictures

.
, ,

and did not kn ow S h e could not walk on water She .

knew nothing of colors and could not l earn to di scriminate

and match them for a long time She used the sense of .

touch a great deal She distingui shed very imperfectly

.

between imaginings and real experiences She wa s a .

bright child but knew so little that the family concluded

,

tha t C hildren in a home must l earn more in the first three

y ears than in any other period of the same length Thi s .

is therefore pre eminen t ly the period in which the mould

, ,
-

”
ing influences of the home have most complete sway .

And only second in importance to the need Of intelligent

and loving nur ture is the need of adequate privacy ,

shelter and a stimul ating environment A Chi ld co ul d not .

be bro ught up wisely in the ward of an institution even if

there were a mother present for every C hil d Quietness .
,

l eisure and a chance for meditation and review are essen

tial to the child so easily over excited a nd over s tim u
,
- -

l ated
. A modern C hild coul d not be trained to good
advantage n o matter how attentive were his parents if
, ,

he had no shelter for S leep warmth and the comfortable

,
”
taking of food An environment means
. things ,

thi ngs to touch and han dl e things to see and hear things
, ,

to pull apart put toge t her and make changes wi th A

,
.

cave home wa s almost b are Of things The most modest

- .

modern equipment for housekeeping includes in the ,

tools for cooking and cleaning in the very scraps and ,

fragments that are about educa t ive ma t erials whose ,

value every youn g child appreciates even if his mother ,

does not .

I N F A N C Y TH E UNI F I E R OF TH E FA M I L Y
’
It sometimes is C l aimed that woman s right to political
government is certified by the fact that hum an tribes
were once g overned b y mother chiefs (matriarchates ) .
 WHY PARE N TS AN D H O ME S ARE N EE D E D 15

O thers Oppose this argument What we know Of early .

hum an his t ory convinces us that nei t her is righ t since

"
,

even before the era Of tribal governments hum an homes ,

were organiz ed an d vir tual ly governed by the babies It

was their demand for qui et that caused their nomad
fathers and mo t hers to seek permanen t abiding places -
,

and i t was their wi sh to sl eep that caused t he first cu rtains

to be hung in cave mouths and t hus provided that privacy
-

which n ot onl y as we have said wa s nee dful for the

, ,

child s recuperation bu t whi ch turned a mere sleeping

’

pl ace into a home sanctuary The birth Of a baby has .

al ways reacted strongly upon the relations Of a fa t her

and mother to has tended to m ake per
b ee n thought (LE18 casual
OR I m PO f a
E Q As the C hild
o b yfi m upon ei t her
p ar enf f r fi ed him perhaps for the first time to a l ar ge
'

un selfish n ess so the mutual be aring of sacri fices and serv

,

ice ten ded to endear the paren t s to each other In all .

times too; the agony Of chi ld bearin g and t he u t ter

,
-

devotion of motherhood have gi ven man a different view

point of woman ; he has come to see t hat n ot only her
hu mani ty but al so hl S OW H enfolds spiri tu al as well as
’

fles h ly possibilities .

We see then that not onl y are homes needful for babies
, , ,

but that the b aby in a very t rue historic sense has been
t he maker of the home
Ba biéSj W
.

h e buil ders Of society T h eir exis

‘

t ence helpl essness and needs became a strong argum ent

,

for clan an d t ri bal con fed eracies for truces and t rea t ies of ,

peace for a qui e t and ordered communi t y life And

, .

even when b at t les were fought men engaged in t hem not

for rapine but to defend t heir own fireplaces and to
,

furnish larger resources for their children The so-call ed .

economic causes Of war are n ot wholly ava ri ce and ma

te ria lis m ; t hey are partly t he struggle for domes t ic pros
perity for the sake Of t he rising generation Was t eful .

t hough we now know wars to be we d o n ot deny them ,

every el ement Of ideal ism or refuse to confess t ha t t he

16 CHILD S TUDY AN D CHILD TRAINI NG

slogan F or ou r F atherl and has had in some cases a

real concern for the fireside and children .

I t is interestin g to note how closely religion t he great ,

est u n ifier of men has been related to the home Among

, .

a ll peoples we find the gods of hearth fir e and threshold -

.

Trumb ul l even argued t hat the threshold was the first

altar We are familiar wi t h the L ares and P enates of the
.

Romans and in modern China the paper divinities wh o

,

watch each year the doings Of those wh o dwell wi t hin t he

wall s Of the house .

’
Some form of family worship is on e of earth s Oldest
in stitutions and the early covenants and oaths of the
,

young were sealed in the presence of the ir parents before

the household altar T hose wh o come to us from the
.

ancient religious cults of the F ar E ast are more amazed

than by anything else in ou r so—called Christian house
holds to l earn that we have n o shrines no family acts Of ,

reverence no family un ison of parents and children in

,

reco gnition of the divine .

TH E FA M I L Y IN TH E S C RI PTU R E S
I t is interestin g to find traces of a ll the facts that have
been noted above in the Scriptures There is in both .

Testaments a recognition of the physical intellectual and ,

religious solidarity of the family that is so absolute as to

indicate that the Hebrews were a race among which such
reco gnition had been of the greatest antiquity The .

transcriptions which have come down of the national

code speak Of such a dependence of C hildren upon parents
that parents may properly be punished for the disorders
Of their Offspring while t he death penalty is mentioned
,

as fitting to a child wh o dishonors his parents What .

ever may have been the dominant se x in early Syrian

political life it is S ingular to note how much is s aid in the
,

O ld Testament about the parental duty Of fathers and

h ow little about the parental duty of mothers E ven in .

the eulogy upon the capable woman in the last chapter of

the Book Of Proverbs her function as a provider and
,

conserver is emphasized and li ttle is said about her duty

 WHY PARE N TS AN D H O ME S AR E N E E D E D 17

as t he governor of her C hildren Apparen t ly i t was

.

understood th at this had been at t ended t o by t heir father .

T he Bibli cal teachings about t he F atherhood of God are

no t appreciated in thei r full S ignifi cance un til we en t er
freely in t o the Scri ptural conception of the full functions
Of human fatherhood .

There is not room here to ent er upon the vexed subj ect
Of di vorce but we may at least sa y t his that the a t ti
, ,

tude Of Jesus base d upon the p ri n ciples of his race S hows

, ,

in its very austerity the be lief t hat the welfare of ch i ldren

was t he chi ef t hin g t o con sider in the separa t ion Of
paren t s and the consequen t breakin g up Of homes .

’
We cannot unders t and completely Jesu s idea of the
Kingdom of G od un l ess we know clea rly th e idea of t he
divine famil y ou t of whi ch it sprung Scholars are agreed .

that the family relation wi t h God which the Hebrews ,

held as bo t h a patrio t ism and a religi on and whi ch began

in t he prophets to be des cri bed by the figure Of t he
Kingdom was taken over by Jesus and illumina t ed
,
.

Indeed the Sonshi p idea is preferred to tha t Of the King

,

dom in the wri t ings that bear the name of John S O .

when Jesus said t h at of such as children is t he King

d om Of Heaven H e must ha ve mean t n ot only t ha t the
,

ci t izens of that Kingdom m u s t be childlike bu t t ha t t he ,

Kingdom ac t ual ly consists in p ar t of chil d ren and His ,

at t i t ude in blessing them imp lies an essen t ial care t hat

t hey be regarded as the part icular concern of all men wh o
are reall y loyal to t ha t Kingdom I t would n ot be too .

much to say t ha t Jesus in that st ar tli ng way in wh ich he

,

s o Of t en forecas t s what we think of as our best modern

schol arship and wisdom put an evolutionary emphasi s

,

upon chil dhood an d would have been wil ling to gran t t ha t

in a true sense mature hum an ity st ill exis t s on su ff eran ce ,

i t s way or aim being the safety and nurture Of those wh o

cons t i t ute the Kingdom to-be -
.

RE AD ING REFE R E N C E S
F or a fu ll ma s te ryy Of F is ke S con trib u tion to ou r c on cep ti on of th e v a lu e
’

Of in fa n cy rea d hi s
, Des ti n y of Man I V a n d V I Th e sa m e m a te ri a l s
“ ”
. i

re p rin te d i n th e Ri v ers i d e Ed u ca tional M on ogr a p h s as Th e M ea n i n g of

18 CHILD S TUDY AN D CHI LD TRAINING

I n f a n cy F s k e s th eory is a l s o s um m a ri ed in B u tl er : Th e M ea n in g o”f
i z
’
.

Ed u ca ti on , 3-34 , an d Ki r kp a trick s F u n da m en ta l s of h il d S tu d y
C
’

3-7 .

F or a m ore th orou gh s tu d y of th e fun c ti on s of th e a m ily , s ee Th win g :

f
Th e F a m ily , V I —X F or a n ev en m ore e ten d ed s tu d y tu rn to
x W
”
.
,
e s ter

m a r ck : Th e H i s tory of H um a n Ma rria g e
”
.

To m a k e a s tu d y of th e S c ri p tu ra l vi ew Of m a r ria ge , s earch th e re fe r
en ce s in th e l a rg er H as ti n g s D ic tiona ry of th e B ibl e un d er th e word
’

Fa mi ly .
 C HA PT ER I I I
W HA T C O MP LE T E P AR E N T H OO D I N VO LVE S
TH E AB I DI N G F U N CT I O N S OF TH E H O M E
I t has been frequen t ly cust omary among Christian
people of New E ngland ances t ry t o compare th e fam il y
s t a t us in t he good Ol d days Of t he Puri t ans wi t h tha t
whi ch commonly exis t s at present Such comparisons
.

are dangerous because they usually tend t o idealize the

,

me t hods and resul t s of the Olden t ime and to depreciate

t he average si t uation of the prese nt I n the p ri mitive
.

con di t ions in t he colonies the fa t her was no doubt forced

to be bo t h priest and t eacher in his own household as he ,

has no t t he t ime nor the abili ty nor i t must be confessed

, ,

t he need t o be today We may acknowledge too t hat

.
, ,

t here is an over readi ness now to relegate t he prie s t ly

func t ion of paren t hood to t he C hur ch and t he teachi ng
func t ion t o the school N evertheless t here remain cert ai n
.

fixed values which circum s t ances and even such relega

,

t ions have n ot ma t erially changed .

T he home remains the place whe re most of the personal

habi t s are formed A school t eacher n ot onl y learns to
.

judge a given home by the kind Of chil d wh o comes from

t ha t home bu t S h e recogni zes t he l im i ta t ions of the possi
,

b ility of ei t her neutralizin g or lesse nin g the influence of

t ha t home .

Consequently the ideal s which in childhood are formed

,

almost en t irely t hrough imitation must be created la rgely

,

in t he home The limitations here are n ot so absolute

.
,

since we t h in k Of t he idealistic period as comi ng in a d oles

cence when t he youth has to some ex t en t become em an ci
,

pated from constan t companionship wi t h an d sub servience

to his paren t s A lad may meet a te acher or a friend
.

during t hese im pressionable years wh o represen t s a level

of life which insp ires h im t o s t ep ou t entirely from the low

19
20 CHILD S TUDY AN D CH I LD T RAINI NG

content of his own household B ut this is unusual and .

,

where the home ideals are Of the highest it is undesirable .

What brings back the pro di gal seems to be both the

lengthening chain Of habit and the conquering power of
the home ideals These avail especially when in the far
.

count r y he begins to be in want .

T he home then cann ot delegate its task I t must not

, , .

expect the school to alter materially the child s personal ’

habits and it must not expect the chur ch to revolutionize

,

his ideals The impressionab le child will accept these

.

from the persons with whom he i s most frequen t ly placed

In the home these may be the servants rather than the
parents if the parents leave the child to t he servants
, In .

’
such a case he will have the servan t s habits and ideals .

TH E JO Y S OF P AR E NT H O O D
Particul ar joys of parent hood have been sun g but they ,

have n ot Often been seen together .

There is first the general and cons t ant joy after chil ,

dr en have come to a home that they furnish completeness ,

to the home life Childless persons diml y know that they

.

live too much with their own generation that they tend ,

to perpetuate the arid ways of spinsterhoo d and bachelor

hoo d that they impinge too roughly upon each other s
,
’

personalities without any soft buffers or distrac t ions .

be t ween and that they grow selfish and self indulgent

,
-
.

Children restore the home to its ancient fii n ction It .

becomes at once chi ld concentric and n ot adult -concentric -

.

O ther -regarding acts become constantly Obligatory as

well as delightful Anxiety and necessity combine to
.

keep the parents busy in mutual service of the third small ,

and helpless indi vidual That whi ch wa s the quiet .

shelter Of two self contained persons n ow becomes a -

community newly rel ated to its members callin g forth

, ,

talen t s never before occupied and developing others that

were dormant and related to the outer worl d as never
, ,

before Of physicians nurses other parents neighbors and

, , , , ,

at len gt h Of teachers playmates and chums The , .

scratched furniture the cradle the porch hammock the , , ,

 WHA T C O M P LETE PARE N TH OO D I NVO LVE S 21

sand —p ile in the back yard are n ot so ornamen t al as was

the well -kept house Of two but all t hese are simply t he ,

parable Of lives to whom ma t eri al t hin gs are n o longer

worshi pped as fetishes but are being used as t he t ools of
,

life There was a st ill joy in quiet sober pleasur es in t el

.
, ,

lectual repose bu t the chil d brings the larger and more

,

exuberant joys of play fellowship avidness of life and , ,

strenuous and even stormy livin g .

E ach pe ri od Of chil dhoo d b ri ngs its own special joys

to parental life The hour of the annuncia t ion has b een
.

to many a young man and woman the first sacred con

t act wi t h reality The mon t hs Of wait ing are t he fir st
.

expe ri ence in meeting a si t ua t ion which one s own will and

’

effi ciency are powerless to control T hey represent a ve ri .

t able waitin g upon t he fa t es Th e d ay of bir th is t he most .

poignan t Single expe rience whi ch man g r j vom an ever

I ts happy cd flfirg tw s m
f
" ‘

faces .
g s t solemn joy ’
.

T he pathway Of g rowth along which a young Child passes

is even to the most un ob se r van t an unbe lievable path Of
light . Adolescence which has become al most a cant
,

word is in fact t he G olden Age

, , , I t is followed by a few .

years too few Of real compani onship wi t h the ma t uri ng

, ,

man Then comes t he exci t ement Of parting for college

.
, ,

for new fields of work for a new home and t hen the living
, ,

of life over again in our children s chil dren

’
.

The loveli ness Of chil dr en t hem selves even more t han ,

t he miracle of the ir unfoldment is a paren t al joy They , .

are in babyhood as Mrs Alice Meynell has reminded us

, .
,

the only li ving creatures that can li t erall y be compared

to flowers Those sma ll school —going people of t he
.

dawn with t heir awakeni ng in t elli gence and powers Of

’
spee ch are at once G od s grea t es t mirac le and his choices t
piece of hu mor The long legged loud lun ged years are
.
-
,
-

not apparently so lovable an d have t herefore escaped ,

study and appreciat ion yet on e mus t grant t hat t heir ,

irres ponsib l e happiness makes t hem enviable T he gus ty .

years Of youth Often e xasperate but never does a paren t ,

pierce to t he heart of some idealism which underlay what

seemed a foo lish deed of vanity or a cra zy on e of adventure
22 CHILD S TU DY AN D CHILD TRAI N IN G

without recognizing t hat he is dealing with a fairy queen

or a young troubadour feelin g himself immeasurably old
, .

S O that it woul d be hard to say which age is most fa s cin a t

ing since all are so lovely
,
.

There is also the joy of spiri t ual parenthood po ssible ,

”
to those who never have children Of their own the ,

sense of S haring the universal parenthood and Of knowing

’
one s Office to be a public trust .

TH E DU TI E S A N D R E S P O N S I B I LI T I E S
Did all the duties and responsibilities of parents come
at once the situation would no doubt be insupportable
, .

The specific duties of parents are suggested in each

chapter of this study which name s a fresh problem A .

summary of these duties may be helpful here .

There are the du t ies which have to do with the physical

life Of the children T hose which have to do wi t h the
.

physical dependence and the hygiene Of C hildhood are

mentioned in Chapter V I Those which pertain to the.

sex life are considered in Chapter X I .

T here are the duties which concern the mental life .

These are not merely the problems Of formal and school

education (considered in certain later chapters) but those
relating to sense percep t ion the trainin g of the imagina ,

tion and the training of the will which will be discussed ,

in Chapters V I I I X I I and X VI ,T he home in a true .

sense makes in t el lectually the child with whom later the

school has to do .

The social life of the child takes its form in his first
social group the fami ly
,
N ot merely his mann ers but
.
,

his attitude his generosity or selfishness his o u t lookin g

, ,

or in looking disposition are largely fixed before he goes

into outer society .

While we S hall study in special chapters the moral and

religious t raining Of childr en and especiall y consider the ,

relation of the church to such training we must realize ,

early in ou r study that all training is moral training and ,

’
that each week s study has some special moral implication
in the life Of growing children .
 WHA T C O M P LETE P ARE N TH OO D INVO LVE S 23

Behind thi s fo u rfold task there is a still deeper r e

sponsibili ty If our work were only tha t Of physic al care
. ,

mo t her love assisted by some general knowledge of h y

g ie n e and nursing migh t be enough If i t were onl y t hat .

Of in t el lec t ual t rain i ng mere knowledge migh t suffi ce

,
.

But an all —round task requi res all round quali t ies in t he -

doer Of it T O love we mus t add knowledge and to knowl

.

edge wisdom and to wisdom pa t ience All that we want .

“
our chi ld to become must in our own hear t s firs t keep
”
school .The present topic Of s t udy is might il y essential ,

but t he s t udy of it mus t be a study involving feelin g and

will as well as intelli gence .

TH E F U NC T I O N OF MO T H E RH OO D
We canno t Of course di smiss in a sen t ence the ma ni
, ,

fold work of a mother .

It is helpful however t o think tha t she is not only

, , ,

physically but mental ly and morall y t he life —bearer , .

T ha t is she is the conserver Being for a number Of

, .

years and t hose the mos t irn pre ss ib le yea rs Of lif e the
, ,

child s cons t an t compan ion and alm ost his only teacher ;
’

i t is she who t rain s his earliest sense percep t ions wh o ,

t u t ors hi s first at t empts a t expression through spe ech ,

who arranges the ma t eri als for hi s successive a pp ercep

t ions wh o exerci ses his memory and who furnishes him
,

with the first tools Of lea rning F rom her he learns t he .

t echni que Of living hi s personal habits hum an legends

, ,

and t he human s t ory She in terpre t s his first fears and

.

wonders an d medi a t es his firs t religious feelings .

’
T he mother s most no t iceable gif t s are given early ,

since S h e is t he almost sole personal influence durin g t he

nur sery days and t he predominant in fl uence un t il a t
leas t t he t welft h year Because of t he endurin g charac t er
.

Of early impressions her con t ribution increases wi t h com

,

pound interes t Af t er her physical authority di min ishes

.
,

her in t ell ectual and moral infl uence shoul d be more “

s t rongly fel t F rom t hi s poin t the se rvice Of an indi vi dual

.

mo t her depends upon herself When t he Chi ld ma t ures .

to t he fri endship making years her con t ac t and power

-
24 CH ILD S TUDY AND CHILD TRAINI N G

depend very much upon her abil ity to be the companion '
of her C hil d ren There is nothin g ma gical abou t mother
.

hood per s e that enabl es a mo t her wh o is n ot intelligent

to be an intellectual influence although even her u n s a tis
,

fie d st r ivings Often comm unicate the zest for l earning to

her offspring . Her moral influence tOO must ul timately
, ,

rest in what she is and n ot in what she adj ures her chil dren
to be.

TH E F U N C T I O N
FA T H E RH O O D
OF

The world is j ust beginning to discover fatherhood .

We ar e commencing to see that a clean inheritan ce does

not exhaust the possibilities of paternal bestowing The .

father is the l ife giver-

H e particul arly expresses the
.

masculine standpoin t to his chil dren and from the wider,

sphere in which he usual ly moves he shoul d be abl e to do

much to interpret to them the hum an world whil e the
mother is interpreting to them their personal relations .

’
If n ot absolutely exhausted by his day s work he shoul d
be able to b ri ng a certain breeziness into the nurse ry and
as we say in New
”
t here to supplement (to spell ,

E ngland) his wife in her daily task of play and work .

He ought to be a practicing as well as a consulting parent .

In many homes but this may depend upon the indi

—

vidual characters of the father and mother the father is

—

t he court Of appeals I n him inh eres a ce r tain authority

.
,

perhaps because Of his mascul ine s t rength and a ce r t ain ,

heroic quali ty wi t h which the mother enhaloes him to the

children .

I t does not imply that women are intellectually inferi or

when we find a special potency in fa t herhood during
adolescence To the daughter father is her first lover ;
.
,

to the son he should be the first hero

,
T he possible .

wholesomeness of a close and anxious watch care of girls -

during these years by their fathers is Obvious The duty .

of fathers to step in with redoubled earnestness when it

becomes t im e to interpret to growing boys passions and
experiences which t heir mothers cannot so well understand
is even more urgent .
 WHA T CO M P L ETE PAR E N T H OO D I NVO LVE S 25

When C hildren come to ma t uri t y i t is hard t o say if

there is an y essen t ial difference be t ween the infl uence of
ei t her paren t in t heir lives NO doub t we are judged as
.

well as loved by our grown u p sons and daughters an d

-

maintain ou r helpful nes s by real winsomeness an d worth .

NO doubt too where a marriage is charac t erized by

, ,

tender and ripened afiection the spectacle is wholesomely

,

influen t i al to youth and t he in tertwined lives speak as

0 11 6 .

P RE PARA T I O N F OR P ARE N T H O O D
E ven t he lit t le that has been said impre s ses us that
parenthood shoul d be distinctly a skill ed profession .

The ma t erial wi t h which paren t s work is complex plas t ic ,

and full Of unforeseen po t entialities If chi ldren are .

to be wisely trained t hey will no t happen so bu t parents

, ,

need to see clearly what they want t heir childr en to be

come and to know h ow to work clearly and wisely to the
desired end An d this art like all other grea t ones has
.
, ,

its sp irit as well as i t s t echn ique .

There is the need of physical fitness Some persons .

have n o righ t to be get or conceive children We will n o t .

go in to t he infec t ions and di seases which make this t rue .

I t is more generally important to impress upon young peo

ple t ha t t heir making t he mos t of t he physical life and t he
avoidance Of overstrain or debilita t ing habi t s or excesses
is n ot to be so much for the sa ke Of athle t ic prowess or
enhanced joy in livin g as for t he sake of t he next genera
tion .

There is t he need of intell ectual prepara t ion I t yet .

see ms s t range tha t t his business wi th whi ch three fourths -

of all men and women are t o concern themselves for t he

majo ri ty of t heir years sho ul d al mos t nowhere be a t opic

Of s t udy in the schoolroom E xperimen t s tha t are being
.

made S how t hat it is po ssible bo t h in t he public schools

and in college to t each wi t hout emb arrassmen t an d wi t h
en t husias t ic response t he art Of home making and t he -

elemen t s Of t he care Of C hil dren .

T here is al so t he need Of sp irit ual prepara t ion The .

 CHILD S TUDY AND CHI LD TRAINI NG

world must be taught to desire children E ven poet ry .

is comparatively silent though i t sings Of flowers and ,

women in the praise of those wh o are more lovely than

,

either Somehow into our reli gious education there must

.

be brought the viewpoint that shall communicate to youn g

peop le the sweet and chaste anticipation Of parenthood .

TH E R I G H T S OF A C H I LD
The whole function of parenthood is n ot seen unl ess we
know what are the rights Of a C hild They are briefly .

three : to be loved to be understood to be educated

, , .

An unloving intelligence will tend to make a child an

automaton A non understanding love will tend to make
.
-

him a selfi sh brute An uneducated child has been .

robbed of his ri ghtful i n heritance .

S UMM AR Y
What then does complete parenthood involve ?
I t involves preparation Al l wh o ever become parents .

should have soun d bodies and good constitutions and

nervous vitality sufficient to guarantee reasonable poise
and self mastery ; they should have some knowledge of
-

childhood and Of the art s of home makin g and child -

training ; they should be ready reverently and joyft to

accept their task .

I t involves responsibility The home still has the .

’
abiding fun ction Of shaping largely the child s habits
and ideals Mothers and fathers have p articul ar and
.

reciprocal duties .

I t involves great joys Children give parents more .

than they take from them O nly in some sort Of parent .

hood natural or spiritual does man attain hi s highest

, ,

social and spiritual experi ences .

RE AD ING REFE R E N C E S
Rea d f u rth e r in Th win g : Th e F a mil y XI ,
.

F o r pl ea sa n t a n d h elpf u l d i s c u s s i on s or th e s a ra te f un c ti on s Of m oth
0

ers a n d f a th e rs s ee H od g e :
"
Th e H a ppy F a m i y 1 7 40 ; M a r tin : Th e
"
-
, ,

Lu xu ry of Ch il d ren 5 5 7 1 a n d L ym a n A bb ott s Th e H om e B u il d er
,
-
,
’
,
 WHA T CO M P L ETE PAR E N TH OO D I NV O LVE S 27

43 -5 8
. ci fic f ci p
A m ore s e n ti dis cu $ion of th e un t ons of a re n th ood is
fou n d in Dru mm on d s Th e A s en t of Man ,
c V II IX
’
I .

i ci g c p l
F or a n n trod u t on to eu e ni s rea d Da v en o rt 5 s m a l e r wor ,
, Eu k
g i
e n es
”
, h a rd ly p p l t "
m ore th a n a a m h e f ll ic i
F or a u er d s u ss on tu rn to
.
,

g ic i iy c
Eu en s : N el ve U n ve rs t Le tu r es i b y
wr tte n y a s m a n u n v e rs
, i ity
p f
ro es s ors ,
up bl b
is h ed y D od d , M ead CO lpf b k
A h e ul oo on th e ra e
.

"p
i i k g
t ca l s d e of h om e-m a i n is Bru ére s c
’
g ic
In reas in H om e Eff ien cy .
 C HA PT ER I V
T H E M A I N P E R I O D S OF C H I LD H OO D
Childhood has been di vided by students into from
'

seven to ten short periods but such fine and detailed ,

distinctions may tend to Obscure the large main currents ,

of developmen t We wil l therefore name but three :

.
, ,

infancy and childhood birth to eight years inclusive ; boy

,

hood and girlhood nine to twel ve years inclusive ; a d oles

,

cence thirteen to maturity (with boys fourteen or over to

, ,

maturity) .

I N F AN C Y AN D C H I LDH O O D
The chil d is a bun dl e Of instincts These instincts .

impel him to the greatest physical activity T hrough hi s .

activi t ies he first gets control of his own bodily move

ments and then annexes the exterior worl d Th e in stinct .
.

Of curiosity especially enables hi m to question by word

and experiment to find ou t the causes and secrets of
,

everything around him H is senses become the mean s Of

.

search and his muscl e s the a gents for finding ou t By .

the fourth year curiosity expresses itself in running away

,

and in gatheri ng coll ections mostly Of trivial Objects ,

.

I mi tation leads him stil l further to discover as by con fi ,

d en tly following the exampl es Of others he a ttains the

cer t ainty of their own experiences The play instinct .
,
’
which occupies most of a young child s waking hours ,

draws him strongly into imitation as he plays ou t adul t

activities. He first imitates acts then ideas and at , ,

length learns h ow to adapt the acts Of adults to play ideas

’

of his own
’
T he young child s disorderly and unorganized
.

impulses would lead him into peril were it n ot for his trust
and docility In response to loving firmness he makes
.

Obedience his l a w and this habit leads him into many other
wholesome personal habits which are suggested by parental
28
 TH E MAI N P E RI O DS OF C HILDH OO D 29

authori t y Se lf assert ion is prominen t in the t hird year

. ,

bu t a real detachmen t Of his personal ity from that Of hi s

paren t s wi t h the manifes t ation Of conscious selfishness
,

and genuine rebelli on is common be t ween five and six

,
.

As to the spe cific attainm ents of the child hi s first yea r ,

is spent chiefly in controll ing his limbs and his posture and
in beginning the exercise of locomo t ion Du ring t he .

second year t here i s some command of spee ch t he begin ,

ning Of a vocabul a ry and transitory memor y The child .

recognizes pic t ures and colors and S hows a sense Of rhyt hm

and tune D uring t he t hird year sentence making i s
.
,

possible voluntary recollec t ion appears an d t here is

,

distin ct power of inhi bition T he fourth to the six t h

.

years find t he chil d able to read a li t tle and to wri t e

and to pick up some foreign phrases T he t hir d yea r had .

been characterized by fears due to the quickening Of the

imagination In t erest in fai ry s t o ries began
. During .

t he fourt h to t he s ixth years imagina t ion is even more ,

ac t ive but n ow t akes the creative turn and the chil d

, ,

engages constan t ly in dr amatic imi t ation in hi s play .

He can n o w to a considerable extent separate t rut h from

, ,

make believe and is capable of real trut h t ell in g

-
,
-
.

Soci al ly there is a developmen t al so

, D u ring t he .

first year the child is s t imul ated by wha t people do bu t

does no t care what they say or thin k In the t hird year .

a di stinc t desire for approval is mani fest Before he is .

six he likes compani ons but unless he is already used t o

, ,

t hem in his own home he plays with them somewhat ,

s torrn il y .

Before the fourth year the chil d gets his knowledge Of

right an d wrong solely by imita t ion To him wha t b rings .
,

approval i s right ; what doe s n ot is wrong Before he i s

six he i s capable Of some moral ji
.
,

i d gm en t bu t his virtues ,

consis t chiefly in such rou t ine ones as tidiness politeness , ,

patience doing t hin gs a t command wi t h some measure

, ,

of genui ne kindliness Joy is a spe cially vi t al power

.

during t he las t t wo years Of t his period .

30 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAIN IN G

B O Y H O O D AND G I RLH OO D
The instincts are s t ill centrally active and their physi ,

cal expression is still constant though not quite as lively

,

as before The child s increased power of locomotio n

’
.

now leads him far t her afield and he plays ou t Of doors

more and has a much wider range Of experience Toward .

the close of this pe ri od he seeks companions constan t ly

and begins to play more or less steadily and peaceably
wi t h a selected group but in general his play continues
,

to be strongly individualistic G ames involving a n in .

creasing element of skill handicraft and organization

,

gradually supplant free play These follow imitative .

,

drama t ic and constructive lines un t il the boy begins the

great field games of baseball and football which are really ,

highly educative though he does not know it

, D urin g .

t hese years chil dren wh o live in commun ities generally

,

pass through most Of the comm on infections There is .

also a frequent physical setback between eight and n ine ,

but toward the l ast of the pe ri od children usually manifest

a sturdy solid physical growth By the tenth year girls
,
.

become a year more mature physical ly than boys Their .

play never becomes as strenuous as that of boys and soon , ,

largely because Of adul t influence they become spectators ,

rather than actors .

The memory develops and becomes extraordinari ly

tenacious the senses are alert and their perceptions are
,

still sensitive to training the emotions are free and u n

,

controlled and the imagination revels first in the realms Of

fairy stories and wonder tal es and later in stories of human
adventure The child lives in the p resent is frank and
.
,

confidential and talkative and should by this time have

,

t he habit Of Obedience .

As to specific attainm ents a chil d is usually capab le of

,

l earning a language by eight and can often sing and read

at sigh t at about the same age He is interested by this .

t ime in collections pets exploring and the functions of his

, ,

own body T he growing interes t in handicraf t may bring

.

him by the l ast of this period to considerable proficiency

 T HE MAIN P E RI O DS OF CHILDH OO D 31

in such ac t iviti es as drawin g prin ting and embroidery , .

P rac t ical interests are characteristic between ten and

twelve After a period Of dis couragement duri ng the
.

physical setb a ck he develops a keen love of fu n and

,

usu all y before the close Of the period is li ving lif e wi t h

t he deepest intensity qui te self regardin g Often with a
,
-
,

delight in teasing and bullying begin n in g to be s u s cep ,

t ible to evil yet havi ng an encour aging in cre ase c f res pect
,

for law and authority I f we have train ed his preferences

.

wisely in the first part Of t hi s era they shoul d become

pro t ective to him against moral and so cial offences duri ng
t he latter part .

He is credul ous as to religio u s matters and takes them

as a mat t er of course into hi s con s ciousness H e is no t .

capable Of certain adul t types Of so rrow for sin but he ,

is developing in self consciousness and toward t he end of

-

the period he may show a greatly increased sense Of

pe rsonal respo nsibili ty .

AD O L E S C E N C E
Into thi s interestin g an d cri t ica l st age gir ls come at
l east a year before boys Its approach is heral ded by
.

unmistaka ble physic al signs -

very rapid growth awk ,

war dn es s incr ease Of heart lungs an d large arte ri es

, , ,

growth of muscles need for more sleep and food ; la t er

,

t here is a general broadeni ng ou t and t he co m ing Of the ,

changes which cons t itute ma s culine and feminine matur

i ty G rowth is fitful as well as rapid and tends to be
.

followed by seasons of l anguor b efore an other infl ux Of

There is now a series of avid and undiscrimin atin g

enthusiasms p art ly for new subjects of learnin g partly
, ,

for new kin ds Of expe ri ence T he sen ses be come much

.

more acute and t he physical world takes on a new beauty ,

the emotions are easily stirred and the yout h enjoys their
in t oxication The im agination turns inward more and
.

the you t h ideali zes himself dreams of what he ca n do

,
'

and adventure and loves to see himself in heroic si t ua t ions

,

wi t h many admirers in t he audience Perso nal ambi t ion .

 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD TR AINI NG

awakens and whil e it meets some disillusions as the

,

youn g person finds he is s t ill not y et equal to hi s en

d eavor s it grows stronger and soberer as he draws near
,

the C hoice of a vocation .

The social consciousness strongly awakens and social

organizations of young people with those of their own sex
become almost universal Real team pl ay succeeds .

indi vidualism and athl etic games take the place Of free
play A sentiment for the other sex is fel t by girls
.

earlier than by boys but until it arouses in boys there is

,

a certain repulsion between the se xes The shy and .

romantic interest of boys is succeeded by active seeking

and fin ally by a heart y social life between the sexes .

Interest in personal adornment is keen At this stage .

the bo y or girl is l ikely to forsake the gang to some extent

’
in favor of the churn G roups of boys and girl s gangs
.
’

”
ou r crowd as it is cal led are common Team play
—
, .

in games is now complete G roup g ames are character .

is tic .

In di vidu ali sm is now rampant Affectations appear . .

The min d restless and full of energy be gin s to be in de

, ,

pendent O ften there is a revul sion against the home

.
,

s tubbornness and reticence and unwilli ngness to be

commanded Secretiveness is comm on and a consequent
.

feeling Of loneliness There are var ying moods a sense Of

.
,

misun derstandi ng and Of being misun derstood and cr a v ,

in g for sympathy The wan derlust may drive the boy

.

in his search for fresh experiences even to forsake his

home and become a vagabond travel ler or worker Inter .

est in vocation sometimes comes as early as fifteen A .

peri od of genuine intell ectual doubt if it comes appears , ,

late perhaps at about eighteen

,
.

The e nh anced feelin g life the sense Of having somethi ng

-
,

to settle and the consciousness Of compl ete personal r e

sponsibility constitute a defini te crisi s element not uni
vers al but ve ry common somewhere between thirteen and
sixteen R eligious conversions most commonl y occur at
.

this time The acme Of j uveni le crime is at the same

.

period O ccasions of failure and S hame are n ow especially

.
 TH E MAI N P E RI O DS OF CH ILD H OO D 33

epoch -making N ew light upon nature duty vocation

.
, ,

is now particul arly effec t ive in C harac ter formin g ; -

In the later years there is a reconstructive t endency .

The life set t les down into its groove rea son becomes ,

dominant enthusiasm is harnessed love seeks its own

, ,

mate judgment Of self is fai rer The voca t ion is deter

‘

.
,

mined upon There is a reconst ruc t ion of fai t h The

. .

yout h swi ngs back i n to domestic ways as he begi ns t o

plan for a home of hi s own E nthusi asm for work is
.

generally V ery strong .

E ven in making t his v ery b ri ef summ ary we have t ried

'

t o in di ca t e onl y the mos t fam iliar manifes t ations They .

do not appe ar in all or in ch i ldren a t exac t ly the same

time or in t he same order There are as we shall see in
.
,

t he next chapter many types Of children and ea ch type

, ,

has to a de g ree its own "his t ory .

RE AD ING REFE RE N C E S
An e x ce llen t ou tlin e of th e pe ri od s Of Ch il d life is fou n d i n K irkpa trick s ’

I n d i vi d ua l in th e M a kin g I I I A su mm a r y of S ta n l e y H al l s d i visions
.
”
.
’

of th ese pe ri od s is in Pa r tri d g e : Ge n etic E d ca ti on V I I I T yler : ”

u , .

G rowth an d Ed u ca ti on h a s s u m ma rize d th es e pe ri od s 104-1 1 4 an d

”
, .

d is c ou rsed u pon th eir p h ys ica l ba s i s 1 1 5 1 9 7,

B ol ton : P ri n cipl es of
- .

Ed u ca ti on 63 1 88 dis cu s ses a t le n gth th e cu l tu re-e poc h th eo r y an d

”
-
, ,

gives a ful ler s ta tem en t of th e rela tion be tween th e growth of th e in di

vi d ua l an d th e d ev el op m en t of th e ra ce .
 C HA PT ER V

T H E PR I N C I PA L T Y P E S OF C H I LD R E N
A close classification would reveal as many types of
chil dr en as there are children but there are certain,

broad resemblances and differences which are helpful b e

cause they enable u s to compare ou r own with other chil
dren and to forecast certain tendencies and devise certain
trea t ment for the childr en in ou r own households The .

following distinc t ions based chiefly upon E di t h E Read

, .

will be found
’
Mumford s T he D awn of Character ,

reasonably useful in the study Of children These are as .

follows :
1 Children in whom strength of wil l and determination
.

are the most marked characteristics .

2 Children characterized by the stren gth of their

.

emotions .

3 Children marked by the keenness Of their reasoning

.

faculties.

4 Children of exceptional responsiveness

. .

5
. A verage children those wh o do not exh ibit any
,

on e quality in excess .

6 Those wh o are weak in some definite direction

. .

C H I LD R E N OF S T R O N G W I LL
These seem to be of two sorts There are those wh o.

S how their strength of will by masterfulness in the in ,

s tin ctiv e desire to l ead and t o be in authority There .

are others wh o show their strength of will chiefly in the

tenacity with which they hold to one purpose Their .

aim is not mastery over their fellows but rather the ,

conquest of some definite obstacle Of the former type .

the D uk e of Wellington G ladstone and Roosevelt would

,

be examples ; of the latter D avid L ivingstone

, .

These children are n ot s o difficult to train if only we

 TH E P RI NCI PAL TYP ES OF CHILDRE N 35

understand t hem A li tt le girl is cite d wh o al ways in

.

sis ts upon ac t ing upon her own in i t ia t ive

’

I don t wan t .

t o be good she is in t he habi t of sayin g when told t o be

,

good She adds however

. ,
I will wan t to be good ,
” ’

I ll tell y ou when It wo ul dn t
’
presently but not yet
,
. .

seem to be un reasonable in such a case t o give her t ime , ,

t o come to self -mastery an d choo se goodn ess Of her own

accord S imil arly a chil d says
. I hate t o be told to do ,

thi ngs ; I like to do them myself Some t imes t here are .

t wo such Chil d ren in on e fam ily Miss M umford cites an .

amusing incident of thi s sort Robert and Mar gare t .

were t h e chil dren One morning a t breakfast Robert

.

was asked if he wo ul d take his milk hot or cold He .

answered Wh a t is M a rgare t having ? I will have the

,
”
Opposi t e . B ut Margaret refused to say first Thin gs .

were a t a stands t ill At last she said to her bro t her

.
,

If I promi se to have some t hing differen t from you will ,

y o u say firs t ? T 0 tha t he agreed and chose cold mi lk

and she took h ot S h e had n ot yielded to hi s desir e that
.

she sho ul d say first but he was al so satisfied because he

,

had n ot been copied .

There is on e comfort such a Ch il d is usuall y a lad Of

,

parts and some t hing st rong may be hoped for from him .

C H I LD RE N OF STR O N G EM O T I O N S
These chil dren are Of at least two sorts There are .

those wh o are sulky Being more sensitive they are

.
,

more eas ily hurt T hey draw back in t o themselves when

.

t hey are rep roved or disa ppointed In contras t to these .

,

the joyous expansive nat ures stand ou t They too feel

, .
, ,

strongly bu t being gift ed with self expression they are

,
-
,

never depressed and seldom unhapp y The former is .

,

on t he whole an unwhol es ome ty pe

, If such characters .

ar e t o develop as they are capable of developing we mus t ,

help their natures to expand I n the joy of expression .

they will lose their t endency to dwell wi t hin t hemselves .

C H I LDRE N OF KE E N RE A S O NI N G FAC U L T I E S
If t he las t t ype was t ha t Of t he poet t hi s is t hat of the
scien t ist . Huxley was of t his type What have I done .
36 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAININ G

in the wa y Of acquired knowledge since January ? wrote

this sober mi nded youth in hi s diary when he was sixteen
-

years Old Accordi ngly he made a list of proj ects com

'
.
,

p lete d Then he adds :

. I must get on faster than this .

I must adopt fixed times for study for unl ess it is done I ,

find i t slips away without knowing it And let me re .

member this that it is better to read a little and thor

,

oughl y than to cram crude undigested matter into my ,

”
head though it be great in quantity
, Such a Child will .

shine in mathematics and in patient experi m entation He .

is likely however unl ess brought in youth into close con

, ,

tact with humanity and with fine arts to become as , ,

Herbert Spencer confesse s of himself blind and Un d ev el ,

oped upon certain sides of hi s nature .

C H I LDR E N OF E X C E P T I O NAL R E S P O N S I V E N E S S
”
If such children are wax to receive they are usu ally ,
”
emotional ; if marble to retain intellectual in type , ,
.

They are however seldom characte ri zed by strength Of

, ,

will self—determination N either leadership nor maste ry

“

.
,

is their characteristic Such Chi ldren are easy to train .

but hard to make strong They need to develop a sense .

of right and w rong moral judgment , Otherwise when .

,

they l eave the nur sery for a l arger world their future ,

cannot be predicted T hey are likely to break d own .

when facing diffi culties and limitations Such chi ldren .

mu st be forced to rely upon themselves to hold fast to ,

their own ideas and not to be carried away by others .

A V E RA G E C HI L DR E N
I t woul d be better to speak of them as C hil dren of even
development The will with such does not run away
.
, ,

with the j udgment ; neither does their emotional nature .

overwhelm their reason Their responsiveness is not so .

extreme as to make them helpless Such chi ldren do .

not lead classes in school do not become captains Of ath ,

l etic teams do not shine on public occasions

,
They are . ,

however comforting to live with and their evenness Of

, ,

nature forms the very best foundation for special develop

 T H E P RI NCI PAL T YPE S OF CHILD R E N . 37

ment in some e x ception al direction which may come wi t h

adolescence .

C H I LD RE N W E A K I N SO M E D E F I N I TE D I RE CTI O N
We have in mi nd in t hi s present ca tegory no t C hildren
who are ment all y defec t ive , but those wh o d evia te fr om
t he average type s by being excep t ionally nervous wantin g ,

in the power of self control lacking in t he power Of con cen

-
,

tra tion , or obs t ina t e because lacking in reasonin g power .

The chil d who fall s in any Of these categories is t he con

verse Of some type whi ch has been men t ioned above .

Let us dwell in this general summ ary upon onl y two of

, ,

t hese spe cial varieties Of deficiency We will ta ke fir st .

the ne r vous chil d On t he physic al si de as T errn a n t ells

.

us the nervous chil d is likely to be res tle Ss easil y s t ar t led

,

, ,

or shocked and to su ffer from muscul ar twitches Th e .

mos t sign ifi can t symp t oms however are n o t physical , , ,

bu t emot ional and voli t ional The nervous child t urns .

easily from laugh t er t o t ears is qui ck to anger peevish , , ,

irritable e t c T here may be a constan t hunger for exci te

, .

ment and dis t rac t ion as such in a varie t y of amusements

, ,
.

Such a chil d is n ot happy without an array of occupa t ions

and playthin gs H e may develop a number Of ecce n
.

tricities or crude personal habi t s U s ually sleep is de .

fectiv e . The life Of such a chil d is often made wretched

by haunting fears There may be a feeling of weakness
.

and self dis t rust

-
T he moral life is al so involved for as
.
, ,

Terrn an informs us : Moral ity is no t hing but t he appro

”
p ri a te issue of thought and emotion in conduct The .

moral feelin gs Of a nervous chi ld are those t ha t go with a

feeling of weakness and incap a ci ty His dependence is .

no t so much due to the overpowering strengt h Of hi s

impul ses as to the weakne s s of hi s con t rol Such a chil d .

m a y , especi a ll y durin g adolesce nce develop hyste ria , ,

’
dementia precox or St Vi t us dance Le t us suppo se . .
,

however t hat the ca se is by no means so se ri ous The

, .

chil d i s deficient in self-con t rol but no t so ala rmingly so

t hat he may n ot be deal t with successful ly by kin d liness
and patience at home I t may be t hat he is suffering
.
38 CH ILD S T UDY AN D CHILD T RAIN IN G

from suppressed feeling due to some in ordin ate fear ,

anxiety or desire t he discovery Of which will itself brin g

,

relief Social experience is indispensable and usual ly a

.

quick corrective for t he tendency of such children to

dwell upon t hemsel ves T he egoism which makes t hem
.

wish to withdraw wil l vanish as soon a s they have come ‘

into happy contact and hear t y rel ations with other

children Such children require careful and patient
.

training They need what Terman calls the sanifyin g

.

effects Of work a n d especially of successful work Their

, .

desires are Often incident to certain stages Of their develop

ment and their finer sensibil i t ies are frequently a prophecy
of pure taste and artistic achievement .

On e variety of children wh o are deficient is character

ize d by lack of self control When such children engage
-
.

in passionate outbreaks some persons suppose they are

,

the resul t of a strong will T he contrary i s probably the

.

case Miss Mumford makes several successfu l su gge s

.

tions as to understanding and training such children In .

the first place we must see t hat self contro l is impossible

,
-

unl ess there is a kind but even discipline Therefore we .

,
’
must enter sympathe t ically into the C hild s di fficul t ies ,

yet make laws governing the child s life to be as unva rying

’

impartial and impersonal as the l aws of nature N ext .

,

we must ourselves be unhesitating Take as much t ime .

as necessary to make up your mind but do not allow such ,

a child to kn ow that the decision is d ifficult and when it ,

is reached cal mly maintain it Third we should never

,
.
,

di rectly oppose such a child unl ess it is necessar y We .

shoul d avoid provocation and controversy and on the , ,

other hand when postponement is impossible gi ve the

, ,

child himself time to think and choose but place the ,

exercise of reason and choice in the child s own mind

’

rather than in the field of contest or within ou r own

authori ty .

The purpose in this chapter has been n ot to furnish a

code of laws for the government of children or even a ,

thorough analysis of their types of C haracter but rather ,

to name a few of the outstanding phenomena and S itua

 TH E PRINCI PAL TYP E S OF CHILDRE N 39

t ions which are likely to occur W e are doing something

'
.

t o t rain a ch il d wise ly when we can loca t e him if we ca n

'

di scover hi s s t rong fac t ors if We can understand hi m in

,

con t ras t wi t h chil dren of o t her types In chapters which .

follow we shall take up more defini t ely some of the spe cial
problems of discipline and con t rol .

RE AD ING REFE R E N C E S
Th e re fere n ces to M um ford : Da wn of C h a ra cte r , u pon wh ich thi s
cha pter is bas e d a re 1 7 8 1 9 5 Horn e : I d ea li sm in
,
- . Ed u ca ti on
,
”
al s o
h a s a b ri e f d i s cu ssi on of th e su bj e c t a n d C h a m be r la in Th e Ch il d
”
, ,
in ,

ca tal ogs th e v a ri ou s li sts th a t h a ve bee n ma d e of th e differen t types as

well as p e ri od s of c h il dh ood 5 1 1 05
,
-
.
 C HA PT ER V I
WH A T T H E B O D Y HA S T O D O W I T H C HARA CT ER
F OO D
T he fundamental basis Of religion is nut ri tion some ,

what startlingly says D r Theodore G Soares

. But it is
. .

true. O ne can still conceive a starvel ing saint if he is a ,

mature man wh o has n ot starved too long but on e can

, ,

hardly conceive of a saintly chil d wh o has been starved .

Instead we woul d fin d a whi mpering peevish animal

, , .

T he physician do es not regard life as safely begun physi

cally until the absorption Of plenty of nutriment by the
system has become well established The moralist finds
.

nothing to begin upon morally until t hi s is a fact .

When a youn g chil d is cross ill —tempered di sobe di ent

, , ,

outrageous we do not bl ame hi m for depravity we

, ,

exam ine hi m for in di gestion or other bodil y disorder .

B ackwardn ess in school inabil ity to attend headaches

, , ,

loss of interest in play l ack of affectionateness all suggest

, ,

malnutrition .

Am ong adolescents nutritive di sorders are common

, ,

caused by hurried lunches improper food neglect Of the

, ,

excretory processes or loss of appetite through worry ,

overwork or overplay .

The hum an boiler must be properly stoked and have

clear d rafts if it is going to generate its quota Of physical ,

mental or moral power .

S LE E P
The benediction of a nightly restoration is such that
the C hild wh o loses it whether because of negl ect or di ssi
‘

p a tion,
is rapidly spending his rione too abundant l ife
- -

surplus Some s t udies that have been undertaken show

.

t ha t there is still an extraordinary number Of Ameri can

children wh o sleep in beds with others in room s with ,

40
 ’

B O DY AND CHARA C TE R 41

closed windows or in the m ids t Of condi t ions of noise

, ,

in t erruption or tain t ed air tha t deprive t hem of norma l

res t Some adul ts regr e t tha t sleep habi t s formed in
.

childhood s t ill send t hem to bed un t imely early a t nigh t

and appear to rob them of their proport ion of t he wakeful
hours of life but much more is lost to t he chil dren who
,

are inured to short ni gh t s who are kep t awake till la te

,

hours when ve ry young and who are permi tt ed t o attend

many part ies an d thea t res during their school days A .

recent in ves t iga t ion in Iowa shows t ha t fifty nine per c en t -

of t he high school pupils s t udied in ce r t ain town s spe n t

four evenings a week or less at home T he pupils wh o .

were reported as S pen di ng four to seven en t ire evenings

at home average fifty -eight failur es in specific subj ec t s
per hundred pupils whil e t hose who reported spending
,

from none to t hree evenings a week at home averaged

on e hundred t hi rty -five such f a ilures per hu ndred pupils .

C L O T HI N G
Whatever may be the ori gi n of clo t hing i t s purpose as , ,

far as a young child is concerned is simply pro t e c t ion , ,

wi t h t he leas t possible h a mperin g Of bodily con t rol and

movemen t . Simpli city in design simpleness of ma t eri al
,

an d tex t ure C leanl iness and a tt rac t iveness of color may

,

be demanded bu t orn ament and elabora t eness Of design

,

and delicacy of fabric or color are unsuitable I t i s no t .

desirable tha t t he child shoul d be preven t ed by t he

na t ure of his garment s from free play dirt and wa t er or , ,

tha t he shoul d be conscious of his C lo thes or of hi mse lf .

The cus tom of put t ing rompers on li tt le girls and boys

alike is most sensible Physici an s and morali sts agree
.

t ha t i t is wholesome for girls t o pass t hrough an u n

hampered tom —boy period bu t since it is neces sary t o
,

catch a girl ea rly be fore Older people t ry to make her

sophisticated t here is n o bet t er way to brin g t his to pass
,

than to dr ess her for lively play as early and as long as

po ssible G radually t he child may be taught useful
.

lessons as to nea t ness and cleanliness i n the care of clo t hes ,

but they are taugh t mos t effec t ively if the periods Of con
 CHI LD S T UDY AND ‘

C H I LD TRAI NIN G

straint are made very short at first To clean up a child .

and expect him to keep clean with half a day of play

engagements before him is to do him an in justice .

Long before a child ough t to be conscious of his clothes ,

other children prematurely instructed t ake notice if his

, ,

apparel seems to t he m unsui t able Among little girls .

especiall y clothes snobbe ry is very vigorous and the

,
-
,

child wh o is dressed shabbily ou t of fashion or in bad ,

taste is well nigh os t racized

-
.

The mother wh o has bad taste sel dom is aware Of it ,

but the mother wh o wants her children clothed quietly

and modestly some t imes needs to instruct her children
ve ry pa t iently and even organi ze with other sensible
women in order to resist the modern tendency to over
dress growing gi rls .

T here finally comes a t ime to the most slovenl y boy or

girl when clothes become a concern and when the desire of
C hoice and the sense of person al possession Of them are
keen Since as we have been told the consciousness Of
.
, ,

being wel l dressed gives a peace not surpassed even by

the consolations of religion it is desirable that young ,

people should be clo t hed in a wa y that shall so satisfy

“

them that they may so far as possible forget h ow they

look and thus be nei t her vain nor self—conscious To .
.

give you t hs a larger measure of choice in their garments and

to teach boys by t heir allowances and girls t hrough the
technique of dressmaking about weaves colors styles and , ,

costs is to do a service to their comfort reasonable pride ,

and moral satisfac t ion .

O T H E R B O DI L Y P H AS E S
These need hardly be more than mentioned E ye .

strain adenoids spinal curva t ure improper sex habits Of

, , ,

act or t hought t ell of a deadened spirit

,
T hese are Often .

present when parents have n O suspicion of the fact

Therefore physical examinations should be had Of a ll
,

children whether they appear to be sick or not A

,
.

thoughtful s t udent of childhood is bound to support the

medical supervision of schools and to advocate general
’
 B O DY AND CHARACTE R 43

me di cal supervi sion of homes We must stand in line

.

wi t h t hose who recogni ze tha t perhaps t he great futur e Of

medi cine is in the field of preven t ion .

It is beautiful to note how even the young victim Of

di sease vexed by t hese rebe l powers t hat him a ray will
,
r ,

develop the Chris t ian vi r t ues Of pat i ence and resignation ,

bu t a miserly body cannot any more than a miserly soul

enter in t o the fuln ess of a human experience .

T E M PT AT I O N S OF OU R AG E
But the right regul a t ion Of the body is apt to be per
verted in other ways We are in the midst Of a new
.

renaissance of taste and beauty Our hi t hert o austere

.

civil i za t ion has taken posse ssion of the ma t e ri al means for

making them the propert y Of all We have the tem pta
.

tion to develop magn ificent physiques as tools for sensual

or e s t hetic pleasure to stimula t e the passions t hrough
,

art and dress and so cial plea sures to use our we al t h in

,

uncreative and t ime -wasting sport s and games It all .

becomes a refin ed way Of saying E a t drink and be merry

, , ,

for tomorrow we die .

Thi s renaissance Of bodil y pleasures is pecul iarly dan ger

ous to t he youn g The glori es awarded by the newspaper
.

press even to high school athletes woul d t urn t he heads

of an chori t es
. A life set to the pace of t he aut omobile ,

to the t im e of t he dance a n d the exhil ara t ion of foo t bal l

and t he hun t does n ot easily plod on t he ways Of duty ,

sani t y an d service I t is hard for warm -blooded vi ri le

.
,

and passiona t e you t h to live chas t ely in a pe rfumed ,

sensual and even degenerate atmospher e A social a t .

m os ph er e in whi ch men of middl e age can play wi th

compara t ive safety is maddening or deadening to high
school boys and girls .

To young people wh o lea ve school in O rder to go to work

t here are t oday pe culiar phys i cal tempta t ions E arly .

appren t iceshi p brin g s the young in t o dir ect contact wi th

the Vices of older employee s The sal oon and other com
.

m ercialize d places of pleasure are the only places for

social resort when homes are crampe d and cheerless .
 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD T RAI NIN G

The b lind alley occupations give t hose wh o foll ow them

-

Opportun ity onl y for indul gences that are deadening to

anxiety and di sco ur agement These errors the young .
,

wh o have drifted into such occupations because of lack

Of capacity or in itiative possess small er power to resist , .

F ortunately we have antidotes at hand O ur school

, .

athletics when thoroughl y supervised develop the hardi er

, ,

vi rtues T he Boy Scouts the Campfire G irls the

.
, ,

Y M C A public and pri vate summ er camps work

. . . .
, ,

schools like Abb ots h olrn e and I nterl aken the discipline ,

of serious and worth while business trainin g the adventure

-
,

C allings such as that of engineering or the national con

servation service whatever makes life nobly difficult and
,

brave works toward self controll ed and virtuous livin g

,
-
.

E ven among the less fortunate the public playgroun ds ,

the well conducted trolley parks ama t eur athletic leagues

-
, ,

the social settlements etc are broadening t heir whole , .

,

some influence There is a notabl e increase throughou t

.

our whole social life of a spirit which in formal and in ,

formal education a like tends toward the G reek idea Of ,

the sound mind in the sound body .

T E M P E RAN C E
The recent rapid spread of prohibition Of the pub lic
sale of intoxicants in America has no doubt done a great
servi ce to the young especially in di screditing their use ,

an d in making the acquisition Of the habit less easy .

Since real temperance is an inner and not an outer state ,

the t aking comm and by the spirit Of the bodily passions

and emotions we are by no means at the end Of ou r
,

necessity to plead for the development Of t hi s virtue .

M any people bel ieve that the temperate man is a finer

spectacle than the abstinent on e as he wh o can use wisely ,

a ll the tools and means Of life is greater than he wh o dares

n ot try to command them There may al so be some .

truth in D r H ugo Mun s terb er g s argument that human

’
.

nature feel s both the desire and the need for exal ted mo
ments and that there is not an essential difference between
the nature Of the person wh o foll ows up religious revivals .

,
 B O DY AN D CHARAC TE R 45

the coll ege student who yell s at a football g ame the ,

woman wh o cri es at a sentimen t al pl ay and th e iceman

who ge t s drunk They a ll desire to break loose t o feel
.
,

s t rongly to be ecstatic and they all do s o for t he s ake Of

, ,

personal sensa t ions How shall we meet and govern t hese

.

t endencies to emotional overflow whi ch drive the man

deprived of drink to drugs and t he godly woman wh o will
not drink win e to her tea caddy and her paten t medi cine
- -

Chest ?
T he answer seems to be especiall y in the case of yo un g
,

people to displace the self indulgent emo t ions by great

,
-
,

unselfish interests ; strong hum anitarian motives ; noble

,

physic al mental and spiritual ideals O ccasionally t he

, .
,

high sch ool athlete breaks t raining after t he football

season but on t he whole t he tendency of the infl uence of
, ,

school sports and school gymnastics is overwhelmi ngly

in the di rec t ion Of a bodil y ide al t hat precludes drunken
ness The youn g person who has formed his life pur pose
.

wi t h en t husiasm has in these st renuous days li tt le t ime

for self in dul gence
-
E specially wil l ide al s of t he sacre dn ess
.

Of the body t he recogni t ion Of it as the temple Of t he spirit

, ,

solve the problem Of self -mastery .

We have no hesitation ei t her in assertin g strongly that

the doc t rine of to t al abstinence is the only on e which we
can wi sely preach to the young The p sycho physiologi cal
.
-

laboratories have t ol d us t hat t he margi n be t ween the

harmless and t he harmful use Of alcohol is so narrow and
un determined in t he case of the in di vidu al and its in flu
ence in breaking down the power Of inhibi t ion is so insidi
ous that the use of stimul ants ought never to be advised
except by a speciali st wh o knows t he indi vidual 5 char ’

acter an d needs thoroughl y and even then must be ,

largely a matter of personal responsibility D aily life i n.

our invigora t ing clim a t e is itsel f as Josiah Strong poin t ed

,

out a number of ye ars ago so s t imulating t hat our na t ion

,

seems t o be wise in moving t oward the position Of an

abs t inent people .

We are far beyond the position that total abstinence is

merely a moral safeguard t o the weak The researches of .
46 CH ILD S TUDY AN D CHILD TRAIN ING

Kraepelin and others have convinced us that al cohol has

no place in t he daily life Of the normal individual Before .

the G reat War broke out in E urope the authori tative ,

German attitude wa s rapidly coming to assum e t his posi

tion . N othing wa s more impressive during the early
mon t hs of t ha t war than to see h ow one nation aft er a n
other fell into line behind G ermany in the elimination of
a l coh ol from t he life Of the people
'

The challenge which .

that terrible contest made of the mental and physical

efficiency of men wa s only to be met by total abstinence .

READ ING REFE R E N C E S

Th ere a re m a n y e x cellen t b ook s u p on th e“ ph ysica l ca re of chi ld ren .

Pe rh a ps th e two m os t u seful a re G riffith : Ca re of th e B a by a n d ,

”

Op p en h eirn : Ca re of th e C hil d in H eal th .T yl er G rowth a n d

:

E d u c a ti on 2 42 2 60 a n d G e s ell : Th e Norm a l Ch il d a n d P ri m a ry Ed u
”
-
, ,

ca tion 2 73 2 88 d is cu s s th orou gh ly th e re la tion b etween ph y s ical h ea l th

,
”
-
,

and d ev e l op m en t in s c h ool .Ki rkpa trick : F u n da m en ta l s in C h ild

S tu d y I I a n d XV I I m en ti on s th e m os t c om m on a b n orm a li ti es in th e
”
, ,

d ev e l op m en t of ch il d h ood .

A s u m m a ry of th e la tes t word u p on m e d ical i n s p ec tio" n a n d s u p e rvi s i on

Of Ch il d re n is in M a n g ol d : P robl em s of Ch il d W elfa re 1 1 9 1 5 0
,
- .

Kra ep elin s s tu d y of th e in flu en ce of a lc oh ol u p on the h u m an s ys tem is

’

fou n d in h is C lin ica l P s ych ia try pa s sim,

”
.
 C HA PT E R V I I
T HE FO R C E S T HA T MA KE A MA N
'

I t goes without sayin g that no one is likely t o be a very

effi cien t parent or teacher un less he has a defini t e aim in
t he trainin g Of chil dr en T 0 do t he conven t ion al things
.

wi t h th em will cons t itu t e t he work and t he resul t s Of an

'

artisan but to be an artist in life makin g an d to win resul t s

,
-

commensura t e with t he finest Of arts we must have the ,

artist s vision
’
Nei t her is a part i al View Of the purposes
.

of educa t ion enough To wish tha t a C hild should keep

.

his heal t h make a respectable appearance have pre

, ,

sen ta bl e manners make a good livin g and keep t he laws

,

is to mis t ake resul ts for mo t ives E ven to visualize t he .

ideal by wishi ng t ha t a b oy migh t t urn ou t t o be like his

father or some other good and successful man is to fr am e
a pa tt ern which may not at all fi t thi s individu al child s
’

na t ure or possibil i t ies .

Bu t what more can we do ? I s i t safe t o shape an ideal

for a chil d of unknown capaci t ies and possibili t ies ? We
tal k abou t bringing up a chil d th e way he sho ul d go bu t ,

wh o knows wha t way he shoul d go ? E ach chi ld is an

expe rimen t a fresh a tt emp t t o produce the jus t man
,
”
made perfect B ernard Shaw m ay n ot be an inf al lible
.

gui de in child trai ning but we can see some jus t ice ,

in his statement that if you begin with t he chil d s ’

own holiest aspira t ions and suborn t hem fo r your own

pur po ses t here is hardl y any l imi t t o t he mi schi ef y ou
,

may do There are limi t s to such mi schief for even if

.

you in sist on your ideal and force it s tu bbo rril y and con
,

stan tl y wi t h a chil d the man who results will be decidedl y

,

different from the on e y ou planned The child is a de .

v elopin g personality and your task is t ha t of helping a

,

free full an d generous unfoldmen t

, .

The au t hor be lieves tha t a very helpful approach t o

47
48 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD TRAINING

this subject is that Of Prof H H H o m e in his I dealism . . .

”
in E ducation where he names three universal forces that
,

make men -
heredi ty environment and wi ll
, , If through .

education in the home and el sewhere we can bring these

forces to their highest then we are making the man we ,

would have to be As H orne says : . H eredity bestows

capacity E nvironment provides opportunity Will by
. .
,

effort real ize s the inherited capacity an d utilizes the

,

e n vi r on in g opportun ity .

The C hild is born in part he is made in part in part , ,

he makes himself .

We would do well to try to find what forces are native

in the child and ask ourselves n ot how to push a set of
, ,

buttons that will bring the responses we desire but how ,

to p l ay chords that will bring ou t a ll the music that is

latent in the natur e Of the child The analo gy is in a d e .

quate for if the child from the vie wpoint of environment

,

is an instrument to be p l ayed upon from the viewpoint Of ,

will he is the player hi mself wh o is to b rin g ou t his own

music .

’
H E R E DI T Y
By heredity we mean the characteristics which are
transmitted at birth from parents to Offspring This .

includes what comes from dist a nt as well as im m edia t e

ancestors We do n ot know as much as we could wish
.

about racial heredity We do know that the mate ri al

.

furnished to education in the shape Of negro children is

not the same as that furnished by the F ilipinos We .

realize that the material furnished by brown and by white

children is not the same but we do n ot yet know what all ,

the differences and capacities are .

We know a little more about immediate heredity '

.

”
C h il dren as Thorn dike tell s u s
,
take after their ,
’

parents in energy ability to learn and other origi nal

, ,

mental traits t o approximately the same extent as they

do in form features or oth er origi nal physical traits
,
.

If we take two brothers who have of course the same , , ,

heredi ty , on e can apparen t ly prophesy about as much

 FO RCE S T HA T M A KE A M AN 49

concerni ng a pupil s rank in college from the ran k hi s

’

elder brother had in college as from hi s own rank in en

”
t rance exami nations .

But here we come to t he unexpected and perhaps at

firs t di scouragi ng fact t ha t the improvemen t s made in
in t ellect character and skill by on e generation are n ot
, ,

so far as we have evidence t ransmi ss ible to t he next ,

genera t ion by heredity O n the other h and . the evi ,

dence is all against the theo ry t hat the special knowledge ,

interes t s habits skill or morals whi ch a hum an being

, , ,

acquires duri ng life will al ter his germ s so t hat the chi ldren
developing therefrom will be any t he more lik ely t o po ssess
or acqui re that special knowledge interest habit or skil l , , .

Fu rther t he same inabili ty to transmit through here di ty

,

probably holds Of the more general el emen t s Of human

nature such as acquired courage persis t ence accuracy
, , , ,

truthfulness or kin dness (F or heredi t ary racial bu t

.
,

not imme di a t e person al improvement by education in ,

general he al t h and vigor there is some hope ) B u t if .

N ature is not friendl y she is at leas t impartial , If a .

sa t yr cannot bree d a saint nei t her can a drunkard repro ,

duce hi s kind by here di ty E xcep t for certain racial .

physical poisons which are t ransmi ssible by infec t ion the

, ,

chil d s t art s wi t h t he same kinds of capi t al t ha t his p arents

start ed with Lo n g before t hey made t heir individual
.

mis t akes ; indeed long be fore t hey were bo rn t he germ ,

cells that l ater were to produce their chi ldren were set off
apart .

If t hi s be true if such boun ds be set to a C hild at the

,

s t art then what is the use of hopes and endea vors in hi s

,

behalf ? There is much .

In the firs t place we can predetermine to a great exten t

,

t he varie t y and ri chness Of a child s inh eri t ance by Wi se ’

choice s in ma r riage If a t leas t half Of a C hild s inhe ri ted

.
’

characteristics as is believed come from his fa t her and

, ,

mo t her rather t han from hi s remoter ancestors t hen ,

these two have much t o say abou t wha t their ch il d shall

be Th e marri age of two perso ns of large capaci ty t ends
.

to produce chil dren Of varied capacity of versa t ile ta lents , .

50 CHILD S T UDY AND CHI LD TR AININ G

There is no doubt that a marriage of two weakn esses ,

particu l arly of two simi lar weaknesses is likely to pro ,

duce an accentuated weakness I n the chi l dren This fa t e .

fu l a n d b en eficen t la w of heredi t y but emphasizes the

Christian du ty of wise and reasonabl e choice of life par t
ners We are not responsible for a ll that we have received
.

from ou r ancestry but we are responsibl e for wha t we

,

hand down through the gates of birth We can fulfil .

many of ou r hopes for C hildren wh o shall come after us

by marriages in which mutual heal t h clean blood r e , ,

cip roca l talents shall make a stron g wise and good

, ,

progeny possible .

But after children are born they are by no means fa t ed

as to character for they have many possibilities within
, ,

the limits of their capacity T hey i nh erit tendencies .

,

not C haracter B ut these tendencies are general not

.
,

specific There is no adequate evidence that a tendency

.

toward an appetite for strong drink is hereditary But a .

child may inherit a consti t ution al we ak ness that makes

him easy going a follower of the crowd on e wh o become s
-
, ,

easily discouraged In unfavorable circum stances any

.

Of these tendencies migh t lead to the use of and an acquired

appetite for drin k .

A chi ld wh o inherits a dangerous tendency from on e

parent may inherit a compensating tendency from the
other . He inherits too from th e distant past and a , , ,

surprisingly encouraging tendency may crop ou t from a

remote ancestor j umping the generations A revealed
,
.

capacity neverthel ess does not alone guarantee an

, ,

achievement The capacity for music does not itself

.
,

without lessons make a musician Some parents in their

,
.

desire to develop well rounded children may actually -

neglect signs of genius while rubbing away at some place

where the child can never by any possibility take on a
polish The impression that there must be virtue in a
.

study simply because a chil d hates it has no other basis

than that Obstacles overcome give strength but are there ,

not Obstacles enough in the way Of full mas t ery of a pre

ferred subject without leading the child to waste his time
 FORC E S T HA T MA KE A M AN 51

in conquering t hose in a field where he cannot po ssibly

’
excel ? We can never tak e for g ran ted a chil d s inherit
ance— we must set ou t to di scover it Whil e he h a s .

li mitations we d o not know yet what they are

,
He may .

develop slowly and not show al l that is in him un t il very

late An educa tor who had star t ed to t rain the boy
.

Abraham Lincoln on the basis of his nea r and Obvious

here di ty might easily have lost heart lon g before his
concealed capacity appeared .

E ach chil d must be studied by h imse lf until t he life

plan of his so ul in some meas ure appears to view As .

fast as his ins t inc t s devel op hi s temperament ma nifests

,

i t self an d the strength Of hi s consti t u t ion is measur ed

, ,

we may draw ou t t o the full est hi s nascent abilities .

Adolescence is particularly t he time when a full heredi ty

displays itself A yout h wh o has hi t hert o resembled hi s
.

mo t her may now reve al that he has t aken afte r hi s

’
fa t her or his fa t her s kindred SO t hat t he latest days .

are Often th ose of grea t es t oppo rtun ity .

E NV I RO N M E N T
G ive almost any neglec t ed chil d a good home and he
will become a good m an H e ha s Opportu nity for his
.

capaci ty .

E nvironment like here di ty is something of which the

, ,

child is the recipient He is helpless to choose ei t her

. .

B ut environmen t is unlike heredi ty in t hat the parents

may choose and furnish i t for t he child We ma y n ot .

enl arge his capacity but we can enlarge hi s opport uni ty

, .

T he Chi ld of ge n ius may rise above hi s environment ,

but we more Often see the average C hild raised by hi s

environmen t above t he average Thi s factor whi ch we .

may ourselves e ffect affords the grea t est hope to hum anity .

A good environm ent is like a nest in which otherwise dor

man t here di t ies come to l ife and activity I t has so gr eat .

a place in the shaping of ch a ra cter that Horne tells us t hat

.

t he supreme duty is Pu t in t o t he environment wha t you

wan t in the man .

I s i t no t inspiring to t hink t ha t by enriching t he home

52 CHILD S TU DY AND CHILD TRAIN ING

atmosphere not by great expenditures but through many

, ,

homely but in spiring stimul i a parent may bring out

,

here di tary powers that woul d otherwise never awaken ?

S O when you ask what you want your chil d to become
you ought in the same breath to ask H ave I in myself and ,

in my home what I want my chil d to become ? Y ou can

send your chil d out to take music lessons but he is not ,

likely to become a musical child unl ess you have music in

your home Y ou can let him go into society but he will
.
,

not have the social graces un l ess he has learned them at

home .If he is to have good taste he must see it at home
, .

And he cannot easily become reli gious unl ess he l earns

religion in the home .

W I LL
So far we have left ou t the chil d himsel f We have .

thought Of him as bein g acted upon n ow we must t hin k ,

Of him as actor A special chapter is to be given to the

.

subj ect of will traini ng Here we S imply wish to em ph a

.

siz e the importance of the will as a force in making the

chil d the man we woul d have him be .

We have seen al ready that our own wills have a very

l arge place in the making Of our chil d O ur wil l in the .

choice Of a mate set the seal Of a special here di ty upon

the chi ld Ou r will in making hi s environ ment determines
.

what Opportunity he shall have for his capacity B ut the .

chil d s own will affects both heredity and environm ent

’
.

I n a sense a child chooses his heredi ty for while he may

, ,

not choose any other than his own he may choose to ,

neglect or improve any part of his own He may selec t .

hi s noblest capacities and l et his ignoble ones lie dormant ,

thus turn ing capacity into character S O on e chooses his .

environment by making the largest use of hi s opportuni

ties and ignoring those that would degrade hi m Wi thi n .

the limit Of his capaci ty a man may become what he will ,

and he never can know what h is full capacity is S O far .

as he selects his environm ent he may tend to become what

he will a nd every Struggle betters his environment
,
.

S O when we are asked what we want ou r child to

 FORCES T HA T MA KE A MAN 53

be come we can at any gi ven t ime only say that we want

,

hi m to be all t hat his capacities and opportunities and will

permi t and t hat we are t rying t o find ou t wha t his limi t s
are in t hese three direc t ions and to help hi m to reach
t hem This answer leads us back among the common
.

places The ins t inc t s must have play because t hey are
. ,

t he e xpression of his race inheritance and the feelin g s ,

because they are hi s response to hi s environment and t he

mo t ive power of hi s conduct The sense percep t ions .

’
should be t rained be cause t hey are the child s doors of
access to hi s envir onmen t and t he muscles because they
, ,

are hi s means of self t r aining and Of mas t e ri ng hi s environ

-

ment Memory must be exerci sed since it fill s the

.

mi nd s treasur e house from hi s social environment but

’

the abil ity to thi nk must equall y be exercised because

otherwise the chil d canno t use what he remembers an d
cannot add to hi s knowledge The conscience must be .

awakened to know what is right an d the will to d o what , ,

is right .

After we have done all we can to enlarge and modify

the growing chil d we shall fin d t hat he has a resis t ing
,

power tomuch Of ou r endeavor Here he has n o ca pacity .

t o answer ou r tra ini ng ; there he is deaf to the environ

ment t hat we offer ; yonder his will doe s n ot respond to our
encour agement But t his may me an tha t he is n ot yet
.

ready and may yet come to his own after we have ceased
,

our endeavors or that he is t o remain weak here onl y to

,

develop hi s gr eat s t rength elsewhere or that some treas ,

ures are forever to remain unsough t some music forever ,

unsung His thwart in g of our effort may even work to

.

hi s own good Partly we may S hape hi m partly he mus t

.
,

ma ke himself D uring childhood t he former is more

.

noticeably true ; duri ng youth the l atter becomes the

fateful fact ;
And it is in the home that the thr ee man -making forces
that ma y make the C hild what we wish must chiefly
operate for the home as Ho m e reminds us is the onl y
, , ,

institu t ion that has legi t im a t e con t rol Of the element Of

'
here di ty it furni sh es the environment during the most
,
54 CHILD ST UDY AN D CHILD TRAININ G

susceptibl e years and the habits fashioned in youth in

,

the home make the materials ou t of which t he will shapes

its enduring choices .

RE AD ING REFE R E N C E S
Th ere is a b rief b u t h elp ful d i s cu s sion of h u m an h ered ity in Th orn d ike :
Ed u ca ti on
, ,69 20 5 2 1 2
- .A p ra c tica l a rticl e in M on roe : C ycl op e d ia
of Ed u ca ti on He redity an d ou r m os t a u th ori ta tive
”
is u n d e r th e wor d ,

d i s cu s s i on is in Th om p s on : H ered i ty ”
.

B ol ton : P ri n cipl e s Of Ed u ca ti on 1 83 2 30 is m os t h elp ful in s u g

,
-
,

e s tin g w h a t ed u ca ti on m a y d o to m od ify h e re di ty Ki rkp a trick : F u n

g .

d a m en ta l s of C h il d T ra i n i n g XV c ov ers m u ch th e sa m e g rou n d H en d er
”
, , .

s on : Wh a t I S I t to b e Ed u ca ted ? 37 3 42 0 h a s a S p ecia l Ch a p ter u p on th e

-
,

r ela ti on of th e will to th e d ev e l op m en t of th e i n d iv i d ua l H om e : I d eal

.

is m in Ed u ca ti on ta k e s m u ch th e sa m e s ta n d p oi n t th r ou g h ou t hi s
”
,

d i s cu s s i on a s is m a i n ta in ed in th i s ch a p ter .
 CHA PT ER V I I I
TRA I N I N G C H I LD R E N TO O B S E R VE A N D
D I S C RI M I N A T E
No t e the double suggestion in the ti tl e of this chapter .

I t is not enough to t each chil dren to observe I n such .

trainin g we shoul d s t art from the worth whil en e s s of -

objec t s We do n ot wi sh to make children more keen in

.

t he observat ion of t ha t whi ch is not wo rth whil e N ote .

al so t hat t he title i s n ot Se nse Traini ng Tha t i re .

quently use d phrase is a misnomer T he senses t hem .

selves are t reated by t he oculi st the aurist and o t her

,

specialists We who are parents train their use as organs

.

of the mind Our func t ion is as H om e says

. to open ,

the win dows of consciousness .

There are several reasons why we sho ul d attempt thi s .

One is t heir import ance Sensa t ions are the stuff

.

”
ou t of whi ch kn owledge of the ext ern a l world grows ,

says Ho m e We really know no t hi ng of t he ext ernal

.

world which our senses have n ot brough t to u s The .

world admir es so keenl y t he achievemen t s of Helen K ell er

t ha t t he wri t er was recently surprised t o hear a well
”
known psychologist S pe ak of her as a defective T hen .

he wen t on t o prove t he po int by showing that much of

her apparen t knowledge of our world of sounds colors ,

and speech is eviden t ly hearsay and pointed ou t the lack

of in t elligen t reference other t han conventional in her ,

wri t ings to many of the phase s of na t ure most obvious to

,

all who can see and hear Miss Keller s world is chi efly
’
.

t he world of touch sin ce this se nse is the onl y one that

,

has brought her ac t u al knowledge .

Another reason for training in observa t ion is t he richer

knowledge and intelli gence t ha t are thereby made possi
55
56 CHILD S TUDY AND CHILD TRAINING

ble Miss Ed geworth s old story of E yes and N o E yes

.
’

is the classic oft en cited to show h ow it is possible for two

persons to traverse the same landscape toge t her on e a b ,

sorbing practically nothing the other returning e n th u s i

,

a s tic because of an enriched expe ri ence T he writings of .

some of our popul ar natural ists wh o have confined t heir

essays to their sense —impressions encourage us to find in
the wildwoods near us and even in the grass beneath our
feet un seen marvels Children are by nature sensitive
.

only to a few bright colors to general ou t lines and to the

,

more striking phenomena Whil e a new sensitiveness to

.

these awakens 1n adolescence amoun ting to the recognition

,

of an actual deepening in the col o rs of nature and a vivify

in g of its forces this poetic spirit which is evanescent
, , ,

is best reinforced by the habit from early childhood of

callin g to the attention of chil dr en the soft er color effects
of sky leaves and shadows graceful outlin es of p lants
, ,

and trees and the small er doings in the natural worl d

, .

This leads to a certain expect an cy and wi de a wa ken ess -

which are beautiful life habits These are indispensable

-
.

to creators in all the arts but they are also a blessing to

,

those whom Rober t H aven S ch a ufiler calls geniuses by

H
proxy appreciative listeners and lookers on
,
F or it is -
.

only t he people wh o observe this world wh o really possess

In ce rtain objective sciences a trained ob servation is ,

absol utely necessary and early t raining of this sort may

,

not only develop a broader taste including these sciences ,

but 1 s also a great assis t ance in mastering them Perhaps .

the genius wh o is such because he is a rare interpreter

of the facts of earth is sometimes made so by parents wh o
have early helped hi m to the seeing eye At least we .
,

know that from parents with such trained powers t he ,

leaders in natural science have often sprung .

But in what way i s a person wh o does not use his

senses more fortunate than Helen K eller ? If he be not
actually in possession of a ll his powers is h e too not a , ,

defective
 TRAINING CHILDRE N T O O B S E RVE 57

H ow
F irst i t is necessary from time to t ime to be assured
, , ,

t hat t he child s sense -organs are in normal condi t ion

’
.

T he specialist can correct some defec t s and prevent o t hers .

N ear sigh t edn ess is very common Color blindn ess .

,

which cannot be cured in on e genera t ion is a defec t t ha t ,

ought a t least t o be reco gni zed Adenoids deaden sight .

and hearing and ca t arrh threa t ens hearin g smell and

, ,

t as t e Some of the early infec t ious diseases t hrea t en t he

.

hearing D eafness isola t es sociall y as truly as blin dness

.

does personall y Some of t hese defec t s appear suddenl y

.

and some la t e They are becoming so common t ha t i t

.

seems almost as necessary to have pe r iodi cal examinations

made by the ocul ist as by t he den t is t In utilizin g t he .

important aid afforded by mo t ion pictures toward per

cep tion by the eyes we mus t avoid eye s t rain ,
-
.

Second training in sense perception ought to begin

,

very early Mo t hers are findi ng i t wise to show chi ldren

.

brigh t colors and play them soft melodi es almos t in t he

’
cradle Madame Mon t essori has caught t he world s a t
.

t en t ion by her ingenious devices for such t r aining Work

‘

ing upon founda t ions laid by o t hers she has arranged a ,

series of objects by whi ch children n ot o nly exercise eye

.

and hand t o di scrimi nate color and shape s i ze and smoo t h ,

ness bu t t est t he thermal sense (of hea t and cold) t rain

, ,

themselves i n handling and carrying and enjoy t he m u s cu ,

lar sense in arrangin g and cons t r uc t ing D o ing t hi s in .

an atmosphere of unusual freedom and of social frien dl i

ness they work in t he spirit of play and reach some
,

surprising res ul ts A mother can no t only use the Mon t es

.

sori meth od in the nursery but she can devi se ma t erials ,

of her own inexpensively and fully as efiectiv e beca use

,

made ou t of homely obj ects and attached to household

duties T he child for example will enjoy learn ing to
.
, ,
’
bu tt on the baby s dress more than t o use Montessori s ’

famous bu t toning frame .

Ou r best kindergar t ens have by no means neglected

sensory me t hods T hey are less confi den t t han 1 3 Mon t es
.

sori t hat skill 111 handl ing fo rm al apparatus can be trans

 CHILD S TUDY AND CHILD TRA IN ING

ferred over into skill in handling tools or material s of

work and play With gratitude however ou r most
.
, ,

broad -min ded kindergartners are recognizing the s tim u

lation which Montessori has given to thi s important
matter of seeing n ot only that materials do exist which
wil l train the child s sense percep t ion but that they are
’

sought ou t and constantly used T he kindergarten is .

equipped to do this and to do more F or emphasis upon .

activity rather t han upon sensa t ion should furnish us

opportuni ty to send the child bo t h at home and in the ,

kindergarten in search of larger sense expression

, .

Third the home should be provided with considerable

,

sense apparatus We have already spoken of materials

-
.

which an ingenious mother can gather imitative of the

“

Montessori apparatus O f course everything in the .

,

house makes some senso ry appeal The thing to do is to .

plan that they make an e ffective appeal to children Wall .

papers for examp le should either be cheerful in tone or

, ,

else neutral so as to display b right pictures which in the , ,

nurse ry particularly should be hung low where the chil ,

dren can see and study them and which shoul d be fre ,

quently changed Toys should be few and large and

.

“ ”
largely home —made The best toy as Sisson states
.
, ,
”
is the on e that gives the child the most work to do ,

that is that exercises his senses most in putting together

, ,

building and using N ature s own playthings sand an d

.
,

water and clay sticks and blocks caves and tent like
, ,
- ‘

shelters constitute the mo st educative implements

,

possible .

F ourth we shoul d whenever possible use senso ry

, , ,

methods Some one has said that there is too much

.

book and talk in the schools So is t here in ou r homes . .

We describe obj ec t s or send our children to books to read

about them when we might better show them the objects
themselves When you note the keen delight that chil
.

dren take in grasping looking over lis t ening to or t aking , ,

apart a new obj ect of interest you can appreciate how ,

much more vivid accurate and lasting are the impressions

,

made through the senses than t hrough second hand -

 TRAINING CHILDRE N T O O B S E RVE 59

accoun ts of t hem The benefit of curio shelves s t am p

.
-
,
’
collec t ions natur e collections boys pocke t s and t reasuries
, ,

is that they enlarge the num ber of obj ec tive oppo rtun ities
t o sharpen the sense percep t ions I t is interestin g to .

watch a chil d who has had many chances to perceive ,

expe ri ment and reflect go up like a so ldi er in t he rank s ,

.

from drill to maste r y un t il he lives in a world of a num

,

ber of t hings
”
whi ch Stevenson says shoul d mak e us as
,

happy as kings .

Le t us also defend in our schools the enlar ged use of

laboratories manual traini ng stereop t icons and mo t ion
, ,

pictur es They mean t he ful ler possession of life bo t h

.

by our children and those of o t her people .

Fift h let us remember t o t ry to exercise all the senses

,
.

We are likely to favor t he eyes and the ears and neglect

the t ouch and muscle senses No one knows yet how .

much larger life migh t be if we p ai d more at t en t ion to the

senses of sme ll and taste To go t hrough th e verse s of a .

favorite poet for references to odor migh t reveal h ow full y

or how poorly his soul had responded to t he symphoni c
odors of nature T here are some poets whose lines fairly
.

rio t in color and others like Whitman and Swinburne

, , ,

who show a deli ghted consciousness of the t ac t il e sense as

i t is affected by water sun and air These in dicate some , .

of ou r possibili t ies in t rai ning our children to mul tiply

their contacts with the world t hey live in .

F inally let us try to appreciate t he moral relations of

,

sense training T o t rain to artistic performance is to give

.

a feelin g of li bera t ion and leisur e for strong effective ,

livi ng To give con t ac t enough t hrough t he senses with

.

’
earth s wonders is to inspire thoughtfuln e ss Thus the .

observant soul becomes the reveren t and t hankful soul .

A L I M I T AT I O N
After a ll it is not in di scriminate training of se nse per
,

cep tion that we are after bu t ra t her the habit of

per ceiv
,

m g and enjoying certain cl a ss es of thi ngs Some sense .

training is useless to many persons The delicate pala t e .

of the profe ssional tea taster is nee dl ess for mos t -

Some .
60 CHILD S T UD Y AND CHILD TRAININ G

sense trainin g 1 3 even unfortunate A chi ld trained to .

be an epicure will as a man fre quently be un comfort able .

We may train a child to enjoy a fine d ay wi t hout training ,

hi m to be miserable on rain y days . I n general the m a s

,

teries rather than the repulsions are to be encouraged .

We can at once think of classes of things whose perception

and enjoyment may be and should be encouraged for the
taste a variety of wholesome foods and drinks ; for the
,

smell a sensitive appr eciation of flowers and perfumes ;

,

for the hearing noble harmonies ; for the sight harmonies

, ,

of color landscapes painting and sculpture ; for the touch

, , ,

fineness of apprehension and exquisiteness of manipul a

tion .

RE AD ING REFE R E N C E S
Th e M on tes s ori s y s tem is m os t h e lp fu lly d es c ribed for th e a v era g e
m oth er in C a n field s
“
A M on tes s ori M oth er
’
.Th e s a n es t c ri ti qu e s of
th e s y s tem a re f ou n d in a li ttl e b ook of K i rkp a trick s M on tes s ori S y s tem
’
,
”
E xa m i n e d a n d in G ese ll : Th e Norm a l C hil d a n d P rim a ry Ed u c a ti on
”
, ,

32 3 340
- I n th e sa m e b ook 106 1 24 is a v ery Stron g ch a p ter u p on s en s e
.
,
-
,

tra in i n g Th e differen ce b e tween M on tes s ori a n d th e ki n d erga rte n s ys

.

tem in r es p ec t to s en s e tra i nin g is i m p a rti a lly s tu d i ed by El i za b eth H a rn

s on in a g ov ern m en t d ocu m en t on th e M on tes s ori s y s tem F o rb u s h
"
M an u a l of P l a y V an d XV gives a fresh d i s cu s s ion of pla y for th e
,
.

h om e inv olvin g sen se tra in i n g .

 C HA PT E R I X
HA B IT FO RM I N G —

The val ue of formin g good habi t s in early childh ood is

evident . Good habits are t he accep t ed ways of doin g
things In an y goo d habi t we have some happy race
.

experi ence of whi ch the chil d is permit t ed t o avail him self

,

wi t hout wai t in g for generations to acqui re i t Go od .

habi ts include t he mos t facile ways of doing the most ,

pleasant ways of ge tt ing al ong wi t h other people Once .

absorbed they are executed in voluntaril y and leave the

,

mind free for more important matters They may be .

extended to include n ot onl y agreeable bu t considerate ,

and even generous behavior If hones t ly adopted they

.
,

create moral t ra di t ions which are not easy to di savow .

The lim ita t ions of habits are equall y obvious B ad .

habits are j ust as enchainin g as good ones and persi s t even ,

aft er t he will is aroused again st t hem B ring a reformed

.

man back into the scenes of hi s debaucheries and he is

quite likely to go slipping do wn the easy channels of self
indul gence A habi t t ha t h as been t he agency of unse lfish
.

livin g may if relea se d from its o ri ginal mo t ive be come

, ,

jus t as ugly as a Sin A recent novel t ells the story of a

.

mo t her and sister whose t hrif t had been a means in r e

claim i ng a prodi gal son and brother but af ter t he young
,

man came back hi s home was soon unendurable to h im

because t he habi t of t hrif t havin g become fixed his
, ,

mo t her and sist er were n ow mere misers .

H abi t t h en has i t s important place in enabling the

, ,

child to d o rou t ine and mechanical tasks easily it has a ,

large pl a ce in making a certain pre -e mp t ion for righ t l ivin g ,

bu t i t mus t not be allowed to crush the ini t ia t ive or to

t ak e t he place of original judgment and fresh choices .

There is n o on e period of habi t fo rmi ng Our personal

-
.

habi t s of bo dil y con t ro l carriage and manner are l argely

,

61
62 CHILD S TUDY AND CHILD TRAIN ING

formed before t he age of twenty Business habits and .

intellectual habits are usually formed before thirt y or

thirty fiv e
-
H abits t hat are the result of a religious
.

decision such as the habit of prayer of Bible reading of

, , ,

Christian Observances and service have been known t o be ,

made at every pe ri od of life but they are usually made ,

before maturi ty and if they are made later they contend

,

perpetually against a mob of contrary habits some of ,

which persist until the end of life F ormation is therefore .

, ,

infini t ely easier than reformation .

E S S E N T IAL S TO H A B I T F O R M I N G -

Simply to perform a given act many times regularly

does not create a habit D r E O Sisson cites by wa y of
. . . .

contrast a boy wh o goes to school and wh o also goes to a

Y M C A gymnasium The boy goes to school eve ry
. . . . .

day in the week but two but he does n ot find himself in ,

front of the s ch oolh ou s e d oor on Saturday s al t hough it

'

has been his habit to go all the w

,
“
eek ; yet he never
forgets to attend the gymn asium though he be there not ,

oftener than once a fortnight In th e former case the .

habit wa s enforced by outer authority ; in the latter by ,

inner impulse The one h e a ccep ted the other he adopted

.
, .

So as Sisson says a real habit is n ot the tendency to r e

, ,

peat a certain act but a fixed tendency to respond in a

,
”
certain wa y to a given stimulus H abit making then .
-
, ,

has two factors the stimulus and the response The

,
.

most successful habit makin g will evidently consist of a

-

’
stimulus that is in harmony with the child s instincts and
the consequent natural spontaneous tendency to answer
and gladly comply .

So many are the young child s instincts that we have

’

considerab l e to choose from when we start habit —forming .

Suggestibility will carry a child a good wa y in several

di rections ; the instinc t of activity supported by his imagi
nation helps h im to many tasks in the spirit of play .

Love woos him to conformi ty and fear has its place as a ,

reminder and a control N o doubt we mus t try to form

.

certain habi t s long before the instinct that favors them

 HA B I T FO R M ING
— 63

appears Cleanlin ess has to be imposed by authority

.

un til the ins t inc t of p ri de develops t o demand it N ea t .

ness has to be incul cated long before t he sex ins t in ct for -

adornm en t s insis t s upon an exqui siteness t ha t seems a h

normal We have t o do many t hin gs t o enable children
.

whose preferences resemble those of people of the t hir

te en th cen t ury to live in a twen t ie t h cen t ury society
wi t hout S hocking t hat society .

Mrs Annie Winsor Allen h a s named some of t he desir

.

able habi t s wi t h the approximate years when t hey S hould

,

be acqui red — a tt endi ng t o personal toile t un dr essing , ,

using a pencil using a gen t le voice before t hree years ;

, ,

dr essing picking up toys use of S imple t ools before Six

, , ,

years ; using hammer and n ail s doing some chore regu ,

l arly having purpo seful ou t ings before twelve years

, , .

P RE PARA T I O N S F OR A NE W H A B I T
There are several stages in training a child in a habit .

F irs t we shoul d s t art wi t h a strong ini t iative

, If we .

can make an effective appea l to be gin with whe t her we ,

d o i t by a s t ory a bi t of humor an earnest sugges t ion or

, ,

through t he force of love or pride we are more likely to ,

enlist t he feelings and t he will upon its side .

The second thi ng is to suffer n o excep t ions Some, .

may occu r but they sh oul d be as few as po ssible Ri p

, .

j ust thi s once

’
van Winkle 5 his sweari ng -off dri nk , ,

was his un doing Here we have to apply some t imes t hat

.

mixture of love rea son and determina t ion whi ch m ak es

,

up a trul y art is t ic parenthood .

Thi rd if possible let us n ot force habit a llegiance

,
-
.

Thi s r ule seems to contra di ct the last for if we are n ot ,

to suffer an exception we some t imes have to use force

, .

This is t rue onl y with youn g chil dren B ut if we can .

keep up fideli t y by positive ra t her than coercive me t hod s ,

if we can s t ill have t he co -Opera t ion of t he chi ld s love and ’

wil l we are evide nt ly more nearly 1 n the way of buil din g

.

up a habit t hat will last t han if we exci t e s t ubbo rnness

and rebellion or even induce a disliked ac t
, .

A fourt h rul e on e of mercy is t o keep t he child from

, ,
64 CH I LD S TUDY AN D CHILD TRA I NIN G
'

temptation We appreciate the wisdom of this preca u

.

tion in helping an adult drunkard to reform The rule is .

equally needful in the case of the young whose inclin a ,

tions are full y as treacherous a nd whose wills are l ess

strong .

F inally we may wel l aim to help the child to follow

,
’
William James rule to give the will a little gratuitous ,
”
exercise every day I f we keep a child forever battling .

an ol d habit there is dan ger that he will not only become

,

hidebound and p ri ggish over his victo ry but that his .

tired and mischievous S piri t wi ll rel apse to the ol d just

ou t of revenge Here comes t hat fin e idea about the
.

expul sive power of a new affection I f on e had been .

laboring for a while to habituate a chil d to get down

to breakfast promptly every morning it might be a pleas ,

in g variation if he were tried for a while on combing his

hair successfully or if this seemed to add insult to injury , ,

to all ow him to take hi s father s place at table and serve ’

occasionally The thing is to have always some new

.
,

challenging and interesting stimul us to the will .

F or as Sisson tell s us a habit well abso rbed is regen t

‘

, , , ,
”
for the futur e independent will I t rul es un til the will
, .

is ready to reign .

L et us to make this matter more clear trace through

, ,

these various stages on e good e x ample of h ow to form a

habit We select the on e already referred to the
‘

.
,

habit of notin g and practising personal cleanliness T0 .

start it by a strong initiative we might tell the story of ,

”
D irty Jack the young boy wh o went aro un d among
,

the animals of the field and farmyard to find ou t which on e

"
'

wa s his kinsman After th ey a ll had inspected his hands

.

and face each in turn rejected him until he came to the ,

pigs wh o hailed him as their brother Another way to

,

start would be with a young child of pride to arran ge a

’

, ,

chart or Calendar upon which in gold stars his cleanest ,

days S hould be publicly recorded Then we would suffer

’

no exception The child would not be given his break

.

fast until he had come clean to the table H e might even .

be allowed to be late at school if he used hi s imminent ,

 HA B I T —F OR MI NG 65

tar di ness as the reason for n ot doing t he washing u p that -

he had neglec t ed Third we woul d no t use force {To

.
, .

wi t hhold breakfas t until a child has washed hi s face is

no t t he use o f force i t is t he offerin g of an al t erna t ive ;
,

his get t ing breakfast is a matter of his own voli t ion We .

woul d use posi t ive and encouragin g methods We woul d .

praise his unblemished days we woul d allow him to ,

h andl e l ove ly i ctu r e books because hi s hands were clea n

n
,

we woul d invi t e m m to attractive t asks of whi ch onl y

clean hands are wort hy N ex t we woul d keep him from
.
,

t emp t a t ion Some uncleanl iness is legi t ima t e The

. .

young child has a right to get dir ty playing in t he dirt .

B u t we woul d n ot put a whi t e sui t on h im af t er lunch and

send him ou t t o t he di rt pil e F inally we woul d forge t
-
.
,

cl eanl iness once in a whi l e and get him in t erested in some

o t her habi t We would find some habi t s such as put t ing
.
,

in scrap pic t ur es for ins t ance whi ch t hemselves require

, , ,

as he wo ul d no t i ce clean han ds
, .

T he in t eres t ing way in which chil dren take a well made -

habit as a ma tt er of course is ill us t rated by a s t o ry which

Mrs T W B irn ey t ells
. . . Two li tt le gi rls were visi t in g
.

a Southern town dur ing t he co tt on seas on The t own was

'

a co tt on market and a t t he particul ar time of which I

,

wri t e presented an exceedin gly untidy appearan ce ; n ot

o nl y were detached samples and o t her pieces of co tton .

scattered about the dusty s t reets bu t newspapers an d ,

o t her trash made the town unsigh t ly In the m idst of .

such a scene these two li tt le girls held up a diminu t ive

paper bag from whi ch t hey had just extracted t he last
ani mal cracker and with ve ry earne st faces and genuine
anxiety in t heir tones in quired O h Mamma where sha ll ,
‘

, ,

we pu t thi s empty paper bag ? Wi t h some difficul ty t heir

mo t her res t rained a smile and taking t hem into on e of
,

t he S hops near by S h e said to the ama zement of the youn g

clerk Will you kin dly put t his paper bag in your t ras h
,

basket ? These li tt le girls are no t accustomed to t hrowing

’
paper in t he s t ree t T he clerk told a friend afterward it
.

”
was t he best lesson in neatness he had ever had .
66 CHILD S TUDY AN D CHI L D TRAI N I NG

H ow T o C U R E B AD H A B I T S
A word about bad habi t s T he parent is to regard
.

them as con t rary to nature and is to believe that if he

plants enough good seed it will crowd them out Young .

children who come home with shocking expressions on t heir

lips are not to be greeted with horror The things they .

say may be stigmatized at once as not nice and thereafter

generally ignored while the child is put in the way of
,

hearing only refined speech for a while including such ,

expletives as polite society uses The result will be that

.

the unfortunate phrases will be forgotten In general we .

,

are to overcome evil wi th good endeavoring always to

,

discover the good moti ve the wholesome activity the

, ,

diversion t hat may displace what is undesirable .

D eterren t methods come as a last resort but even these ,

can usually be symbolic T he soapy water cure for pro

.

A writer in H a rper s B a za r used this

’
fa n ity is such.
,

which wa s fair as well as symbolic and involved an Opp or

,

tu n ity for choice :

On e of the most aggravating faults of two impulsive
boys proved to be a disposition t o interrupt when some
on e else wa s speaking in order to interpolate their own
,

views The d is a gr eea b le h a bit did not yield to explana

.

tions of the rudeness of the practice nor to reprimands

upon the numerous S lips in this line .

E ach boy wa s the recipient of a small allowance of

pocket money weekly to supply smal l personal and school
-

needs and the distressed mother noticed h ow eagerly

,

plans were made ahead for its use She determ i ned to use
.

this fact as a leverage of control .

Q ui etly S h e announced that at the least S ign of a break

in the way of interruption Of another s conversation S h e
’

shoul d un ostentatiously raise on e forefinger If this warn .

ing were not heeded she would raise two fingers which ,

signal would mean a fine Of five cents .

At the end of the first week both boys had not only lost
their whole allowance but were in debt besides ; this too
, , ,

without a word of fault fin din g or scolding

- .

The second week saw a decided improvement and the ,

 HA B I T FO R M I NG
—
67

end of the month proved t he objectionable habi t to be a

bit Of ancient hi s t ory .

A child S houl d come up to the days of youth with a ll

the common cour tesies a matter Of course religious ob ,

ser van ces so much a cus t om t hat t hey s t and ready to

become natural expressions for his awakening religious

nat ure and kindly and generous atti t udes of t hough t SO
,

long es t ablished t ha t when he gets ready to take himself

in hand he S hal l h ave S O many Chri s t ian presum ptions in
his experience t ha t i t will be difficul t t o di sown t hem .

RE AD ING REFE RE N C E S
A grea t ch a p te r on h a bit is in Will ia m J a m es ’
La rger P sych ol ogy .

I t h a s bee n re p ri n te d in a sm a ll b oo k un d er th e titl e Ha bi t S iss o n :

”
, .

Th e Ess en tia l s of C h a ra c ter h as on e g ood c ha pter on th e su b j ect I V

”
, , ,

a n d th ere a re h elpf ul referen ces in T h orn dike s Ed u ca ti on

’
95 1 16
,
-
,

1 7 0-1 7 5 .
 C H A PT E R X
THE PR O B LE M S OF O B E D I E N C E
It is to be understood that this is one of three chapters
devoted to the home training and governm ent of children
and young people The present chapter discusses the
.

problem in the first s ix years of life the years from six to

,

twelve are covered in Chapter X X V I I and the adolescent ,

years in Chapter X XX I .

AS is suggested by the title of this chapter the special ,

problem at the start of life is that of obedience This .

is true not as some seem to suppose because demanding

, ,

obedience is a divine right of parents but rather because ,

it is such a necessary protection to young children We .

are obliged to use ou r good sense in behalf of little ones ,

wh o haven t any
’
.Since our sole excuse for exercising
’
authority is the C hild s welfare that authority cease s
,

when the child no longer needs it O bedience even to

.

wise parents is a virtue only until the child is ol d enough

to be trained by more advanced methods .

B ut since it must for the child s own safety be a b s o

"
’

, ,

lute for a t ime how essential it is that obedience be

,

grounded in impartial wisdom and goodness The es

”
s en tia l of good governm ent says John W D insmore
,
.
,
“ ”
is a good governor .

I t is usually agreed that the earliest days of dawn ing

intelligence are not too soon to impress upon the child
t he necessity of docility to comm and Mothers find .

that t hey need to resist t he tyranny of babies from th e

s ta r t
. T hey must never be allowed to get their own
wa y by cries of t emper or of entreaty While the wise .

and loving mother wa t ches every symptom and learns

to interpret every mood and outcry she and not the ,

child must t ake t he direction of hi s ways if he is to become

68
 TH E PR O B LE M S OF O BE D I E NC E 69

a happy li tt le bl essing and no t a burden both t o hi mself

and to o t hers .

Some maxims t hat may be helpful in maintaining the .

righ t a tt itude in the face of un foreseen emergencies are

these :
1 M ak e up your mi nd beforehand as clearly as you
.

can what you will and what y ou cannot allow .

2 E xpress clearl y after ga in i n g the ch ild s fu ll a tten

’

.
,

tion what you wan t h im to do or t o refrai n from doing

,
.

3 Let there be al ways a cheerful expectancy t hat

.

wha t you want done will be done .

4 Cha nge your min d only when you are wrong no t

.
,

because you are en t reated and no t because t he wise way

,

proves to be more difficul t t han you a t firs t supposed .

5 Try to make your wi ll and t he expressions of i t

.

al ways t he reflection of t he everlas t ing ri gh t .

6 H abitually conn ect some sort of pleas ure with obe di

.

ence and some sort of pain with disobe dience .

C O LLI S I O N S
A li t tle child is bound to collide occasionall y wi t h the
will of hi s paren t s He is n ot naugh ty but he is lively
.
,
.

I n a moral sense he is nei t her obedi en t n or di sobedien t ,

bu t he is full of various impul ses so me of whi ch are dis ,

orderly some dangerous

, He is na t ur ally dirty and
.
,

careless of perils of whose extent he is n ot aware Since .

t he child seeks ne a r rather than remo t e ends knowin g no ,

other he appe ars to be selfish

, I t is perhaps in t ended
.

that he sho ul d fin d hi m self before he h as t he happies t

relations wi th hi s neighbors He can of course however
.
, , ,

love hi mself and his neighbor bo t h if he has the capacity

to love at al l While he is affec t iona t e and S O can be
.
,

sorry he generall y seeks these nearer ends his own pleas

, ,

ures regardl ess of any one ; he feels little sense of shame or

,

pe n i t ence ; he knows no self-condemnation ; he regards

Opposi t ion as hostili ty ; and he does n ot care what people
t hi nk of him He yields to sugges t ion force and reward
.
, ,
“
but often quibbles an d eases off perfec t compliance ,

and some t imes puts up an in t elligen t vigorous and per ,

70 CHILD S TUDY AND CHILD TRAI NI NG

S istent resistance which ought to be gratifying to us as

evidence that he is a person of parts .

Y et he has a curious love of regulari ty and after he

has done a t hing right often enough he likes better to do
it that wa y H e likes the same commands for the same
.

duties he obj ects to excep t ions and whatever he has

,

been made to do himself he likes to insist on from his

j uniors If we are pa t ient in getting him to like hi s
.

right habits they become his allies as well as hi s friends

, .

M ETH O DS OF S E C U RI N G O B E DI E N C E
The necessi ty of securing a child s full attention when ’

Obedi ence is desired has been men t ioned Children are .

Often punished for disobeying commands which they did

not really hear or which they did not understand or which
, ,

they h ave forgotten A good rule is never to give an

.
,

Order to a child un t il he is looking you squarely in the

face The facul ty of attention is a moral as well as an
.

intellectual support and parents wh o ruthl essly interrupt

,

it by calling children needlessly from absorption in their

games are themselve s breaking down a force whi ch
sho ul d work l ater for mental application and moral
devotion .

G overnment by words then has a large p l ace in a , ,

young ch ild s experience words clear timely decisive

’

, , , ,

kindly and not domineering or querulous challenging to ,

ob stinacy or irritating to wrath .

Some little children respond well to homilies ; that is if ,

the homilies be sprightly affectionate and in story form ,

.

'
Bu t s erm on ics are often futile and the child may look
fascinated at the facile maternal j aw wi t hout ab sorbing a
S ingle idea S h e utters .

Sug ges tion is better An expectant happy manner

.
,

a ccompanied by a co —operating spirit will win almost any

child to pick up his blocks even when he is ve r y tired and
feel s it a bore to do so .

E specially does a suggestive appeal to the imagination

help To be under drill to play one is a soldier will ge t
.
, ,

many hard things do n e To co-operate in one s own

’
.
 TH E PR O B L EM S OF O BE DI E NC E 71

punishm ent by playing one is in prison gives a chance for

some needed though t ful so litude whi ch i t self correc t s
many a bad habi t .

Rewards may be used with caution so long as they ,

seem t he natur al accompanimen t s of vi rtue The chi ld .

,

for ins t ance wh o does his work will have more time left
,

t o play T he on e who is gen t le wi t h a pe t an i m al S hows

.

t ha t he deserves t o have on e of his own But bribes are .

dangerous Small payments for unusual p atience or

.

indus t r y may be regarded as legitimate sin ce t hey are ,

symbols of what those virt ues will earn in later life .

E mul a t ion is generall y bad TO strive to equal a .

superexcellen t S ist er o r outdo a ploddin g brother is

likely to nurture long enduring envy and ha t red -
.

P UN I S H M E NT
T he most perplexin g questions are t hose related to
punishment P unishment is necessa ry I t may be de — I
. .

fined as nega t ive reward When t he child does ri gh t we .

try to see that he gains wha t righ t doing gives as an -

,

encouragement When he does wrong we t hi nk he ought

.

to have enough of the resul ts Of wrong doing to act as a -

deterren t If this be our theory then t here is no room

.
,

for punishment as revenge or as an act for the sake of

’
relieving t he p aren t s mind Some deny any place to .

fear as a mo t ive power yet i t does seem nece ss ary for

,

t he young child s se lf pro t ec t ion tha t he should at times

’
-

pause apprecia t e t he danger of his course and avoid i t

, .

The chief purpose of an y punishm en t of course is to

correct th e h a rm .
, ,

‘
When we say that punishment is de t errent we d o n ot ,

necessarily mean t hat t he child is benumbe d ; he may even

be made by i t men t al ly and physically more alert And .

since hi s fear S houl d be n ot fear of his paren t s but fear of i

t he consequences he may learn by i t t o S hun the evil and
,

t o choose t he good His bes t strength in his fear is tha t

.

hi s paren t s are his fri ends whate ver happens and S O in , ,

conquerin g him self or in mee t ing t he conse quences of

 72 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAIN I NG

i gnorance or folly he may depend that they are upon

,

his side .

We have been implying t hat punishments should be

natural t hat is they S hould be imi t ative of the resul t
,

which t he Offence if unchecked woul d be likely t o pro

, ,

duce Such eviden t ly are just certain salutary and

.
, , ,

involve less rancor against their promoters than those

produced by whim or arbitrariness They resul t in a real .

learning from experience .

"
D eprivation is on e of the most common forms of
natural punishment The child soon learns tha t if he
.

misuses a toy or a pet he cann ot have it that if he dis ,

tu r b s the family peace he loses the family society But .

the method gradu a lly loses it s validity as it grows more ,

di fficult to arrange results naturally and promptly The .

limi t ations are obvious too T he natural punishment

, .

for a child s leaning ou t of the window wo ul d be that he

’

would break his neck but we cannot allow that The

, .

’
natural result of a child s lying is that nobody believes
what he says yet such a chi ld usually most needs his
,
’
paren t s confidence T he severest limi t ation is that the
.

discipline of consequences by and b y ignores the element - -

of personality There is something that is hurt inside a

.

child when he does wrong whether he hurts anybody

.
,

else or n ot or whether he is found out or goes unpunished

, .

G radually that sense of ou gh t appears and after it has ,

appeared natural puni shment is no t wholly effective .

C O RP O RA L P U NI S H M E N T
T he question whe ther corporal punishment 1 S ever a d
visable i s best answered pragmatically No doubt most .

children are harmed by it and most parents are made ,

worse by administerin g it but there seems little doubt too

, , ,

that a few children accept it wi t h curious satisfaction .

When trouble has been a long time brewing and has

finally come to a climax it seems j ust to jolt the chi ld into
t he right mind Such childr en will sometimes accept
.

punishmen t as a help to being good as a help to remember , ,

a help to keep ou t of danger Punishmen t S hould a lways .

 TH E PR O B L EM S OF O BE DI E NC E 73

help; it shoul d al ways l ook to t he future . I t S ho ul d never

be an effort to get even or straigh t en ou t t he irrevocable
p ast .

So far as it is possible to generali z e abo ut thi s very

delicate remedy when onl y expe rience with the in di vi dual ,

t hought ful ly considered can dete rmin e its propriety in a

,

given instance it appears that corporal punish ment S houl d

,

be reserved for delibera t e disobedi ence and be intended '

t o determine the question Of l eadershi p ; it is efl eCtiv e only

wi th qui te small chil dren ; it S houl d be applied always
pri vately moderately and in a manner as lit t le h u m ilia t
,

ing as po ssible ; it S houl d be dealt by the parent as a du t iful

ce r emony without exci t ement or anger ; i t S ho ul d come as
promptly as possible after the offence but never at bed
t ime and whe n i t is over the parent S houl d be comple t ely
,

forgiving and forgetful The parent needs to avoid t he

.

casual smack given alike for eve ry offence and the cruel
ordeal whi ch is clearly the expression of hi s o wn passion .

T he fact that some blo ws given in anger to exasperatin g

‘

infants have done them good seems to S how that ri ghteous

in di gnation is occasionally recognized as such by t he
buddi ng mi nd T his fact while it is satisfying at the
.
,

momen t does n ot guaran t ee t he safety or wisdom of a

,

repe t ition Blows are always dangerous to the p arent

.
,

even if we have reason to suppose that n ow and then they

may be safe for t he child .

C H O I C E AN D A C T I V I TY
To give a chi ld some measure of choice even in his pun ,

ish m e n ts is desirable
, I t is usually be tt er to tel l a c h ild
.

t hat if he doesn t stop bawling wi thi n two minutes he mus t

’

go t o his room t han t o drag him to hi s roo m at once for the ,

former method gives him a chance to d o two ve ry la udable

and valuable things to make up hi s mind and to use his
,

will . E ven to give a child hi s choice between two pun

is h m en ts is not a bad idea for even if he chooses the less ,

painful it will st ill be a punishment but the on e t hat ,

seems to him the more jus t .

Choice involves ac t ivity and government by ac t ivi ty ,

74 CHILD S TUDY AND CHILD TRA INI NG

is the best of all methods of home training With babies .

we do not remove t he dangerous play t hing without giving

at the same instant a safe on e We forefend an undesirable
.

plan when the child has begun to get about by planning a

’
diversion We dare not say don t very often in the
.

because we have
’
nurse r y particularly
,
don t touch ,

come to know that the touch instinct and the touch -

hunger are the most valuable motive powers in self

educa t ion but instead we plan to fil l the whole day with
, ,

safe happy eager doing and a chil d wh o is S afely busy is

, , ,

always good .

RE AD I NG REFE R E N C E S
Th e re is a g ol d en ch a p ter in A ll en : H om e S ch ool a n d Va ca ti on
, ,

u p on ob ed i en c e u n d er th e ti tl e
,
M a xim s of H om e D is ciplin e M rs .
”
.

Wood Allen in h er M aki n g th e B est of Ou r Ch il d ren fi rs t s eri es h a s

-
,
”
,

a h el p fu l c h a p te r M rs C h en ery : As th e Twig is B en t ta k es u p th e
. .
,

p robl em a s it rel a tes to ch il d ren b etween fou r a n d eigh t .

J a cob A bb ott s fin e old b ook Gen tl e M ea s u res in th e T ra in in g of th e

’
,

Y ou n g d i s cu s s e s th e qu e s ti on of p u n i sh m en t wis el
,
Hi s g ran d son ,

E rn es t H a m li n A bb ott : On th e T ra in in g of Pa rents
”
,oll ows in th e s a m e
 C HA PT ER X I
S E X I N ST R U C T I O N A N D D I S C I P L I N E
There seems to be general agreement today as t o the
necessity of sex inst ruc t ion in the home T here are .

differences of Opinion as to its desir abili ty i n the schools .

T he only pro mi nen t opponent of sex ins t ruc t ion generally

is D r Hugo Miin s terb er g
. Hi s arguments shoul d in fair
.

ness be weighed His prin cipal objec t ion to such t eaching

.

is t hat i t s t imul ates the passions and S O weakens ra t her

than st ren gthens t he defences of t he will agains t imm oral
ity Thi s i s probably t r ue to some exten t duri ng a d ol es
.

cence al t hough such s t im ul ation 1 s reduced t o a minimum

,

if t he ins t ruction be oral gi ven by a parent and s t ated in

,

terms of moral idea l and self maste ry Such an influence-

.

is quite obviated if the instruc t ion is given be fore the

years when th e sex nature awakens and if it is foll owed by
a wise physic al and moral di scipline of the sex life Dr . .

Miin s terb erg argues that if t he child i s left ignorant hi s

fears and his natural S hame will be his protection
“ ”
(The .

word his S hould be changed t o her for he seems ,

more cert ai n t hat this will be true of girls tha n of boys ) .

U nfort una t ely n o child is ever left ignoran t nowadays .

b
T ee fourt hs of all boys and gi rls ge t a nearly comple t e
r —

t hough oft en distort ed and unwholesome equ ipment of

information by t he t ime t hey are t en years Old I t is .

hard to see h ow fear can protect if on e does not know what

to be afraid of or h ow ignoran t Shame can carry a boy or
,

gi rl safely through t he insi di ous temp t a t ions of our

modern so cial life .

Our be tt er cour se seems to be to give instruc t ion but ,

to see t hat i t is done by the right persons in t he righ t way

an d a t the ri gh t times We may a gree wi t h Dr Mii n s ter
. .

berg D r Cabo t and o t hers however t hat mere in s tru c

, .
, ,

t ion is n ot enough To know what Sin is and what are

.

75
76 CHILD S TUDY AND CHI L D TRAIN I N G

its wages has not made the world good though it has ,

taught those wh o wanted to be good where trouble lies .

O ur more important duty is so to reinforce the will and

stren gthen the ideals that the informed youth S hall choose
to live purely This i s not a matter of merely conveying
.

some facts ; it means a course of moral gymnasti cs Sex .

discipline is as necessary as sex instruction .

W H O I s TO D O TH I S ?
E vidently the parents the mother first and l ater with
, ,

boys the father F or the present at least it seems u n

, .
, ,

likely that these matters will be taught in the schools .

I f they sho ul d be there wi ll at firs t probably be little

,

more than an indirect approach through nature study in

the lower grades that represent the age when first in s tru c
tion S houl d begi n The physician may especially durin g
.
,

adolescence prove a valued assistant to the parent but

, ,

he is n ot in a posit ion to give that consecutive traini ng

and watchfulness which constitute adequate help G en .

er a lly physicians are poor teachers The mi ni ster may .

prove an ally too but he has neither the preparation nor

, ,

the opportun ity to t ake this work from parental S houl

“ ”
ders The s o called
. expert
-
is to be distrus t ed for ,

those wh o speciali z e in this theme are qui te likely to be

morbid about it and a lecture from a platform is a poor
,

substitute for the careful explanations and answers to

questions which alone gi ve satisfactory kn owledge Any .

audience of boys or girls ol d enough to listen intelligen t ly

necessarily numbers young persons of various physio
logical and psycho logical ages E ach has his own special
.

inqui ry or an xiety No blan ket i nformation can suffice

. .

The conversation that ensues among these half instructed -

young folks is hardl y informative or wholesome .

B ooks are useful for giving parents scientific knowledge

and suggesting the language of presentation but they ,

S hould not be put into the hands of children They are .

ready made they do n ot answer the di fficulty of the

-
,

moment Most of them are vague and so do n ot give

.
,

concrete knowledge Many of them are sentimental and

.
,
 S E X INS TRUC TI O N AN D DISCI P LI N E 77

so are un wholeso me A few of t hem t ell too much and

. ,

so are too stimulating T he t imid parent may possibly

,

find it necessary t o put wha t he thinks t he most sui t able

book in his chi ld s hands bu t he shoul d do t his chi efly
’

as an excuse for s t arting a conversa t ion in whi ch he S houl d

di scover whether the child really got what the book had
for hi m and what more the chi d wants t o know Such
,
l .

books wo ul d better be t aken away aft er rea ding SO t hat ,

t hey will not be brood ed over or loaned about amon g the

children of the neighborhood .

J U S T W HA T TH E P R O B LE M I S
Two S ituations chil dhood and you t h are involved in
of
sex ins t ruc t ion and di scipline One is that before and .

t he other tha t aft er the sex na t ure awakens In t he .

earlier period we are busy wi t h general preparation ; in t he

la t er we are helping th e you th meet a person al problemv .

A t firs t our work i s S imple and easy We ourselves S houl d .

feel lit t le if any self consciousness in communi ca t ing the

-

fac t s during the years when all acts and facts have equal
ran k and t he discipline of those years is that of general
,

self control B ut later when our own S hyness is met by

-
.
,

t he self consciousness of youth the problem is on e which

-
,

he him self feels poign an t ly and the di scipline must be

spe cific an d urgent The more we can d o in the way of
.

early instruction and training the easier and the bette r it ,

I N S T R U C T I O N AND D I S C I P LI NE OF P R E -A D O L E S C E NT S
T he first item in the long program is inst ruction as to
the perso nal toil et Assured that the chi ld s private
.
’

part s a re in norm al condi t ion the parent must teach the ,

chi ld to clean se t hem regularly and that he is otherwise

t o leave t hem alone These like the rest of t he bodily
.
,

t emple are to be t reated reverentiall y Modesty i s to

, .

be taught but even in doing SO the chil d i s to learn that

,

some part s of the body are withh eld from e xhibition n ot ,

because they are shameful but be cause the y deserve and ,

78 CHILD S TUDY AN D CHILD TRAINING

require S pecial protection And the child is to be taught

.

that whatever is told him about these organs is a secret

between his parent and himself kept not because it is ,

shameful as it is n ot but j ust as we do n ot tell our neigh

, ,

bors about ou r prayers or our fami ly affairs .

The habit of self-abuse which sometimes sets parents

,

into panic and causes them to think their children de

generate is often acquired innocently through the acci
,

dent al discovery that it is pl easurable and is occasioned ,

more often than by any other on e cause by the neglect

of the parent to instruct the child h ow by proper ,

cleanliness and care to avoid a local condition of irrita

,

b ility
. The most seri ous meaning of s u ch a habit is n ot
physical but the fact that it is a selfish in dulgence likely t o ,

lead into sensuality hereafter Both among boys and girls .

,

the method of prevention and cure is the positive on e I m .

media t e rising on waking the cold morning splash and rub

, ,

the athletic ideal the broadest conception Of what manhood

,
“
or woma n hood means getting good and tired and going
,

to bed ready for calm dreamless S leep , these are the best
ways to help the child to master his body T he chi ld wh o .

is softly nurtured overfed greedy and indul ged is being

, ,

actuall y trained for sensuality B ut to go into training .

for wholesome bodily living is to make ready for moral

living later Whatever makes a child self -contro lled
.
,

ready for hardship and full of abounding life n ow is the

best kind of sex discipline for this period of h fe F or n o .

other reason than this is it so important t hat confidential

relations S ho ul d be main tained between parent and child .

T here is alm ost certain to be so me physical state or

symptom some Obscure physiolo gical fact some social
, ,

or moral S ituation involving the sex life concernin g ,

which the child kn ows no person in the worl d whom he

can depend upon for knowledge or wisdom unless it is ,

his fa t her or mother It is a pathetic tragedy if he dares

.

not confide in them E ven the parent wh o is timid about

.

Offering information can keep t he door open to his child ,

so tha t when he comes and asks for it he may o b t ain

 S E X INSTRUC T I O N AN D D ISCI P LI N E 79

what he needs N O paren t need find it hard to t alk abo u t

.

t his ma tt er if he i s sure his child desires t o lis ten

, .

The child S houl d receive some inst ruc t ion The be st .

occasion is in an swer to some inevi t able ques t ion Ofte n ,

s t imulated by Observat ions among t he ani mals or bi ds r

or in t he hum an family h fe or b y s ome at t emp t a t revela,

tion by a playma t e T he very best Oppo r t un i ty and one

.
,

t o be taken advant age of is when a new baby i s expe c t ed

,

in the home or neighborhood The eveni ng is a good .

time when the light i s shaded and the Chil d I s in mo t her S

,
’

lap too S leepy to di scuss the ma tt er but in t he mood of

, ,

recep t ion of content and gra t itude

, .

AS to our manner in such a conversation i t S houl d be ,

mat t er Of—fact
-
T here is no excuse for self consciousness
.
-
,

since to the child all informa t ion is of equal rank and

interest T here is no reason t o suggest that wha t we t e ll
.

is unusual His quest ions are innocent not se rious

. If , .

he has S hocked us alr eady by some vulgar word or phrase ,

it has been ei t her throu g h ignorance or bravado We .

sho ul d above all t hi ngs be hones t S ince we ca nno t exac t ,

honesty from him in a ll realms unl ess we gran t i t t o him

in t hi s on e T he mo t her ma y some t imes wisely pos t pone
.

an answer to an especi al ly s t art lin g inquiry un t il a more

propitious t ime and un til S h e has ca reful ly framed her
answer bu t i t S hould be a short po s t ponemen t and not
, ,

an avoidance We S hould be sure t he chi ld is a tt entive

.
.

So me chi ldren ask ques t ions for the sake of making con
versation bu t i t is fair to demand t ha t they should lis t en
,

during t his explanation un t il it is clear and t hen dismi ss

t he subj ect from t heir m inds un less addi t ion al informa ,

tion is wanted T here is n o reaso n wh y they S houl d

.

chatter about it daily .

WH A T TO T E LL
T here are t wo questions which a child ought t o ask an d ,

probably will before he is t en perhaps before h e is Six

, ,

years Old and bo t h sho ul d be answered whenever they are

,

asked On e is :
. H ow do babies come ?”
or some other
 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD TRAINING

in quiry that leads to the mother s part in the renewal of ’

I t is generally agreed that the stork story and the

doctor story are unnecessary M any perhaps most .
, ,

counsellors advise leading up to the explanation by using

such incidents as frequently occur in the plant and animal
world T his takes some time and requires a number of
.

analogies T he writer is convinced that the method is

.

nee dl essly devious and that we prefer it because we are

S h y rather than because the method is helpful Wh y not .

say at once that all life comes from parents ; wh y not tell
little children i m mediately that the child himse lf wa s
’
carried in a nest in his mother s body close under her
heart and was brought into the world as all little ones are , ,
”
through the gates of birth ? The farm yard method -

and the garden story then become useful supports and

reminders for the human story T he method of flower .

fertilization the growth of chickens from the egg t he

, ,

birth of puppies are easily Observed and accessible exp eri

,

en ces which require to be interpreted and which in turn

, , ,

in terpret chastely what takes place in hum anity In .

some ways it seems better to emphasize the differences

rather than the S imilari t ies between the animal and the
human worl d The human life is immeasurably above
.

that of any of the animals ; human parents love before they

mate and they care for their young throughout their
,

lifetime as none of the animals do There will come a .

time too when we must S how the youth that with the
, ,

animals a normal sex life is an instinct but that with man ,

it is an achievement We do not w ant him to use hi s

.

animal nature as an excuse for behaving like an animal .

The other question which is quite as likely to be asked

is as to the part of fathers in reproduction There is an .

unwise reluctance as to revealing this and children h a ve ,

anguished over the puzzle wi t h the resul t that both boy s

,

i
and girls grow up with the feeling t ha t however beau t fu l ,

and noble motherhood may be there is something S hame

,
~

ful about becomin g a father That this feeling has had

.
 S E X INSTRUC T I O N AN D DISCI P LIN E 81

i t s resu l t in degr ading fa t herhoo d and in encoura gi ng

impuri ty among boys there can be n o ques t ion .

Thi s ques t ion S ho ul d be answered as soon as i t is asked .

It is much be t ter to te ll it before the chil d has sex

consciousness With boys we lose the strongest motive
.

for th e protec tion of the organs of genera t ion when we

postpone knowledge of their use We prepare girls for a .

sickly unwholesome kind of S hame if t hey grow up in a

,

world where pictures scul pture li t erature and conversa

, ,

tion leave them half ins t ructed bu t nee dl essly embarrassed .

Children of bo t h sexes may safely be t old how t he seeds

of life are nouri shed and carried and deposi t ed Quie t ly .

revealed t hi s mys t ery wil l impress any child as a be aut iful

,

miracle play and i t s sa t isfyi ng completeness will tend

-
,

to prevent rather than s t imul a t e fur ther t hought and

curi osi ty .

In all t hi s early t eaching there is t he d i rec t Oppo rtunity

to S how how t he sex organs are chiefly t he sa cred in s tru
ments for t he maintenance of fam ily l ife A chi ld ge t s .

-
no other conception of t heir use from hi s companions t han
that they are prim aril y for personal and sensual pleasure .

By t his me t hod bo th boys and girls see t hat t hey are t he

means for handing down life and that therefore they are ,

to be p rotected as such by t hose to whose stewardship

t hey are given .

Thi s frankness se ts the chil d free to continue to be child .

like an d n ot inqui si t ive or furt ive or b a fll ed

, , .

E ven during th e pre adolescent years a good fa t her

-

ought to S hare in t hi s teaching Af t er a mother has t old .

the s t ory of bir th a fat her S ho ul d tell t he lit t le son or

,

daugh t er h ow hard and h ow pe rilous i t all was when t he

chi ld s own life was given and so win for t he mo t her for
’

ever after t he gra t i t ude and considerateness which she

deserves It is more natural too for fa t hers to tell the
.
, ,

fa t her s t ory to thei r youn g sons

-
.

I N S T R U C T I O N AND D I S CI PLI N E OF AD O L E S C E NTS

I t is no t to be supposed that a ll t he ins t ruc t ion suggested
above can be given in on e in t erview I t is a consequence .
82 CHILD S TUDY AND CHILD TRAINI NG

of the me t hod here descri bed which a rou s es n o sex con ,

s ciou sn es s t ha t informa t ion is more easily forgotten

, .

T he parent must occasionally review or question and , ,

add a few fac t s as they are needed F or example it will .

,

be necessary to urge t he child to resist with scorn and

indignation any invasion of his or her physical p ri vacy
by another of either sex At the dawn of adolescence it
.

is necessary for a mother to inform her daughter about t he

facts and hygiene of menstrua t ion Adolescent boys too .
, ,

would be more considerate Of their mothers sisters and ,

friends if they knew t hat they are at times in a condition

which requires especially tender care By this time too .
, ,

it is necessary that young people S ho ul d know tha t t here

are unfo r tun ate women wh o make hire of their bodies and ,

men wh o are so debased as to prostitute their own powers .

I t is also absol utely necessar y in early adolescence to say

something about the awful fil th —diseases that are the
wages of S in at least for the sake of av oiding the public
,

sources of contamination and later for deterrence T here

, .

S hould be no dark places left in the mind of youth fu rn is h e

ing room for sex worries or justifying recourse to quacks

-
,

or contamin ated literature .

B ut for both men and maidens the great need n ow is

the positive not the ne g ative,
moral gymnastics rather
than men t al equipment Paul s motto . I go into train ’

,
”
ing for the contests of godliness must be the motto of ,

every young man and woman The problem n ow is n o .

longer one of hearsay The sexual impul se coming sud

.
,

d en ly is in the lives of many young men so masterful that

,

knowl edge ideals even prayers and strong c rying are

, ,

hardly effective to stay the comp ul sion The erotic .

t endency assisted by the instinct to dare and the more

,

ancient instinct to chase pushes hard at t he b arri ers of self

,

restraint With young women thoroughly protected

.
.
, ,

the imp ul se expresses itself more indirec t ly through charm

and beauty and allurement but unguarded and betrayed ,

by woman s instinc t t o give i t too may press on to moral

’
, , ,

defeat The sex hun gers are stimulated today by ou r

.
-

sensuous amusements ou r l avi sh living foo lishl y u n ch a p e

, ,
x
 S E X INS TRUC T I O N AND DISCI P LI N E 83

ron ed Opport u ni ty t he freedom of the first departure from

,

home and t he necessary pos t po nement Of marriage

,
.

We mus t do all we can now t o s t rengthen t he good

mo t ives and ri ght at t i t udes E very possible mo t ive mus t
.

be brough t to bear to ups t ay the will and to keep the li fe

st ainless Wi t h on e the person al mo t ives may avail :
.

self respect the n obles s e obl ige that wil l not hun t down a
-
,

woman and woul d not hurt an un born child refinemen t ,

disgust wha t Mr Roo sevel t call s t ruculen t in t eg ri ty

, .
,

even t he fear of personal inj ury With ano t her the social .

passion wil l be more effective : loyal ty to clan reverence ,

of motherhood chi valry to S isterhoo d the unwil lingness

, ,

t o make a thra ll of an other so ul the sense of responsi ,

b ility to socie t y and the un willi ngness to be a social

criminal the se nse of outrage at contam i nating the S pri ngs
,

of b irth fideli t y t o the wife or t he husband or the children

,

tha t are t o be With s t ill ano t her the religious motive

.
,

may prevail : the manly fear of God Old fashioned horror ,

-

of S in a passion for t he Ki ngdom of G od on earth We

, .

may strengthen these various mo t ives by t he aid of good

and wise people T he physician may emphasize the
.

physical and broaden the scope of information t he Y M , . .

C A physic al dir ector t he Campfire G irls guardian

. .
, ,

t he camp di rector may help the ambi t ion for clean bo dily
vigor ; the pastor an d t he church may appeal to t he r e
ligiou s feelin gs and decisions ; busy compani onship wi t h
noble young men an d unse lfish women will enl arge t he
social ideal and call forth t he influence Of hero wors hi p .

F re quent and wholesome social meetin gs of boys an d

girls i n t he home will t end to take the place Of unres t rained
conviviali t y and clandes t ine meetings .

N O virt ue is safe says D r E O Sisson , that is not

. . .
,
”
en t husiastic We do n ot expec t our youn g people t o
.

become p uri t y crusaders but we d o want a qui e t settled

, ,

all egiance t o t he side of honor I n the Kn i gh t s of Kin g

.

Arthur a fraternity with a separate S is t erhoo d foun d in

,

many of our C hurches young folks in on e of the degrees

, , ,

wi t hou t saying very much about it t ake a compact of ,

chasti ty and t he knigh t ly ideal and romance has been

,
84 CHILD S T U DY AN D CHILD TRAININ G

found effective in m aint a ining it Still better is it .

for tempted young people _to save t hemselves by serving

“

”
others F or their sakes
. said the M aster I conse , ,
”
crate my self and to be an elder brother or sister to
'

yo un ger boys and girls not onl y potently helps self-mastery

at the time bu t acts as a guiding motive long after the
,

special connection has ceased .

Here again the family ideal whi ch wa s helpful in the ,

earliest instruction continues to be central in adolescent ,

discipline Carried on into marriage it is the best guar

.
,

antee of a pure and unselfish home life and a wise and

loving nurture Of children .

RE AD ING REFE R E N C E S
T wo val ua bl e b ook s u p on th e im p or ta n c e of s ex in stru ction a re Wil e
S e x Ed u ca ti on a n d F os te r : Th e S ocia l Em e rg en cy Th e l a tte r
” ”
.
,

con ta in s s e pa ra te ch a p ter s on differen t p h a s es of th e m a tter by d iffe ren t .

wri ter s
. Th e f oll owi n g b ook s will b e f oun d h elp fu l to u se wi th chil d ren
of th e a g es in d ic a ted :

To U S E WI TH C H I L D RE N UP To EI GH T
M orl ey s Th e S p a r k of Life
’
.

Ch a pm a n s H ow Sh a ll I Tell M y Ch il d ?
’

To U S E WI TH B OY S AND G I RL S F ROM NI NE TO F OU R TE EN
H a ll s F rom You th in to M an h ood
’
.
”

Lowry s Tru th s (for b oys)

’
.

H owa rd s“ C on fi d en tia l C h a ts wi th B oys

’
.

Lowry s Con fi d e n ce (for gi rl s )

’ ”
.

To U S E WI TH Y OUTH OV E R F O U RTEEN
S m ith s Th e T h ree G ifts of L ife (for gi rl s)
’
.

H ood s F or G i rl s a n d th e M oth ers of Gi rl s

’
.

Th e Ch a n gi n g G i rl
’
La tim e r s .

H all s F rom You th in to M a n h ood

’
.

W ills on s Th e A m er ic a n Boy a n d th e S ocial Evil

’
.

H a ll s Th e S tren g th of Ten
’
.

G od dard s Th e Ka llikak F a m ily (giv in g th e e u gen ic m otive)

’
.
 C HA PT ER X I I
T H E I MA G I N ATI O N
One importan t mistake is commo nl y made as t o t he na
t ure of imagina t ion Many persons for examp le woul d
.
, ,

s t a t e t he difference be t ween memory an d im a gi n a t ion as

t his : t ha t in memo ry we recall thi ngs as they were and i n ,

imagi nation represen t t hings as they might be By thi s i s .

u s ually meant t he unordered kind of t hi nkin g whi ch we

call day —dream ing whi ch is only one kind and t ha t t he les s
,

impo rta n t kind of im agi na t ion I t is the passive S ide . .

E ven in day dreaming t he t hings which we think migh t

-
,

be are al l based upon t he things t hat are E ven t he .

most unre al fancy is compo se d of fragments of fa ct .

Your wi t ch wh o ri des on a brooms t ick in your vi sions

and performs all kinds of magic h as a human face ,

carries a rea l broomstick and in her magic weaves to

ge t her a num ber of t hin gs that have really happened .

But ac t ive or constructive imagi na t ion is base d even more

’
thoroughly upon fact I n a chil d s play which is his
.
,

chief way of expressing his construc t ive im a gin ation t he ,

larger part of hi s action consists in imi t ating wha t he has

seen done by adul ts and the unreali ty is chiefly in his
,

t urning t hings to im aginary uses as a s t ick in t o a horse or , ,

a doll into a child But he never does a ny t hing even

.
,

in hi s most fan ciful play t ha t he has n ot seen or heard of

,

in its elements at least Imagi nat ion then as Bol t on

.
, ,
“
says, is S imply a S peci al kin d of recal l in the form of
—

im ages . I t differs from memory in that it includes t he

fut ure and t he present as well as t he pas t Y ou can .

imagine t omorrow S dinner y ou canno t remembe r i t

’

, .

We begin to see tha t imagina t i on is n ot merely a ch ar m

of t he mind as poe tic fancy is of t he min d of a child
, I t is .

of very prac t ica l import The chil d t hink s largely imagi

.

na t ively t ha t is photo graphical ly All tha t he sees and

, , .

85
86 CHILD S TUDY AND CHILD TRAINING

hears becomes his collection of films H e develops them .

by play and th ey become experience W e may agree .

that S t anley H all is right in saying that for a number of

years the imagination is the chief means Of training and ,

that the chief additional need of the child is that his mi nd

be provided with rich material to stimulate his imagina
tion and that he should work this out and express it in
,

free play Since education aims at all stages to help the

.

child form character we are glad t o u t ilize the imagina

,

t ion at every stage because it is immensely important for

character formation -
.

I M A G I NA T I O N AND I NI T I A T I V E
Through free play the child ge t s possession of a grea t
variety of experiences not only those of his own parents ,

and intimates but those of t he race ,

In the chasing .
,

hunting exploring competi t ive home making and dra

, , ,
-

matic plays of childhood he reproduces much of the race ,

life . He is s t udying history unconsciously but more

really than he ever will t hrough books I t is both fortu .

nate and valuable that every new generation of children

likes t o play the Ol d games The wise parent will supple .

men t such play by story t elling that covers a long range -

of human experience bo t h in pas t achievements and in

presen t conduct .

T he unimaginative child is usually the child wh o has

not played widely H aving had but limited experiences
.
,

he goes forth into the real world with tirn id ity ; he cannot
interpret the daily future by his past ; having met and
conquered few di fficulties he is unready and uncourageous
for fresh ones and in emergencies he is helpless O n t he
,
.

other hand the child wh o has photographed vividly

,

everything around him has stocked up n ot only in exp eri

ence but in pluck and self reliance The farm b oy even
,
- .
,

the leader of a stree t gang has more capaci t y for under ,

taki ng and achieving than the child wh o has always

stayed in a flat or kept close to a nurse or a tutor .
 T H E I M AGINA T I O N 87

I M A GI NA T I O N AND I N V E N T I O N
We may go even further and say tha t not onl y the ca
a cit of mee t ing new si t ua t ions bu t t ha t of inven t ing
p y
new combina t ions is inherent in t he imagin a t ion The .

“
poet S fine fren zy is n ot baseless
’
He t akes t he fac t s
.

of life an d combines t hem wi t h a fresh vision or insight .

He plods to mas t ery of many facts and then has the vi sion
to make a new combina t ion to add an un t ried elemen t
, ,

to a tt ach a new adj us t men t So when we encourage .

imagination part icul arl y construc t ive imagina t ion we

, ,

are not stimul a t ing mere dreamers ; we are doing on e of

t he mos t prac t ical t hings in the world The freshes t .
,

most effec t ive achievements in science and business come

from men of imagina t ion .

AN AI D
JOY TO

The joy which imagina t ion adds to life is special for

each period I n childh ood it rejoices in fairies and
.

wonder s t ories rejoices even in i t s self crea t ed t errors ;

,

revels in its own fantas t ic gro t esqueries I t is perhaps .

the baselessness and unr easonableness of chi ldish i m agin

ings t ha t make us impa t ien t wi t h t hem .

But the imagina t ion in adolescence is more closely re

lated to fact I t di smisses fai r yland but crea t es i t s own
.
, ,

idealizing the events of daily life glorifying i t s favori t es

,

into heroes recrea t ing t he pas t of hi story and prophesyi ng

,

a fut ure heaven on earth

'
.

I n m a nh oo d imagina t ion is more sober but s t ill joyous .

I t fla mes in the period of court ship ; i t glows in t he days

and ni gh t s when t he you t h is discovering himself and
hi s world and his rela t ionship to it Wha t t he mind has
.

enjoyed weaving in imagin a t ion is now wrought ou t in t o

music and art in t o s t one and wood in t o the actuali t ies
, ,

of business and commerce .

AN AI D To T R UTH
At first i magination seems to b e t he foe of trut h as
, ,

t he chi ld ge t s confused in his effor t to di s t ingui sh wha t

88 CH ILD S TUDY AND CHILD TRAINI NG

he sees from what he dreams and indeed this confusion

,

may become serious unless he is drilled to see as stories

t he fancies t ha t are distinc t from what truly has happened .

B ut later imagination becomes the handmaid of truth .

After the child has outgrown his li t eral belief in Santa

Claus that myth and its celebra t ion conti nue to give him
, ,

through his imagination a clearer idea of the Christmas

,

spirit of joyous giving than he coul d ever get with mere

prose After the scientist has gathered all the facts it
.
,

takes the philosopher s constructive imagination wi th its

’

broad outlook t hat sees over all the particul ars to inter ,

pret it The poets of T he Charge of the Light B rigade

.

’
and Paul Revere s Ride have given us more t r uth
about those events than the annalists wh o collected every
detail .

A s AN AI D TO WO R KM AN S H I P
H ow co u l d the artist ever have painted this beautiful
picture had not his eye already seen it ? D id ever a
composer wri t e a piece of music that his inner ear had not
already heard ? Could a craftsman execute an intricate
piece of work over which his fingers had not already
imaginatively passed ? Are n ot fashions fore casted harvests ,

sown discoveries made by men not merely of fact but Of

, ,

imagination ? T he men wh o think themselves utterly

prac t ical are Often mos t imaginative .

A s A N AI D To M O RAL S
If imagination is an aid to truth seeing it is also a help
-
,

to true living O ne must be able to hold an ideal life in

.

his imagina t ion if he is to live ideally We usuall y do this

.

by becoming acquainted with some fine real person The .

imagination then bo t h glorifie s this character by visual

, ,

izing i t s many noble deeds and their infl uence and analyzes
i t by picturing the splendid purposes which inspired them .

Thus it plots out its own life plan and marks the s p ecifica
tions .

I M A G I N A T I O N A N D SO CIAL A DJU S TM E N T
I magina t ion is an aid not only to the life of th e individ
ual bu t also in living the social life
,
Put yourself in his
.
 TH E I M AGINA T I O N 89

pl ace is on e of t he fin est fea t s of the imagi nation and

one of the first s t eps in social morality Most prej u di ce .
,

ill feeling and ha t e are due t o t he lack of j ust t hi s quality

of imag ina t ion The imagina t ive chil d wh o plays al one
.

is defective here The chi ld who plays S ocially is greatly

.

helped in learni ng this impo r t an t lesson It is n ot too .

much t o say that most of our grea t social problems will

be in the way of solu t ion as soon as t he majori ty of our
people have acqui red social imagi nation .

VA RI E T I E S OF I M A G I N A T I O N
P erhaps the reason we have n o t recognized the sc ope
of t he imagination in daily life is because we do n o t reali ze
thr ough how many of t he senses i t expresses itself .

We t hink of t he imagina t ion as chiefly a t work t hrough

t he sigh t The poet s eye in a fin e fren zy rolling sees
.
’

sights t ha t never were on sea or land Ou r own fancies .

are usually day-dreams of t hings tha t we seem to see, ,

base d upon tha t which our physical eyes have seen But .

while at least half of us are eye minded many are ear -

,

minded and their im aginations are most sensitive to

,

musical sounds There is an imagin ation that is awak

.

ened through t he se nse of smell These are all related SO .

,

t ha t for instance a fam il iar odor may s t imula t e u S to see

, ,

ag a in as wi t h our own eyes a famili ar scene whose a p

, , ,

pe ar an ce as well as odor i s recalled to mind B ut im a gi .

na t ion works al so thr ough the fingers as well as those

senses that cen t er in t he head T here are persons who .

canno t be satisfied when t hey see a new apparatus or

machine un t il they touch i t or make i t go S O there is a .

t ac t ile and a mo t ile as well as a visu al imagin a t ion

, .

T hese work t oge t her al so S ince the hand reinforces t he

, ,

eye and the art isa n who would reconstruc t or improve a

t ool that he has seen and handl ed needs bo t h senses to
make hi s dream come true .

H OW M A KE I M A G I NA T I O N C O N S T R U C T I V E
TO

P sychologis t s are in t he habi t of saying t ha t t here are

two kinds of imagi na t ion passive and ac t ive or repro , ,
90 CHILD S TUDY AN D CHILD TRA INING

d u ctive and constructive D ay -dreamin g is an example .

of passive imagina t ion any constructive craft of ac t ive ,

im agination .

E vidently the latter is more valuable for it gets some ,

thing done We perhaps do not realize that it is also more

.

enj oyable A child likes to hear a story about a brave

.

knigh t or his adventures but he enjoys much more to be ,

tha t brave knight by playing on his rockin g horse or

,

with his stick loose among the daisies .

These facts suggest some rul es for encouraging con

structive imagination .

1 E ncourage action
. Tel l as many imaginative s to ri es .

as you will but try to S how the child how to retell them and
,

dramatize them When he expresses some fanciful idea

.
,

encoura ge him to draw it or to paint it E specially en .

courage the writing ou t of hi s fancies when he is ol d enough

to write These deeds will n ot only tend to regulate his
.

accidental garrul ous half formed i mages but to make

, ,
-
,

them more clear and more useful Among older boys and .

girls especially we need n ot o nl y to endeavor to s u b s ti

,

tute strong pure imagina t ive books for sensational and

, ,

irrational ones but to try to get the young people ou t

,

from books into real doing and achieving I t is pretty .

hard for the boy wh o has seen wealth gained as easily as

by G et Rich Quick Wallin gford or for a gi rl wh o has
- -

seen maidenly charms S O imm ediately bewitching as

stated by L aura Jane Libbey to meet the actualities of ,

life .

2 Appeal to all the senses and o ffer more sensations

. .

M adame Montesso ri omits stories in her H ouse of Child

hood S ince S h e says S h e wants imagination based on facts
,

Of actual experience but S h e is very ingeni ous about multi

,

plyin g sense expressions We may follow her thus far .

,

for as we have S hown imagination works through all the

, ,

sense organs and there are no doubt possibili t ies in en

riching the imagination of the child through the nose and
taste as well as through the ear and eye that are un
dreamed of E specially is it possible t o develop a race of
.

men wh o if they be n ot art ists or craftsmen may brighten

, ,
 T H E I MAGINA T I O N 91

t he monotony of modern work thr ough the imagin ative

use of t heir fingers We do n ot however agree wi t h her
.
, ,

t hat imagination is based entirely upon ma t eri al facts .

Surely acts and experiences revealed in stories appeal even

more strongly to the chi ld an d have even more poten t
effect upon hi s own activities Love of the beautif ul seen
.

in pic t ur es or even as imagined through sto ri es is j u st as

essenti al as sense experiences or the techn ical t raining of
the hands .

In the e ffort to appeal to the senses and to offer more

sensations we have many S imple oppo rtuni t ies in t he
,

home We S hould le a rn h ow much bet t er are home made

.
-

than store —bo ught toys A chil d can d o more things for
.
,

instance whi ch will t rain his sense perception and de

,

velop his imagi na t ion with a p il e of blocks of di fferent

S izes and shapes than with many more elabora t e toys In .

the pur chase of toys we shoul d select those t hat pre

,

suppose inqui sitiveness on the part of the chil d Simple .

toys and elementary thi ngs rather than complete things

are desirable We shoul d avoid mechanical t oys whi ch
.

the chil d merely looks at and can d o nothing with except ,

perhaps take apart Some parents buy inexpensive

, .

mechan ical toys so that the children may take t hem apart
and thus learn so methi ng from them We S hould help .

t he chil d to make toys ; that is we S houl d provide t he ,

m ateri al and tools give some initi al suggestion through

,

s t ory or ill ustration be ready when help is demanded to

,

S how how to do the next t hi ng but d o n ot do anyt hing

—

whi ch the chil d is able to d o himself We S hould help t he .

child to invent new plays with common thi ngs and wi t h

ol d toys . In all this we are n ot to do the inventing but
,

S imply s t art him going .

Nothing is more educative to th e ima gin ation than

dramatic play Parents do n ot seem to realize h ow
.

general and how S imple a thing it is The child him .

self aft er he i s three or four years Old usually engages in

, ,

thi s play of hi s own vo li t ion He draws a cart and sup

.

poses that he i s a horse ; he visuali zes t he life of his do lls .

But we can S how him h ow to work ou t a war game wi th

92 CHILD S TUDY AN D CHILD TRAI NING

his sol diers ; we can by furnishing some discarded gar

,

ments help him and his playmates to perform charades

,

and S imple dramas A lady in K ansas made a set of

.

dolls ou t of bottles representing the M other G oose char

a cter s and the whole village of children immedia t ely

s t arted not onl y to imitate her han di craft but also to ,

work o u t dramas in this mim ic world Of play and at ,

l east three years after her departure from t he village they ,

were still performing her plays and originating ones of

their own .

3 Appreciate the im agina t iveness of a child

. The . .

early ramblings of a child are tiresome hi s first efforts at ,

art or construction are inadequate and i t is easy to tell

.

him to keep still and to pass over his masterpieces wi t h

scorn I t is possible to look hopefully and with interes t
.

upon his produc t ions and quietly holding him to hi s best

, ,

to encourage him until the time when his work shall

become a lifel ong joy to him and a satisfaction to us .

The world always has enough artisans and drudgers .

I t needs more men wh o are artists at least in the conduct

o f their lives and wh o sing at their work .

RE ADI NG REFE RE N C E S
A m os t r ich a n d u s efu l ch a p ter u p on i m a gin a ti on is in B ol ton : P rin
cipl es of E d u c a ti on Th e im p or ta n c e of th e s tory a s a h elp in
”
, 4 64 5 1 9
-
.

tra i n in g th e i m a gi n a ti on is s u gg es ted in P a r tri d g e : S tori es a n d S tory

"
Tellin g ch a p te r V a n d F orb u s h : M an u a l of S tori e s ch a p ters I I I X
, , , , .
 C HA PT ER X I II
S O M E PR O B LE MS OF T H E I N ST I NCTS
T he wri t er has j us t been watchi ng wi t h in t eres t some
small chickens whi ch on accoun t of early hatching
, ,

were kep t for several days in a pen close t o t he hen and

now ha ve sca tt ered far and wide while S h e is s t ill confined ,

in t he yard
.
T he earnest and m a s t erly fas hion in whi ch
.

t hey scra t ch up the earth wi t h their fee t is mos t am u sing ,

and is S ince t hey coul d have ha d n o ins t ruc t ion on the

,

wooden floor of t he pen t rul y amazing We sa y that ,

.

thi s imp u l se of chickens t o scra t ch is an ins t in ct .

We wa t ch a young baby st ruggle to S it up in hi s cri b

and af ter he h a s dragged him self t o an uprigh t posi t ion
look eagerly over t he side N obody has t augh t him to
.

do thi s and hi s ac t seems parallel wi t h t ha t of t he chickens

, .

I t is ins t inc t ive .

In each case we have an unlearned t endency In .

each case there was presen t a S i t ua t ion which ac t ed as

a s t imul us I n each ca se when we ask ourselves why
.
,

the chil d or t he chi cken ac t ed as he did we can thin k ,

of no bet t er expla n a t ion t han t o sa y he fel t like it In .

other words given a cert ain S itua t ion a child or a chicken

, ,

feels t he impul se t o rea c t t oward i t and doe s s o in a way

tha t involves nei t her educa t ion for esigh t n or rea soni ng , .

TH E C LA S S I F I C AT I O N OF T H E I N S T I N C T S_

Many cla s sifi ca t ions of t he inst inc t s have been a t

temp ted none Of which is perfec t ly sa t isfac t ory The
,
.

bes t b asi s of classifica t ion seems t o be tha t suggested

by T horn di ke which groups t hem according to t he
,

S i t uations t ha t evoke them Si t ua t ions involving colors

.
,

sounds movemen t s etc evoke response s which produce

, ,
.
,

s t rong e ffec t s upon t he sense —organs O bjec t s presen t ed .

close to a youn g child n ot too large or t errifying produce

, ,

93
94 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD T RAI NIN G
‘

the response of the endeavor to lay hol d upon them .

We may call t his the grasping instinct If they are not .

repulsive or terrifying the child tends to look at them

, ,

e xamine them feel of them in different ways and go

,

through a variety of experiments with them This may .

be called t he manip ul a t ive instinct or the construc t ive ,

and destructive instinct Add to this a slight measure

.

of expe ri ence and a trace of habit and we have wha t ,

we may call t he instinct of curiosity If these and other .

responses are not because of necessity but rather of

pleasurable satisfaction or if they involve some measure
,

of experimental imita t ion we have the instinct of play

, .

Then there are instincts that appear not so much as

the result of resp onse to material Obj ects as to S ituations
o ffered by the behavior of other persons Sociabili ty .

or grega ri ousness maste ry and submission showing off

.
, , ,

emulation imi tation motherly behavior are a ll instincts

, , ,

which we may group as social instincts .

TH E I M P O RTA NC E I N S T I N CTS OF TH E
It is certainly of importance to know what constitutes
”
the original stuff of human nature This stuff how .
,
’
ever is not to be compared to dust man s tradition al
, ,

constituent but to something alive These untaught

,
.

impul ses are the tendrils by which the chil d reaches out
to take hold of the worl d around him ; they are like ,

tend rils prophetic of the directions in which the child

,

is t rying to grow The instincts of a child are al so his

.

accessibilities the doors at which we may knock and

,

which we may be sure he will open to us .

O ne of the most important discoveri es of education is

that each instinct has its especially favorab l e period for
”
exercise E ducators call these
. the nascent pe ri ods .

There is says G eorge E J ohnson

,
a happy time for
.
,

fixing S kill in drawing making boys collectors in natural

,

history and presently dissectors and botanists There .

is a time when boys love and must learn to play ball to ,

swim and S kate or be deficient in such S ports and the

broad training they give all their lives ; so t here is a time
 S O ME PR O B L E M S OF T H E I NS T IN CT S 95

'
when the habi t of ac t ivi t y t hat is the habit of wo rk and
, ,

t he enjoymen t of work may be formed , Bol t on tell s .

uS t ha t t he nascen t period for acquiri ng a speaking

mas t ery of foreign languages is be fore ten whi le t he bes t ,

t ime t o learn to read and wri t e begins onl y wi t h the t en t h

year These and o t her discove ri es concerni ng nascen t
.

periods are bo un d t o have a sweeping influence upon

school curricul a whi ch will make great and happy econ o
,

mies in learning .

TH E I M P O R T A N C E I N S T I N C T S To TH E P A RE N T
OF TH E

T hese fac t s mean a grea t deal t o paren t s Those who .

see t he impo r tance of t he home educa t ion of chil dren

will wish t o know all t ha t can be known about the ins t inc t s
so t hat t hey may t ake advan t age of them in the bes t
.

wa y of training t heir children All paren t s need to learn

.

t heir import so tha t they may not mi sunderstand their

chil dren. Some of the early manifesta t ions of t he in
s tin cts are annoying to ad ul t s and t herefore seem to
,

t hem to be S igns of mischief or pe ri l in t heir chil dren s ’

lives The instinct to handl e and t ake apart and des t roy
.
,

the longing to be in wa t er and dirt the tendency t o fight , ,

are examples of acts whi ch are reall y expressions of the

desirable ins t inc t s of curi osity and self assert ion They -
.

are h ke t he ta dpole s tail that is unsightly and bound

’

t o di sappear which however if ampu t ated woul d preven t

, , , ,

t he evolu t ion of t he complete frog an d which if allowed , ,

t o at t enuate is des t ined to be absorbed in t o t he com

,

p le ten ess of t he frog If we amputa t e an ins t inc t we

.
,

may prevent to some degree t he completeness of the life

of a man .

What we have to do is to discover if we may the , ,

instinc t s that are being expressed by our child s ac t s and ’

to t ake advan t age of t hese expressions at the approp ri ate

time and in t he mos t skilful way The most skil ful way .

usuall y is t o gui de such an expression toward some fine ,

a tt rac t ive and useful purpose F or instance reco gni z ing

.
, ,

in t he annoying tendency of a little chil d to get himse lf

a ll wet and di r ty by makin g mud pies an expression of ,
 CHILD ST UDY AN D CHILD TRAIN I N G

the in stinct of craftsmanship in the direction of scul pture ,

we can sometimes eliminate the dirt and water by p r ov id

ing plasticine or modelling clay and we can by furnishing
, ,

models and givi ng a few suggestions interest him in ,

t ensely in much more elaborate skilful and permanent ,

representations of his ideas .

Those wh o hold what is known as the recapitulation

theory of human development the theory tha t the child
,

in his instincts reproduces the race life are temp t ed by ,

an attractive analogy to allow an unnecessary lingering

of the child in the lower and uneducated levels Man s ’
.

original equipment as Thorndike reminds us adap t s

, ,

him directly only for such life as might be led by a

, ,

family group of wild men among the brute forces animals ,

and other family groups of wild men B ut we live in a .

differen t world for which this original stuff of human

,

nature alone is not sufficient and against which it even

rebels The instinct for keeping clean for example
.
, ,

hardly appears in some boys before adolescence and we ,

can keep them washed up only against their violent pro

tests and in spite of their frequent neglects B ut we .

commit no S in in anticipating the evidence of this ins t inct

and in establishing a habit which shall become almost as
automatic in its action as an original ins t inct .

I ndeed we must do with the instinc t s what we do with

the forms of life that S how above the soil in ou r gardens .

Some Of them we may let grow as they are ; a few must

be rooted out by withholding the nourishment (the
S ituations) that woul d call them forth and we mus t ,

substitute for others desirable habits that S hal l grow in

t heir places .

T A K I N G A D V ANTA G E OF TH E I N S TI N C TS
What has already been said suggests three convictions :
1. If the instincts represent o ri gin al strength we may ,

help a child grea t ly if we can le t him in some way act

out what he is in t he servi ce of knowledge getting
,
-
.

2 We S hall do this most effectively if we use the

“

highest and n ot the lowest manifestation of the instinct .

 S O ME PR O B L E M S OF T H E INS T INC TS 97

3 . We can supplement the developmen t of t he ins t inc t s

by t he development wi t h t hem of right habi t s .

We may illus t ra t e t hi s by wha t is probably t he most

impor t an t and t he most valuable of t he ins t incts the ,

ins t inct Of play (C hapter X V I I is gi ven to P lay

. .

T wo chi ldren of the same sex and of S imil ar age have

t he in stinct to play and t he S i t ua t ions tha t s t imul a t e
t hem t o play are very much alike B ut t he play in s t inct .

is no t a S imple but a complex one because t he very ,

origi nali t y i t involves gives rise to new S i t ua t ions which

s t imul a t e o t her ins t inc t s S O on e child may if he is
.
,

no t wa t ched and guided express him self t hrough hi s

,

play in mos t undesirable and unwort hy fashi on wh il e ,

t he o t her may b e p rote cte d from such ou t breaks and be

led to ge t t he bes t out of his play O ne chi ld may give .

ven t to expressions of anger des t ruc t iveness selfish ness

, , ,

carelessness cul mina t ing in physical exhaus t ion and

,

misery while t he o t her may learn gradually to inhi bi t

,

hi s anger build or rearrange ins t ead of des t roying

, ,

share wi t h hi s comrades and t ake care of his playt hings ,

and come to t he end of t he day comfort ably tired and

happy T he bet t er resul t may be Ob t ained not by
.
,

cons t ant dic t a t ion of t he play but chiefly by a providen t

,

arrangemen t of t he S i t ua t ion F or in st ance unfin ished

.
,

t oys and playt hings such as blocks and boards t hat

, ,

sugges t an inexhaus tible vari ety of building Operations ,

themselves lead t o peaceable const ruc t ion sociable ,

co -opera t ion and proud care of t he fi ni shed product .

’
T he mo t her can fur t her make a day s play profi t able
by arranging some exclusive place where t he t oys may
be s t ored a t t he close of t he day by calling t he child t o,

put t hem away a t first wi t h her co-opera t ion j us t before

, ,

he is too t ired t o be willing t o do S O and so build up a ,

habi t as t o t he way t o end t he play t ha t S hall be j us t as

ins t in c t ive as t he play i t self She can of course do thi s
.
, ,

mos t easily if S h e begins early .

SO M E F U R T H E R S U GG E S T I O N S
1 Whenever a new impulse appears in a child s life ’
.
,
 CH ILD S TUDY AN D CHILD T RAI NING

we S hould ask earnes t ly : What does it mean ? Why does

t he child feel like doing what he does ? How can t his
impulse be made use of for good ?
2 . We must remember that an instinct may have
worth for the child at his stage which wo ul d have no
value to us at our stage of development The boy .
‘

,
“
says Ar t hur Holmes wants to play exactly the games
,

and to have the toys his wise parent now considers a

waste of j uvenile time tha t might be employed in learning
something useful some t hing that would eventually
,

enable the boy to gain a larger place among his future

adult fellows The untu t ored father cannot for a
.

moment imagine that success in life can be measured in

terms of a boy s world ; t hat t he boy has a real world of
’

his own ; tha t in that world he has as much moral right

to succeed in his wa y as his father has to succeed in his
”
world in his wa y .

3 . Whenever we must repress an instinc t t he best wa y ,

is not by di rect destruction but by playing a higher ,

ins t inct against it or still be tt er some ideal agains t it

, , , .

F or instance the l ow instinct to avoid physical pain

,
.

would be conquered not by flogging a child until he wa s

used t o it but by developing th e ins t inct t o camp ou t
, ,

in which some physical discomfort woul d be an inciden t ,

or by s t imulating the athletic ideal so that the boy ,

woul d meet pain in a strenuous game without flin ch in g .

To deal with the instincts requi res an especially earnest

’
endeavor to see life from the child s standpoint wi t hou t
at the same time losing S igh t of the high goal toward
which the child is to move .

RE AD ING REFE RE N C E S
Th orn dike : Ed u ca tion V K i n g ,
. Th e P s yc h ol ogy of C h il d
D ev el opm e n t 2 1 2 5 B ol ton : Pr i n ciples of Ed u ca ti on V I I I Ki rk
,
- .
,
”
.

p a tr ick : F u n d a m e n ta l s of Ch il d S tu d y I V Th ese refere n ce s i n cl u d e

,
”
.

v a r i ou s m od ern s ta tem en ts a n d cl a s s ifica ti o n s of th e i n s ti n c ts of wh ich ,

'
Ki rkpa trick s is th e m os t fu ll b u t Th or n d ike s th e m os t su gge stive
,
’
.
 C HA P T E R X I V
DE A L I N G WI T H T H E E M OT I O N S
T he child s feeling life is so intense an d subject to such
’

varia t ions of pleasur e and pain that it presents some

very real problems T he close connection of t hi s topic
.

wi t h t he las t is seen in such a phrase as t he in s t inc tive

emo t ion of fear Many of the emo t ions are ins t inctive
. .

Pleasur e an d pain are impo rtan t bo t h as symp t oms and

as influences Many physical pains in t he vi t al organs
.
,

and special sense —organs are useful as indica t ing wrong

,

use or di sease Pains from ex t ernal Objec t s whi ch t he

.

young child handles ignorantly such as t he s t ove t he ,

ca t t he hammer e t c
, are useful as warni ngs Wh ole
, . .

some physical deligh t s on t he con t rary are sign s of heal t h

, ,

or evidences of hopeful ap t i t udes When a chil d se ize s .

upon a new toy or device or game wi t h avidi t y and p a

tien ce we ought to regard i t as a symp t om t ha t he is
,

learning some t hing or is finding hi mself Heal t hy physi .

cal pleasures — in food dri nk deep brea t hi ng exerci se

, , , ,

in sensa tions from colors so u nds perfum es contacts , , , ,

pleasing S ights and a general sense of well being — are -

stimul a t ing to joy in life t o happy free endeavor even , , ,

t o gratitude an d worship T hough a life completely .

sensuous and emo t ional S ink s into languor and passiveness ,

yet t he life made keen to bea u ty and wort h t ha t dwell s ,

in a wholesome body and t ha t receives a good balance of

men t al voli t ional and moral s t imuli is no t onl y well
, ,

rounded but most effi cien t H appiness may be made a .

s t rong incen t ive to duty and goodn ess .

F E AR S
Some of the fears of children seem to come by he redity
from t he age when human experience was full of occasions
for fear and when fear was t he universal pro t ec t ive against
,

99
1 00 CHILD ST UDY AN D CHILD T RAINI NG

danger A mong these are fears of animals fear of high

.
,

places and fear of the dark Some fears which men once .

S hared with the animals may now have ceased because

they are associated wi t h certain senses once used as

warnings that are not now among men S O keenly
developed Bolton cites the paroxysm of fear which a
.

cat S hows at the appearance of a dog which is not S hown ,

by a child perhaps because he has not such a sudden

’
sensa t ion of smell A child s fears Often have n o o t her
.

explana t ion than that sudden sensations of any sort

are paralyzing to self control Sudden and loud noises
-
.
,

s t range sights and unusual experiences of touch are all

alarming for this reason A baby is alarmed by a dis .

tor te d face At an early period fears are stimulated

.

through the higher mental processes particularly through ,

imagina t ion and the telling of stories of goblins ghosts

, ,

and bogie men foolishly done either for amusement or to

,

enforce obedience produces harmful consequences A

,
.

child wh o is exposed to such imaginative influences soon

comes to dread every new situation and if he is naturally ,

sensitive is easily deprived of initiative and made a

coward .

E P St John discussing the relation of the home to

. . . ,
“ ”
a chil d s fears divides them into
’

,
instinc t ive fears ,
“ ” “
fears based on experience and fears due to m is u n d er ,
”
standing or imagination Regarding the first the child
.
,

is helpless ; we cannot therefore expect to eliminate them

entirely but gradually to modify them to such occasions
as are really harmless I t is the fears due to expe ri ence
.

that are in the main serviceable Where however an .

‘
, ,

unfortunate experi ence causes a needless fear the peculiar ,

circumstances S hould be expl ained by the parent who ,

S hows no fear himself and the child S hould later be led

,

into association with the dreaded Object under favorable ,

conditions Concerning the fears due to imagi nation

.

or misunderstanding and the misunderstandings are

usually imaginative St John urges that the firs t step .

to correcting them is to kn ow exactly what the child

fears and how the fear first arose Then an endeavor .
 D E ALI NG WI T H T H E E M O T I O NS 01

may be made toward a clear explana t ion Sometimes .

the chil d mus t be allowed to attain self comman d gradu al ly -

t hrough growing knowledge and experience .

F ear s t ill has some pro t ec t ive val ue If it is in t elligent

.

i t res t rains from perilous courses T he highes t form of

.

fear is reverence A reverence for au t hori ty t hat is

.
,

no t based en t irely upon corporal punishmen t insures ,

the necess ary Obedi ence which mus t t ak e t he place of

en t ire self guidance before wi se self guidance i s po ssible
- -
.

I t is for us who t rain chi ldr en t o endeavor t o keep a careful

balance between foolish fears and fooli sh bravado Bol .

t on has a S imple cha r t in which he s ugges t s t he resu l ts of

t he use or abuse of fear as follows : ,

F EAR
T im id ity Ca tion
u
(Pos i
t
i ve
owa r d ice Pru d e n ce
g hf l
as u ne
n s
o
U s ef u l ) F o esi g h t
r

Se lf con s ci ou s n ess
- F ear of wro g
n

A chil d ought t o learn t o fea r wisely an d effec t ively .

H e ough t also t o l earn to be brave wi se ly and e ffec t ively .

EM B ARR AS S M E NT
There are cert ain painful emo t ions t hat come to children
ou t of t heir soci al rela t ions In t he presence Of s t rangers
.

or of an unusual number of adul t acquain t ances t hey

become very un comfort able Th ey have limited powers
.

of communica t ion and no t much to say When t hey are .

led in t o a room where s t rangers are presen t t hey feel ,

t rapped There are some children who suffer under

.

even t he mos t gen t le approaches of t hose wi t h whom t hey

are no t familiar P art of thi s S hyness is a form of self
.

pro t ec t ion T he chi ld who is S h y is in a much more

.

hopeful attitude t han the on e wh o wan t s t o S how off .

T he S h y chi ld lis t ens and is s t ill and ful fil s E merson s ’

encomium of him who keeps in the midst of a crowd t he

swee t ne ss of a perfect soli t ude If t his impulse be ex
.

t reme i t may be in terpre t ed as an excess of self conscious -

ness and such a child S houl d be encouraged to t ake the

,

viewpoin t and S hare t he ac t ivi t ies Of o t hers .

1 02 CH ILD ST UDY AN D CHILD TRAINING

Children are sensitive to ridicule Much of the sar .

casm of adults is not understood and is wasted on ,

them yet often even the atmosphere of sarcasm is wither

,

ing t o a child I t always implies supe ri ority and a willing

.

ness to inflict pa in both of whi ch are the Opposite Of a

,

ri ght and loving parental attitude Because the child .

is hum iliated though he does not know how sarcasm

, ,

works more than any other folly of parents to incite that

blindness of rage which is too common among children .

If wit has little place humor has much in the training

,

of children . T hat which distinguishes humor from wit

is the element of sympathy Children appear to be .

discouragingly unappreciative of paren t al wit ; they are

invariably responsive to a parent s at t empts at humor ’
.

If you have failed in bringing a little boy to the t able with

clean hands tell hi m the familiar nursery tale of D irty
,

Jack (in My P icture Story if you have t o

deal with a small boaster give him the history of the ,
“
E mperor Who Had N othing On (in Wonder
I mitate to a sullen youngster the wo rds and acts of one
“
Mr G rumpy
. or engage him in the merry game of

P oor P ussy These exercises represent simply the

.

endeavor to expel undesirable feelings by the invasion

of happy ones .

The sense of humor is a distinct S pecific for the emotion

of embarrassment because it is an ou t looking quality -
.

I t s possessor is not thinking h ow others regard him but ,

is himself an eager S pectator of the daily adventure of

life An d whatever we may do in the home to S how the
.

ridiculous side of certain trai t s and actions withou t

naming the gui lty party wha t ever habi t s of pleasantry
,

we can encour age tend to help a child see himself as a

,

part of a world that inspires cheerful laughter and not

t o take himself too seriously .

B ut it is the ridicule of those of their own age that makes

the deepest impression T 0 chi ldren the ideals and ac t ions
.

of adults seem somewhat distant but the j udgment of ,

their peers is Public O pinion I t covers every field of .

”
li fe ,
form and sports manlikeness in play fashion in
, ,
 D E ALING WI T H T H E E M OTI O NS 1 03

clothes person al mannerisms and conduct and even the

,

val idi ty of home t rai ning Wha t S ins it remits are re

.

m itte d and what S ins i t re t ains ar e ret ai ned We who .

a r e older cann ot perhaps do much to al t er t he chil d s

’

v iewpoint here T herefore we all t he more clearly are

.

under t he necessity of watching t he companionshi ps of

t he chil dren of whom we have t he care so t ha t t heir
young friends if n ot as sa ge as adul t s may at least be
, ,

sound and wholesome .

A N GE R
The emotion of anger is on e tha t causes parents much
dis t ress an d frequen t misun ders t anding I t seems to .

be inbo rn Major says t hat many children come into

.

thi s world ac t ing as if they were prepared to be angry

a t any provoc a t ion The earlies t and most fa mi liar
.

type of anger is t ha t agains t personal aggression Wh at .

ever animate Or inanima t e t hwart s a chil d is likely t o

, ,

start Off such un gracious manifes t a t ions as uncon t rolled

-
yelling striking wi t h t he fis t s an d calling names In .
,

speci al cases sul kiness and t he wi t hdra wing Of affection

are t he quieter ways of expressing t hi s emo t ion F igh t .

in g even as an expression of anger has its own code .

Vengean ce is regarded as j us t only among physical equals .

Al l figh t ing does not imply anger as the chi ef impe lling
cause . D ur ing a considerable port ion Of school life it
appears t o be a habi t as much as an expression of pass ion .

Quarrelling is a kind Of game ; squabbling as an evidence

of bravery is a frequen t cus t om and teasing is Of t en an,

in t ellec t ual exercise t hat see ms t o be indul ged in n o t SO

much as an expression of malice as of enjoyi ng t he S ense
of mastery from witnessing the sudden di splays of fear ,

wrath or shame whi ch it incites in o t hers .

Jealousy t hat smoul derin g form of anger whi ch in

,

volves t he comparison of one s self with o t hers begins

’

largely wi t h measuremen t s Of one s physical strengt h ’

and circumstances wi t h o t hers develops in t o t he p articu

,

lar type associa t ed wi t h love between the sexes and may

grow un t o t hose nobler feeli ngs as to one s reputation for ’

t rut h decency and morali ty

, .
 1 04 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD T RAIN ING

Ingeneral there appears to be a steady broadening

,

and deepening and a diffusion of t he emotion of anger

as t he years go on T he child shows t emper first at being
.

foiled or checked then at personal affron t s and finally

,

at at t acks upon his character He passes from ex .

asperation against persons t o indignation against moral

wrongs .

F rom t hese sta t ements it is evi dent that the emotion

of anger has a legitima t e and somewhat important place
in a human life U nchecked it produces the bully or
.
,

the savage ; uproo t ed it would leave the coward and

,

weakling Without it tolerance is S illy liberality is

.
, ,

unintelligent conviction is nerveless and ac t ive moral

,

indigna t ion is impossible Says D r G eorge E P artridge

. . .
,

upon the basis of G Stanley H all : . T o have strong

passion held in check creates the t ension under which
much of the best work in the world is done An ger thus .

becomes a stored energy useful if properly conserved , ,

”
but wasteful and harmful if not controlled .

H ow
D E AL W I T H A N G E R
TO
V The following suggestions are made concerning some
of the common emotional outbreaks of anger in the home .

As to Tem per :
Children should not be nervously excited through the
temper Of their own parents .

They shoul d n ot have commands or scolding sprung

on them .

~
They S houl d be protected from teasing whether by ,

their brothers or S isters parents or guests ,

.

T hey S houl d receive u n v a ryin g fairness and be governed ,

by j ustice and not by whim Any child has a ri ght to .

resent discipline that is without principle or reason .

T hey ought not to be nagged or over —punished for

minor faul ts .

T hey S hould never be allowed by expressions of temper ,

in crying to win any desired advantage

,
.

T he influences of fatigue heal t h and the weather upon

,

temper being fully recognized by elders children S ho ul d ,

 D E ALI N G WI T H T H E E M O T I O NS 1 05

be pro t ected un der such circumstances from whatever

may di s t urb them .

P er con tra t he protec t ion of a child s heal t h the avoid

’

, ,

ance on t he part of paren t s of teasin g nagging or disp lays ,

of temper and careful exercising of t he child in reasonable

,

pleasan t ness S hould be the me an s for buil ding up a life

of self con t rol Sensible devices on occa sion such as
-
.
, ,

di version changing t he a t mosphere qui e t soli t ary play

, , ,

W hen t emper t akes t he form of

'
are Oft en helpful .

raging yelling reasoning and soo t hing are in va in

, In .

such cases S t John reco m mends wi t h cau t ion some S hock

.
, ,

of intense surprise such as by a dash of cold water for

, ,

diversion . T o drag t he chil d fort h to publi c exhibi t ion

t o his mates woul d be effective with some Where .

yelli ng seems likely to proceed t o t he point of exhaus t ion

soli t ude and S ilence are t he bes t helpers .

A s to S u lki nes s : T he pessimis t ic type of anger needs

t o be immerse d in an a t mosphere of sunshine ; usually
li tt le di rec t a tt en t ion need be paid t o t he S pecial gri evance ,

save to see t ha t t he child is t rea t ed wi t h absolu t e fairness ;

even disapproval need no t be manifes t ; bu t the child
S houl d be given instan t and a tt rac t ive occupa t ion tha t

W e must also
'
S hall leave no t ime for self indul gence -
.

appeal t o every mo t ive for self mas t ery and persuade -

him t ha t he must win such battles if he ever expects t o

live happily wi t h o t hers .

As to Qu a rr ellzn g : We have to ackn owledge t ha t quar

’

r ellin g among children though di sagreeable to b s t anders -

, y ,

has so me meri t as a s t imulan t bo t h for mind and body .

I t represen t s t heir way of t rying t o ge t what t hey want ,

and some t imes to get jus t ice Where two children do .

no t quarrel it is Oft en because on e t he s t r onger is al ways

, , ,

ge tt ing wha t he wan t s .

We can ameliora t e children s quarrelling somewhat ’

.

I f t hey have had enough S leep and res t t hey will n ot ,

feel S O quarrelsome Some t imes we can arbi t rate

. .

O ccasi onally we can divert Merely t o s t op a quarrel .

,

whe n jus t ice is no t arrived a t is a poor way to deal wi t h ,

t he problem I t some t imes t akes more grace n o t to

.
1 06 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAI NING ‘

interfere in these youthful experiments with princip les .

E rnest Abbott t hinks tha t often a ll we need to deal wi t h

"
’
is the noise insis t ing,
If you can t quarrel quie t ly
, ,

you S hall no t quarrel a t all

As to F igh tin g : Where quarrels lead to blows we have
a more complex problem If all fights chiefly involved
.

anger we would deal wi t h t hem alike B u t when on e .

contest is of jealousy and another is a mere matching

Of strengths and a third is a playgroun d ini t iation and a
fourth is an act of chivalry and s t ill another is a joyous
habit we are often dealing wi t h contes ts that have in
them little of the element of anger at all E ach contest .

must be judged on i t s own me ri ts It is evident tha t to .

.

prohibi t a boy from fighting is not to preven t him from

being angry ; it may on t he other hand encourage him to
, ,

express his anger in undesirable underhand ways Neither .

must a boy be allowed to figh t indiscriminately ; he can

at least be guided to act thu s chiefly in defense of his own
person or honor or of the cause of t he weak or persecu t ed ,

and only as a vigorous last resort If a boy is encour aged .

to talk over his figh t s at home it ought to be possible to

prevent his becoming either a b ully or a quarrelsome
nuisance .

A s to Tea s in g : T easing is an idleness disease and its ,

cur e is occupation B eing t eased is an infirmity of being

.

unguarded and t he teased child needs to be taught how

,

to guard himself for t he at t ack by a sense of humor , ,

through well rehearsed repartee or by

-
S plendid iso l a

tion as the need may be .

G E N E RAL IN '

1 The emotions of a child depend l argely upon his

.

physical condition If a child is peevish sullen irritable

.
, , ,

easily frightened or embarrassed t here is t he presumption ,

that he is not feeling well bodily He is less fearful less .

,

subject to embarrassment or ridicule less l ikely to get ,

angry if he is in buoyant health .

2 A child s emotions are intensely subj ect to s u g ges

.
’

tion Much fear embarrassment and wrath are con

.
,
 D E ALING WI T H T H E E M O T I O NS 1 07

ta giou s from parents If we S imul a t e courage we shall

.

lessen the child s fear ; if we are ready to comfort and

’

sympa t hize he will more easil y overcome embarrassmen t ;

if we are calm he wi ll be less likely to have fits of passion .

3 . We can gradually educa t e the child to conquer

ins t an t and tot al abandonment t o emo t ion crying , ,

pass ion discou ragemen t by a regim en tha t involves

, ,

wholesome hardshi p experiences of s t renuous endeavor

, ,

and cert ain sol di erly ideals .

4 . T he highes t phases of emotion are unknown to

children Their loves t heir gri efs t heir loyal t ies are
.
, ,

t ransitory There mus t be a deeper unders t anding of

.

wor th to make possible t he deepes t affection The .

emo t ions therefore develop wi t h intelli gence .

RE AD ING REFE RE N C E S
B olton : Pr in ciples of Ed u ca tion XXV Kin g : Th e P s ych olog y
, .

of Ch il d Dev el opm e n t X I I I X I V Hal l : A d oles c e n ce X H a ll

”
. .
, , ,

giv es a wea l th of fa c ts from th e ge n e tic s ta n d po i n t as to th e d ev el op m e n t

, ,

of th e fee li n g s be fore a n d d u ri n g a d ole s c e n c e ; Ki n g a n d B olto n c ov e r th e

ea r li e r e r i od s B olton m a k es m a n y p ra cti ca l s u gg es ti on s as to tra in i n g
p .

th e feeli ng s .
 C HA PTER XV

I N T E R E ST
The applicability of thi s chapter to teachers is obvious ,

but it is of equal importance to parents P aren t s wish .

to know how to sustain the interest of children in study ,

worth W hile pursuits and work

-
.

Interest is a feeling of the worth to one s self of an ’

obj ec t whi ch he is contemplating or of an end which he

may attain Behind interes t is an impulsion toward the
.

objec t or end T he mind for ins t ance rests upon a

.
, ,

thousand Obj ects in a short space of time but selec t s ,

only one to regard with favor There are every hour .

many possible ends toward which we might work ; we

”
choose one as worth while My experience says .
,
“ ”
Bol t on is what I agree to attend to
, We agree to .

attend usually only to what we are interested in O ur .

experience is bounded by our interest .

T he matter Of the o ri gin of ou r interests is a fascinating

topic of inquiry Some of them are no doubt a part of
.

our race heritage -

D e G armo thinks tha t t hey ari se
.

primari ly from t he activitie s put for t h by primitive men

t o secure the requisites for their physical survival Some .

of them eviden t ly come from ou r more immediate a n

ce s tors B ut the o ri gin of our interests in ou r surround
.

" "
aS Th Ofnd ike c alls tliem f éii e
tis fie r s , '

small in number and potency compared wi th our per

manent s a tis fier s Qu r i n ter e s ts unfold as ou r surroun d
. .

'

k
in g s unfold
—
Interest Irving King rem ird ifSfiS a func
.
,

ti on Of are developing as well as of t he p ri mi t ive organ

, ,

ism The richer the child s world in obj ects and ends
.
’
,

I NTE R E S TS C LA S S I F I E D
Students are generally agreed in dividing human
interests into two classes though s t rangely enough t hey
,

1 08
 IN TE RE S T 1 09

are not agree d upon their names One authority classes

“

t he in t eres t s as na ti ve and art ifi cial ; an other as work -

in t eres t s an d play interes t s ; a fhfr d as the in ter eg s flia t
fl
-

invo lve self 2 53173 5 5 1 611 and t hose whi ch in vOl ve conquest
'

-
.

T hese seem to be o nl y di fferen t n a m ES FOffl

‘

ié Sa rrie thing
’ ‘

— "
.

Some ntu a fifilfiS E ppeEI W th é ifiih d fi f bficte { it liécog n izes

‘ ’ ’

'

t heir wBr"th ; i t rea_

’

c_ s to t hem ; t he name of t his ac t ivity

'

t_
‘

,
"

in WEEK t he ac t is i t s OWn rewa r d is play Other S itua

‘
'

.
,

tion s d o n ot make t he same appeal ; t he mind doe s n ot

\ : '

recognize t heir inherent worth but it may be moved by ,

imita t ion emulation"

the encouragement
,
Of a n other or ,

the recogni t ion Of some fu t ur e reward ; i t reac t s to them .

T he name of t his activity in which t he reward is beyond ,

t he act is work In the former case t here was the joy Of

,
.

self expression ; in th e latter t hat of conquest

-
, .

In t erest in self expr e SSiOn ap pears e arlie s t T he young

-
.

child responds to objec t s and ends wi t hin the sp here of

sensa t ion to concrete Opportuni t ies to what people do
, ,

more t han to what they say Wha t ever means novel ty .

t o him means interest And at leas t for t he first six .

,

y ears _th e emphasis of his in t eres t is upon th e act rather

m
,

t han w ni W
-
PIa fi u mcfivi t x n n a a e fi s

m
tiCTe s onse as an ex re ssion of in t eres t
'

After this t he
fi nd d s f
.

pari ties firs t be t ween his imagina

’

child ,

t ion and actuali ty and la t er be t ween his powers and the ,

possibili ties of t he case Bu t now he is impelled by .

compe t i t ion with others by offered rewards by affec t ion , ,

for hi s teacher by t he mere joy Of endeavor and vi c t ory

, ,

to care for tha t whi ch h as los t__th e in t eres t of no vel ty

- — — ' '
.

Later the life in t e rEs tS ap pe ar ThESe h r e like t he

'
,
-
.
,

in tefes ts of h is early childhood native interes t s ; they have ,

the charm of play and he pursues them in the play spi ri t ,

-
.

But they are not always wi t hin t he sphere of sensa t ion ,

th ey d o not al Wa y s pr om is e i m media t e pleasure ; t he ends

' ” '

may be far away an d ou t of sigh t I n th eir p u rsu it t he

'

'

joy 0 f en dea vor an d conquest s t ill S iis ta in s mTafid S O

' ' '

,
_ .

th? work Sp irit and the goodn e ss and

“
-

“
m éi E y TrT th e T went y follow h im all the
'
'

days of his life .

1 10 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD T RAI NING

TH E I M P O R T ANC E
I N TE RES T OF

We already see the importance of interest in a life .

” “
I t is as G S t anley Hall says
,
. like bodily hunger , ,
”
an expression of need Interes t s are the direct outgrowth
.

of the instincts F eelings of interest relate themselves

.

on the one side to t he in t elligence and on the other to the

will They relate t o the will because when one is in
.
,

ter es te d he wants to do ; they relate to the intelligence ,

because on e must know how to do So the interests .

’
sp ri ng out of one s inmost nature and affect all he knows
and does .

Speaking of certain general differences between the

“
sexes Thorndike says :
,
Recogni t ion of the original
strength in boys of the interest in things and their
, ,

mechanisms and of the original strength in girls of the

, , ,

interest in the thoughts and feelings Of persons wil l _

,

increase the e ffectiveness of S chool management T he .

first necessity in education everywhere is to know W hat

”
man will be and do apart from educa t ion The ori ginal .

strength of interest is what has made many a man well

educa t ed apart from school and this strength utilized , , ,

will charac t erize the most successful teaching in t he school

room and the most successful nurture in the home If .

properly appealed to curiosity alone says Kirkpat ri ck , , ,

is a s u ffi cient motive for the invasion of eve ry fresh

”
fiel d of knowledge .

W H Y I N T E R E S T E V E R FAI L S
Why if this is so is interest ever neglected ? Because
, ,

interest is often identified with amusement T he t eacher .

may excite interest in two ways S h e may give new ex ,

p er i e n ces to the pupil by S howing o r describing to him

some t hing t hat he has never seen before or S h e may direct ,

his attention to unobserved qualities or rela t ions in

familiar objects T he former is the easier and more
.

amusing wa y AS l ong as her stock of curios her lantern

.
,

slides her stories hold out she can mainta in interest

, , , .

The student is passive pleased amused But the result , , .

,

as Kirkpatrick tells us is that all the sweetness is ,

 IN TE RE ST 111

taken ou t of a subject before anything of value is

learned about i t and subsequen t t eachers find i t almos t
,

impossible t o interest the children in these unpala t able

and half chewed materi als
- N ot only has the deligh t ful
.

flavor of newness been removed from t he subject but t he ,

men t al habit of takin g rich food instead Of working for

”
daily bread has been cul t iva t ed Then he sta t es the
.

“
secret of perpe t ual interest T he real tes t of in t erest
.

is no t how much plea s u re do t he children get out Of the

study bu t how much efior tdo t hey pu t fort h in pursuing i t
,
.

’
Now t he measure of a teacher s success in t eachin g a
subject is n ot whe t her all the pupils pass in i t TOO .

Oft en t he subjec t passes as well as t he pupil

, A be tt er .

measure of success is : Will t he studen t choo se t his subject

later on ? And yet t his is no t always possible T here .

are some subjects full of drudgery and detail work in ,

which the interes t will no t a tt ach t o t he thing or to t he

details by which i t is mastered We see here t hree levels .

of interes t T he t eacher wh o regards in t erest of any

.

sort whatever as a necessary means uses t he amusement

method T he teacher who regards in t erest in t he s u bject
.

as a necessity is unsa t isfied unless when he gets to the end

of the t ex t book he is cert ain tha t his pupil will continue
i t s s t udy But t here is also t he teacher who does n ot
.

scorn pleasurab le in t eres t from t he pupil when it comes

his way and who hopes t ha t he is leaving a deposit of
,

permanen t interes t in t he subj ec t but wh o is some t imes ,

con t ent if he can merely keep up in t erest in t he e ffort

i t self The last two are not mu t uall y exclusive We do
. .

n ot wi sh to have the child d o a t hin g unwillingly and it ,

is not often necessary that he should do s o Bu t when he .

does and does it to a finish t here is a rare sa t isfac t ion

, ,

as in t he case Of the universi t y s t udent wh o once sa id to

Bol t on : I would like to take a cert ain at t ractive course ,

but I have start ed thi s G erman ; I have had no end of

diffi cul t y wi t h i t bu t I fel t t ha t to give it up would be
,

like yielding to temp t a t ion T0 fight it ou t will be to

.

st rengt hen my moral na t ure .

Wh at has jus t been said is of immense importance to

1 12 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRA ININ G

the parent The first tendency of the happy mother is

.

to S hower her C hild with play t hings She is disappointed

.

to find that some of these gif t s lose their interest and S h e ,

cannot t hink of anything t o do but to buy more Bu t .

even if S h e co ul d purchase a n ew toy each day or if t he ,

resources Of the toy world presented a new toy for each

day of the year S h e woul d find that interest aroused in
,

this way is never lasting T hen too when the child is

.
, ,

Ol d enough to work as well as play t o be helpful as well

,

as to be amused S h e sees t hat S h e has been creating selfish

,

as well as S hallow interests She longs for some sense of

.

obligation Of persistence of desire to S hare and to serve

, , ,

and S h e knows that her method has produced none Of these .

She too discovers that the val ue of a plaything is not

the pleasur e it gives but the e ffort it demands She too
,
.

sees that the amusement interest is not dynamic enough

-

t o develop the passion for struggle She also when S h e

.
,
“

has come to the end of her pl ay inducements wishes she

-
,

knew how to keep up satisfaction in mere effort .

S UGG E S T I O N S F OR M AI N T AI NI N G I N T E R E S T
A few suggestions may be made as to awaking and
maintaining interest .

F irst it is evident that more than half the battl e is won

,

if the teacher gets a good s t art with his pupils in a new

subjec t .S t arbuck tells of a schoolmistress wh o r ecogn iz
'
,

ing that geom etries are somewhat approp ri ately

usually bound in black spent the first day in a class in
,

plane geome t ry entirely in sto r ies of great mathematicians .

T he second day still without the textbooks S h e gave up

, ,

to fascinating solutions which these mathematicians had

found to baffling prob l ems of measurement that she ,

sketched out on the blackboard At length in response

.
,
“ ’
to an eager inquiry from some pupil if there wasn t
”
some book that would tell us more about all this wi t h ,

apparent reluctance she produced the textbooks upon ,

which her whole class fell wi t h avidity Some days

.

later when an unusually neat demonstration of an original

,

problem had been made the class broke out in S pontaneous

,
 IN TE RE S T 1 13

applause t he firs t time perhaps when there had ever

been applause in a geome t ry reci t a t ion T hat was good .

t eaching There was an example of a successful appeal

.

to in t erest .

B u t this is no t enough The atti t ude of t he class mus t

.

If you en t ert ain me I ll keep awake

’
not ever be : If , .

”
not I ll go t o S leep or choose some o t her study
,
’
T hese .

are t he people who never do any t hing they don t lik e t o ’

and when t hey have reached middle li fe are s t ill looking

for some thin g t hey will like T he nex t s t ep is to S how
.

the relation be t ween some t hing that t he pupils do like

and t his new thin g which they do not know whe t her t hey
like or n ot W A Baldwin on Cape C od found t ha t
. . .

pupils who had n o in t eres t in ari t hme t ic discovered such

an in t erest when t hey t ook t heir problems ou t of their
gardens instead of ou t of their t ex t books Wirt a t .

G ary has largely solved the problem of in t eres t by con .

n ec tin g all t he repa irs and some of t he cons t ruc t ion abou t

t he school buil di ngs wi t h t he pupils by making t hem

prac t ically appren t ices to t he workmen In doing t hi s .

t eachers have learned a good deal t hemselves T hey .

have found tha t these connec t ions of in t eres t s lead t o

t eaching cert ain subjec t s in new ways His t ory for .
,

example used t o be t augh t in chronological order only

, .

Tha t was the way adul t s approached i t ; it wa s t hough t

to be a good way for approach by chil dren B u t it was .

di scovered t ha t the in t erest of the child began wi t h

hi s own imme di a t e fami ly n o t wi t h t he prehi s t oric family ;
,

wi t h curren t social usages n ot wi t h an cien t ones S O

, .
,

as T horndike says perhaps t he s t o ry Of t he voyages Of

,

t he parents of some pup il in the class S hould precede

t ha t of t he voyage of Columbus P erhaps to work back .

from t he P hi lippines t o Alaska t o t he annexa t ion of T exas , ,

to t he Louisiana P urchase woul d be more in struc t ive ,

t han t o begin with t he Spanish E nglish F rench and D utch , ,

”
se tt lemen t s .

And when we come to subjects t hat must involve

drudgery we need n ot neglec t to look for and employ
,

in t eres t We agree wi t h Mc Mur r y t ha t t he way to

.
1 14 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAINING

prepare for drudgery is to develop a strong mo t ive .

Motive has its ori gin in interes t Hence t he chief .

,

preparation for drudge ry that a t eacher can give is a

strong and many sided interest Children feel for
-
.
,

instance an exhilaration which adults do no t know in

,

merely going t hrough processes They like to do ex .

amples t o memorize words to do a task through T his

, , .
,

with their docili t y and the authori t y of the t eacher ,

carries a young child t hrough many routine occupa t ions .

L ater when the processes are not interesting the resul ts

, ,
“ ”
may be made S O Ins t ead of exercises children may
.
,

write real letters ; instead of learning the Constitu t ion

they may face real concrete civi c problems ; ins t ead Of
laboring over adul t tex t books they may write illus t rate ,

and bind small childlike readers and geographies of their

,

own Bolton says that once when he wa s having d iffi

.
,

culty in maintaining the interest of his pupils in penman

ship he told them that it would be a required exercise
,

only until each on e could w ri te a plain legible hand wi t h ,

fair rapidi t y The results were amazing

. T hey now .

”
had a desirable aim which excited their deepest in t erest .
They asked for information and help instead of shirking
it ; t hey coached themselves and each other In o t her .

subj ects it was found that the prospect of a goal instead

of an indefinite continuance brough t the happiest results .

And when there is no possible interest except fidelity ,

victory or responsibility the child wh o has had the joy

,

of conquest is the on e wh o will best respond to the though t :

This m u s t be done ; this falls to me and I m u s t do it ,
.

A PPLI CA T I O N I N TH E H O M E '

We can carry these thoughts right into our homes .

Take the S pecial problem of work which we shall discuss ,

more fully in a later chapter F irs t le t us get a good .

,

beginning Show the value of the t ask I t will beautify

. .

the home or i t will add to the comfort of all or i t will

, ,

make more leisu e later for play This task wa s one

r
.

that wa s wrough t successfully by a favorite hero or it ,

’
had an im portant part in makin g some great man s
 IN TE RE S T 1 15

charac t er Second S how how i t relates to something

.
,

t hat is already known or liked I t gives you a ch a n ce

'

t o prac t ice t he skill learned in t he S hop or sewing class

at school This is a t ask of importance for one who is
.

going to become a t rained nurse or a foreman Of a shop ,

as you are . Third develop a s t rong mo t ive

, I .

wan t t o see if you can do t hi s piece of work t o a fini sh ;

can y ou master i t or wi ll you le t it mas t er you ? L e t us
,

do it t oge t her and see who wi ll get hi s S hare done firs t

, .

Le t us make a t ime limi t and try to finish i t all before ,

five o clock
’
.

RE AD I NG REFE RE N C E S
D e Ga rm o : I n te res t a n d Ed u ca ti o n pa rticu la r ly VI I I B ol ton :
,
.

P ri n cipl e s of Ed u ca tion 66 6 7 0 4 J a m e s Ta lk s to Tea ch ers 9 1

,
”
- . : ,
”

99 . Ki r kpa tr ick : Th e I n d iv i d u a l in th e M a ki n g 11 5 1 Ki n g :
,
”
- .

Th e P s yc h ol og y of C hi l d D ev el op m e n t Kin g di s cus s es
”
1 5 4 22 1 ,
- .

th orou gh ly th e or igi n a n d d e v e l op m e n t Of th e i n te res ts K i rkp a tri ck .

d oe s so b ri e fly : Th e fi r s t th re e re fe re n ce s be a r u p on th e u se of i n te res t
in th e s c h oo lr oom b u t a re a l so su gge s ti v e for th e h om e
, .
 C H A PTE R XV I
WI LL T RA I N I N G
The will used to be though t of as a separate facul t y
of a man that must give its fiat like the president s
, ,
’

signa t ure to a bill before any act became possible But

, .

it wa s long ago no t iced that so S imple an ac t as winking

did no t fall wi t hin t his definition We n ow use the t erm
.

will only in connection with action t ha t is promp t ed

by clearly t hought out motives -
.

Several fac t s are implied by t his wa y Of looking at

the matter In t he first place if we are going t o t hink
.
,

out our motives evidently we must p ps s es s a cer t ain

,

stock of mo t ives among which t o C hoose T hese past

,
.

motives that we have used before under S imilar circum

stances are our memo ri es But t hey are more t han
.

things recalled ; they are things recalled wi th favor They .

are memories of past desires t ha t became habits We .

recall our desires more easily than our repulsions .

So t his is the wa y we will : O ut of our s t ock of past

choices t he mind finds alternatives for present choice ;
it chooses among these and as soon as i t chooses acts ,

accordingly Those choices that have been most often

.

favored appear mos t attractively t o be chosen again ,

.

Yet they are not inevitably chosen The man can still .

delibera t e he can assort them according to their value

, .

If he will do this if he will think long enough and im

,

partially enough to discover the ri gh t name for each he ,

will choose t he best and will act for t he best .

William James illustrated this fact by t he man who has

been a drunkard . He goes by a saloon and as he passes ,

memories rush to his at t en t ion predominantly the memo

,

ries of past desire B ut he is not necessarily doomed

. .

H e finds himself naming and classifying these impulses .

If he thinks of this as an opportuni ty to test a new brand

1 16
 WILL T RAINING 1 17

of whiskey or t o be sociable with hi s friends or to s tim u

, ,

la t e his good resolves by a part ing glass he is lost but , ,

if he sees clearly t ha t a drink involves being a dr un kard ,

t hen he is on t he road to salva tion E very accum ul a t ed .

memo ry of a vic t ory moves hi s feet nearer to perm an en t

safe ty .

Le t us for clearness of t hough t set down t he three mos t

impo rtant words I n t he s t udy of will : Habi t s D eli beration , ,

Ac t ion .

TH E R E LA T I O N
H A B I T S TO W I LLOF

We S poke above Of the way evil habi t s bind t he will ,

S O t ha t i t is dif
ficul t t o ge t free af t er many foo lish choices
have been made On t he con t rary how hopeful is t he
.
,

si t uation in t he life of the child who before t he t ime of ,

strong de t ermining has come has been mo ul ded in t o S O ,

many right and pleasant habi t s tha t t hey form a goodly

company of memories that are mo t ives from whi ch
, ,

he may choose .

O ur task wi t h children is to multiply t heir presuppo si

tions t hose expe riences Of doing t hings in t he righ t way
,

whi ch will ever after clamor in the field of a t ten t ion as

regular choices We know wha t some of these are : the
.

con t rol of t he ordinary muscul ar movements t o s t and , ,

walk and govern t he body gracefully to manage and ,

’
modulate t he voice t o marshal one s though ts readily
, .

All t hose imply a life of great physical freedom in early

yout h accompanied by thorough muscul ar t raining
,
.

E viden t ly habi t mus t go even furt her I t mus t in volve .

t he control of t he feeli ngs The young child is abandoned

.

t o hi s feeli ngs of eve ry sort They are a m ob wh o con

,
.

quer him at every t urn If as we have said t he will is

.
, ,

a choice among pas t desires t hen ou t of t ha t m ob rul ers,

shoul d have been appointed and o t hers to se rve Anger .

,

jealousy curiosity in childhoo d are imp ul sive irra tional

, .

and qui te un restrained But they cann o t always remain

.

SO . T o will implies n ot only t he alli ance wi t h noble

desires but t he inhibiting of ign oble ones And t he
, .

bes t result has come when t he alliance overshadows the

1 18 CHI LD S T UDY AND CHILD TRAI NING

inhibition We may James tel l s us repress or substitute

.
, , .

In teaching school you may draw the attention of your

pupils from an attractive occurrence outside by bellowing
at them and they will attend ; this is inhibition Or you
, .

can put upon the blackboard such an attrac t ive S ketch

that they will forge t what i s outside ; that i s substitution .

Since out of the heart are the i ssues of life thus to depend ,

upon the expulsive power of a new affection 1 S a very fine

art in child training .

There is the greatest room for the training of the senti

ments We must not merely habituate ou r children to
.

right doing but the doing of right must at all times be

,

associated so far as possible with pleasure with love with , ,

joyous se r vice if we are as B ushnell so beautifully said

, ,

surely t o implant the angel in t he man .

TH E R E LA T I O N
D E LI B E RAT I O N To W I LL
OF

We have implied that to deliberate among possible

choices is to classify them Classifying gives an opp or .

tu n ity for a measurement of values We see therefore .

, ,

the need of developing moral thoughtfulness The moral .

j udgment that res ul ts from moral thoughtfulness and

trained feelings we call Conscience We used to think .

it a separate faculty We called it the voice of G od in

.

”
the soul of man If we conceived the will as a monarch
.

on his throne then conscience wa s the good angel wh o

,

bent over his shoulder and whispered counsel in his ear .

But even the theol ogian a ckn owledges that while con
science a t its best is the Inner Light yet practically a ,

man s conscience at any given time is S imply the expression

’

of the best that is known to him And while such knowl .

edge is partly his own responsibility it is evidently par t ly ,

the responsibility of those wh o were his teachers He .

was not born in possession of the Ten Commandments .

Real moral thoughtfulness implies that we give the

chil d time and room to do his thinking We must not .

be sudden nor jerky nor hieratical Wherever possible

, , .

we shoul d Offer him an alternative so that he may ,

become familiar with the possibility of choice We .

 WILL TRAI NING 1 19

S houl d urge hi m to go apart when he is agitated or about

t o collide wi t h us or ano t her and command hi s feelings
,

and seek the be tt er reason When he is n ot likely to do

.

himself or anybody else much damage he S ho ul d be ,

allowed t he precious experience of learning from his

mis t akes U nless he may he never really has free will
. .

I t takes time to grow a conscience .

TH E W I LL I N A C T I O N
We can now see a li tt le more clearly in what a strong
wi ll consis t s A noisy lad wi t h uncon t rolled impulses
.

does not possess a strong will A chil d who resis t s com

.

mands t o the degree t ha t he doe s not respond when

punished is not necessari ly st rong in will ; since all he does
is to resist hi s will is purely nega t ive and frui t less
, It .

is evidently a mistake to rest ri ct our idea of wi ll power to

t he man who can resist great temp t a t ion ; the man wh o ,

because of heredi t ary tendencies t o t emperance and early

t raining in abs t inence can pass a sa loon wi t hout any desire
,

to go inside is a be t t er example of a well —trained will

, ,

which dispo sed of that enemy before it raised i t s head .

Let us laud s t ruggle and prai s e the man wh o masters

,

himself in the face of temp t a t ion bu t let us covet rather

,
“
to di scip lin e children wh o as Whitman s a id
, lift tha t
,

level and pass beyond .

D E F E C T I V E W I LL S
Two S peci al abnormal types appear frequently among
chi ldren.

One is t he chil d of explos ive wi ll He acts on ins t inct

.

or instant imp ul se and gi ves little or n o time to delibera

tion Inhibi t ion is practically unkn own t o such a chi ld

. .

He answers vi gorously to the first cal l t hat seizes his

a tt en t ion and S ince he seldom foresees i t is hard t o
,

prophesy what he will do next E vidently such a child

.

must frequently be checked when he is about to embark

upon a new ac t ivity and gi ven a chance t o analyze and
,

perhaps explain aloud its reasonableness or unreasonable

ness H e must be shown both that he loses much that
.
1 20 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAIN ING

is worth while because he does not give it time to gain his

at t ention and that he can gain much more t hat is good ou t
of that which he chooses if he wil l take time to go about
it in the best wa y I t may be necessary sometimes to
.

penalize such a child by Obliging him to carry each

s eparate choice to completion before springing to another ,

and to satisfy him of the benefit of deliberation and

perseverance by giving him the privilege Of earning the
grea t er reward whi ch comes from such perseverance .

T he treatment required may be summed up in this word

Of caution : My son you must take p lenty of time to
,
”
decide and you must stick to your decisions when made
, .

This of course does n ot apply to decisions to do wrong .

The peril of such a wi ll is that it is easily influenced in

wrong directions O ur work here is as G H D ix says
.
,
. .

to train the possessor of an explosive will to prudence .

“
The o t her type is th e obs tru cted will Its function is .

”
smothered in surmise as Shakespeare said O f this
,
.

type the most t r ying is the obstina t e child Such a .

”
child is not so active as he is set The idea of opposi
.

tion enters his m ind and he insists on carrying it to the

end Thi s kind of child is best t reated no t by counter
.

Opposition What he usually needs is not to be conquered

.

but to be helped Often he would like to be willing

. Bu t .

he thinks he has been inj ured ; he believes he has been

slighted ; or he S imply feels out of sorts His gloom S hould .

be met with incon querable cheeriness and with pleasant ,

humor The sul kiness can usually be ignored A word

. .

of approval may put him on good terms with himself as

well as wi t h ourself Sometimes a new line of thought or
.

course of action will carry him al ong with you The .

suggestion of helpfulness to yourself may at once remove

his suspiciousness and enable him to express the friend
lin e s s whi ch he feels at heart A good deal of love will
.

conquer a good deal of stubbornness .

H O W A C H I LD A C H I E V E S F R E E D O M
The chi l d seems to pass through three stages in his will
development .
 WILL T RAI NING 12 1

F irst is th e s ta ge of com m a n d The mo t her in her proc

,
.
,

ess of t raining t he chi ld in good and safe habi t s mus t ,

gi ve many explici t direc t ions She S hows hi m how and .

pa t ien t ly helps him t o form ideas Of useful actions and

t o carry them ou t B ut S h e must also for hi s protection
.
, ,

res t rain him from many harm ful prac t ices and sh e mus t
d o thi s by nega t ive commands In many ways then t hi s
.
, ,

is the repressive s t age of wil l .

Second is th e s ta ge of co—opera tion Jus t as soon as

,
.

possible (much sooner than many paren t s reali ze) comes

the time when the chi ld can work under direc t ion and
con t rol in co Opera t ion wi t h his mo t her Ther e are n ow
,
-
.

fewer commands and more frequen t invi t a t ions and

, .

”
sugges t ions . L e t u s do is an admirable phrase t o
use very oft en D uring t his t ime more free dom may be
.

allowed the child and t he paren t is more anxious t o find

,

t he ri gh t S piri t t han t o expec t perfec t ion of execu t ion .

T hen we come to th e s ta ge of s elf d is ciplin e Con t rol -

.

now passes from wi t hou t wi t hin The you t h says as .

,
“ ”
Jesus said in t he t emple I mu s t
,
Commands and .

invi t a t ions are now superseded by inner promp t ings .

I t is the highest stage Of volun t ary ac t ion because in ,

i t is expressed t he whole personali ty self —direc t ed self , ,

controlled self di sciplined

,
-
.

TH E C HI LD S W I L L A N D
’
P A R E N T S W I LL TH E
’

It requi res great wisdom to recognize and help the child

t hrough these s t ages We are so sure of ou r own adul t
.

wisdom and so fearf ul of the mistakes t ha t t he child may

make in hi s ignorance and his wilfulness t hat we forget ,

t ha t our wills are only sponsors and proxies for his un t il ,

his is es t ablished in power Or we may make the con.

,

tr a ry m istake an d S p oil a child by le t ting him free before

,

he is wi se or wort hy t o be free and so let him become a ,

man of mere impulse and wilful ness E ach stage mus t be .

experienced and passed through The ri ght at t itude for .

t he parent is to work as a patien t craft sma n wi t h the child

t hrough each pe ri od while at t he same t ime an t icipa ting
,

the nex t wi t h prophetic and providing mind .

122 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD T RAINING

S UMM AR Y
Will training embodies these factors :
1.
F urnishing the child with an abundance of good
ideas .

2.
B uilding these into a stock of good habits .

3.
Training him to select thoughtful ly from his past
ideas and habits in making his present choices .

4.
A ssociating his right choices so far as is p ossible
with pleasant consequences by conn ec t ing them wi t h his ,

in t erests S O that they may become the favored choices

,

whenever he makes a new decision .

5. Insisting t hat the precipitate child shall take time

to deliberate and S hall not v a cilla te af t er he has chosen .

6. Helping t he obs t ina t e child through affectionate

cheerfulness sidetracking some of his difficul t ies by diver
,

sion and aiding him to conquer others by cO operation -

.

7. Working first through command then through ,

suggestion and finally through encouragement as the ,

child in turn responds to these incentives .

8. G iving the youth room to make choices and to live

his own life .

RE AD ING REFE R E N C E S
S im pl e s ta tem e n ts a b ou t will tra i n i n g a re r a r e Ch a p ter I X of Di x s’
-
.

C h il d S tu d y wi th S pe ci a l Refe re n ce to th e Tea ch i n g of Religion is ”

s u ch a s ta te m e n t Th ere is a v er y good on e in Ch a p ter I X of H olm es ’

.

Pr i n ciple s of Ch a ra c ter M a ki n g .Th e p s ych ol ogy o f th e will is trea ted

”

a t l en g th i n C h a p te r XXV I of J a m es P s yc h ol ogy a n d m u ch m ore

"
’

b r i efly in h is Ta lk s to Tea ch ers M u m ford s Th e D a wn of Ch a ra c

.
’

te r h a s two h elpfu l c h a p te r s th e se v e n th on th e d ev el op m e n t of th e will

, ,

a n d th e e igh th on will tra i n in g

- .
 CHAPT ER XV I I
P LA Y
The old idea was t hat when a child wa s playin g he wa s
fooling T o ou t grow play was regarded as t he sign
of commendable approach t o good sense and ma t uri ty .

Today we believe t ha t play is t he one most valuable

ac t ivi t y in which a chi ld can engage and t hat to lose out ,

of one s life t he spi ri t of play is a S ign of physical mental

’

and perhaps moral decline .

T he reason we have S O t horoughl y changed ou r minds

is because we see t ha t play is on e of ou r very valuable
modes Of self expression I t is t rue tha t i t is self ex
-
.
-

pression for t he sake of expression ra t her t han for any

u t il itarian end bu t for a chil d a t leas t u t i li ty is n ot S O
, ,

important as self educa t ion t hr ough expression and many

-
,

of t he ends of adul t s wo ul d be much more s uccessful ly

a tt ained if t he worker felt tha t in his work he could exp re ss
himself . Indeed t he bes t work in t he world is being done
by men of playful joy who like Wordswort h s H appy
’

Warrior are happy as a lover and a tt ired wi t h sudden

, ,
”
brigh t ness like a man inspired or wh o hke Thomas A
, , ,
.

E dison never carry a wa t ch because they never wish to

, ,

know what time it is Whatever may be t he cause of

.

“
genius says D r P aul C arus
, i t cert ainly S hows itself
.
,

in the playful ease with whi ch work of great im po rt an ce

is performed ”
.

P lay then bo t h prepares for life and enhances life

, ,
.

T he latter is the conscious t he former t he unconscious ,

S ide of play Let us see here how play prepares for life
. .

P LA Y TH E V AL U E OF

P lay has great value physically D r John P G arber . . .

says tha t the charac t e ri stic play of ea ch pe ri od of child

hood is the result of some physic al s t imulus peculiar to
that period .
1 24 CHILD S T U DY AN D CH ILD TRAI NING

I n infancy the head and arm muscles being stronges t , ,

control the t ype of play Sensa t ions that come through

.

the glit t er of Obj ects or through movement or noise

, ,

stimulate it to activity So the rat t le and the ball or

.
,

any other obj ect that rolls and bright obj ects and things
,

with which it can make a noise are its delight AS the

, .

brain more nearly reaches its ful l S ize and bones and
muscles and lungs are taking their turn at rapid grow t h ,

the period of running j umping and hunting games appears

, .

These are followed by contest games which develop t he ,

social instinct of playing in co operati ve games This -

.

is the period when the organs of the body are maturin g ’

when the fibres which connect the various centers of th e .

brain and which play such an important part in the as

sociation of ideas are developing most rapidly AS the .

body stops growing and the intellectual and business

occupations b egin to absorb the time the recreations ,

tend t o take on form involvi ng emo t ional life Hence .

it would seem safe to say t hat the impulse to exercise or

use the growing parts of the body furnishes the only
explanation needed to account for the play ac t ivi t y and ,

that the type of play is controlled in a large measure by

”
the stage of t he bodily development .

P lay helps develop t he physical strength AS D r . .

Henry S Cur tis re mi nds u S the work of the modern city

.
,

child has practically di sappeared amounting t o hardly ,

more than ten or fif t een minutes a day Practically the .

only me t hod of physical training left is play Still more .

important play helps develop the vital or orga n ic s t rength

, .

O rganic strength is far more essential to modern life than

muscular strength . I t develops wha t we call a good
”
constitution N early all the games are Ol d and simple
.

co ordinations
-
of movement and of the fu ndamen t al
muscles . N early all Of t hem involve running and so ,

tend to streng t hen the legs and arms and heart .

P l ay is of value in mental development Almost every .

instinct of childhood expresses itself by means of play .

T hese instincts work out through the senses and so the

young child s play trains his sense percep t ions as does no
’
 P LAY 1 25

other method When t he sense perce ptions are busy

.

t hey pick up new associations and responses and S O play , ,

which awakens t hem develops more differentiated power

,
“ ”
in using them If you wa t ch a youn g child play
.
,

says D r J M Tyler
. . . you are amused by t he number
, ,

varie ty and vigor Of movemen t s Many of t hese give .

good exercise but are a complete waste of energy so far

, ,

as the resul t of the game is conce rned G radually as .

,

he plays more he learns to suppress these to economize

, ,

and to concentra t e energy This is one of t he ea rliest .

and best lessons in self —control It is a S low g rowth . .

But t he poise and repo s e of the trained a t hlete are as

admirable as his strength All his life long he saves t he .

energy which o t hers waste in fid ge tin g and fre tt ing He is .

”
a shrewd investor not a spend t hrift of his great power
, , .

Of course t he power of consecu t ive a tt en t ion is exe r

ci se d through play The te acher envies t he in t entness
.

and consecutiveness of attention whi ch t he child e xhi bits

on the playground and wishes he could awaken i t s pa rall el
,

in the schoo lroom Surely the higher men t al powers

.

must be developed in such al ert ness and such vigorous

uses of t he senses and t he muscles On e essential of .

nearly every game is the overcoming of Obs t acles The .

child s fancy finds exp ression his ingenuity is exerci sed

’

, ,

his j udgment rapidl y S izes up a si t uation and his will

promptly ac t s upon i t And SO t hin king feeling and doing
.
,

are all u ni t ed in conquering diffi cul ties In play he forge t s .

himself and so the barri ers of S hyness and self —conscious

ness whi ch a re in his way in other activi t ies are down
, , .

T hus the expressive life be comes sen sitive balanced , ,

assured and serviceable .

We may agree wi t h Seashore that play is t he p ri n cipal

”
instrumen t of mental growth .

Play is of social value C hi ld play reproduces in turn

.

many of the struggles experiences and achievemen t s ,

which men have met in their social developm en t T he .

child like the race has his individual h is tri bal his
, , , ,

loyal and his republican stages in his play -life These .

engagemen t s gradually lead from competi t ion with his

126 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TR AIN ING

mates to self sa crifice and the habit of S hari ng and

-
,

gradually blend into the responsibilities and opportuni t ies

Of adul t life F or a time at least sturdy physical exercise
.

in play mi t igates the sexual s t ress S tech er t thinks that .

the child even lear ns civic and pat ri otic virtues and S O ,

develops the love Of liberty in the mimic world of play , .

Play has great moral value F ree play is the source .

of much j oy the j oy of absolu t ely untrammelled expression

, ,

and joy as we have said is s t rength G ames limit self

, , .

expression by rul es but these rules develop right habits

,

and necessitate the practice of fairnes s L ater if play ,

“ ”
be really recreation and not mere di version or
amusement it means the recreation of our best powers
,

and not a tired pulling off from duty .

Play directly transforms energies that easily become

vagrant into wholesome C hannels Johnson reminds us .

that the very instinct for being chased which may lead a
boy into the j uvenile court might under di rection , ,

enable hi m to carry a football fifty yards down a protected

field amidst the cheers of twenty thousand peopl e
,
.

E ven t hi s woul d not mean so much as the sense of loyal ty ,

the consciousness of honor the life standard of achieve ,

ment that his athl etic discipline involved .

T he element of S haring in play has already been r e

ferred to and it seems no exaggeration to say tha t it has
,

a Close rel ation to comradeship mutual endeavor and the ,

capacity for team work for good causes .

P lay within recognizable limits develops self control

, ,
-
.

W hen a football player as J Lewis P aton says ,

“
has .
, ,

with the ball in his hands broken through the opposing ,

lines receiving in the process a whack on the head and a

,

kick on the shins and then triumphantly crossing the

, ,
’
line and touching down the ball between the enemy s
goal posts is recalled by the referee s whistle and hi s t ry
,
’

is disallo wed because the referee had thought he had run

on to the touch line t ha t not being the case — then
-
,

I say if the boy bears all t hat without mentioning any

,

towns in Holland but smiles geni ally at the referee and

,

the ful lback wh o hacked him and start s off again t o

‘

,
 P LAY 12 7

play up and play t he game as hard as ever t hen I ,

say however ignorant tha t boy may be of B ucephalus

, ,

he has learned in prac t ice t he lesson of self control ; and -

”
I don t see myself how he coul d learn it bet t er
’
.

P lay involves an increasing element of self —direc t ion ,

than whi ch no moral quali t y is more n eeded t oday in

personal and public l ife T he moral value of play in
.

”
thi s respec t ari ses says Hoben ,
from t he instant m u s cu
,

lar response to volition D elay half he a r ted response

— .
, ,

ina tt en t ion preoccupa t ion whi msicalne ss carelessness

, , , ,

and every sluggish performance of t he order of the will ,

di squalify t he player S O that when we t ake into accoun t

,

the adolescent pa s sion to excel and the fact tha t eigh ty ,

per cent of t he games of t hi s period are characterized by

in t ense physical ac t ivity we are forced to place the
,

hi ghest va lua t ion on play as a moral educator ; for t hi s

ent h ronemen t of t he will over the bo dy a l t hough having ,

to do wi t h affairs of no permanent import ance has grea t ,

”
and abiding value for every fu t ure transac t ion in life .

TH E U T I LI Z A T I O N
P LA Y OF

The writer has in a recen t s t udy (pub lished in a Man

”
ual of Play ) been amazed to di scover h ow many a p
p a r en tly unused opport un i t ies are in t he spontan eous
-

plays of young children B egin ning with t he eagerne ss

.

of the chil d for sense experiences which we may sa t isfy ,

by presen t ing t o hi m many objec t s hard an d sof t smoo t h , ,

and rough regular and irregular in shape light and heavy

, , ,

we find him start ing to examine t ake ap ar t put t oge t her , ,

and cons t ruc t T hen he begins t o inquir e and hi s doll

.
,

becomes a baby his blocks a train his cart a horse and a

, ,

S hawl hung over a table a tent .

We meet these manifestations with indifference and

Often with folly On e form of folly is that of ignoring
.

play an d thus leaving t he child f amished for the ex

p eri e n ce s and expressions whi ch co ul d be so educative
t o him Another folly is to debauch t he play instinct by
.

submerging the child in a pile of toys so elaborately

constructed and equippe d wi t h so many mechanical
1 28 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAI NI NG

devices that they leave no t hing for him to do but to look

on or to break them by taking them to pieces It has .

been found that a simple inexpensive but varied store

,
“

Of playthings home —made rather t han store bought and

,
-
,

selected for the variety of experiences to which they

lead will do more for a child than several years schooling
,
’
.

Wooden toys are usually preferable t o cast iron ones -

,

because the child can alter them wi t h a knife though ,

certain metal bui lding toys give great interes t and are
Of value to the child who is at t racted toward mechanics
and enginee ri ng Above all let t he child make his own
.
.

toys urging him to supply the inventiveness while you

,

make such technical sugges t ions as to detail as may be

requested .

O rgani zed play in the form Of athletics has many

, ,

excellencies and needs many reforms The great field .

games S how a steady improvement in t he humanizing ,

of rul es S kill in coaching and care of the players sports

, ,

manl ikeness in action and in t he accessories but they ,

deserve c ri t icism yet in that they are spectacles more than

games The extreme publicity which they give to school
.

boys is to a degree unfortunate though the young hero ,

of t en learns thereby how fickle is pop ul ar applause They .

no doubt assume too great a share of the atten t ion not ,

only of the player but of the whole school B ut they have

,
.

two faul ts t hat are more serious O ne is that they hold .

aloft the too American ideal of playing for the vic t ory
-
.

”
rather than for the game itself Victory at any price
. ,

even of fairness and honor is too often the aim The .

other is that they tend too much to develop the few wh o

excel rather than to give pleasure and profit in participa
tion to the many We are too far yet from the E nglish
.

custom which calls upon any school boy to enter a contest

and call it a good game if he has put his best into it ,

wheth er he has won or not E speciall y have we neglected

.

the play interests Of our gi rls wh o t oo Often af t er t hey

-
,

enter high school re t ire to the bleachers and exercise

onl y in cheering on the players A wholesome attractive .
,

play crusade for older girls is very much in order .

 P LAY

A S P E C IAL D I S C U S S I O N OF D RA M AT I C P L A Y
The drama t ic inst inct is an expression of the imp ul se
to make use Of the imagi na t ion Passive i magina t ion is .

known as day dreaming P lay and drama t ics are ex

-
.

amples of ac t ive imagi nation Th e ve ry young chi l d .

expresses t he drama t ic instinct en t irely by imi t a t ion .

H e imi t ates wha t ever he sees adul t s do A t about three .

years children be gin to imi t ate the ideas of adul ts

,

ra t her t han t he exact t hings they do Now t heir imi t a

.

tion becomes imagina t ive It seems to be a hunger t o

.

realize life t o i t s fullest Drama t ic play is at first indi vidu

.

a lis tic but gradually becomes soci al Some of t he ex

.

pre s sions of i t are changing a dog into a child a broom ,

stick in t o a horse and in playing grown up A t about .

te n years children begi n to t ake pleasure in expressing

,

drama t ic ideas to an audience and t his desire according ,

to t he degree t o which it finds exerci se las t s more or less ,

t hroughou t life .

The val ues of dramatic play are many I t awakens a .

chi ld S thi nking

’
He remembers best wha t he learns
.

dramatically He un derstands ac t ions purposes , traits

.
,

and cus t oms to which he woul d o t herwi se be a stranger .

Life becomes larger as he puts h im self in the place of

another Dr ama t ic play develops resour ceful ness in
.

S pontaneous in t erests and en t husiasm and b rings ou t .

initiat ive and ingenui t y the power of ac t ion in groups

,

and of un selfish co-ope r a t ion I t relates i t self to E nglish

.
,

elocution drawi ng and craft smanship

, I t has an im .

portant part in helping t he child t o decide upon his futur e .

I t has moral value because it stimul ates a sy mpa t he t ic

phi losophy of life and helps the child to un ders t and moral
issues by having imita t ive experi ences of t hem Because .

it gives joy it al so gives stren gth Cabot says t hat

.

impe rsonation is t he chief part of morals by whi ch ,

he means t hat to pl ay a noble part helps on e to become

noble .

D ramatic opportun i ties in the home are these in the ,

order In which they come :

1 30 :

CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAINING

1 . I mi t ative play .

2 . I magin ative games and p l ay with toys costumes and ,

home made proper t ies -

.

3 Se ri al dramatic play i e
. dramatic g a mes t aken up
,
f
,

day after day for a considerable period .

4 D ramatic or folk dancing

. .

5 D ramatic parties W
. ith t ableaux statues cha , ,

rades extemporaneous story telling play

,
-
.

6 Home theatricals
. .

7 D ramatized work t e work glorified by the imagina

.
,
. .
,

tion .

8 Clubs based on imaginative play such as the Boy

.
,

Scouts .

9 . D ramatic self — government ; co operative dramatics -

i n t he school or church .

1 0 Theatre going
. .

Al most any active use of the imagination is more valu

ab le to the child than such a passive use as is represented
in attendance at a theatre or mo t ion picture S how These -
.

forms of entertainment are objectionable for young people

on acco u nt of the late hours excitement and the strain
,

upon the eyes and attention O lder children should be .

ta ken to the theatre rather than sent so that t he plays ,

seen may be known and interpreted by the parents .

The evils of the theatre are : less refined vocabulari es ,

interests undesirable for children weakness of moral tone , ,

dreaminess and unrest The advantages are greater

.

power of expression through beautiful words and actions ,

better understanding of literature gain in courtesy and ,

the sharpening Of the sense Of right and wrong,

The theatre is discussed more fully in Chapter X X I X .

RE AD ING REFE RE N C E S
An e x ce ll e n t a r ra n g em e n t of ga m e s by g r a d e s is f u r n i s h ed in J oh n s o n s
’

Ed u ca ti on th r ou gh P l a y a n d Ga m es An en d e a v or to g i v e a S i mila r
.

”
g ra d i n g of free pl a y is fu r n i sh ed in F orb u sh s M a n u a l of Pl a y i n wh i ch ’
, .

a l s o a re d i s c u s s e d d ra m a tic pl a y c on s tru c ti v e pl a y se r i a l pl a y a n d oth er

,

form s of ex p res s iv e a c tion .Pl a y a s Ed u ca ti on b y J ose p h Lee , ,

ch a rm i n g d i s cu s s i on by ou r l ea d i n g pl a yg rou n d ph i la n th rop i st C u rti s

' ’
.

Th e D r a m a tic I n s ti n c t in E d u c a ti on is ou r m os t th orou g h work u p on

i ts s u bj e c t M i s s B a n c rof t s Ga m e s for Pl a yg rou n d H om e S ch ool a n d'
’
. , ,

G ym n a s i u m is th e b es t c om p en d ium a n d book of ru les for s oc ia l ga m es

,
” .
 C HA PT E R XVI I I
WO R K
Work for children has hi t hert o been chiefly stu di ed
from t he economic s t andpo int We have b ecome so .

ashamed of and alarmed a t t he con di t ions of child labor

and jus t ly that we forge t t ha t work wi sely pl a nned
,

and supe rvised is on e of C hil dhood s wholesome

’

expe ri ences .

I n our s t udy we have already learned that whil e play ,

gives valuable Opport uni t y for will t rai ni ng Si nce i t s ,

end is in i t self and not in any finished product it does not ,

furni sh all the dri ll t hat the wi ll needs in t he conquest of

obstacles If our elaborate group games seem an e xcep
.

t ion to t his s t atement ye t we can a tt ri bu t e to t hem the

. ,

elemen t of conques t in onl y a lim i t ed field and tha t apart

from t he ordin ary life and we mus t not overestima t e
,

t he po ssibility of t ran s ferring this kind of power into t he

'

regular ch a n n els of action Ce rtainly the free play Of

.

youn g ch il dren gives very li tt le training in persis t ence

and patience .

I n the newly S haping science of vocational gui dan ce

'

not hi ng is more clearly emerging in t o view t han t he fac t

t hat opportun ity for a young person to try hi mself ou t
early by repea t ed experimen t s is t he mos t valuable way
t o self-realization Such expe ri men t s are leas t expensi ve
.

if t hey may be made duri ng school days and are least

wasteful of time when they involve t he smalles t degree
of wandering from on e appren t iceshi p to ano t her With .

industry as at present organized t here is li tt le t ime for

feeling one s wa y small patience wi t h youn g workm en who
’

,
“
come in for a whi le to see h ow t hey like i t and ye t ,
”

’
t he instinct to play wi t h one s work and to see how on e
likes i t as a s t eady occupa t ion is entir ely wholesome and
S houl d have some place in the order of thin g s .

1 31
132 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD T RAINI NG

The a tt itude of respect for work is itself of the greatest

social value . A school man has recently pointed ou t the .

conscious contrast which e xists between the workingman

’
who goes to work in his overalls at seven o clock and works
hard un t il six and hi s son wh o goes to high school in a
white collar at nine ge t s ou t at three plays football or
, ,

loafs downtown until supper—t ime and then comes home

t o meet h is tired father This man thinks ou r schools
.

are dis t inc t ly educ at ing children to hate work except ,

the kind t hat may be done while wea ri ng a whi t e collar

-
.

O ne of the first and hardest lessons a boy has to learn

in a factory or a girl in an o ffice is respect for clothes
, ,
’
that are suitable for one s task .

WO R K AS F E LL O W S H I P
Some parents find it diffic ul t to get close to their chi l dren
in p la y but few wh o are patient about it find fellowship
, , ,

hard when they work together Still better they dis .

,

cover that mutual work experi ences are valuable i n help

-

ing a child to right r elations in his home Certain u n .

pleasant and unfortunate tendencies are soon corrected

by the discipline of work Th e child for instance is .
, ,

likely to be careless about caring for and replacing his

things until he is made responsible for them and learns
that nobody else will protect them if he fai l s to do so .

He is likely to tyrannize over servants unless he learns ,

through daily dut ies of his own to sympathize with them ,

and trea t them with consideration H e is also likely to .

become somewhat helpless if there are nursemaids or

other servants in the home unless he is oblige d to wait
upon himself He is certain to b ecome selfish if he has
.

no time —filler but play and is always served by others .

He can never enter into the sense of partnership in t he

home life if he remains always a demander and is not
regularly a donor Self reliance cann ot be his unl ess he
.
-

has frOm early childhood been exposed regularly to situa

tions that are challenging t o industry patience and ,

resourceful ness .

I n the days when large families lack of servants and ,

 WORK 1 33

t he coun t less demands of farm work were the rul e the ,

problem of work for childr en solved i t self but t oday , ,

especially in house h olds where t here are few chores and

t hese are pe r formed by servan t s or by persons paid by ,

t he hour real ingenui t y and fore t hought are requi red to

,

keep chil dren heal thil y busy E ven the care of li tt le

.

children by t he Older ones is less necessary for there is

Of ten bu t on e chil d or t wo ,
.

A husband and wi fe of weal th recen t ly became SO

t horoughl y impressed wi t h t he unfo r t una t e effec t upon
t heir children of the constant presence of servan t s an d
nur ses the absolut e i dl eness and indolence of the chi ldren
,

and t he lack Of opport un i t y on t heir own part t o keep

close to t hem t ha t t hey inaugura ted a radi ca l an d suc
,

cess ful experiment in home educa t ion They gave up a .

projec t ed addi t ion to the house whi ch t hey di d no t need ,

t hey used the money to equi p t heir home wi t h the lates t

labor saving appara t us including an elec t ric range a
-
, ,

laun dr y machine and a dish washi ng machi ne and they

-
,

discharged all their servan t s Then t he fa t her as well.

as t he mo t her ac t ively organi ze d and did t he housework ,

wi t h t he aid of t heir four chil dren to each of whom was ,

assigned hi s own S hare of t he work In the record of t heir .

experimen t t hey t es t ify to the improvemen t in t he heal t h

and spiri t s of all t heir chil dren their increase d re source ,

fulness the new comradeship and affec t ion and part icu l arly
,

t he na t ural and frui t ful Opport uni t y t hat unexpec t e dl y

came to revive fam ily worship and Bible s t udy a t t he close
of t he mea l which all had prepared as w e l l as part aken .

T he great difficulty is to arrange for educa t ive work in

a ci ty home A boy may assume t he responsibili ty Of t he
.

furnace a girl (or even a boy) may le ar n t o do t he fam il y

,

marke t ing bu t t here are few chores available in a home

,

t ha t is part of a block or t ha t is ups t airs in a fla t Many .

migra t ions of fami lies in t o t he coun t ry have been explained

by t he paren t al recogn i t ion of the sani fying e ffects of
,

work in t he yard and garden and in t he ca re of ani ma ls .

O ur need in t he city is t o devi se smal l experimen tal

commercial t ransactions in the way of salesmanshi p ,
 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD I RAI NI NG
134
G
'
‘

manufacturing or work after school which shall without , ,

the ab use of child labor give the child some t as t e of ,

commercial life T hese are to city children fully as

.

inspi ri ng as chores and more in line wi th their probable

,

fut u re vocations .

TH E _ED U cAT1 0 NA L V AL U E or H OME WO R K

Work a t home has an educational value for which there
is no substi t u t e D r F rancis A Walker and D r G
. . . . .

Stanl ey H all wrote essays that have become classics

sh owin g the va ri ed and practical educational results that
came when boys and girls were apprenticed to their
fathers and mothers in farm and household tasks E ffort s .

have been made in manual training and domestic science

,

courses in the schools to provi de substitutes for such home

,

education Of late however the pendulum is swinging

.
, ,

back and t he possibility is being seen of helping the home

,

to reassume tasks which it had abdicated In many .

counties of several states school credits are given for ,

home helping and no valid objection appears to have

-
,

been made save that th e way the work is done may not
make it wor t h cre di ting Perhaps the school will go a .

step further and show parents how to teach their children

to work In Massachusetts they have what they cal l
.

the home project plan of encouraging young people

to work out some of t heir textbook lessons on the farm ,

in the garden and in the house The Achievement Club .

movement under the auspices of the F ederal D epart

,
“

ment of Agr icultur e is supervi sing a quanti ty of en,

d ea vor by Corn raising Clubs and Home making Clubs

-

all over the country So far t hese schemes have been .

,

applicable chiefly to rural children There i s much more .

pressing need that the problem of home occupation or

work be solved for families that live in flats or in t he o t her
restricted quarters in cities where there are fewer tasks ,

at hand where the a llu rem erit of the street is ever present
,

and where constant contact of parents and children makes

alleviation and forbearance and fellowship more essential .

I t may be that communities that find expensive indus

 WO R K 1 35

t ri al equipment for their schools beyond their reach .

will learn to get credi table prac t ice work done in home
laboratori es and shops In G ary they are already usi ng
.

artisans and workmen about the school bui ldi ngs as

t eachers and the rep airi ng and cons t ruc t ion work as
objec t lessons . In Cre t e N ebraska a movemen t began
, ,

which has already spread t o over half a hundred town s

in t hat Sta t e for using the ki tc hens of t he community
as laborat ories and t he housewi ves as teachers for domes t ic
science courses t hat are supervised by t he schools .

The remark th a t was made above about the diffi cu l ty

of get t ing home work properly performed has not done
j us t ice t o t he importan ce of t his need I t is n ot merely
.

that the child who has been ta ught a t home t o work

d irec t ly swiftly a n d silen t ly is more val ua ble t o industry
, ,

bu t it is because t he habit of doing work in t hi s way

.

elimi nates was t e an d leaves time for o t her t hings t hat

are worth while E fficiency
. me t hods are ge tt ing
even in t o the kitchen nowadays There are still those
.

who sneer at refinement as wea kening and even degradin g ,

but the homely a rts of life dispose of clutt er loose en ds ,

and perpe t ual friction and add moral st rengt h to hours

se t free for in t ellec t ual and soci al uses To such high
results may home w
.

ork well done at t ain .

WO RK AND C HAR A C T E R
S t ill greater is ou r need to use work to its full est as ,

God in t ended for cha rac t er makin g W e nee d n ot

,
-
.
-

enumerate i t s moral poss ibili ties So me ci t ies have

.

begu n efiorts in thi s direc t ion There is a na tional t hrift

.

movemen t whi ch des erves encoura gement I n Can t on .

,

Ohi o a record is made of the money earned each summ er

,

by t he pupils in the hi gh school S t ill more wort h while

.

would i t be to know and supe rvise the ways in which the

money is ma de In on e middle we s t ern community the
.

habit s learned by the boys who went away su m mers to

work in hot els and on lake st eamers infected t he school
wi t h vice af te r t heir re t urn A few arrangemen ts have
.

been made in the direction of arran gi ng for and super

1 36 CHILD ST UDY AN D CHI L D TRAINING

V ising the summer time wo rk of young peopl e E W -

. . .

Weaver of B rooklyn arranged to have some of the school

boys of his city pick up apples in D utchess Coun ty ,

and later under his stimulus a plan wa s worked out by ,

which high school boys and girls offered t hemselves as

guides and caretakers of small groups of children to go
to the parks museums and beaches duri ng vaca t ion
, .

William A M cK eever gathered t hirty boys for a summer

.

and found that the product of their work under a skilled

‘

leader wh o taught them to play as well and who camped

’
ou t with them paid the leader s salary and thus poin t ed
, ,

the wa y to a self supporting method of using the summer

-

time as a school of wholesome work .

So far there seem to be few business men wh o can find

educative work for young people wh o can give only two
or three mon t hs of their time Wholesome and even .

uplif t ing as are the camps conducted by private schools

and the Y M C A they are inevitably seasons of
. . . .
,

uninterrupted play and of spending rather than earning

money A task of sane helpfulness and perhaps of some
.

economic val ue bo t h present and future would be under

taken by anyo ne wh o could devise suitable work camps -

for school boys and girls The Boy Scouts and the Camp
.

fire G irls would seem to have a pec uliar opportunity in

such a field .

RE AD IN G REFE RE N C E S
Th e a u th or h a s wri tte n a b ookl et e n ti tl ed H ow to D o H om e W or k
,

Righ t wh ich s eem s to b e th e fi r s t liter a tu re in its fi e ld A c om pa n i on

,
”
.

pa m ph let M on ey M a ki n g a n d Th rif t for B oys a n d G i r l s ou tlin e s s om e

-

p r a c tica bl e p roj ec ts for you n g p eopl e in a fter s ch ool h ou rs a n d m a k es

-

s u gg e s ti on s a b ou t a cc ou n ti ng a n d sa v i n g B oth a re pu bli
. s h e d by th e
'
A m er ica n I n s ti tu te of C h il d L ife P h ila d elph i a D a v i s
,
Voca tion a l
.

a n d M or a l G u i d a n c e s h ows h ow (es p eci a ll y in C h a p ter s I V V I of P a r t , ,

I a n d I I I X of Pa r t I I ) th e s ch ool a n d th e p u b lic lib ra r y m a y e s ta bli sh

, ,

th e h a bi t of th i n ki n g p r op e rly a b ou t wor k Th e D ep a r tm e n t of Edu ca tion

.

pu bli sh es a rep ort on th e Ga r y s ch ool s th e B u rea u of Pla n t I n d u s try

,

fu r n i sh es i n forma ti on a b ou t th e A ch i ev em e n t Cl u b m ov em en t M c .

Keev er s pla n is d es cr ib ed in h is p a m ph le t Va ca tion Em pl oym e n t

’

, ,
”

o b ta i n a bl e of th e a u th or a t th e U n i v e rs i ty of Ka n sa s L a wren c e Ka n s a s
, ,
.
 C HA PT E R X I X
T H E ST O R Y
The story has li ke play been ge tt ing a large valuation
, ,

la t ely No t only s o bu t we are being t old t hat i t is an

.
,

art ; persons are t elling stories

”
professionally and

"
the re are even schools where t he art is taught This is .

a bi t alarming t o a mother whose chi ldren are always

”
clamori ng T ell me a s t ory
,

Yet aft er all what is to be sai d about the story is very

, ,

simple I t is an art
. perhaps t he mos t an ci en t of all art s ,

and t herefore the si mples t But i t is a luxury as well as

.

an art and no mo t her who has learned how

,
and every
mother ma y learn how wi thou t di fficul t y will t hink of
it as anythi ng but on e of the most joyous privileges of
her life .

TH E I N T E R ES T I N S T O RI E S
Children s interes t in s t ori es see ms to follow closely
’

t he order in which the great ty pe s of s t ories appeared in

his t ory Li tt le children old enough to unders t and any
.
,

t hing like stories wi t h a s t rong sense appeal in which

, ,

rhymes and phrases are repea t ed such as the t ri p trop -

,

t rip trop of goa t s wal kin g over a b ri dge in The B ill y

-
,

Go ats G ruff or stories in which colors or t ouch sensa t ions

,
-

or good things t o ea t are vividly t old about as and , ,

” “ ”
where is m y soup gone ? of the Th ree Bears F inger .

plays and nursery rhymes come along with t hese Then .

and a lit t le later imaginative stories are liked fairy ,

stories most of all fables mildl y myths and legends af t er

, ,

a while and parables and allegories wi t h some degree

of resigna t ion The golden age of fairy ta l es is be lieved
.

t o lie bet ween four and seven A fable is a sort of .

desiccated animal story and wi t h the parable and all e

gory is the favori t e of t he adult who wants t o improve
the chil d At about ten comes the first interest in
.

1 37
1 38 CHILD ST U DY AN D CHILD TRAINING

hero stories biography and realistic stories of eve ryday

-
,

life
. D uring adolescence t here is a second age of irh
a gin a tiv en e s s when stories of romance are loved but ,

this is bey ond the time when a child usually likes to

listen to stories In his eager haste he prefers to read
“

them to himself .

TH E VAL U E
S T O RY T E LLI N G OF -

The story has physical value In the home or in the .

‘

'
midst of weariness or comm otion in school it ca lm s th e
perturbed spiri t and helps prepare the body either for
sl eep or for renewed activity ,

I t has intellectual value Richard M Hodge goes so . .

“ ”
far as t o call the s t ory the language of childhood ,

and says t hat it is our most direct and satisfactory means

of communicating to them our ideas Stories are pictures .

of life and next to real experi ences are ou r best wa y of

,

interpreting life to the young They infl uence especially .

the higher facul t ies for they help the imagina t ion aid
, ,

the child as he retell s them in his free and picturesque

use of language and are a source of joy which is to say a
, , ,

source of strength .

T he moral value of the story has been attested in a ll

times E ven savage tri bes use stories con sciously and
.

regularly as t he chief means of giving to children not only

the tribal traditions but the tribal morals and the testi
, ,

mony of an t hropologists is that in this they are very

successful Stories help a child to know what is good
. .

I n my t hs and l egends at least the hero is more true t o ,

life than life itself for these heroic characters are t he

,

sublimated expression sharpened with age and conviction , ,

of the virtues they personify The child can always see .

goodness in a man when he cannot in a precept B ecause .

they are so in t eresting stories incite moral thoughtful ,

”
ness . They reduce the amount of m ora l illiter a cy °

T hey help the child to feel what is good for they not only ,

show by making the hero triumph that goodness is worth

, ,

while but they make the child by the magi c of t heir

,

telling want goodness to trium ph They have some .

 T H E S T O RY 1 39

effec t on t he wi ll because t hey force the chil d at lea st in

,

imagination to t ake sides H e usually personal iz es him

.

se lf as the hero of whom he hears and he chooses as his ,

hero chooses .

The mor al value of t he s t ory is entwi ned wi t h i t s social

value The reason why it is so much be tter to t ell t han
.

t o read a s t ory is because the s t ory te ller can add hi s own -

personality and sympa t hy to t he tale If t he chil d b e .

liev es in t he story t e ller then he believes in t he s t ories

-
, ,

and assum es in hearing t hem t he moral atti t ude whi ch

t he tell er assum es in telli ng t hem .

Of course sto ri es have t heir limi t ations No chil d .

can do good while he is si t ting in a chair listen ing t o a

s t ory -tell er bu t t he s t ory t eller part i cul arly a mo t her
,
-
, ,

can exercise t he chil d by having him retell the stories '

,

ac t t hem ou t in play and do s om eth in g good for whi ch a

story has been t he s t imulation .

TH E E L E M E N TS
A STO R Y OF

E very good story has four elemen t s ; t hey always appear

and al ways in the same order They are these : .

A good beginn ing .

Ac t ion.

Suspense .

The solu t ion .

I t is usually a good be ginni ng to introduce the hero in

an in t eres t ing situa t ion Once t here was a li t tle Indi an
.

boy wh o t ook a ride on the cowca tcher of an engi ne ; ”

this sentence u tt ered qui etly once compl etely subd ued
, ,

a roomful of s t ree t boys wh o had gathered t o t orment a

new s t ory -teller but wh o were charmed and expec t ant
,

at such a promising start .

T hen some thi ng must take place a t once A c t ion is .

what differen t ia t es t he story from t he sermon t he ora t ion ,

or sever al o t her forms of l i te rature The sto ry is alli ed .

to the drama which moves swif t ly on from one exci t ing

,

scene t o ano t her .

Bu t t he action must n ot be clear t o t he end from the

beginni ng O therwi se the s to ry is all t ol d before i t is
.
1 40 CH ILD S T U DY AN D CHILD TRAI NING

fairly started There must be uncertainty as to how the

.

characters wi ll behave what decision the hero will make

,

and j ust h ow it wi ll all come ou t O f only one thing t he .

chi ld need be sur e that it is n ot going to be a tragedy

, ,
’
for sad stories have very small place in a child s experience .

F inally the sol ution whi ch shoul d usually be short

, ,

and sudden .

H ow To T E LL S T O RI E S
The on e word is : Visualize Miss Sarah Cone B ryant .

put the art in on e sentence when she said : I like to

think of the story -teller standing at a great window
overl ooking a busy street or a pictur esque square and ,

reporting with gusto to the c omrade in the rear of the

roo m what of mirth or sadness he sees as if — let me
that comrade coul d never know what is hap
,

continue
’
pening save as he gets it through t he story-teller s voice .

To see vivi dl y and tel l with animation and directness

this is good story telli ng Thi s ru l es out elocu tion is m
‘

-
.
,

gesture save as it is un consci ous and unnecessary detail ,

and de viation .

The reason the story teller may not gesture as does

-
,

the actor is because his purp ose is different from that of

,

the actor The actor i s the hero and so he represents

.
,

him in costume action and gestur e Bu t the story teller

,
.
-

poin ts to the hero and so does nothing by costume ac t

, , ,

or gesture to distract attention to himself

, He I s dealing .

’
with an even finer art than the actor s for he 1 5 trying so ,

to work upon the ima gination of the child that he can ~

recreate the hero and the action and see both wi t h his
in ward eye '
.

D eta ils a n d di gressions tend to weaken atte ntion and

cause th e chil d to lose the thread of the story This does .

not mean that the teller is careless of his words He may .

be very choice with them so long as they form the pig ,

ments wi th which he mixes hi s colors O ne of Hans .

,

Andersen s stories begins with such a swif t painting of

’

sunlight and bright colors that y ou know a t once how

happy the story is to be O ne of E dmund Le a m y s
’
.
 T H E S T O RY 14 1

closes with such a cadence of words that it leaves t he

.

child s heart sa tisfied and hi s min d soothed for sl um ber

’
.

TH E P L O T
There are said to be only fifty stories in the world so ,

there cannot b e m an y kinds of plo t s .

Children s stories generally follow on e of a very few

’

S imple lines of construction Angela M K eyes names . .

“
them : A Single h n e of sequence as The Sleeping ,
” ” ”
Beauty ; the three parallel line as The Three Bears ;
-
,
”
two contrasting course s of action as Cindere lla , .

S TO R Y T E LLI N G D E V I C E S
-

U se direct rather than indirect di scourse Thi s gives .

vivacity to the s tyle and adds movemen t and lifelikeness

to the tale Chil dren oft en personaliz e the hero as
.
,

t hemselves and it helps thi s iden t ifica tion to hear t he

,

exact word s which the hero u tt ers .

U se repe t i t ion for the purpo ses of memo ri zing and

easy recal l by the child N ot only t he repe ti t ion of
.

phrases and the parallelism of plot are desirable bu t the ,

child as so man y of us know general ly prefers an old

, ,

s tory to any new on e an d wan t s to hear it in the precise

,

language in whi ch i t was firs t t old him .

T ake your t im e This does n ot mean to di gress or

.

ramble but as Profess or St John reminds us :

,
T he floor
.

is yours everybody wants t o hear y ou there I S t ime eno ugh

, ,

for every point or shade of meaning and n o on e will ,

”
think the story too long .

G et the children to help tell or retell the story This .

is the mos t valuable kind of repe t i t ion If a s t ory is .

be ing told well t he children will join in the part that

,

repeats pe r fec t ly unconscious t ha t they are doing so

, .

O r if it is a new story such a suggestion as , And wha t ,

do y ou suppose the fairy godmo t her said when she came

”
in ? will give the child a chance to e xercise his fancy and
to le t himself inside the t ale .

TH E S E RI AL S T O R Y
To t he parent whose ingenuity flags in creating new
charac t ers the device of carryi ng familiar persons t hrough
,
1 42 CH IL D S T U DY AND CHILD TRAIN I NG
‘

a succession of incidents night after night wi ll be helpful

, , ,

a n d the plan will be voted a success by the children whose ,

interest i s thus made cumulative The writer with his .

own children started once wi t h a small boy wh o wa s an -

orderly for G eneral Washington s a w him safely through ,

a brave career in the Revolution took h im out into the ,

Wes t ern Reserve with the emigrants and even met his
children s children ’
This took more than a singl e winter
. .

A gain he worked out a plan for co operative as well as -

se rial story telling by purchasing a l arge -leaf notebook

-
, ,

in which were t raced the adventures of a father and his

three sons (his own family beneath a thi n disgu i se) wh o ,

had been cas t adrift on a desert island E ach of the .

children was appealed to for incidents and dra wings and ,

the story wa s gradually written ou t by the father and

illustrated by the entire group .

By either of these plan s it is possibl e for on e wh o is not

inventive to re t ell the great classical stories whose wort h ,

is sometimes unexpectedly tested by the question whether

they have vitality enough to interest chi l dren .

P I C TU R E S T O RY -T E LLI N G
'

A picture is not on y an excellent aid to story telling

l -
,

but i t aids in an elementary appreciation of art Children .

d o n ot ca re for art history they have no especial affinity

,

for masterpieces they are not in early life observant of

, , ,

details but as t heir own drawings S how it is t he hu man

, , ,

interest in a picture that attrac t s them I t is pictures .

that have such an in terest that we sh oul d choose fo r them .

We shoul d not expec t t o inspire them with a photograph

’
of the Roman foru m or a reproduction of Corot s Spring
time and we have no doubt exaggerated their interest i n
,

the Sistine s ixteen t on e boy weari ly , called it)

Madonna or the Mon a Lisa B ut according to their .
,
” ’
age R a eb u rn s
,
Boy and R abbit
’
Millet s F eeding ,
” ’ ’ ’
her Birds P oy n ter s The Lion s Cubs Hun t s The
, ,
“
Child in the T emple and Leighton s Wrestlin g with
’

”
D eath woul d draw th e keenest attention
,
.

The laws for s tory -telling with pictures do not differ

 T H E ST O RY 1 43

from those for telling stories Wi t hout them I n general .

,

we poin t a t once t o t he cent ral figure and t ell some t hi ng ,

lively abou t i t and then work t oward the mi nor figures

,

and t he de t ails A good picture like a good story

.
, ,

generally begins in the middl e and from this point we

work b ack to the beginning .

S T O RI ES F OR M O RA L E ND S
Purposive story t elling has no differen t t echni que fro m
-

story —t elli ng for mere amusement B u t there a re a .

few warnin gs that need to be ob served .

.

1. Be sure i t is a S t ory and n ot a sermon ,

.

2. U se tact in the time for telling it .

3. T ell it wi t h enjoyment and sympathy and n ot wi t h

”
the high pul pit manner .

4. T reat t he moral as an incident Pluck it as a .

’
wayside flower sa ys F eh x A dl er D on t make it an
,
.

appendage; embody it in t he s t ory i t self .

5. S t ill let t he moral be visible Wh en Loui se

,
.

’
Seymour Houghton s h ttle daughter was told the s t ory

"
of t he di sobedi ence of Adam and E ve for some par t icul ar
loca l purpo se and h s pe d Oh if E ve hadn t ea t en t hat
’

, , ,
”
apple what a d ifferen th to u th
,
her mo ther confessed
that as a moral t he story had been a failur e G ran t .
,

Lord t hat I may never t ag a moral to a t ale a nd tha t I

, ,
”
may never tell a t al e without a moral was Henry V an ,

D yke s prayer
’
.

6. When it has been to l d let it al one , .

S T O R Y -T E LLI N G I N TH E H O M E ‘

Mothers have in s t ories a powe rful and we fear, , ,

neglected instrument for every kind of good .

S t ories give both joy an d content They are be tt er fo r .

wounds t han kiss es and t hey are a never failing lure for -

t he res t less child who migh t otherwise forget h ow happy a

home he has .

Sto ri es s t rengt hen t he love be t ween parent and chi ld .

T hey clear up mi sunderstan di ngs and enable t he t wo t o

t ravel t oge t her frequently in t o t ha t best place for com
r a d es h ip fa iryland
, .
144 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD TRAINING
’
They build the child s taste for good books and good
pictures T hey stimul ate his imagina t ion and lead him
.

into constructive and dramatic play The school teacher .

can identify the home where there is the habi t of story

telling by the superior a lertness and resourceful ness of its
children .

Th ey h elp the child over hard places and rewar d fai t h

’

ful tasks and make up for many childish disappoin t ments .

Sto ri es wi t h play consecrate the home

, T he tes t imony
, .

of a P hiladelphia p olice captain wa s significant : I

never knew children t o go wrong in a home where parents
and children spent an hour together aft er supper Even .

more significant was t he further tes t imony of t his man

who had been lef t wi t h motherless children : An d I ve ’

tried i t myself .

RE AD ING REFE RE N C E S
B ooks on S tory Telli n g
Th e re a re m a n y g ood b ook s on h ow to tell s tor i'e s of qu i te e qu a l v a lu e ,
.

A ll th os e e x cep t S t J oh n s a n d M rs H ou gh ton s i n cl u d e s tor ies to tell

,
.
’
.
,

to ch il d ren .

B rya n t : H ow to Tell S tori e s to Ch il d ren .

S t J oh n :
. S tor i e s a n d S tory Te lli n g in M ora l a n d R eh gi ou s Ed u ca ti on
- .

Keye s : S tories a n d S tory Telli n g - .

C owl es : Th e Art of S tor y Te lli n g - .

B a il ey : F or th e S tory Te lle r - .

F orb u s h : A M a n u a l of S tori e s .

H ou gh ton : Telli n g B ibl e S tories .

Collecti on s o f S tories to Tell

Th e Ma n ual of S tor i es m en ti on ed a b ov e li s ts ov e r fo
ur h u n d red s u ch
colle c ti on s ,
so th e a v a il a bl e m a ter i a l is pl e n tif u l . A m on g th e b es t a re
th e se
B rya n t: S torie s to Tell to Ch il d ren .

La n g : Th e R ed F a i ry B ook (a n d a " d oz en oth ers) .

Wiggi n a n d S m i th : Th e Fa i ry R in g .

A n d e rsen : F a i ry Ta l es .
”

G ri mm B roth ers : F a i ry Ta les .

B a l d wi n : F if ty Fa m ou s S to"
r i es R e tol d .

S ly : Worl d S tories Retol d .

Le a m y : Th e Gol d en S pea rs .

Li n d sa y : M oth er S torie s .
”

K iplin g : J u s t-S o S tori e s .

Ha rri s : Nigh ts wi th U n cl e Remu s .

 CH A PT ER XX
RE A D I N G
The rea din g interes t s of children are parallel to t heir .

story in t erests Indeed t he mo t ive t hat impels a child

.

t o learn to read is t o be able t o get a t s t ories direc t ly

and at will And t he story in teres t remains t he dominan t
.

one all t hrough childhood and you t h and in t he majo r i ty ,

of persons t hrough hfe T he amoun t of fic t ion t aken

,
.

out of any publi c library is at leas t equal to all o t her

classes of books combined .

T he early likings invol ve rhythm pictures nature , , ,

wonder stories and stories of h Om e life a composi t e whose ,

only cen t ralizing feature seems to be that t hey a ll have

t o do wi t h living things and tha t they represe nt t he
imagina t ive and the construc t ive S ides of t he child s own ’

na t ure
. T here is a steadily ascendin g curve as to t he
amount of reading cul mina t ing from the twelft h to t he
,

fift een t h year Nearly twice as much is read a t t he

.

seventh grade in school as a t t he t hird .

. Between t he tenth and t welf t h years the in t eres t s of

boys and girls be gin t o di verge A t all ages girls are .

more amenable t o sugges t ions boys are more h kely to ,

be prospec t ors Boys are more prac t ical girls are more
.
,

subjective Boys read more in the field of action girls

.
,

in tha t of emo t ion Boys read t wice as much t ravel and

.

hi s t ory as do gi rls and two t hirds as much poe t ry and

,

fic t ion At the heigh t of adolescence i t is s t ated t ha t

.

nine ty fiv e per cen t of t he reading of boys is of adven t ure

-

and seven ty five per cent of t he readin g of girls is love

-

s t ories G irls however generally hke man y books wri t ten

.
, ,

for boys whi le a h n os t no boys hke books wri tt en for gi rls

, .

Af t er t he fever for rea din g whi ch culminates a t fif t een ,

t here is noticeable a dis t inc t change in reading tas tes .

The youth be gins to find his own and reads more in t he

field of his own individu al i ty .

1 45
1 46 CHILD S T UDY AND CHIL D TRAINING

The reading habit is by no means universal The .

maj ority of boys and girls read li t tle but what is pre
scribed in school I t is said that ten per cent of young
.

people do forty per cent of the reading There is a .

steady and rapid decline in the amount of reading duri ng

the last two years of the high school age This may be .

accoun ted for in part by the fact that the youth now reads
more t horoughly and though t ful ly but o t her less pleasant ,

reasons are given : the pressure of re quired stu di es and of

home work or if the young person has l ef t school of hi s
, , ,

daily task social engagements athletics and even a

, , ,

dis t aste for literature which arises out of the wa y it has

been taught The most potent of causes is no doubt home
.

influence . I n a house where there are no books and no

discussion of books and W here the newspaper is the only
,

reading provided it is easy for the child to accept what

,

is at h and The reading habit tends to atrophy and

.
,

Americans after thir t y fiv e are seldom readers except -

,

of that which is ephemeral and even of that but inat ,

ten tiv ely . The head of a concern whose business it is

to furnish material for newspapers and magazines told
,

the wri ter that aside from the news of the day the
,
‘

,
“ ”
desires of editors of magazines and of the feature
pages of daily papers in A meri ca are but two for material ,

which shall please but not ta x the tired mind (to interest
the u n d erin ter es ted) and for stuff that will buttress the
,

advertising columns Some allowance should be made .

for t his apparent cynicism when it is remembered that

the average Ame ri can left school at about t he S ixth grade ,

and that therefore simplici ty is an essential for that which

would be read I t may not be inspiring but it is at least
.
,

W holesome that the three or four women s home magazines ’

of astonishin g circul a t ions are made up of the current

fashions simp l e househol d devices elementary ideas about
, ,

child training and love stories and that a weekl y periodical ,

which is apparently read by every man wh o rides ex .

ten s iv ely on the train is composed of stories of business

experiences and adventure simp le interpretations of ,

current movements and Chatter about politics .

 RE ADING 1 47

W H Y D o W E RE A D ?
D e Qu in cey s classifi cation seems hkely to be immortal
’
.

There are books of knowledge and books of power The .

former are wr itten to give informa t ion ; they are men s

’

’
tools The latter are wri t ten to stir men s thoughts
. ,
’
feelings and imaginations ; t hey are men s instrumen t s
of music and joy Wi t h on e man does hi s work ; wi t h t he
.
,

o t her his mind loves to play

,
I t is to the latter only .

that we give t he name h ter a tur e And i t is wi t h the ,

.

la tt er onl y that we need to concern ourselves Men .

must use t ools and accordi ng to t he measure of t heir

,

ambi t ions they will use them They may use in s tru .

ments of play and it is a matter of great con cern t hat

,

they should use t hem nobly .

Among the many simil ar defini tions of li t era t ure

perhaps none is better t han t hat by B arre t t Wendell :
Li t era t ure is the las t ing expression in words of the mean
ing of life I t would seem to be the natur al develop ment
.

t ha t in you t h in th e days of feeli ng books S ho ul d em

, ,
.
,

hance life ; and tha t la t er i n t he days of t hought they , ,

shoul d help us to reflect upon li fe The amusemen t .

,

the diversion the rest and recreation whi ch many find in

,

books never pass beyond the fir st stage Th e expressive

, .

books the ro m ances and t hey are many and great are
, , ,

for t hes e The mi nori t y on e may suppose en t er the

.
, ,

second s t age and read the impre s sive books the essayists
, , ,
”
t he cri t ics of li t erature and of life T he good cri t ic .
,

says Anat ole F rance is he who narra t es t he adven tures

,
”
of his so ul among mas t erpieces ) T he dis t inc t ion is
n o t on e of schooling but of temperamen t and of ripeness
,

of mind .

I s I T WO R T H W HI L E TO RE AD ?
In this age of Carnegie libraries and universa lly pre
sc ri bed schooli ng the ques t ion seems almost impudent .

Yet many men are very frankly askin g i t And t hat t he .

majority of men have ac t ually answered t he ques t ion in

the negative is proven by their own practice except for .

the news of the day an d di version in t ravel the average .

American does n ot read .

 1 48 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD T RAINI NG

D e Quincey spoke of books of power but do books ,

actually give power ? C H anford Henderson a facile .

,

radical it is true b ut one wh o has been with boys and

, ,

done things with them for a number of years says that ,

books give only a second hand V iew of life and t hat in

- -
,

order to get a lad into th e h a b it of observing and asking '

directly he wo ul d rather he should not know how to

,

read until he wa s fourteen or at least twelve G erald , , .

Stanley Le e another radical wh o does seem to believe in

,

reading of a sor t calls reading hearing life with a li

,

bretto and says we are crowding great classics into

young folks when we might be at t rac t ing li t tle classics
”
ou t of the m O thers think books are benumbing and
.

call at t ention to the reading habit as a kind of laziness

and self indul gence O ne confesses t hat he does not often
-
.

think of a great explorer or engineer with a libra ry and ,

that he feels an incongrui ty about Theodore Roosevelt

in the African wilde r ness with his pigskin library Who .
,

on e is tempted to ask saw life more clearly and comple t e , ,

Longfellow in his study or Whitman on the Camden

ferryboat ? Which is better when our boy asks questions , ,

to send him to a book or to a man wh o knows ? D oes

reading make a man say I can
.

Of course this is all a part of that question which seems

to be t he onl y on e we have the pa t ience to ask in Ame ri ca
today t he question of Efficiency And the surprising
,
.

thing is that the efficiency exper t s themselves are begin

ning to speak on the side of books Not of course on .
, , .

the side of dilet t antism or bookishness or scholasticism ,

but they are beginning to find out t hat the best wa y to get
a great specialist is not to send h im t o a technical school
only bu t to train his imagina t ion and the nursery of t he
,
.
,

imagination is — books T 0 sum up many volumes of .

discussion t he most recent trend of educa t ion is to lessen

,

the use of t ex t books in reading about things in the schools

and to increase habi t s of direct obse r vation and exp eri
ment and at the same time to encour age the love of books
,

of imagination and power This is fast changing the

,
.

method of teachi ng E nglish in the secondary schools .

 RE ADIN G 1 49

We are minimi zing What G Stanl ey Hall c all s lin guistic .

”
manicurin g and exposing chil dren more freely to great
,

books tha t they may become as C Le wis H ind says

, ,
.
,
”
not learned accre t ive We are separa t ing the t ech
.

ni que of expression in t he drill of pun c t ua t ion spellin g

, ,

and composi t ion from the books of life F or the on e we

,
.

mus t still insist upon thoroughness accuracy and correct ,

ness ; for t he o t her we ask chiefly freedom We seem t o .

need for each a differen t t ype of teacher for the firs t t ha t

product of the school the master ; for t he second tha t
, ,

produc t of no school ye t inve nted the joy -maker (I t ,

.

is hard to ge t joy makers t o t each school )

-
.

W H AT ARE BA D B OO KS ?
Wh en we ask ourselves wha t children ought to read we '
,

find it ea sier to make an i n d ex expu rga ton u s t han a golden

t reasury What are t he bad books ?
.

T here are bu t two kinds of books t hat are really bad ;

t hey are t he weak books and t he vi cious ones Very few .

vicious boo ks are in t he hands of children under six t een

t oday E ven nickel novels while ful l of color and ac t ion
.
,

and usually sensa t ional are oft en al most puri t anical in

,

t heir moral s The vicious books are chi efly t he se x

.

novels t hat sell for on e dollar and th irty cents and whi ch ,

are t herefore beyond the reach of children s purses and

’

woul d not fall in t o their hands if t hey were no t put t here

by t heir paren ts But there are many weak books books
.
,

which sugges t pessimi sm gloo m l an gu or an d sentimental

, ,

ism O f t hese are examples i n every fo rm of wri t ing from

.

fairy s t ori es down through fiction even to the e s sa y

, , .

And the we a kest of all to an al ert yout h of any age i s

t he book or periodical whi ch whatever its theme is , .
,

wri t t en down to him to make i t pop ul ar .

There are of course al so books whi ch are bad for a chi ld

, ,

be cause they are beyond him Of these t he college .

en t ran ce requirements used to be full and i t was these ,

’
t ha t sugges t ed t he school man s remark when he was
“
asked h ow to cur e a boy of rea di ng dime novels T each .

dime novel reading t he way we teach the ‘

-
he said , ,
 ‘

15 0 CHILD S T UDY AND C HILD TRAINING

“

high school classics . T hey will never want to read the m

”
aga1 n .

H ow T o G U I DE A C H I LD
G OO D B OO KS To
We speak here from the standpoin t of the home .

F irst start with story -t elling making it a regul ar

, ,

appointment to tell children the best we remember ou t

of the great books of the world .

Se cond follow this by the equally regular habit of

,

reading aloud in t he home Poet ry wa s intended t o be .

read aloud only and all other li t erature is more real to ,

.

the child when given orally wi t h such expl an ation and ,

condensation as is necessary .

Third talk over not only what is read to the child

, ,

but what the child reads himself so that he may get the ,

habit of an active thoughtful and power absorbing rela ,

-

tion to books .

F inally place within the reach of the child a good home

,

library including books that are supposedly beyond

,

him The best part of reading is oft en what the child

.

di scovers for himself while he is seated on the floor leaning

against a bookcase The child with such a background .

usually becomes a lifelong and independen t reader

RE AD ING REFE R E N C E S
'
M i s s Olcott s C h il d re n s Rea d i n g is ou r b es t b ook on th e s u bj ec t
’
.

Mrs A rn ol d s A M oth er s L i s t of B ook s for C h il d re n is a c h oice col

.
’ ’

l ec ti on of title s Th e Boy S c ou ts of A m er ica i s d oin g a n eed ed serv i ce

.

i n c om pili n g a n d a r r a n g i n g for th e p u blic a ti on a t a l ow p ric e of wh ol es om e

b ooks for b oys n ot cla s s ic 1 n va l u e b u t cer ta i n to be rea d wi th i n teres t
, ,

a n d p rofi t .

A S h ort Li s t of Books for Boys and Girls

An y e n d ea v or h un li s t
of a n ythi n m eets th e b g
’
d re d es t
to th e on e
o bj c i
e t on th a t th e r e a re a se o n d h u n d re d wh c
h to a n oth er 5 as te a re ic ’
t
b etter f ll i g
Th e o ow n a re ood oo s , a n d th e h a v e rov ed te ra r
. g b k y p li y
va uel k
B oo s of n a tu re , h an d ra t, e tc a re n ot n u d e d
. ic f . i cl .

P ictu re Books
M o th er G oose (ill u stra ted by G reen a wa y Ra ckh am Cory or S mi th ) , ,

Ad elb org : C lea n Peter a n d th e Ch il d re n of Grubbylea .

B roo ke : C h il d ren 3 B ook s two v olu m es ’

, .

Ca l d ecott: P ic tu re B oo
" k s f ou r v ol u m e s ,
”
.

Potte r : Peter Ra bbi t B en j a mi n B u n n y a n d oth ers , , .

 RE ADING 15 1

Books for Li ttl e Ch ild ren

An d ersen : Fa i ry Ta l es .
”

G rimm : Hou se h ol d S tories .

B rown : B ook 'of S a in ts a n d F rien d ly B ea s ts .

Ca rroll : A lice s A d v e n tu re s in Won d er la n d .

”

Cra ik : Th e Li ttle La m e Prin ce .

”

H a rr i s : Nigh ts wi th U n cle Rem u s .

Kiplin g : Th e J u n gle B ook .

Defoe : Th e S tory of R obin son Cru soe .

La n g : Th e B l u e Fa ir y B ook .
”

”
Ed i ted by La n g : A ra bia n Nigh ts Enterta in men ts .

B rown e : G ra n n y s W on d erfu l Ch a i r
’
.
”

Ed i ted by S cu d d er : Th e C h il d r e n s B oo k
’
.

Poem s ed i te d by Wiggi n : Th e F a i ry Rin" g .

S tev enson : A Ch il d s Ga rd en of Verses

’
.

Alcott : L i ttle Wom en a n d Little Men .

B a l d wi n : F if ty F am ous S tories .
”

Be n n ett : M as ter S ky la rk .

B la ckm ore : Lorn a D oon e" .

B roo ks : Boy Emi gra n ts .

B u lwer Lytton : La s t Da ys of Pom pe ii

- .

Cerv a n tes (re tol d) : D on Qu ix ote .

”

C lem e n s : Th e P ri n ce a n d th e Pa u pe r .

C oo pe r : Th e Dee rs la yer .

Dicken s : Da v i d Copperfie ld
‘ f
.

D od ge : H a n s B rin k er .
”

Du ma s : Th e T h ree G ua rd sm en
‘

H ale : Th e M a n W ith ou t a C ou n tr y .

H awth orn e : H ou se of th e S eve n Ga" bles .

H u gh es : Tom B rown s S ch ool d a ys ’

.

H u go ed ite d by W il tse : J ea n Val j ea n

,
'

I rvin g : Rip Va n W ink le .

J oh n son : S tove r a t Ya le .

Kipli n g : Ca p ta i n s C ou ra ge ou s .

Loth rop : F iv e L i ttle Pe ppe rs .

”

M a cleod : Th e B oo k of K i n g A rth u r a n d H is Noble K ~

n ig h ts .
Pyle : Me n of I ron .

Rea d e : Th e C loi s ter a n d th e Hea rth .

S c ott : I van h oe ”
.

S teven son : T reasu re

" I s la n d .
,

Wa lla ce : Ben H u r .

Wiggin : Rebe cca Of S u n n yb rook F arm .

B ooks o f I n s pi ra tion
Poe m s ed i ted by Chi sh ol m : Th e Gol d e n S ta m s e.
Poem s ed i ted by Porter Poem s of A cti on : .

J ord a n : Th e Ca ll of th e T we n tie th Ce n tur y .

B rigg s : Gir l s a n d
 C HA PT E R XX I

H O W T O T E A C H A CH I LD T O P RA Y A

The responsibili ty of the person wh o gives a little child

his first religious t eachi ng is evident to him as soon as
he begins his task Several as t onishing facts at once
.

become clear In the first place it is n oticed that the

. ,

child believes whatever is told him This warns the .

teacher to be very careful about the truth

“
I n the next .

place the child is of ve ry limited capacity A great deal

,
.

that we teach particularly whatever the child has no

,

curi osity about does not reach h 1 m at all This warns

, .

the teacher to be very careful about both his matter and

his manner .

The child very early shows an interest in causes His .

crude notions o f the wa y things are brough t to pass sub

ject him to many misconceptions at the best and he finds ,

it easy and the supers titions and chance remarks of

others encourage the tendency to people the dark with
strange and often terrible powers to attribute personality ,

to many things in nature and to imagine extremely ,

mechanical means by which the universe and its detai ls

are adm inistered I t seems important to offer the Chi ld
.

as early as possible an idea of God so great a nd yet so

near so l ovab le and yet so majestic that it shall both
, ,

steady and soothe his imagination and have content

enough to hold his growing and more reasonab l e faith .

This idea most of us believe we have in the All -F ather .

It has its familiar t hough challenging interpretation in

, ,

present parenthood and it is great enough to hold a ll

,

that the child may ever l earn from nature or experi ence
of providence wisdom and love
,
.

That this idea may come to the child wi t h early awe ,

it is the conviction of many that the ch ild S hould be taugh t

15 2
 H ow To TE ACH A CHILD To P R AY 15 3

reverent attitudes and S imple phrases of prayer

be fore he is ol d enough to be told a great deal abou t G od .

He is thus physically prepared for t eachi ng and has

already the appropriate demonstration with which to
mee t t he g racious truth Then as the child matures .
,

and S hows the capacity of though t fulness and than kful

’
ness at the mo t her s suggestion he is ready for his first
,

spontaneous prayer .

One or two suggestions as to detail may be helpful .

I t is better that the mother shoul d kneel wi t h t he child

than t hat the chi ld S houl d kneel t o the mo t her The .

la tt er is a pretty act often commemora t ed in pic t ures

, ,

but it is ap t to make the child litera lly say his prayers to

his mother and even to think they cannot be said when
,

S h e is absent Kneeling is not mate ri al and is of co urse

.
, , ,

inadvisable if t he room is cold T he chil d shoul d early .

learn that he may t alk wi t h hi s F ather at an y time and

in any attitud e The chi ld s prayers shoul d of course
’
.
, ,

never be said in the presence of company How sacri

"
.

legions thus to tear open the Holy of H olies for t he .

whimsical entertainment of guests The morning prayer

is even more im portant t han t hat at evening as it is ,
'

more desirable tha t he should open t he day wi t h a sense

of gra t i t ude and a fresh commi ttal of himself to t he F ather
than t ha t he shoul d give t he sleepy hours to prayer .

Thi s leads us to sa y that in our present safety there is , ,

no reason W h y the child s prayer a t night shoul d contain

’

the sugges t ion either of peril o r dea t h The old N ow .

I lay me wi t h i t s poignan t expec t a tion of night at t acks

,

by enemies may well yield t o some sweeter version hke

, ,

thi s :
Now I lay me down to slee p .

I pray T h ee Lo rd me safe to keep , , .

And wh en th e morning comes again ,

Please h elp me t o be good Amen . .

The words of the chil d s prayer whe t her o ri ginal or ’

sugges t ed S houl d be in harmony wi t h t he child s experi

,
’

ence and feelings If we who are older always had to say

.
‘
15 4 CHILD ST UDY AN D CHILD T RAINING

our prayers aloud -they would no doubt of t en be phrased

,

differen t ly If we teach t he child prayers they should

.
,

not only be S imple and be t houghtfully explained but ,

they S houl d be chosen to express what the child himself

would like to express An d we should very early en
‘

courage the child to say directly in prayer just wha t he

feels He naturall y wishes to be guarded from his fears
.
,

to be kept happy an d well to be made loving and kind , .

Most of all he sho ul d be encouraged t o be grateful Let .

him get the habit of recalling and enumerating the gifts

of the day that have made him happy and the anticipa
tions of tomorrow The old custom of enumerating.

kindred and friends for G od t o bless is good so far as it

'

is spontaneous H e need not be forced to reci t e his

.

little genealogi cal table every night ; let him select each
evening t hose wh o have duri ng the day been especially
good to hi m We whose own prayers are so tamely tri te
.

may well long to keep tho se of our little ones forever

fresh and new .

We must do something to awaken the feelings which

we woul d like t o have t he child express in prayer The .

mother who goes abou t saying frequently and sincerely , ,

“ ”
B less the Lord for this or that is helping her lit t le ,

child to rela t e the beau t iful day the happy times the , ,

lovely gifts directly to t he F ather

,
The singing mother .

helps make the thankful child Why not teach the kind .

of prayers that a child can S ing ?

The child wh o has had such teaching soon accepts it
not onl y implicitly but as a sour ce of comfort and
,

strength He is not so afraid in hard pl aces ; he has greater

.

self command ; he can be trusted To such a child the

-
.

mother can come in times of anger and disobedience

, ,

with the suggestion that they together ask t he F ather to

S ho w them how to conquer the presen t d ifli cu l ty The .

mo t her wi ll avoid cant and be ta étfu l in doing this , .

She need not draw the child to his knees or expect to

swi t ch him from a paroxysm of physical unrestraint or
temper t o a sudden mood of devo t ion bu t S h e can teach ,

him t o forefend such moments by earnest petition and

 H OW T O TE ACH A CHILD T O P RAY 15 5

sometimes S h e can close an ac t of di scipline wi t h t he

sugges t ion of t he divin e resource I t is as wholesome t o
.

the mo t her as t o t he child if the irnm a n en ce of Go d is fel t

when she is abou t t o adminis t er rebuke or pun ishment .

U nless t here is suffi ciency in G od for such emergencies ,

wha t is the use of t alking about Him as a present help

in t rouble
Some chil dren who are na t urally shy abou t expressin g
t hems elves enjo y having t heir mo t hers ut t er prayers
for t hem The prac t ice is surely a beau t iful even t hough
.

difficul t on e and i t may well become some t ime a sacred

,

memory to a man that he used to fall asleep amid hi s

mother s prayers
’
.

We spoke of t he ease wi t h whi ch t he child iden t ifies

God wi t h na t ure I t has been na t ural t o explain t hi s as
.

a rehearsal of t he race expe ri ence Bu t i t is needless t ha t

.

t he chi ld should pass t hrough t he t errors t ha t accompanied

na t ure worshi p ; on t he o t her hand while t here wil l be ,

much in t he un iverse t ha t is dark and mys t e ri ous which ,

the child cannot exp lain any t hing t hat fos t ers t he sense
,

of being a t home in the universe t hat emphasizes its ,

kind and friendl y po wers ; t hat teaches t he sense of t he

oneness of i t is r eh giou s teaching As t he mo t her revea ls
, .

the love of Go d t o t he chil d by her own anxie ty to sa t isfy

his physical needs as t he sense of his own pe rpe t ual
,

comfort ma kes him feel t ha t G od is a person in his im

media t e world as he rela t es even his love of fai ri es angels
, ,

and San t a Claus to t he Crea t ive P ower he is increasing ,

t he con t ent of his fai t h ; and t here is no thing in all thi s

whi ch he ma y no t gen t ly out grow as hi s reason subdues ,

hi s imagina t ion wi t hou t ou t growing t he fundamenta l

,

fai t h i t self.

We mus t speak of Jesus to a chil d as our B es t B ro t her .

I t is unfort una t e since it is incomprehensib le t o teach

‘

, ,

a h ttle child about H im in any o t her t erms The ri gh t .

rela t ion to Him is loyal ty and i t is qui t e legi t ima t e and

,

even helpful to ex t end t he t hough t F a t her and mo t her

woul d no t like to have you do this t o Jesus woul d n ot ,
”
like t o have you either , .
15 6 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD T R AINING

TH E R E LI G I O N
DUTY OF
’
E ven the child s religion may have direct relation to
conduct We have said before t hat the Vi rtue of the chil d
.

is Obedience T hat this is a religious V ir t ue may be made

.

real to him in many ways He may be taught that i t .

is t he virtue of the universe L et him see t he st ately .

march of the stars at nigh t and be told of their promptness ,

to their orbits Let him learn to t ime the sun and t he

.

moon on their journeys Tell him lit t le stories about the

.

obedience of the rabbits and the b ir d lin g s and the other

animals to their mothers and S how h im how these small ,

mo t hers could never help their little ones to be safe and

co m fortable unless they should always always obey , .

Yet somehow too we must convince our children from the

, ,

start tha t wha t they obey is not us t heir parents but , ,

Something through and beyond us to which we too strive ,

always to be obedient N othing helps a child more in

.

his daily struggles toward goodness than the conviction

that his father and mother too have the same struggle ,

must obey the same La w and are his fell ow soldiers in -

t he endeavor T his though t takes ou t of our a d m on i

.
b
“
tions the chilling you and puts in the enheartening
we It expresses that perpetual incarnat i on that is
‘
.

going on of the higher with the lower person and Of

, ,

God in bo t h .

B ecause the child is so credulous and imitative he needs

the best examples if he is to do duty nobly as well as
“
religiously The best wa y for a child t o learn to fear
.

” “
G od ,
said t h e gentle and sensible Pestalozzi is to ,
”
see and know a real Christian The reason wh y some .

churches withhold the rite of infant baptism from unbe

lieving parents is because they see no possibility of a
’
real chri stening if the child s sponsors are n ot godly
persons .

R E V E R E N C E I N C H U RC H
How essential is it that the child s earliest relations to ’

the institution that stands for G od in the communi ty

should be such as to prepare him for lifelong at t achment
 H OW T O TE ACH A CHIL D T O PRAY

"
15 7

and loy al ty to it We agree that the church is such an

ins t itution ye t we some t imes lead chil dren to t hink of
,

i t as some t hing else : an organism t ha t hears sermons

o r t hat conducts revival s or tha t occa s ionally has a
“ ’
Chil dren s D ay I t seems impor t an t t ha t even the
.

church building should represent to t he child a higher

t hought t han t hese On hi s early walks le t h im pass i t s
.

doors and be t old simply and perhaps in a story way, ,

why it looks differen t from an y other building i n t he

town what it has mean t in h y es of apos t les and marty rs
'

to make it possible how pe ople are comfort ed who enter

, ,

its doors Take the chil d in t o some church buil di ng a

.
,

cathedral if possible when t here i s no se rvice going on ,

and l et him kneel there wi t h you as he enters and t hen

walk soft ly abou t whi le y ou S how him the win dows and
the table t s and the fon t and the al t ar Postpone the .

habit of church going until the child is old enough to

’

regard it as a p ri vilege and to apprecia t e something of

what you tell him about the va ri ous part s of the se r vice .

T each him a lit t le prayer to sa y as he devoutly enters and

departs Teach h im t he chur ch hymns s o that he wi ll
.

know them when he goes to church Mi t iga t e the s e rm on .

for him either by helping to establish a chil dren s service

’

or nursery or by some device t hat he may use quietly

in his seat .

The signi ficance in the wri t er s judgm ent of t he ma rked

’

, ,

tendency toward ri t ual in the n on li t urgi cal churches and -

the equall y marked tenden cy toward si m p h city and

freedom in some lit u rgical churches is t he growin g
recogni t ion of the nee d of makin g t he service of God s ’

house more chil dl ike and more helpful to t hose wh o some

day mus t be depended upon t o maintain t he court s of t he
house of our God .

RE AD ING REFE RE N C E S
H od ges : Th e T ra in i n g of C h il d re n in R e ligi on is fu ll of rev ere n ce
a n d of a s ym p a h e tic k n owl e d g e of c h il dh ood I t c o ta i n s a t ea s u ry of
t . n r

p ra ye rs s u gge sti on s for rea d in g to c h il d r e n ou t of th e B ibl e a n d a d is

,

cuss ion of W h a t rs m e a n t by a g ood ch il d Ed u ca ti on n R e ligi on

“
Coe : . I
an d M or a l s tra c e s th e r eligi ou s d e v e lopm e n t of th e c h il d a n d h a s a c h a p ter
”

on Th e F a m ily .
 C HA PT E R XX I I
T H E B I B LE A N D T HE C H I LD
The B ible is the greatest story book in the worl d The -
.

young parent whose library probably is not at first , ,

well supplied with children s books turns al most in

’

,
”
s tin c tiv ely when his little chi ld insists
, Tell me a story , ,

to t he book which he hi mself remembers wa s the favorite

story book of his own earliest childhood The parent
-
.

wh o thinks that because of certain difficulties the Bible

, ,

should be wi t hheld from young children is of t en surprised ,

to learn that when it is laid in the hands of boys and girls

,

who are old enough to read they peruse it with almost ,

passionate eagerness Whatever e l se it is it is evi dently

.
,
“
a splendid story -book When we ask oursel ves . What ,
”
par t s of the Bible do we most trul y know ? we have to
acknowledge that whether or n ot they a r e those which
,

are of the lof t iest morality they are at l east those whi ch
,

embody the keenest story interest In general we are

-
.
,

much more familiar with the Pentateuch than with the

E pistles with the O ld Testament than with the New
,

(except the G ospels) simply because , during childhood

, ,

those parts through stories were first gi ven to us

, , .

The simplici ty of the stories of the Bible helps account

for their power with chi l dr en Professor Jebb explains .

the fact that H omer is a universal book by stating t hat

Homer possesses two great qualities h e ai ms at the lucid
—
,

expression of p ri mary motives and he refrains from

multiplying individual traits which woul d interfere wit h,

their e ffect These two qualities are found in the Bible

.

as well as in Homer Biblical stories take a few essential

.

traits of human nature and refrain from multiplying traits

which might interfere wi t h the great effect This sim .

p licity and directness bring Bible stories within the com

prehension of children .
 TH E B I B L E AN D T H E CHILD 15 9

The fai t hfuln ess and candor of the Bible n o doub t

account for its power over chil dr en Chil dren love trut h .

and are naturally t rut h tellers Our tendency in story .

t elling is always t o elimin ate the di sa greeable and leave

out all t ha t is blood t hirsty and cruel and talk about only
t he perfec t characters Thi s is not onl y untrue to h fe
.

bu t i t is a bloodless and in e ffective way of s t ory tellin g -

.

The B ible is a book of truth I t is hk e a roofless ci ty

.

like Pompeii down into whose streets and homes we

,

are permi tt ed to look and see t he inha bi t ants feeling ,

living loving conquering playing sin n in g and repenting

, , , , .

The moral s t rength of t he Bible is not o nl y tha t i t tells us

t hat the wages of Sin is dea t h but it shows us human
‘

pe rsons earnin g those wages .

The richness of material in t he Bible makes it an almost

ine xh a ustible sto ry —book I t is a massive collec tion
. .

In its man y pages some chil dren are represented P er .

v

sons of every class a re descri bed from t he workin g fo lk ,

wi t h whom children sympa t hize to p ri nces and ki ngs of

whom children love to hea r Though its s t ories are .

somewhat lacking in descrip t ions of nature t hey are ful l ,

of varied animal life The vari ous types of s t o ri es inter

.

es ting to children are all included as well as parables and

biographi es These s t ories maintain interes t be cause
.

they de al wi t h t hings c h ildren wish to know These are .

some of the subjects of Bible s t ories : The origin of the

worl d and of human beings ; h ow men women an d chi l ,

dr en are provided for ; wha t are th e varied interests an d

ambi t ions about whi ch men have been busy ; wha t are
ou r rela t ions to God to t he world and to men
, These .

are ques t ions that childr en ask U nconsciously to t he .

c h ild yet none the less powe rfully is he affected by those

, ,

Simple contras t s of mo t ive part icul arly moral contrasts

, ,

whi ch charac t erize so many of t he Bible stori es .

A deeper reason is tha t almost every story in the Bible

has a r eh gi ou s purpose N 0 o t her book find s me as t he
.

”
Bible does said Coleridge The reason t he Bible fin ds
, .

t he child is beca use the child is by na t ure religious and ,

because Bible stories as Louise Seymour Houghton sa ys

, ,
 INl NU
'

i 1 K A r

give a reli gious m e an 1n g to a ll the experiences of his

early life .

An important value of the Bible as a sto ry -book is

that even the orde r of the early books as printed in our , ,

E nglish version is appropriate to the stages of the child s

,
’

development I t has been pointed ou t by others that

.

the Bible represents also a very significant genetic order .

The stories whi ch are a spi ri tual history of the race are
al so stories of the inner development of every individual .

The book be gi ns with the story of t he Creation which ,

appeals strongly to the mind of the child N ext comes .

a period of pastoral life affecting the child s ou t of door

,
’
- -

interests Then is the heroic stage the story of t he G od

.
,

of battles a narrative full of wonderful tales of which

,

the child never tires " .

Parents differ as to when t he B ible should first be

presented to children Those wh o take the groun d that
.

“
it shoul d be withheld until the child is old enough to
”
decide t hi ngs for himself are of course assuming a position
,

which they woul d ne ver think of taking in regard to any

other subj ect There may be however some rationality
.
, ,

about t he bel ief of others wh o feel that the B ible will

too soon become trite if it is handled too freely and too
often The blasé and unexpectant attitude of t he average
.

Sunday school pupil is a testimony in support of this po si

tion O n the other hand it would se em better if the
.
, ,
'
Bible is really to be made a story book that the child -
,

S houl d possess it early and heartily even if he seems t o ,

tire of it later on rather than that he S hould be given a

,

chance t o mi ss i t s a cqui sition thr ough delay or neglect .

The modern S u nday school is revealing to us such fresh

methods of presenting the Bible from grade to grade
that this par t icul ar pe ri l is growing less .

O n the whole therefore I believe that the B ible should

, ,

be prese nted to children as early as they are capable of

understanding and enjoying its stories They should of .
,

course receive it at first entirely as a story book and then

,
-
,

it S hould be tol d to them rather than read to them I n .

competent as the parent may feel as a story teller the -

,
 T H E B I B L E AND T H E CHILD 1 61

crudes t renderi ng so long as it is enthusias t ic and t hough t

,

ful is be t ter t han the readin g of t ha t which cannot po s

,

sib ly be un derstood full y T he necessity of condensa t ion .

and adapta t ion also is so acu t e as in the case of t he ,

early Hebrew leaders that the verb al me t hod is rather ,

to be recommended
‘
.

A few sugges t ions may be helpful in regard to methods

of Bible s t ory tell ing -
.

Some people seem to thi nk it is necessary to assume a

pe culiarly sanctimonious manner when t hey tell a Bible
s t ory Too often as Miss Co wles tell s us
.
,
Bible s t ories ,

are told in a trul y a wfu l manner and chil dren wi t hou t , ,

knowing why learn to dread them They of t entimes

,
.

seem to them some t hing unre al somethi ng which t hey ,

cannot understand some t hing which they fear This , .

is t he last resul t the s t ory tell er has desired but i t is the -

inevi t able result of sa nc t imonious subst i t utes for love ,

joy and gen t leness Righ t ly t old Bible stories arouse

.
,

in t he chi ld keen interest and deep pleasure I t may be .

t hat we woul d be more likely to avoid thi s danger if we

were to be gin wi t h the more S imple an d agreeable narra
tiv e s such as t he be a ut iful s t ory of Joseph fill ed wi t h
, ,

wonder wi t h love wi t h forgiveness and moral s t ead

, ,

fast ness the wonderful story of t he Creat ion t he Pa t riarch

, ,

stories hero s t orie s of t he B ook of Judges t he story of

, ,

D avid up to his corona t ion an d the p as t oral story of Ru t h .

To make t he characters realis t ic an d t he s t ories more

in t eresting a cert ai n amoun t of ima gi na t iveness is all ow
able Why for ins t ance should no t t he man who fell
.
, ,

among t hieves on the Jericho road have had a wife an d

childr en ? Why should no t Z a cch eu s be fur nished with
neighbors who cri t icized him ? Why shoul d no t t he s tory
,

of t he supper by the lake be t old from t he stand p oint

of the boy who had t he five loaves and the two fi sh es ?

D e t ails added to the life of Jesus save as they are im ph cit ,

in t he narrative seem unnecessary and really unsuc cessful

, .

It is oft en helpful t o add t o t he t elling of a s t ory de t ai ls

as to t he probable thoughts of the charac t ers in connec t ion
wi th the incidents which are told F or instance the .
,
1 62 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD T RAINING

tribula t ions of D avid in his struggle toward the throne

would sugges t a t every poin t in t imate though t s that
may easily be pictured which t he child will enjoy sharing .

In t he s t ory of the G ood Samari t an it may be helpful ,

after asking the li tt le folks how many children they think

the man who wa s robbed had in his home t o confer wit h ,

them as to the anxieties which t hese youn gsters felt

when their fa t her wen t down the dangerous Jericho road ,

the t hough t s in the mind of the selfish priest and the L evi t e
and the dialogue which passed between the man wh o wa s
robbed and his family after he at length returned safely
to them Subtrac t ion as we have implied is useful
.
, ,

in telling Bible stories We may agree with F elix .

“
A dler that sour milk is no proper food for children ,

nor do those stories afford proper moral food in which ,

so to speak the milk of human kindness has turned

,
”
sour . T he attempted sac ri fice of I saac the s t o ry of ,

Jael the killing of Agag are instances which occur t o

, ,

mind .In telling the story of H agar i t is best to exclude ,

all that is repellant touching only the picture of a mo t her s

,
’

love . T he story of Moses the deliverer in grea t part is

unfit for children under nine or ten not for moral reasons , ,

but because it includes motives too complex and ma t ure

to be within their comprehension T he childhood of .

Moses on the other hand is a drama with which children

, ,

have been entranced I t some t imes adds force t o the

.

'

Bible to change the order in which it is rela t ed in the

Sc ri ptures This has already been done to cer t ain in
.

cid e n ts since certain instances in the O ld T est a ment are

,

told in different order when we find them in ano t her

place .Curios stereographs reproduc t ions of sacred
, ,

art are all helpful devices for making Bible lands and
people real .

Most parents when their children begin to read place

, ,

the entire E nglish version in t heir hands The very .

mechanical beauty of the book its flexible leather bin di ng , ,

its red and gold edges and in many versions its a ttra c
, , ,

tive pictures cause it to become t he b rightest corners t one

,

of the future library Many parents however make .

, ,
 T H E B I B L E AN D T H E CHILD 1 63

the mis t ake of selec t ing for t heir chi ldren edi tions of the
Scriptures prin t ed in small type I t must be a ckn owl
.

edged t oo t ha t it is somewha t difficul t for t he chil d

, , ,

unaided t o find his wa y t hrough so gr ea t a country in

,

which t here are no gu i de pos t s We woul d scarcely have

.

the t emeri ty in t he case of any o t her volume so complex

, ,

t o anticipa t e very great success The danger tha t t he

. .

chil d will come across passages whi ch are unsui table for
his reading need no t be exaggera t ed since t he possibili t y ,

is t hat the chil d wi ll n ot un derstand t heir me an ing and

t herefore will probably S kip t hem B u t by early ado .

l e s cen ce the danger is great On the whole it is desirable

.
,

to place firs t in t he hands of t he young chi ld one of t he

many helpful arrangemen t s especially made for ch ildren ,

printed in large clear type with modern paragraph

, ,

divisions and selected arranged and explained so as t o

,

make it intelligible and enjoyable There is no t hing .

sacred abou t a h m p backed Bible per s o If it is the .

greatest book in t he world we S hould give children t he

,

most benefit by an abundant en t rance in to it .

Space does not permi t discussion of t he great systems

of Bible s t udy in church schools Wha t has already .

been said has in t imated t o t he reader t ha t some part s

of the Bible are more sui t able for c h il dren than o t hers .

O ur mos t t houghtful less on wri t ers are n ow busy in t he

followi ng import ant t asks : selection of Biblical ma t erial
approp ri ate to each s t age of development ; methods of
presen t a t ion sui t able to each s t age as discovered from
‘

our bes t pedagogic al science ; educa t ing t he t eacher in

applying these methods t o t he chi ldren ; textbooks and
illustrated ma t erial whi ch shall call fort h t he co operation -

of t he chil d ; the mos t practical correlation between what

t he chi ld learns in Sun day school and na t ural unselfish ,

service in the home t he school playground and t he com

,

muni ty .

TH E R I G H T ATT I TU D E T O WARD TH E B I B LE
The a t ti t ude t oward the Bible t hat we hold when
teachi n g i t to children is h kely to be the one we hold for
16 4 CHILD S T U DY AN D CHILD TRAIN ING

ourse lves B ut we must realize that t he adult at t itude

.

is not that of the child .

.

The adult is likely t o think of the Bible i n terms of

theology . I t has formed s o strongly a determining factor
in the ripening of his own phil osophical determinations
about religion t hat he is tempted to try to communicate
these terms to the child B ut to the child the Bible is .
,

as we have said a story—book and not a book of theology

, ,

and its relations are with life more than with thought .

I t is our duty to give the child the Bible in his own terms ,

as a story book that interprets life

-
.

A special error of adults is to endeavor to comm unica t e

to t he child by means of the Bible their own S pecial view
of the supernatural This often takes the form of em .

p h a s izin g t he miraculous B ut t o a small child everything

.

is a wonder and a miracle He must pass through his .

stage of seeing the ex t raordinary and even the gro t esque

in everything and he is not ready yet for any definite and
,

permanent View of the matter We must protect him .

from b eing frigh t ened by what he hears or reads and we

must see tha t he does not get any idea of G od that will
aliena t e him from his F ather We may safely leave until .

later the shaping of his t heori es upon t his topic .

The writer frankly believes that the modern me t hods

of Bible study have restored to us the real Bible and that ,

they are both an aid t o fai t h and to reality in reli gion .

B elieving thus it has been his own method j ustified by

, ,

good results to take for gran t ed with children whatever

,

scholarship ha s brought to light and to teach them no t hing

that they would need to u n lea rn l a ter I t has been a .

peculiar satisfaction t o note that a considerable number

of young persons have as the result been prepared to , ,

meet the scientific methods and approaches of college

Le t a child s training
’
without disturbance to their faith .

be reasonable as far as it goes give him the Bible as a ,

book of l ife and then let him have room to grow

, .

RE AD ING REFE RE N C E S
M rs H ou gh ton s T ell i n g B ible S tor ies re ferre d to in Ch a p te r X I X
’
.
, ,

is n ot onl y h elpful for th e p u r p os e wh ic h its ti tl e i n d ic a tes b u t it is s u g ,

 T H E B I B LE AN D T H E CHILD 165

g es tiv e to th eas bes t wa y to b ri n g ch il dr en i to con ta ct wi th ou r m od e n

n r
k l g
n ow e d e of th e B ible Th e v ol um e of th Re ligio s Ed u ca tio A ss o
. e u n

cia tion ports e n ti tled Th B ibl e i P a c tica l Lif h a s o pp 5 5 85

re e n r e,
”
, n .
-
,

1 80 2 09 i n s tru ctiv e rticl es o n th u se of th e B ibl e wi th ch il d r

-
,
a e a d in en n

h giou s ed u ca ti on I n S te p h en P g e t s Th e New P e t s
'
m od rn
’
e re . a ar n
A ss i s ta t is a n e x cee d i n gly se n s ible c h a p te r e ti tl ed D ef n d e rs of th e
n n e

F a i th . C h a p t r I V of G S ta n l ey H a ll s Ed ca tio a l P obl m s
”
e .
’
u n r e

d ea l s wi th th e m a tte r wi th h i s u l f re s h
us a ss a n d b o l d n ess b u t it s h oul d
ne ,

be rea d wi th a g ood m ea s u re of pe rs onal d i s c rim ina ti on .

 C HA PT ER XX I I I

S U NDAY
The problem of Sunday in the home depends largely
upon a clear statement of what kind of Sunday the home
desires to observe T here is considerable need of clear
.

thinking upon this subj ect We have before us roughly .

,

S peaking four kinds of Sundays :

,

The Old Testament Sabbath .

The Sabbath of Jesus .

The Puritan Sunday .

The s o called Continental Sun day

-
.

A great many persons wh o believe in t he Puritan Sunday

and wh o suppose it to be identical with the first t wo would
be enlightened by a lit t le careful B ible study T he reader .

may better make this study for himself but a fair state ,

ment of its resul ts may be ventured to start us on our

way The Sabbath of the O ld Testament had two view
.

points AS seen in the s o called prophetic sources it wa s

.
-

a day of j oy recreation and compensation F rom the

,
.

priestly standpoint its ceremonial value wa s more dis

,

tin ctly emphasized T he priests s a w it as a day that wa s

.

of value to G od a kind of ceremonial offering for his

,

sa t isfaction T he prophets saw it rather as a day of

.

’
value to man and believed that G od s satisfaction in it
, ,

as in a ll things human wa s in its value to men F rom

,
.

neither viewpoint wa s its observance very simi lar to any

Sunday we know at present I t wa s not a day of church
.

going save as men might chance to be near the temple at

,

Jerusalem The synagogue se rvi ces which had sprung

.
,

up generally S ince the exile we re somewhat analogous ,

to ou r Sunday schools I t was in all times among the

.

Jews a day of rest from work and of feasting and joy at

home . In the time of Jesus the priestly View of the
Sabb ath had become dominant T he day without losing .
,

166
 SUN DAY 167

its general character as one of rest and feas t ing had been ,

clogged by many restrictions of a formal kind which ,

made i t uncomfortable .

Jesus distinctly stoo d for the revival of the prophetic

”
idea of the Sabbath T he Sabbath was made for man
. .

He broke deliberately from the Pharisaic rest ri ctions and

walked ate and ac t ed in general during t he day wi t h com
,

p l e te freedom under the sanc

,
t ion of the t hought o f making
t he day worth whi le to H imself and H is followers H e went .

customa ri ly to t he synagogue but t he synagogue though , ,

largely in the hands of scribes of the p ries t ly school ,

wa s the for um of prophets and as such H e regarded i t .

The Puritan Sunday was on e of the ma ny needed pro

tests of P uritani sm I t was a revol t against formal chur ch
.

services and the inconsis t en t ri o tings t ha t followed t h em

, .

I t brough t a simpler worshi p and a more aus t ere home

observance It went t o t he extreme of establish ing the
.

ceremon ial of restrain t an d gloom in place of the cere

monial of ri t ual ism I t even made i t s own ceremoni al s
.

a virt ue and in so far rese mbled in spiri t the Sabba t h of

,

t he P harisees .

“
The Continental Sunday is t he individualis t ic use
of t he day within no li m i t s sa ve t hose of t he civil laws .

I t seeks the joy of the prophe t s day but no t always with

’

the prophets questioni ng as t o wha t is of highes t wort h

’
.

I t resembles t o a degree t he Sunday of the C a va h ers ,

but is in G ermany at least a family day

, , .

T his h ttle study may help clear our minds Th e .

Puri t an S u nday which we may be incli ned t hrough

,

t ra di t ion to thin k of as t he only r eh giou s Sun day was ,

n ot such and had its manifes t lim i t a t ions

, I t wa s for .

on e th ing an awful day for chil d ren If to Jesus every .

day was a reh g iou s day we cannot cer t ainly except the ,

Sabbath It was to hi m as was every day i t is t rue a

.
, , ,

day in which joy re creation and compensa t ion were to

,

be pursued in t he reh giou s S piri t It was more than .

eve ry other day for i t wa s as an ancient phrase had it

, , ,
”
the day of the h ftin g off of burdens Because i t was .

no t a day for work it was a day of peculiar oppor tu n i ty

, .
1 68 CHILD S T UD Y AN D CH ILD TRAI NING

Thi s word would seem to be the keynote of the home

Sunday opportuni t y ; no t repression but p ri vilege , .

And when we say oppor t unity we like to add Christian

opportuni t y F or we must remember that in our Sun
.

day we not only may have Jesus ideal but we have his
’
,

memo ri al The beautiful name that has come down to

.

us since the life and resurrection of Jesus is the Lord s ’

”
day . To h i m to whom Jesus means Life the day is t he
peculiar opportunity to remember and li ve in t he spirit
of Jesus .

B ut someone at once objects : U nder t hi s definition

do we not at once open the door to every abuse of the day ?
Will not the child say I f this is the day of oppor tunity
, ,

for joy wh y for exampl e do we not take ou r car and spend

, , ,

the day in a jolly ride into the coun try ? The writer ’

wishes to be frank ; he co ul d not in frankness exclude this

as a way of spendi ng Sunday which may be and often has
been j us t ified as appropriate B ut a b roader considera
.

tion woul d limit it would seem even this method of

, ,

spending every Sunday of the year L et us remember .

’
some of the factors of the prophe t s of Jesus Sabbath ,
’

, .

1 . I t was a day at home and for the home , .

2 . I t was a day of j oy in the best things .

3 . I t wa s a day for every body to be at home and have

the best things T he automobile Sunday does not well
.

meet all these tes t s Some Sundays at least most

.
,

Sundays on e would t hink should be enjoyed at home , .

The family may be kept t ogether in a car bu t t he house ,

.

i t self with i t s associations is a part of the family and we ,

ought to enjoy our houses and fir esid es more no t l ess , ,

than we do The automobile Sunday may bring us what

.

is best at certain times say for certain hours b u t th e joy

, ,

of rapid motion among pleasant scenes though who le ,

some and restful is not the total of the best t hat is avail
,

able to any family We may easily lose G od amongst

.

hi s works ; we find in books pic t ures friends higher , , ,

joys than in a ride in a machine Then most excursions .

on Sunday tend to defea t the third object men tioned

above ; t hey make some what les s possib le for everybody
 SUN DAY 1 69

a quiet Sun day wi t hout work or care The automobile .

is par t icul arly des t ruc t ive of t he quie t and rest of h uman
hfe a t any time . O n t he o t her hand it would be hard t o ,

prove tha t a car is any less sacred t han a man s own legs
’

o r t hat t he day is spoiled by going fif t y miles from home

ra t her t han five .

T his frank discussion of a particul ar point may help

us ge t back to general pri nciples .

S u nday is a day of oppor t unity for rest part icul arly ,

for res t in change T his is af t er all t he bes t kind of rest

.
, , .

To mos t t he ni ght is sufficien t for rest in sleep though to ,

so me overstrained h y es ad di tion al sleep on Sun day is

,

the changeful rest t hat seems t o be deman ded Bu t in .

general and especially for childr en the best res t is not ,

S leep and the bes t Sun day is n o t a sleepy on e Many .

simple changes make Sun d ay a fes t ival to children and

create happy and l ifelong memo ri es T 0 their in t ense .

physical beings C hange in t he foo d and in the table fur

n is h in g s are joyously symbolic F or change in play .

(since in t he Ol d T es t amen t work upon the Sabba th is

di sallowed bu t not play so that i t can not be wrong t o
, ,

play on Sunday as some aver) cert a in play t hi n gs may

,

well be re served and ce r tain plays espe cially wi t h father , ,

whose o nl y day of play i t usu al ly is Indeed bo t h ou t .

,

of fairness and because he needs i t Sunday may be defin ed ,

as a weekly F a t her s D ay Since Sunday is a family

’
.

day and S hould be a day of freedom t o al l i t is o nl y fair ,

t ha t i t should be easier t o t he house wife an d the servan t s .

Hence the app ropria t ene ss and t he pri de of making some

of t he children who are old enough responsible for
, ,

ce r t ain meals and minor tasks on Sun day B es t clothes .

,

fresh flo wers n e w phonograph records or piano solos

, ,

everythi ng t ha t is new a n d best S ho ul d appear on ,

Sun day O ne reason wh y church goin g is wholesome is

.
-

because i t is an antido t e t o t he personal slovenliness t hat

“
usually belongs to those who are porch Ch ri s t ian s .

P ub lic worship one of man s Oldes t ins t itutions surely

,
’

demands no defence P raise and prayer in unison have

.
,

according t o t he tes t imony of many races and times ,

1 70 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD T RAIN IN G

proven useful and they have always been associated with

,

a periodical rest day Whether one finds peace in the .

’
vi sitations t hat come into the Quakers silence or in the
loud acclaim of sonorous liturgies some appropriate ,

opportuni ty is open to nearly all We canno t guaran t ee .

that our children will always go to church after they are

grown up but i t woul d seem to be at the least a dep ri vation
,

that they should never have been accustomed to the

a t tentiveness t he expectancy and the reward of hours
,

of united worship .

To think of noble things together is surely a res t ful

change on Sunday and for t his p ur pos e Sunday schools
,

came in t o being a nd are maintained Let us gran t that .

the Sunday school is not what it ought to be pedagogically

and even that it can never become with its meagre ,

hour and its volunteer leadership a completely s a tis fa c ,

to ry school of religion yet it can be and usually is at ,

least what we have said an opportunity to t hi nk of

noble things toge t her T he chief value of the Sunday
.

school is that it is a wholesome social companionship

u nder un sel fish leadership Children do at least learn .

to thi nk and feel in common where good men and women ,

are .I t also supplements and confirms the home teaching

and stands as a doorway in t o the church O ther ideals .

the modern Sun day school strives for but we speak n ow ,

of the average school and do not claim too much , T hese .

are worth while The Sunday school is worth while

.

on Sunday I ts wor t h—wh ilen es s is increasing

. .

Social fellowship and hospitality are surely opportunities

for Sunday Among the Hebrews the Sabbath was and
.
,

is still called the D ay of Lights ; and the candlestick

,

tha t wa s lighted by t he house mother on Sabbath eve -

wa s the symbol of the fellowship between G od and men

and between men and men U nless t he hospitality be .

earnestly simple it may encroach upon the real rest of

the day Ye t such hospitality is possible and most de
.

"
sirable . I f a boy or girl may freely bring his chum t o his
o wn room and carry t hi t her at least a cafe t eria lunch ,

h ow wholesome and pleasa nt is the custom If a Sunday

 SUN DAY 17 1

school class may go into t he fields with their teacher h ow

"
,

"
excellen t the opportunity for acquaintance If the
paren t s can bring wise men to t he home on t hat day h ow ,

educa t ive for the chil dr en If the church can in the

"
sum mer have a camp for i t s working boys and girls how ,

sensible a way of imi t a t ing Him wh o spread a feast for

the weary and heavy laden beside the lake And let
us not forge t too that from early days Sunday has been
, ,

the day set apart for courtshi p Whatever else a Chr is .

t ian E ndeavor society is not t he least of its functions is

,

to bring youn g folks pleasan t ly toge t her usuall y on Sun ,

day and under the shel t er of the church The home .

shoul d when those days come plan for t he welcomed

, ,

meeting under i t s roof of those wh o shall some day make

homes of their own .

The Master gave us His example that we shoul d serve

each other on t he Sabba t h and t he day is gracious with
,

memories of H is thoughtfulness and eager ac t ivi t ies upon

the holy day I t is desirable that children should early
.

learn that Sunday is no t only the most joyous bu t the

most un selfish day of the week and joyous chiefly because ,

of its un s elfis h n e ss T he cur se of the Con t inental Sab

.

bath is not its liberty but i t s hardness i t s individualism

, , ,

its disregard of o t hers The best protection agains t tha t

.

kind of a Sun day is t he sys t ema t ic t raining of our young

people in t he t ender and though t ful care on S u nday of
t he sick the lonely and the un fort un a t e Am ong t hese
, .

l ast n ot least to be considered are those wh o serve us in

so many ways whose work on Sunday a t houghtful con
,

sideration mi g ht make less burdensome .

RE ADI NG REFE RE N C E S
'
N ea rly all b ook s on th e S a bba th a n d S u n da y a re spe cia l pl ea s for th e
res to ra tI On of th e P u r i ta n S un d a y Th e S ci e n tific B a s i s of
’
F lood y s
.

S a bb a th a n d S un da y is a n e n d ea v or to tra ce th e h i s tory a n d s ig n ifi
”

ca n ce of th e wee kly re s t d a y B ook s on S u n d a y ob se rv a n ce in th e h om e

.

d ea l c hi e fly wi th y oun g c h il d re n a n d with in d oo r d ev i ce s Of th e se n one .

rs b e tte r th a n F a r i s P l easa n t S un d a y Afte rn oon s for th e Ch il dren

’ ”
.
 C HA PT ER XX I V

PA R E N TS P R OB LE M S C O N NECT E D WIT H
TH E D AY S C H O OL
I t woul d not of course be possible in this handbook to
, ,

ve r y deeply into the theory of education The author s ’

go .

plan 1 3 to outline I n the present chapter the aims of public

educa tion as modernly accepted and some of the problems
of the pub lic school which S pecially interest the home and ,

in the chapter following to suggest some ways in which

the home and the school may co—operate .

'

W HA T TH E S C H O O L I S T R Y I N G To D o
M any definitions have been ma de of education but ,

they really all sift down to two These represent two .

standpoints : on e tha t of what humanity has to teach ;

,

the other that of what the child is to become F rom

, .

the standpoint of the need of the child education is his ,

ful lest possible deve l opment F rom t he standpoint of

.

the work of the teacher education is to put the child

,

in possession of the best he r itages of the race The for .

mer approaches the child as a gro wing organism unfold ,

ing from within ; the l atter sees him as a receptacle of

knowledge lighted and watered from without The
, .

defect of the first viewpoint is that alone it leaves the

teacher uncertain as to his goal that of the second is that
,

alone it leaves him un certain of his way We need to .

hold both points steadily and together 1 n mind when we

engage in any Of the processes of education Perhaps .

the s e cond V iew has to be seen first because we must ,

know what we have to impart before we impart anything ,

but we must hold the first ve ry soon after because as , ,

we learned m a previous chapter t his matter of impart

,

ing depends very much upon the capacity of the child ,

whi ch is changin g and limi t ed .

1 72
 T H E DAY SCH OO L 1 73

E D U C A T I O N A s A C QU I S I T I O N
We spoke of educa t ion as t he pu tt ing of t he Child in
pos session of t he bes t heri t ages of the race Wha t are .

t he bes t heri t ages of t he race ?

Are t hey n ot spi ri t ual na t ural and hum a ni stic ? Leaving
,

aside t he fir s t for t he momen t are not the treasures of ,

t he race as P resident B u t ler has said all answers to two

, ,

ques t ions t he question h ow whose answer is science

, , ,
”
and the ques t ion wh y whose a nswer is philosophy ?
And has no t man insis t ed al so in asking an d a t te mp t ing
,

t o answer t he t hird question when ce the spiri tual ques

,

t ion ?
In t he na t ur e group we put n ot onl y what usually goe s
under t ha t name bu t al so geography and the various
,

sciences . In t he human group we place everything t ha t

’
is conce r ned with t he sto ry of man s h fe ac t ivi t ies and ,

aspira t ions Of course t he t wo overlap

. T hough we put .

a ri t hme t ic in t he na t ure gr oup ye t i t has to d o wi t h man s

,
’

modes of reckoni ng and t hough we pu t language in t he

,

human group we recognize t hat it is t he means by which

,

discove r ies in na t ural science have been made known .

I n the spiritual group we place t hose imp ul ses and interes t s

which have inspired both phi losophy and science .

These are the t hin gs t ha t are wort h while Wh en we .

say t hat t hey are wort h while we imply t ha t ou r civiliza

tion h as found t hem so ; we imply also that we wish ou r
children to enter full y in t o the hfe of our civilization t o ,

share and carry ou t t he soci al purpose of our race In .

this ca t egory of wort h falls G Stanley Hall s definition .

’

of educa t ion to teach us to deli gh t in wha t we should

, .

U nder thi s aim wo ul d be included t he preparation of a

child to earn a living to main t ain a family to become a
, ,

good neighbor even to enri ch an d advance the hfe of hi s

,

t ime .

Such is education considered as a cquisition as adjust

, ,

ment .

Thi s is ou r goal but we have n ot yet learned ou r way

, .

Perhaps the o t her viewpoin t will help us to find it .

1 74 CHILD S T U DY AN D CHILD T RAINING

E D U C A T I O N A S UN FO LD M E NT
D id we consider onl y the view of education just named ,

which wa s t he only V iew that used to be considered our ,

problem woul d be indeed S imple We wo ul d select the ,

.

thi ngs wor t h while either in the order of their worth or

,

of their convenience to the t eacher and proceed to pour ,

them in t o or upon the child B ut we have begun to .

di scover that at certain times the child is impregnab le

to knowledge of certain kinds T he child from a very .

early period is a person individual independent positive

, , , .

A s Kirkpatrick has i t P aul may plant and Apollos may

,

wa t er but it is G od that gi veth the increase The educa

,
.

tor may plan and the teacher may train but the child ,

develops because it is hi s G od given nature to do so -

.

N either need the educator worry in the case of a normal ,

“
child abou t the fact of development
,
The gardener .

does no t lie awake nights worrying lest the sap S hall not
rise or the nutrient materials shall be taken to the wr ong
,

place I t wo ul d be well if the educator had something

.

”
of t he same fai t h regarding the child .

F Clement C Eger t on an English educator has put

. .
, ,
“ ”
this faith into what he call s his educa t ional creed ,

and i t is an excellent statement of the modern V iew of

education as seen from the developmental standpoint
I believe :
Th at th e chil d is endowed at hi s birth wi th cert ain laten t
forces and powers whi ch i t is th e business of educa ti on to bri n g
,

out and foster ;

Th at th e child is natur all y good and that if h e receives a ,

fair ch ance h e himself will develop th at natural goodn ess ;

,

Th at th e chi ld is better able to teach hi mself th an th e most

hi ghl y tra ined person is able t o teach hi m and th a t he will do ,

s o if o p p ortun i ty is all owed him ;

Th at th e ch ild s ph ysical m ent al and moral facul ties shoul d
’

be developed simul t aneously and h arm oniously not indi viduall y ,

and on e at th e expense of ano ther .

In thi s View of e ducation the educator is a gardener

wh o gives the plant (the growing child) a chance by ,

taking ou t of his wa y what woul d impede hi s growth and

 T H E DAY SCH OOL 1 75

by fur nishing hi m the nut ri m ent whi ch our bes t knowl edge
of hi s na t ure proves t o be bes t sui ted to encour age growth
at ea ch s tage of hi s development .

Spe cifica l ly our studies have al ready shown us what are

,
’
some of the thi ngs t o take ou t of a chil d s way We have .

seen t ha t the small chil d desires t he concrete wha t he ,

can observe and measure and handl e and do with so we ,

must take abs t rac t ions ou t of his way We have seen .

t ha t he is a soci al being and early loves to ac t wi t h o t hers ,

s o we had be tt er t ak e any isola t ion in s t udy ou t of hi s

way -and t hus make education wha t E picurus asked for ,

”
friends see king happiness to gether We have seen .

tha t even though he is soci al ye t he is strongly indivi du

ali s ti c and has his own ways of lookin g at and compre

hen din g thi ngs so we mus t take ou t of hi s way any lock

,

step me t hod t ha t prevents hi s t ryin g his own e xpe ri m ents

and making progress a t hi s own ra t e .

S o too we al rea dy see some of the factors t hat will help

hi s develop ment : more self help more ta ctual expe ri ences
-
, ,

interests tha t shall give power in stea d of requirements

t ha t shall us e it up Perhaps our two best ways in educa
.

t ion m a y be said to be to te ach the chil d to want thin gs

,

and h ow to find t hi ngs .

Now having sai d t hi s we return to our o t her viewpoint

, ,

of educa tion that of what the tea cher has to gi ve

, The .

c h ild we sa y can receive onl y as he is ready so the

, , ,
’
tea cher s task is to arrange hi s t rea su res n ot in t he order
in which he mi gh t prefer to impart them but in the order ,

and in the aspec t in whi ch the chi ld ca n apprehend t hem .

He en deavors to a dapt hi s work to t he inn er proc es ses

of t he child But he is al so traini ng t he chil d to an a d
.

jus t ment to varying situa t ions in society to se cure t hei r

hi ghest val ue Thi s im plies not only watering and fert il
.

izing but prunin g and t rim min g the human plan t The
, .

skil ful tea cher is he wh o can help maintai n the Chi ld s ’

vigor of growth and di rec t t hat growth wi t hout maiming

the child .

James defin i t ion pu t s t he two viewpoints in on e :

’

E duca t ion is th e organization of res ou rces in t he human

1 76 CHIL D S T UDY AN D CHILD T RAINING

being of powers of conduc t that shall fit him to hi s

“

, ,
”
social and physical world .

TH E S P E C IA L P R O B L E M S
S CH OO L OF TH E

The school is t he organized institution of education .

School teachers are i t s t rained and authorized execu t ives .

H aving been gran t ed the practical monopoly of formal

.

education they are as a class deeply cognizant of their

,

responsibilities ; and no profession today is s o sensitive

to cri t icism or so eager to fulfil its recognized opportuni t ies .

The world is full of clamor about and against t he sch ools ,

and the livest topic of ou r time is education :

E very cri t icism of the schools is really a criticism of
society and of ourselves T he school s are as good as .

socie t y will afford and as we deserve L e t us summarize .

these problems briefly They may be classifi ed as the .

problems of Oppor t uni t y of expense of ignorance of the , , ,

social situation and of moral education

,
.

Th e problem s of oppor tu n i ty Though it is the recog .

n ize d ,
the school is by no means the principal agency ,

of education The young child gets more from t he home

.

than he does from t he school the school boy learns more ,

on the p l ayground t han he does in the schoolroom t he child ,

has the chance to unlearn during vacation nearly all the

,

school can teach him Whi le we speak of popular educa

.

”
tion this is a misnomer since the people do not get it for
, ,

the majo ri ty of our population are sixth graders or less -

.

The school has no influence upon the mass of our peop l e

after they are fourteen years old ; they leave before t he
y e a r s
‘

of greatest mental alertness and broadest acquisi

tion ; The school then at its best does no t get at the
, ,

children in any way to S hare more than a small part of the

responsibility for their education .

The life of the school is limited in its opportunity .

Really it is not life We unconsciously say to ourselves :

.

H ere is the school ; th ere is life Here our children .

”
are getting ready for life there But the child is not .

getting ready for life ; he is living The school has little .

contact with reality A child asked how long wa s a .

,
 T HE DAY SCH OO L 1 77

r od , marked off about an inch on his fin ge r that was

how long a rod looked in a sketch in hi s ar i t hmetic The .

child s t udies t he pictur es of things when the world around

,

hi m is ful l of t he thin gs themselves In hi s play and in

.

his helping at home t he chi ld is busy with real projects ,

bu t in school he knows o nl y the hi s t ory of proj ects or t he

descriptions of them The overemphasis upo n school
.

a t hl etics is part ly due to the necessi t y of sub s t i t uting a

highly organ i zed and art ificial form of exercise for natural
forms wi t h the al t erna t ive of havi ng no exercise at all .

T he most recent recogn i t ion of educators is tha t of t he

need of enl arging t he life of t he school by rela t ing i t wi t h ,

and even t aking i t in t o the l ife of t he home of t he gang

, , ,

of business and of t he co m muni t y U p t o n ow the reason

.

it is so hard t o get a chi ld t o t ell wha t he has done in sc hool

today is t hat he has done no thi ng that is a part of hi s
real self .

Ano t her probl em is th e problem of expen s e E normous .

as are t he t otal expe ndi t ures for o ur sch ools t hey are ,

en t irely inadequate for the need The ideal school will

.

close or grea t ly contract the j ail the poorhouse and t he

,

hospi t al and release such expe ndi t ures for education

, .

O ne some t imes wishes we had t he courage to pour t hose

moneys a t once in t o the ins t itut ion tha t genera t es hum an
power and see wha t woul d happen to the institutions of
,

human correc t ion and repair T eachers are the most

.

underpaid persons in t he world doing in t ell ectual work ,

an d t he profession is becomi ng for t hat reason almos t a

closed on e t o men T he lack of money for t he schools
.

means t he loss of t hree of the mos t necessa ry factors in

e ffec t ive educa t ion T hree t hings a chi ld chiefly wants
.
‘

are impossible in an impove ri shed school H e wan t s to

.

ask ques t ions ; in a classroom t hat has big numbers

because t he school is poor t his is impossible s o t he t eacher ,

asks ques t ions of him T he child wan t s to ini t ia te to

.
,

inven t t o make ; a big class gi ves no room for t hat

, He .

wan t s t o c o opera t e t o organize t o work wi t h others ; in

, ,

a crowded room the only possible way to teach is t o t ea ch

each sociable youn gster as if he were in so li t ary con fin e
1 78 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAINING

ment .

makes the hep hep ""

L ack of money not lack of educa t ional ideals
”
,

of the lockstep
Th e problem of ign ora n ce is a real one T he tragedy of .
.
,

th e school is to see an educational genius with a corps

of keen teachers domineered and driven by a school board
,

composed of ward heelers and even saloon keepers .

Ano t her tragedy is the complete ignorance of parents not

onl y as to the me t hods but as to the very purposes of the
,

insti t u t ion in which t heir children spend the better par t

of their waking hours T here is s t ill ignorance among
.

educa t ors even fetish worship

, The fetish of practical
.

ness is formal discipline and t he fe t ish of culture is L atin

,

and algebra Between the two the child loses his in t el

.

lectual appetite and leaves school having ha t ed a ll the ,

subjects of the c u rricul um alike .

O ur most pressing educa t ional problems are those tha t

arise out of th e s ocia l s i tu a tion T here is room only to
.

state some of them H ow in a strongly industrial

.
,

and commercial state S hall we prepare all our children

,

for their suitable vocations without making a cleavage

between those wh o work in the office and those wh o work
in the shop ? How shal l we moul d education to fit life
needs and not the demands of college entrance examina
tions ? O n the other hand how shall we give such an
,

intellectual thirst to those wh o do not go to college that

cul tur e S hall be possible to them ? H ow may a man in
his own life satisfy the demands of hi s business and those
of his higher nature ?
The problem of m ora l edu ca tion is becomi ng recognized
as the greatest that is before our schools today We .

have Space to do little more than state the problem O ur .

best authorities are saying that charac t er is the chi ef

aim in education Social and na t ional and domestic
.

welfare are impossible wi t hout it and no one is an edu ,

ca te d person wh o does not know how and is not able to

use the t ools of educa t ion nobly Yet how S hall charac .

ter be obtained ? Will it come out of textbooks and formal

and direct teaching ? O r is it entirely t rue t ha t charac
ter is caught not taught
,
H ave we s ufficient ma t erials
 T H E DAY SCH OO L 1 79

for t he making of character in the very organization and

di scipline of t he schools ? O r is i t true as our Roman ,

Ca t holi c brethren so earnes t ly insis t that there is no ,

guaran t ee of charac t er wi t hou t a r eh giou s basis t ha t t his ,

religious basis canno t be assur ed t o a ll unl ess i t is given ,

by the day school ? Shall we t herefore an t icipa t e , ,

crea t ing Pro t es t ant parochi al schools or dividing the

school moneys among t he sects or es t ablishing supple
men t al schools of religi ous educa t ion in our churches ?
T hese are t he ques t ions and t he answers are m an y
,

Perhaps t he presen t t rend of t hought among P rotes t ant

leaders is in t hese direc t ions :
1
. The r eh giou s basis is needed as the foundation of
charac t er ; but
2. O ur governmental s t ructure will never pe rm i t t he
use of public money for t he t eachi ng of religi on by t he
sec t s .

3. Pro t est ant people favor t he introduction in t o t he

schools of more direct wi se moral t eachi ng bu t rely s till
, , ,

upon the charac t er of C arefully chosen t eachers as the

be s t moral asse t of the public schools .

4. They are s t rongly aroused t o t he need of rene wing

and s t rengt hening moral and r eh giou s t eaching by paren t s .

5. They are working hard for t he improvemen t of

the Sun day school and i t s ex t ension in social and
,

educa t ional direc t ions into t he week .

6. They are deeply interested in plans for giving

sch ool credi t for reh giou s t eaching — t ha t is of s t andard ,

educa t ional qu a h ty done outside t he school by any sec t

, .

They have be gun t o es t ablish week -day in s t ruc t ion in

reli gion in the churches .

7. I t is fair to say t hat t hey have n o t seen clearly

t he wi se me t hod of affo rding adequa t e religious education
t o t he chil dren of t hose wh o are outside the rea ch of t he
churches .

TH E P AR E N T
’
VI E W P O IN T OF T H E S E P R O B L E M S
S

The paren t sees t hese problems no t only from a general

but from a specific viewpoin t He himself has commi tt ed
.
 ‘

1 80 CHILD ST U DY AN D CHILD T RAI NING

children to the local public schools and is very desirous

t ha t the bes t th in gs i n educa t ion so far as he knows what ,

t hey are be gran t ed to these young people who are so

,

dear to him L et us therefore go over wha t has j ust

.
, ,
’
been said with t he parent s viewpoint particularly in
,

mind Let us ask oursel ves some of these questions

.

concerning the school s as related to ou r own children .

1 . I s the school which my child attends pu t ting h im

in possession of the bes t heritage of the race so far as ,

that particular school ought to do so ? If not is the ,

reason because of unintelligent direction by the school

board imperfect supervi sion by the superintendent or
,

principal inadequate equipment or uncertain teaching ?

, ,

2 . I S the schoo l which my child is attending sa t is

factorily assis ting in this child s unfoldment ? If it is not
’

which one of the reasons just mentioned accounts for

it ; or if none of these is the fault that of the child or is
, ,

it to some degree my own fault ?

, ,

3 . D o I t o my own knowledge sufficiently know the

, ,

ideals and methods of the teacher to whom I have com

m itte d my child for so many hours of each day ?
4 . T o what extent is this special school relating its
work to real life ? How may the study or work of the
school be guided tha t it may be more closely related ?
5 . Studying t he last school report do I find that we ,

are spen di ng upon our local school s a sum of money

proportionate to ou r popul ation ?
6 . A re these expenditures proportionate to the needs
of teachers (sala ri es) to an adequate building to sufficien t
, ,

t eaching material (such as books laboratories shops , , ,

or to the best supe r vision ?

7 . To wha t degree is there any evidence of deliberate
or careless waste ?
8 Wha t is the average size of cl asses to the teacher in
.

the school which my child at t ends ?

9 What methods of moral education does our ci ty
.

stand for and W hat are being used in this school ? What
,

t ex tbooks if any ; how often should such exercises occur ;

,

wh o supervises and instructs the teachers as to their use ?

 TH E DAY SCH OO L 18 1

10 . Which impresses a child more the teacher or the ,

subj ec t of s t udy ? What inference does thi s suggest to

me ?
RE AD ING RE FE RE N C E S
T h orn d ik e s Ed u ca tion : a F irs t B ook gi ves an a d eq u ate summ ar y
’

of e d u ca ti o na l th eo ry S m ith s A ll th e C hi l d ren of All th e Peopl e

’ ”
.
,

Wee ks Th e Ed u ca ti on of T om orr ow a n d M un r oe s New Dem a n d s

’

,
’

in Ed u ca ti on ar e po p u la r di s cu ss i on s of s ch oo l p ro bl em s th e fi rs t em ,

p h a sizin g th e n eed of re c ogniz in g an d tea c h ing th e in di v i d u al th e oth e r ,

two th e im porta n ce of a d j u s tin g th e c hi l d th r ou g h ed u ca ti on to th e tim e s

in wh ic h h e li ves De we y s Th e S ch ool a n d S oci ety is a m igh ty li ttl e
’
.

book in fl u en tial I n ca u sin g us to real ize th e social ou trea ch of th e s c h oo l

,
.

S om e f u rth e r q u e s ti on s by m ea ns of wh ic h on e ma y te st th e l ocal s c h oo l
s itu a ti on a re s u gg e s ted in K ir kp a tri ck s F un d a m enta l s of C h il d S tu d y
’ ”
,

pp 35 1 360 A pl a n for a gen era l s ur ve y by th e cla ss is worked ou t

. .

towa rd th e cl ose of th i s cour se Th e clas s ma y d e ci d e to u se it a t th i

.

To th ose wh o a re d ee ply i n teres te d in ed u ca tion a n d p a rticu l a rly th ose

wh o h a ve you n g c h il d ren , th e p res e n t-d a y ten d en cie s in e d u ca ti on a re of
e n ou g h im po rt a t l ea st to i n vo l ve f u rth er rea d in g a n d pe r h a p s a d a y of ,

S pe ci a l d i s cu s s i on in th e cla s s Th e one m os t h e lpfu l boo k h e re is De wey s

’
.

S c h oo ls of Tom orrow D r J oh n D e we y th e ed u ca ti on a l p h il os oph er

”
. .
, ,

a s , with th e aid of hi s d a u g h ter , ta k e n u p one by o n e th e n e w m ovem en ts

h
i n s c h oo l life , d es cri bi n g ea c h s y s tem g ra p h ica lly a n d di s c u ss in g its m ea n
in g as a pa rt of c h il d tra i n in g Th e ke yn ote of th e s u rve y i s thi s se nten ce :
.

Le arn in g 1 5 a ne ce ssa ry in ci d en t of d ea li n g with rea l s i tu a ti on s Ea ch .

m eth od d es c ribed h as its r oo ts in th e en d ea v or to pu t th e chil d cl ose to a

rea l s itua ti on , to su b stitu te a ctu a l e pe ri en ces for boo k kn owl ed ge
x Th e .

kind ergarte n is d es c ribe d , an d to th ose wh o W i sh to u n d e rs ta n d h ow

v ari ed is th e a pp a ra tu s th a t is ta ki n g th e pla ce to a l a r ge d e g r ee of F roebe l s
'

gifts a boo kl et, p u b li s h ed by Tea ch ers oll ege , ol u m bia Un iv ersi ty ’

C C ,

entitled E peri m en tal S tu d i es in K in d e rga rten Ed u c a ti on

x is recom
m en d ed as gi v n g in f u ll er d eta il wh a t D r Dewe y b ri e fly ou tli n es
i . Th e .

con trib u tion s an d th e limitation s of th e M on tes s o ri sy stem ar e d i s cu ssed .

T his ch a pter ma y w ell be s u ppl e m e n ted by Kilpa trick s Th e M on tess ori

’

S yste m E a m in ed , th e ful l es t a n d f a i res t c riti u e of th e b ri llia n t Ita li a n

x q
”

ed u ca tor s m eth od s on n ected wi th th e d i s cu ss i on of th e kin d e rg a rten

C
’
.
,

m u ch s pa ce is d evoted to th e di s cu ss i on of pla y i n e d u ca ti on Here on e .

will e n j oy rea d i n g th e wor ks of su c h e nth u s i as ts a s Lee P la y I n E d u ca

"
ti on ) a n d C u rt i s Ed u ca ti on th r ou gh P la and T h e P ra c tica l Or
y
g a ni za tion of P la y ) Bu t les t on e s h ou l d gi ve pla y too l ar ge a fun cti on
.

or ma ke th e termy c ov e r W h olly W h a t we h a v e g e nera lly kn own a s

‘ ‘
la y
work , M unroe s New De ma n d s in Ed u ca tion will be W h ol es om e a s a
’ ‘ ‘

c orre ctive Th e d es c ription of th e F a i rh ope S ch ool of Or gan ic Ed u ca tion

.

a n d th e El em enta r y S c h oo l of th e U n i v e rs ity of M i ss o u ri ca rri es u s u

p a
s te p h ig h er th r ou gh th e g ra d e s h en D r D e we y com es to th e in d u st ri a l
. W .

a n d p re-v oca tiona l pa rts of ed u ca ti on n a tu ra lly h e d es c ribe s th e G a r y

S h oo ls , to wh ich f u rth er re fe ren ces a re gi v en in ou r c h a p te rs u p on v oc a
c
ti on ( XXX I I I— XXXV ) Th e boo k d oe s n ot d well to a n y e xten t u pon ed u
.

ca tion in th e a rts M od ern ed u ca tors a re in si s tin g th a t be h in d al l a rt

.

ed u ca tion th ere m us t be an artis tic b a ckgroun d a n d th e fa ctor of in ter es ted

1 82 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD TRAIN ING

a pp ci“a tion Th i s g rou n d is well covered in H en ry Tu rn er B a iley s littl e

re .
’

b ook Art Ed u c ation

, D r D ew y d oes n ot g o on to th e h igh s ch ool
.
”
. e .

Ou r m ost re cen t ou tli n e of th e h igh es t g a d es of p op u l a r e d u ca ti on is

r

fou n d in J oh n ston s Th e M od ern H igh S ch ool

’
.
”

W e d o n ot fin d in D wey 5 b ook very m u ch a b ou t th at m ost vita l of

e
’

q u es ti on s th e ki n d of m a n we wa n t th e s ch ool s to m ke T o a id u s in a .

th i n ki n g th i s ou t th re is a b rilli a n t a n d s om e ti m e s e x a s p era ti n g s tu d y by
,
e

C Hanfor d Hen d e s on : Wh a t is it to b Ed c a ted ?

. r e u

Th e a n u a l p roc e di n g s of th e Na ti o a l Ed u c a ti on A s s oci a tion (An n

n e n

A b or M ic h ) a n d th e a n nu a l r p orts of th e B a u of Ed u cation a e in
r , . e u re r

e x p en s iv e a n d s e rv ic bl e m ed ia byy wh ich to keep a b reast of th e cu rren t

ea
m ov emen ts a n d d i s cu ss i on s in th is g reat fi el d .
 C HA PT ER XXV
H O M E A N D S C H OO L
The two pers ons who share between t hem the larges t
part of a chi ld s time ought to be the closes t friends and
’

co—workers . As a m atter of fac t the majori ty of mothers

,

do n ot know more than t he name of t he t eacher wh o

spends five to six hours a day for five days a week with
t heir chi ldr en and the majori ty of teachers have never
,

even seen the mo t hers of half their children There are .

several reasons for thi s singular situation O ne is t he .

imprac t icability of a teacher s going to the individual

’

homes of forty pupils Ano t her is that under t he de

.
,

p a r tm en ta l syst em the child

,
has more t han on e teacher .

B ut the chief difficul ty is wi t h the mother wh o in rele ,

ga t ing t he major part of the intellectual t raining of her

children to the school t eacher forgets that t he whole
c h ild goes to school and t hat she s t ill has much to give
,

t o and much t o ge t from t ha t t eacher .

T he purpose of this chap t er is to di scuss b riefly some of

the manifold ways in whi ch t he home and t he school are
related .

E A N D S C H O O L L E A GU E S
H OM
.

As is so of t en the case in o ur coun t ry t he fresh recog ,

n ition of t he desirabili ty of interes t ing t he home more

vi t all y in t he school has already t aken on t he di mensions

”
of a movement and t here have sprung up Parent
T eacher Associations or Home and School L eagues
, ,

which are federa t ed in sta te and na t ional organiza tions .

F rom the viewpoin t of school t ea chers and su pe rin ten

den t s by whom t hese socie t ies are usually heartily su p
,

port ed they are an earnes t effort to b ri ng school needs

,

and condi t ions wi t hin t he ac t u al knowledge of schoo l

pa t rons . T hey are sometimes a bold endeavor t o appeal
from ignorant or bigo t ed school boards or poli t ic al ri ngs
t o t he people themselves and often the very development
,

1 83
1 84 CHILD S T U DY AN D CHILD TRA INING

of such associations leads to the removal of popular

prej udices due t o ignorance to a larger and more honest ,

expenditure upon t he schools and to t he in t roduc t ion of

modern methods of education F rom the paren t s point .
’

of view they express the endeavor to s t udy and improve

t he schools in which their own children are being educa t ed .

The individual mother is timid about approaching t he

busy professional teacher but protected by the group of
, ,

which she is a par t she comes gladly to the school and

, ,

learns perchance t hat tha t professional person also has a

, ,
’
mother s heart and an extraordinary knowledge of her
own child W hom she had occasionally thought to b e n e
,

gl ecte d or misunders t ood Mrs G rice reports a significant

. .

di fference between the attitude of fathers and of mothers

when they come into the school building to attend their
first parent teacher meeting The father is interested in
-
.

the equipment and t he system but the mo t her always ,

asks , Wh ere does Johnny sit ? The two attitudes

suggest both the administrative and the p ers on a l im pr ov e o

ments that are likely to come o u t of such conferenc es .

And despite the evident need for t he former one cannot ,

but be convinced that the opportuni ty for the starting of

co opera t ion between t he teacher and t he mo t her in t he
-

case of the in di vidual boy or girl is the best resul t of such

organiza t ions .

If I were asked what is the time and place where a

mother may make a more profitable condensed study of
her child t han any other I would say in a patient alert
, , ,

morning spent in his schoolroom watching him at his

work Such an observa t ion usually removes entirely any
tendency to criticize the teacher for bearing down on
.

the child and b ri ngs the mother to desire humbly to con

fer with the woman whose intellectual prepara t ion and
personal knowledge combine to make her a better expert
about that child than she is herself .

I t is not favo ri tism that produces the result that t he

child of the mo t her wh o vi sits the school makes be t ter
progress I t is that the mother is bet t er prepared to help
.

t he child to ri ght study habits at home and tha t the

 H O ME AN D SCH OO L 1 85

t eacher knows that she may depend upon the mother for
t hat hear ty suppor t wi t hou t whi ch t he teacher s pre ’

s cr ip tion s for t he chil d are ineffec t ive .

Ou t of such mutual un ders t anding come resul t s of even

larger sign i ficance . P arents wh o know and believe in t he
school keep t heir child in school defend h im from the
,

adolescen t whim to wander or work and are wi lling to

sacrifice for hi s hi gher education .

T E ACH I N G TH E C H I LD A T H O M E
Recent books and magazine art icles give expression t o
a wholesome rea c t ion in favor of resum ing in t he home a
larger share in t he child s educa t ion
’
One of t hese ten
.

d en cies is toward t ea chin g t he chi ld as long as possible at

home instead of in t he school Several books have been
.

published showing how children kep t from any school

,

and given careful and earnest at t en t ion at home have ,

en t ered college a t eleven or twelve years of age or have

made ex t raordinary lingui stic or art istic a tt ainments .

T hat such resul t s are possible canno t be denied al t hough ,

in almos t every published ins t ance the brilli ancy of t he

paren t s sugges t s tha t t he children themselves were of
high poten t iality Whe t her t hese resul t s are wort h while
.

remains to be proven .T o precipi t a t e a chi ld of twelve

wh o has lived en t irely wi t h adul t s and who is prep ared
for college in only the on e element of acquisitive knowledge
in t o t he sophi s t ica t ed socie ty of yout hs of eighteen who
have been t hrough t he rough and t umble of t he schools
and of athl e t ic and social life is somewhat dangerous
, .

That these lonely pilgrims from an in t ellectual Arcadia

never qui t e adj us t t hemselves to t he university Vani ty
F air and are always looked askance a t t here seems clear , .

I t is an open question whe t her their over developmen t -

in on e direc t ion is reall y t ime saved ei t her in ge tt ing,

ready for life or in livin g t he ful l life of their t ime .

There is however some t hing to be said on t he o t her

, ,

side. If college or life is no t ye t adjus t ed to t he you t h ,

who through pains t aking care and indi vidual inst r uc t ion
has saved from t wo t o five years of rou t ine prepara t ion ,
1 86 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAINING

then so much the worse for life and for coll ege I f the .

process is worth while the adjustment is bound to come

, .

No doub t there is much waste in wholesale teaching ; no

doub t t here is much loss of time in teaching in the wrong
order or in the wrong wa y I f these bright paren t s can
.

show us some needed educational changes let us be ,

thankful and prepare our public schools and higher

,

institu t ions to accept them .

Another motive is emphasizing the desirabili t y of home

training through t he earliest years A well nourished .
-

child from a home of in t ellectual habits is mentally

from one t o two years in advance of the average child
in the first grades in school If he enters the grade .

system at the bo t tom a n d fa lls into t he lockstep he con

tin u a lly genera t es more power than he can use his curi ,

o s ity and aler t n ess are deadened and he is likely to reach

high school a monotonous and uninterested indivi dual .

If the mo cher has t ime to teach him and it is surprising ,

how little extra t ime it t akes if she uses the educa t ional
opportunities of his every day play and conversa t ion and
-
,

if she will skilfully adapt herself to school requirements ,

she may a little later send into the schools at a consider ,

ably advanced grade a child wh o is heal t hier more alert

, ,

and fully able to meet the requirements Such children .

,

if no accidents prevent may be expected to leave high

,

school a year or two before the average still eager to ,

progress having had a normal social experience and des

,

tined usually to be leaders in the world of which they are

a comfortable part B ut each child whether he goes to
.
,

school or not needs child companions

, .

This brings up what is often a very pressing question :

Shall we on account of the undesirable companions which
,

ou r child wil l meet send him to the public school ?

,
Prob
ably the thorough —going democrat says Yes Bring him ,
.

up to j udge men as men and don t let him be a snob o r an

,
’

”
aristocrat The careful mother does not find the answer
.

as easy as this She may be worri ed by the carelessness

.

of her neighbors as to con t agion ; she may question whether

she wishes her child exposed to certain racial ideals and
 H O ME AN D SCH OO L 187

cus t oms inconsistent wi t h her own ; she may fear ac t ual

moral con t amina t ion The difficul ty of t en is simply on e
.

of educational opport unity t he subjec t s of study and t he

,

me t hods of t he public school not being adequa t e to

qualify her chi ld for entrance to an ins t itu t ion of higher
learni ng We can hardl y deny that t he t endency is in
.

creasing in the larger cen t ers toward a separa t ion of

, ,

pupils even in the public schools along lines of race and

weal t h and t ha t priva t e schools are gr owing in popularity .

T he same fa t her who t akes his own fir s t bo rn out of public

-

school may be much in t erested in increasing the appropria

tions for t he public schools and in raising t heir s t andards ,

in t he hope t hat i t may be feasible for him to send a second

child to t hem . In a ci ty where school approp ri ations are
generous i t is t o be remembered t ha t few private schools
can afford t o pay the salaries t o t heir t eachers tha t are
paid in t he public schools T heir pa t rons too are oft en
.
, ,

un willing t o have t heir chil dren face as rigorous s t andards

of scholarship .

T he advisabili ty of home s t udy after sc hool is s t ill

being discussed O f on e fac t we are sure
. no t many chil
,

dren in t he early grades kn ow how t o s t udy al one When .

home s t udy is required i t does no t be come effec t ive un l ess

i t is supervised an d guided by t he parent .

TH E H O M E A s A L A B O RA T O R Y
Men t ion was made in an earlier chap t er of movements
toward using t he home t oo ls and equipment as t he mos t
inexpensive and effec t ive labora t ory of t he prac t ical art s ,

the home ki t chen for domes t ic science the home garden

,

for hort icul t ure and na t ure study Th e movemen t is

.

no t a new on e F or many years t he teachers have be en

.

giving tasks whi ch Offered the home Oppo r tuni t ies for
prac t ice in even wi der direc t ions T hey have direc t ly
.

appealed t o paren t s by sending home t asks in drawing

for which t he home could furnish models tasks for ob ,

serva t ion and na t ure s t udy for which t he home grounds

woul d afford living t hings t asks in rea di ng and m em ori z
,

ing whi ch the home migh t easily supplement with i t s

1 88 CHI LD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAINI NG

own books and li t erary in t erests home study assignmen t s ,

-

which paren t s might easily make a part of t he t able t alk .

T hese t hings we ough t t o have done and not left the o t her ,

undone Musicians t ell us t ha t n o ma t ter how much

.
,

practice a child may have he cannot really get a musical

,

education if he lives in a home withou t a musical back

ground Why do we not recognize t he larger truth tha t
.

a child even if in school he reads the poets sings from the

, ,

masters and mingles with t hose wh o have discovered t he

secrets of nature may not become really educated if in
,

his home nobody reads any t hing but the papers knows ,

any music but rag t ime nor sees anything out of doors but
the weather ?
The ques t ion has often been asked wh y it is that men
and women of genius and success have so generally come
from a particular type of home a home of plain living but , ,

of high thi nking Plain rather than luxurious livi ng is

.

no doubt good for a child but the generation of power ,

by such a home is more in t he fact t hat t he life which the

school recommends actually exis t s in this household .

TH E S CH O O L As
A L AR G E R H O M E
Many parents and homes have not the equipment for
this fine endeavor In the grea t cities especially families
.
,

t hat are pigeon holed in flats find their shelters sui t able
-

for only the lower func t ions of a home the eating and ,

sleeping and seek their recreation their culture and their

, ,

social life elsewhere In o t her words the home has to go

.
,

outside itself to be a home Thus t he saloon the club .

, ,

the dance hall the motion—picture house t he amusement

, ,

park do for the family what it cannot do for itself The

, .

disadvan t ages of the situation are obvious Commer .

cia lize d amusement tends to fall be l ow rather than to rise

above the aspirations of those to whom it caters It .

easily links itself to vice because it is more profitable to

commercialize vice than it is amusement The saloon is .

the front door to drunkenness and crime and the dance hall
to immora lity B ut the greates t disadvantage is t hat it
.

separates the members of the family The home can .

 H O ME AND SCH OO L 189

stand any strain bu t t ha t A t t his point the school t he .

,

people s ins t i t u t ion steps forward and ofl ers its help

’
, .

I t s bui l di ngs woul d o t herwise be empty and idle at th e

hours when t he home needs t hem T hey are t herefore .
, ,

made in t o recrea t ion cen t ers t o whi ch t he whole family ,

may repair They may play or s t udy or work or simply

.

ga t her in soci al groups They may make use of t he li .

b r ar y t he pianos t he gymnasium the baths and t he class

, , ,

rooms There is a chance for mo t ion pic t ur es dancing

.
, ,
'
a t hletics and a free forum Such a s ch ool as on e of ou r
,
.
,

social leaders says duplica tes t he se tt lemen t in a ll but

,

i t s personal work and t he church house or parochi al ,

-

school in all bu t i t s di s t inctly religious work and its ,

ideal is : F or all classes of all ages Vitalizing the voca , ,

tion a l aim poin t ing t owards t he religious life of t he

,

church providing t he incen t ive which t he vocations lack

, ,

and un ifying t he socializa t ion of man as a member of the

S t ate and of t he N a t ion It s t imula t es t he fa t her .
,

recreates the mo t her and gives t he child a more in t erest ,

ing life t han even t ha t of the stree t I t reac t s favorably .

toward t he home while at t he same time i t carri es t he ,

ideals of t he school t o each member of the family .

RE AD ING REFE RE N C E S
Mrs E C G rice s li ttle book
. . . Hom e an d S c h ool in W id en in g Ci r cle s
’

of I n fl u en ce d es c ribes th e wor k of th e we ll kn own H om e a n d S c h oo l

,
-

Lea gu e s of Phi la d e lp hi a a n d giv es p ra c tica l h in ts for form i n g a n d con

,

d u c tin g s u c h a s so ci a ti on s .

A n um be r of book s e xi s t in te n d ed to h e lp m oth ers in th e h om e tra i n in g of

,

littl e chi l dr en Of a ge n e ra l ch a ra cte r is Nora A r ch iba l d S mi th s A

.
’

Hom e M a d e Kin d e rg a rten

- M rs D oroth y Ca n field F ish e r s A M on tes
. .
’

s o ri M oth e r te ll s h ow to u se th e M on tess o ri i d ea s an d a ppara tu s in th e

n u rse ry Ed u ca tors p re f e r th a t m oth e rs s ha ll n ot a ttem m to ca rr y littl e
.

ch il d ren v ery fa r in th e tech n i qu e of l ea rn in g be fore th e y e n te r s ch oo l .

V M Hill ye r s Chil d T ra in in g rec ogn ize s th i s te n d en cy I t giv es th e

. .
’
.

m oth er e x plicit di re ction s for u s in g th e c omm on h om e o ppo rtu n i ties for

in f orm a l ed u ca ti onal p u r po ses Pa ges 3 8 4 a re d ev oted to h a bi t dr il l s ;
.
-

pa ges 85 1 06 to ph y s ica l tra in in g ; pa g es l 4 1 1 7 0 to rh yth m ic a rts ; p a ges

-
,
-
,

1 85 2 1 8 to sim ple m a n ual tra in i n g

-
,
F or Sp e cific tra ini n g th e foll owin g .

“
m a y be u se ful : K otzsch m a r s Ha lf H ou r"Le s son s i n M u s ic C on s ta n ce
’

J oh ns on s Wh en M oth er Lets Us Coo k a n d Will ia m B yron F orb u sh s

’

,
’

M a n u a l of P la y .

S u gg es tion s th a t will b e h e lpf u l to m oth e rs in gu i din g h om e s tu d y a re

foun d in M is s Ea rh a rt s Tra i n in g th e Chi l d to S tu d y 1 39 -1 7 6
’

,
”
.

Perr y s Th e La rger Use of S ch oo l Hou s es d es cri bes th e v a ri ed u se s

’

of th e socia li ze d p u b l ic s ch oo l .
 C HA PT E R XX V I
C E RTA I N COM M O N
F A U LTS OF C H I LDRE N
Thus far we have implied that our children will always ,

u nder careful training develop satisfac t orily at every

,

stage .I t is time for us to take account of a few less

agreeable manifestations t hat appear often quite sud ,

d en ly even in the most patiently nur t ured children

, We .

select some that cause anxiety in the home T hey have .

social relationship in tha t they affect social as well as

individual morality .

LY I N G
This vice whenever it appears is always S hocking to the
youn g parent T o tell the t ru t h in his heart has even
.

from the days of the psalmist seemed fun damental t o the

moral life The parent does not realize that when a n
.

other psalmist said perhaps in haste that all men are

, ,

liars he mi ght have said it at his leisure concerning young

,

children And yet it would be just as fair t o say that the

.

child is naturally a truth —teller as that he is a liar The .

fact is that up to S ix or so he tells j ust wha t he thinks as

well as what he sees H e simply reports the string of
.

mingled fancies facts suppositions and hearsay that his

, ,

active brain has fastened together He accepts whatever .

is told him and he believes that thinking a thing is so i s

’
the same as its being so Why doesn t someone t ell
.

”
me what the truth is so that I can t ell it ? a little
,

child cried out one day after h e had been rebuked for
lying Telling t he truth is not a simple or easy nor a l
.

ways a successful process with any of us .

Most of the lying of little children is due to fancy .

What t hey heard out of a book yes t erday or dreamed in

the night gets mixed up with wha t t hey saw today and ,

reported wi t h faulty memories i t bears only a cousinly

, ,

resemb l ance to fact G ood imagination holds the germ

.

1 90
 CE R TAI N C O MM O N F AUL TS OF CH ILDRE N 19 1

of crea t ive li t era t ure and ar t and if you would no t have ,

your child as mono t onous and as colorless in hi s life as

yourself you canno t be en t irely sorry t hat he some t imes
seems t o over-exercise t he t ru t h .

T hen too t here is t he li e t hat is due t o l aziness The

, ,
.

chil d was n ot en t irely a tt en t ive he does no t qui t e r e ,

member and he gives t he easies t answer t ha t occurs t o

,

him . N a t urally i t is t he answer that wil l be mos t likely

,

t o keep him ou t of t rouble .

T here is the li e of va nity The boy desires to mak e a

.

grea t impression and so he tell s big s t ori es abou t himself .

Then t here is the lie heroic when t he child lies t o ,

‘

pro tec t o t hers Part of the c ode of chil dhood is t hat

.

T rut h is for friends .

E llen Key di vi des all li es into two classe s h ot lies , ,

”
and cold lies Cold li es are delibe ra t e un t ru thfuln ess ;
.

’
t hey are t old t o get some advan t age or to defend one s
self from ill consequenc es H ot lies are t he expression of
.

an exci ted mind or of vigorous fancy Co ld lies mus t be .

p un ished ho t lies shoul d n ot be puni shed but correc ted

,
.

We need t o consider t he age of t he child wh o t ell s un

t ruths If he is bu t five we may suppose tha t he is likely
.
,

to tell m an y a fanciful s t ory ; if he lies a t eigh t he may per

haps be ta l ki ng for effec t ; bu t if a chil d of ten t e lls a lie ,

it is a more se ri ous ma tt er Such a chi ld is not deluded

.

by fancy bu t is ei t her forming t he habi t of saying what

,

is mos t easy or pleas an t or is being cowed into t elling

un t ru t hs for t he sa ke of self p ro t ec t i on -
.

Some paren t s declare tha t they wi ll never whip a child

excep t for lying and for cowardice These are a t leas t .

two faul t s for whi ch a child should never be whipped .

To whip a child because he is imagina t ive only confuses

his brai n and to whi p h im when he has li ed from desire
,

onl y t empts him to secure his desi res by lying still more
skil ful ly The best way to correc t a chil d wh o lies im
.

agina t ively is t o train him pa t ien t ly to Observe accur a t ely

and to tell exac t ly wha t he sees The child wh o lies for .

advan t age needs an even longer course of t rea t men t He .

mus t have bo t h t he prospec t of profi t and t he elemen t of

1 92 CHILD ST U DY AN D CHILD T RAIN I NG

fear rem oved from his mind N o matter how wrongly he.

has acted he must never be put by his parents in a position

,

where he wil l be better off in any way for telling an u n

truth G ive t he child room M any children are nagged
. .

in t o lying by being perpetually spied upon Accep t .

truth from the children T rus t them and although i t is

.
,

hard to trust them when they lie to you keep on trusting ,

t hem A ten year old boy added a n e w and good in t er

.
- -

p re ta tion to the Washington che r ry tree story when he

-
°

said , I t wa s n o trouble t o tell the tru t h when one had

”
such a kind father And finally one must add seriously
.
, ,

that the problem of raising a truth telling child is chiefly -

that of fur nishing him wi t h truth loving parents -

.

STE ALI N G
This is another common fault of chi l dren which makes
many parents panic s t ricken until they learn that al most
-
,

no home has been without the expe ri ence Taking .

”
things is almost universal among small children A .

number of innocent bel iefs makes it na t ural The prop .

e r ty sense as we have seen is slow in developing

,
E ven , .

children old enough to go t o school express the con vic

tion that they are to some degree part own ers in every
thing This feeling rises probably from the communism
.

of the home where much is held in common Parents

, .

who encourage their children to share their playthings ,

t hinkin g the custom lends itself to friendliness and know

ing that i t does to economy are in the writer s judgment ,
’

making a mis t ake I t does not develop friendliness and

.

it confuses the chil d as to what does properly belong to

him I t encourages the idea tha t it is not wrong to take
.

eve n money if it is money found in the house

, O ther .

motives that lead to picki ng and stealing as the ,

catechis m has it are extraordina ry desire lack of self

“

, ,

control the spi rit of adventure and a sort of group

, ,

predatory instinct Most commonly though when t his

.
,

occurs in the home t he child rightly or wrongly attrib, , ,

utes his conduct to s ome sense of injustice He has no t .

got his share on e of his parents has been unfair to him

, ,
 C E R TAI N C O M M O N FAULT S OF CHILDRE N 1 93

hi s allowance has been pe nali zed and he de t ermines to ,

make i t up Thus a real misunders t andin g a crude sense

.
,

of jus t ice and some wish for revenge combin e to bring

abou t an unfort una t e S i t uation D enseness on t he part .

of paren t s as to what is going on in the chi ld s mind as

’

sisted t oo oft en by t he careless custom of leaving money

about and of not askin g for an accoun t ing of en t rus t ed
sum s res ul t s in p aren t al consterna t ion
,
The general .

course of cure is plain T here mus t be t he comple t es t

.

fairness fir mn ess and t he most un derstanding generosi ty

,

on t he part of t he paren t The chil d mus t through an

.

allowance sys t em be treated as a partner wi t hin t he firm

and not as a creditor ou t si de There must al so be careful .

traini n g in business methods and business honesty .

T E A S I N G B U LL Y I N G A N D Q U ARR E LLI N G
,

These faul t s refer n ot t o rela t ions between chil d and

parent bu t be t wee n brothers and Sisters They rest in
,
.

some exceedingly hum an traits of childhood .

In the first place there seems to be a genui ne anger

,

ins t inct in a child at birth I t comes down from un

.

counted genera t ions during which i t was t he means of race

prese r va t ion and t he s t im ul us to activity Ano t her has .

remarked t hat t he very keynote to boyhood is st ruggle .

A chi ld who was congra t ula t ed by his mother be cause

,

when going into t he coun t ry for a vacation he wo ul d be

likely to find some other boys t o make friends wi t h re ,

plied , O h I d o hope I shall fin d some enemies too

, .

He was quite typical The anger instinct is s t imula t ed

.

by its own pec ul iar pleasures the pleasures of at t en tion , ,

advantage and victory I t s expressions are very lit t le

.

hindered du ring the years of lack of self -con t rol .

F amily rela t ionship does n ot secure immuni ty from the

emo t ion of anger Q ui te t he contrary A terse modern
. .

proverb has it : God gi ves us our relations Thank G od .

,
”
we can choose our fri ends I t is the di ssi mila ri ty of a
.

friend that makes him ou r complemen t and gives him ever

the attraction of surp ri se B u t a brother is so like us that
.

he is tiresome particul arly be cause he generall y wants

,
1 94 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD TRAINI NG

what we want at about the same time H e knows so .

much abou t us which he is S O irri t a t ingly glad to tell He .

is in a position to thwart and hinder us constan t ly and

is so close to us always that the Opportun ities for collision
. .

are frequent Similari t y of age aggravates the similari ty

.

of taste and coincident desire D ifference of age s tim u .

lates the desire of the younger to tease and of the older ,

to b ul ly Being a woman is no special pro t ection to a

.

sister before t he days of chivalry come ; in fact her woman ,

hood is some t imes a n aggrava t ion to a brother if he t hinks

his sister is t rying to hide herself behind her sex by u s
ing it as a means of appeal to father or mo t her .

E xpressions of temper by children in the home have

some special causes I ll heal t h is one T he ill nourished
. .
-
,

the weak t he nervous the cons t ipated child is an ill

, , ,

tempered child The weather too which has defeated

.
, ,

the aspirations of many an adul t Christian affects the ,

disposi t ions of children Most hot tempered children .

-

have hot t empered parents There are even paren t s who

-
.

think that to put t hemselves into a temper is whole

some for a child because it makes him afraid to do wrong
, .

Such fears will soon wear away but even more serious ,

results will last B eing teased by adults wh o visi t the

.

home bachelor uncles for example is a not infrequent

, , ,

cause of the spoiled disposi tion of a child To be t oo .

frequently and unnecessarily thwarted will keep any

youngster in a state of irrita t ion There are also a few .

children the causes of whose wrath may at root be some

,

of those j ust men t ioned wh o give wa y to paroxysms of ,

rage in which t hey resemble what we are told of persons

possessed wi t h the devil during wh ich s h riekin g rigidi t y
'

, ,

or throwing about of the body are cons t an t E ach ex .

treme case of this sort needs special study and a t ten t ion .

Quarrelling too comes from some of the causes j us t

, ,

mentioned I ts immedia t e occasion however is gener

.
, ,

ally that lack of clear unders t anding about personal

rights and possessions which drives even nations t o com
bat .A quarrel is sometimes precipi t a t ed by the unholy
glee of one party a t being held up by a parent as an ex
 C E R TAIN C O M M O N FAULT S OF CHILDR E N 19 5

ample for t he emul ation of t he o t her U ndernea t h .

fraternal quarrels t here is on e wholesome tendency .

Di sa greeable as it is to adults the ch ildren are real ly

,

some t imes striving abou t j us t ice and often i t is better

,

to give them the mental exercise of arriving at i t t hem

selves t han to come in as a domina t ing and of t en ignorant
arbi t rator To in t erfere may mean t ha t we encourage
.

on e type of child in the weak habi t of continually demand

ing adul t sympa t hy or ano t her type in using a noisy mode
If we accept the apos t le s advice
’
of avoiding fairness .
,

s o to separa t e possessions t ha t each child shall look only

on his own t hin gs and no t on t he things of others we S h al l ,

use good sense Where quarrels ge t chronic bro t hers

.
,

had bet t er be separa t ed and o t her chum s brought in .

The fact t ha t two bro t hers almost never be long to t he

same gang is significant .

Teasing does n ot in t he early years mea n to be cruel .

The child wh o teases is simply curi ous to se e how the one

he teases will ac t His adven t ur ous spiri t wants some
.

t hing doing and he can always start some t hin g in t his

way . I t is an early expression of the sense of humor In .

the home i t is usual ly t he yo u nger bro t her o r sis t er wh o

teases and this is na t ural S ince i t is the onl y safe means of
,

defence for t he weaker agains t t he aggressions of t he

s t ronger I t is a faul t t ha t is somewha t diffi cu l t to cor
.

rect because it can be indul ged wi t hou t ove r t or easily

de tected ac t s A gl an ce or a gestur e may be enough to
.

infuri a t e the victim Some t hi ng may be done by arming

.

the teased s o t ha t he will be nearly impregnable B u t .

ou r bes t recourse is in the recogni t ion t ha t teasing is t he

danger S ignal of idl eness A child may be kep t so busy
.

tha t he won t have t ime t o t ease and if his projec t s sug

’

gest the need of t he co-ope ra t ion or advi ce of t he on e wh o

was erst t ormen t ed t he magna nimous assis t ance of t he
oth er will bring t hem pleasantly t oge t her again
'

Bullying is an e xaggera t ed cruel form of t easing and

, ,

involves t he aggression of one who is larger upo n a smaller .

The t reatmen t would be much the same and if the b ul ly ,

can be led to see hi s need of the younger or to become his

1 96 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAINING

champion instead of his tormentor we put him in a posi ,

tion where t he tendency is exactly revers ed To develop .

the clan spirit in a family is a great help to thi s method .

There is good even in the anger instinct Gui ded and .

held in check it may some day defend the youth from

,

anything by which the soul is shamed or insulted the ,

lad against any t hing that S hall make hi m seem a coward

or a miscreant the girl against any attempt direct or
, ,

indirect upon her vir t ue

, Positive anger of the right
.

sort involves the capaci ty of moral indignation and the

longing to belong to the chival ry Of crusades against
social inj usti e c
.

T R U AN C Y
Running away from home reminds us of the migratory
ages of t he race Little ones s t art off as soon as they are
.

big enough t o push open the gate and older ones manifest ,

the tendency so strongly tha t sometimes it seems as if the

history of childhood consisted in the constant desire to
get away from home It starts in imaginativeness the
.
,

feeling that some of the things that have been told about
in stori es must be aroun d the corner ou t of sight and it is ,

assisted by that curious liking common to children up to ,

adolescence the li king to be chased Sometimes there

,
.

may be a goal the wish t o visit a playmate the desire to

, ,

get to water or a sandpile the longing for a forbidden ,

pleasure Truancy does not sp ring entirely from the

.

paucity of the home resour ces since children of rich par ,

ents like to leave home as well as do those of the poor .

D uring the common school years there is measurable -

content at home The boy is usually satisfied to get away

.

to the b al lground to have a shack in the woods to slip

, ,

ou t to the motion picture S how and to stay ou t all night

-
,

on H allowe en
’
B ut the impulse takes a new trend duri ng
.

adolescence .I t is then stimulated by books of adventure

and by talking with travellers ; it is aggravated by d islike
of school or work ; it is made pressing by the spectacle of
the uneventful seden t ary life of the home But beneath
, .

”
is a native unrest Somewhere else is magic The
. .

red gods call The love of the sense of motion which

.
 C E R TAIN C O M M O N FAULTS OF CHILDR E N 19 7

makes scenic railways profi t able upholds t he adven t ure .

T he wri t er h a s ta lked wi t h re t urned prodigal s about t heir

exploi ts and has been surp ri sed to fin d t ha t while in every
case t heir j ourneys were extensive and of t en marked by
hardshi p and danger t hey had not gone t o see anything in
par ticul ar nor did t hey b ri ng back defin ite impressions
from t heir journeys T he road ra t her than the goal
. , ,

beckons Thi s seems very similar to wha t is seen la t er

.

in adul ts wh o ge t the habi t of globe tro t t ing with no -

interes t s in art or humani ty or wh o break up t heir homes

and move from on e boarding house to ano t her -
Perhaps .

the d om es tic a n d t he nomadic ins t inc t s s t ruggle within us

all and during t he period when the you t h is on the ques t
,

for himself and for his world he feels impelled to go fort h

literall y in t o the world to find it G irls feel the sa me
.

impul se bu t because they live a li fe of regu lar repression

,

sa t isfy it by reading by day dreamin g or at the most by

,
-

engaging in a clandes t ine correspondence or acq uain t

ance .

P robably we canno t and ough t no t u tt erly to crush this

impulse A more generously hospi t able home life th e
.
,

sui t ing of t he school more closely t o t he new in teres t s of

adolescence endeavors to find work t hat shall embody
,

some element of pionee ri ng adven t ure or re sp onsibility

, ,

will do some t hing t o guide the t endency A fa t her wh o .

has kept up ou t door habits and who t akes his s on cam p

ing hun t ing and travelling will pre tt y nearly control i t
, .

A real wa n d erja h r an ancient and rec ogniz ed e l ement in

,

educa t ion may be essen t i al t o some young people

, .

S UMM AR Y
T he condensed discussions of t his cha p ter deal wi th
ma tt ers that are import ant enough for prol onged t hough t .

T wo essen t ial facts have been in t he wri t er s mind which ’

he woul d leave in t he reader s

.
T roublesome trai t s of
’
.

chil dhood arise ou t of natural instincts whi ch have been ,

mi sun derstood neglec t ed Or mishandled ; they always

,

imply some t hing import ant and precious for t he child s ’

fut ure T hese t raits no t only involve the child s individu

.
’
1 98 CHILD ST UDY AN D CHILD TRA INING

ality but they grow with the growth of his social relation
,

ships in t he home and elsewhere therefore , we must deal ,

wi t h them socially as well as individually and in t he

consciousnes s that righ t permanent social rela t ionships
will depend upon such wise dealing s .

O ne common method of approach is to be ours in mee t ,

ing all t hese diverse tendencies T he wa y to preven t in .

ju riou s ac t s is to open t he way to non inj urious acts th a t -

bri n g th e s a m e s or t of plea s u re .

RE AD ING REFE RE N C E S
Th e fifth c h a p ter of G S ta n l ey H a ll s A d ol es c en ce is d ev ote d to
’ ‘

J u v en ile F a ul ts wh ich a re s tu d i ed of c ou rse f rom th e gen etic s ta n d

,
”
, ,

p oi n t wi th a wea l th of i n te r es ti n g d eta il a n d s ta tis tica l m a te ri a l I n .

S wif t s M in d I n th e"M a ki n g th e s ec on d ch a p ter i s on C rim i na l Ten

d e n cie s of B oy h o od wh ich a re s tu d i e d i n th e i r s ou rc e a n d a s to th e i r
,
'
pe ril C h a p ter V of A bb ott s On th e T r a i n i n g of Pa en ts trea ts qu a r
. r

rellin g s en s ibly . Th e wri te r in a m on og ra p h en ti tl ed

,
T ru th Tellin g a n d
th e P robl em of C h il d re n S L i es h a s wr i tte n a t l en g th c on ce r n i n g th i s
’
,

Su bj e c t Th e re is a h elpf u l ch a p te r in M rs D oroth y Ca n field F i sh er s

. .
'

M oth ers a n d Ch il d ren .

 C HAP T E R X XV I I
T H E H O M E T RAI N I N G OF S C H OO L C H I LD RE N
In a previous chapter (X : T he Problems of O be di
ence we discussed t he home t raining of childr en un der
school age We empha sized t he fact t hat for t heir own
.
,

p ro t ec t ion obe di ence was the cardi n al virtue in cul ca t ed

, ,

by t he paren t un t il t he chil d shoul d be old enough to be

wise and s t rong for self obedience We urged t ha t even
-
.

during t ha t early period t he child sho ul d be gi ven in his

Obediences some opport un i t ies to use t he power of C hoice ,

so as t o begin to prepare t o t ake charge of hi s own life .

D uri ng t he school years before adolescence thi s training

con t inues This whole era from six t o twelve is on e of
.

transi t ion from con t rol by t he paren t to self con t rol -

.

In familiar si t ua t ions t he chi ld more and more t akes t he

ini t ia t ive and acts according t o laws which have al ready
been laid down .I n new si t uations t he paren t sugges t s ,

gui des and sometim es commands un t il these in t urn b e

,

come familiar si t ua t ions and the child knows how t o ac t .

TH E A TTI TU D E C H I LD
OF TH E

We need to be reminded of a few fac t s concerni ng t he

child s at t i t ude to law and ri gh t be fore we go fur t her into
’

this import an t subject .

We are t o expec t during thi s pe riod no very deep sorrow

for wrong doing li tt le shame a hn o s t no remorse The
-
, , .

average child is hurt by t he di sapproval of his paren t and

is chagrined when he is found out in di sobedience He .

regrets t he penalties t ha t are visi t ed upon him a n d he is

genuinely gri eved when he gives pain to on e he loves .

B ut S ince i t is believed t ha t before t he age of t en t he chi l d

responds to personal commands ra t her t han t o general
laws it seems fair t o sa y t ha t his conscience is largely in
,

the cus t ody of hi s elders and t ha t S ince he does not fee l

1 99
2 00 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD TRAIN IN G

deep personal responsibility he cannot feel much per sonal

penitence If he has had suitable traini ng the child
.

comes to recognize t he authori ty of law and to shape for

himself with the assistance of his playmates and hi s
,

parents a code whose infraction he regards with in cr ea s

,

ing regre t and discomfor t .

T his is ve ry instruct ive I t shows us that many a child

.

probably is giving quite a different name to his offences

than we give What is to us naughtiness untruthfulness
.
, ,

depravity may seem to him na t ural imp ul se humor hav

, , ,

ing a good time H e may not feel seriously uneasy when

.

he di sobeys unless he is foun d out or ve ry directly r epri

m a n d ed We are more or less con s ta n tly conscien t ious
.
,

but he may have days which he is fond of b elieving G od

’
doesn t count and which he hopes H e does not see .

E ven in this respect children differ Some respond .

wi th early docility to habit training and accept as t heir

-

own the ideas and cus t oms of their elders O thers S how a .

marked independence of t hought and action a ll through

their school days Some children display a sensitive and
.

well nigh morbid conscientiousness ; others seem rather to

-

reflect t he public sentiment immediately about them .

They are perhaps alike in this that few have yet made a ,

complete and final transi t ion from imitativeness to entire

self discipline
- .

We have to carry children through this transition from

docility to self command as steadily and completely as
-

possible giving them as fast as is na t ural responsibility

,

wi t h a ll its consequences and materi als of experience out

of which to build a moral code .

M ETH O D S OF G O V E RN M E NT
The me t hods which are to be suggested are those whi ch
are believed t o be of the best help in making this transi
t ion .

S ecu r in g I n s igh t This i s the most important of all

. .

We need always to understand th e child and to know

j ust what we are about Mrs A nnie Winsor Allen urges
. .

“ ”
t hat a child S hould eve ry day be freshly no t iced as ,
 H O ME TRAIN ING OF SCH OO L CHILDRE N 20 1

if we did n ot know him at all before and never trea t ed

’
as if he were in las t mon t h s state of mind Thi s happil y .

sugges t s t hat perpetual lis t ening at the door of the child s ’

life which must be done if we are at all to know what is

going on inside .

”
T he ques t ion Why di d he do i t ? S ho ul d be ever trem
bling a t a p a r en t s lips When on t he way to se t tle a dis
’
.

put e or t o give a pun ishment i t wo ul d always be well to

ask i t aloud T he answer
. F atigue is one tha t should
, ,

always be considered T hose days t ha t t he child woul d

.

have God forge t are t he ones when he arose tired and

unrefreshed from sleep when t he wea t her was humid , ,

when t here were indica t ions of t he coming on of a childish

malady T he mo t her wh o t ried always to be gen t le in
.

command aft er four o clock in the af t ernoon had insight

’

’
as t o t he limi t s of her childr en s vigor If a mother
’

woul d begin the job of t rying to get her b oy t o ga t her up

his play t hings before he is qui t e exhaus t ed by play she
wo ul d have be tt er success The mo t her of a baby is .

skilful in in t erpreting his every cry but when the chi ld ,

grows older she i s no t al ways as watchful B u t t he school .

girl crie s for as many different reasons as does a baby .

She may be crying for herse lf or for her mo t her for gri ef ,

or to ge t her own wa y in distress or anger or fear or bodily

,

di scomfort . A boy may fight for as many di fferen t rea

sons as a girl may cry and some Of t hem are justifiable
, .

Bu t t he immedia t e question al ways is Why ? ,

H a vin g F ores igh t We are too ex t emporaneous in our

.

home t rai ni ng Why S houl d we daily be caught unawares

.

by t he old besetting diffi culty ? T he boy has started

t he habit of ge tting away from the house right after
school and going nobod y knows where Why is there
, .

no t a new plaything or a t ask or a lun ch always ready for

him as soon as he ge t s home ? Here is a chi ld whose
obstinacy already gives concern t hough it may imply the ,

presence of a good strong will whi ch is evi den t ly aroused ,

because people though t lessly spring things on him Wh y .

S houldn t he have some q ui e t forewarning of what is t o

’

come ? Why should t here not be the legi timate use of t he

202 CHILD ST UDY AND CHILD TRAINING

suggestion that mother expects that when the time comes

he will be able and willing t o perform it cheerfully ? Why
shoul d he not be taken into confidence as to why the
proposed action is necessary or wise ? I n short wh y should ,

he not be given time to see the situation himself to make ,

up his mind and to enlist his will on the right side ? This
kind of foresight is usually quite feasible .

There is even a better kind of foresight I t refers n ot .

to some particular action bu t it is exerted in reference to

,

the entire career of t he child E nnis Richmond calls i t

.

appealing to the advance na t ure of the child I t .

involves trea t ing children as if they were a little older

than they a re implying that they have a little more sense
,

than is vi sible ; it suggests always a loving expectancy .

Here foresight runs in t o trust .

Th e M eth od of Com r a des h ip We can hardly exercis e

.

either insight or foresight if we do not keep alongside .

I t might well be wished that fathers for example would , ,

purchase and read some of the excellent books on chil d

study that are now available but many a father would
,

do be t ter to put the same amount of money into a baseball

bat and mi t t and let his son throw curves at h im in the
back yard All through this pe ri od of which we are
.

speaking beginning at about six when the child starts to

,
”
school and increasingly at about ten when the gang
comes in t o being the influence of adul t s tends to be sup
,

planted by that of children of the child s o wn age Bu t

’
.

t hroughout this time and even all through adolescence

there is a potent though secre t ive sort of hero worship of
, ,
-

admired adul t s and the parent may easily be such a hero

,

if he qualifi es early .

We cannot go into this import ant subject more fully at

this time but there are several oppor t uni t ies that are so
,

obvious and so import ant tha t t hey deserve the emphasis

of being tabulated for further thought and discussion .
 H O ME TRAI N ING OF SCH OO L CHILDR E N 2 03

Table talk .

Bed t ime .

A home night (a regu lar family evening at home at

l eas t weekly) .

Sunday afternoon with father .

Home hospi t ali t y for the gang .

T he team orga n iza t ion of t he home for self governmen t -

is a very happy and useful de vi ce I t may be based upon .

some sort of a family covenan t or cons t itution which

a ll may S ign ; it may have i t s law makin g and law e n for - -

cing sessions ; its experimen t s in individual in i t iative ; its

self correc t ive instruments ; its judicial decisions Such
- .

an organiza t ion of course will have other ac t ivi t ies and

, , ,

will func t ion in home evenings festivals and ou t in gs as ,

well as in di scip lina r y occasions .

Th e M eth od of S u gges ti on We have already spoken

.

of the desirability of breakin g t hings gen t ly to a child .

A wise parent may prepare t he way for wil lin g compliance ,

some tim es with a gen t le plea some t imes with a grea t ,

S how of secrecy always wi t h a loving expec t ancy B u t

,
.

suggestion may be used n ot merely for ge tt ing hard or

disagreeable t hings done I t is useful in keepin g up a lot
.

of desirable and de l igh t f ul occupa t ions Children do n ot .

of themselves have a very grea t s t ock of ideas ; t hey are

n ot always very resourceful On e reason why an adul t
"
.

is so welcome in a gang is because he can t hink of more

‘ ’

t hings t o do and can do t hem better than can any of the

boys The paren t who pu t s some brains in to hi s chil
.

’
dren s home hours is no t only governing them bu t is con ,

t ributing grea t ly to t heir education .

Th e Meth od of Expla n a tion

. It is so pl easa nt to be
.

pope and perhaps for a while so necessa ry in the home

t hat it is hard t o know when to lay off t he t iara T 0 some .

parents exp lana t ions appear dangerous as being possible

concessions t o disobedience But they cert ainly make .

obe di ence heartier and an ins t ructed child wh o knows

,

not onl y what is wan t ed bu t why ought to be able to do

, ,

i t bet t er than a s t upid one wh o is merely docile Some .

t ime t he child will need forethought and intelligenc e in

2 04 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD T RAINING

his actions ; when shall he begin ? O f course it ought not ,

to be necessary to explain to a child wh y he S ho ul d do what

he has been in the habit of doing When a b oy asks wh y .

he must b ring up the coal what he needs is not explana

,

tion . If however a new course of action is proposed the

, ,

child may have beforehand if t here is t ime aft erward if

, ,

there is not the reason for what is to be done Our

, .

delightful and keen minded spinster Miss Repplier who

-
, ,

writes so sensibly about children t hinks im plici t obedience ,

is better and she ci t es the C hild wh o is about to run

,

ignorantly over a precipice and whose life may be saved

only by his own instinctive obedience to the unexplained
shriek of his mother to s t op ri ght where he is To this .

the reply may be made that precipices are somewhat

negligible and that the child of sense wh o had been in the
habit of getting explanations from his mot h er would
respond to the shriek anyhow even if he insist ed on return
,

ing at once to find ou t what was the matter This gives .

us the opportunity to say tha t t he best use of explana t ions

sometimes is not as an inducement t o obedience before
the act but as a clearing u p process aft erward A pleas
-
.

ant illu s tr a tion to a boy of the Wa y his uncou t hn ess or

ungraciousness appeared to his mother illustrated by ,

imitation perhaps would be gratefully received by him

,

when rebuke or sarcasm would only irritate him .

Closely allied with explanation is th e M eth od of P ers u a

s i on ,
the appeal to good sense or affec t ion or p ri de It .

T he plea of mother s
’
has to be used with caution .

headache may soon wear ou t Praise thoughtful ly and .

,

frequen t ly admi n istered but never to the ex t reme of in

,

s incerity or flattery has magical results

,
.

Th e M eth od of H a bitu a tion The years between si x .

and twelve are known to be those of remarkable impressi

b ility and of strength of memory I t is believed t hat it .

is easier then than ever again to make correct manners

’
and usages automatic Regularity is one of life s best
.

time savers and we probably never realize how great a

,

realm of good behavior may be included within the sphere

of habit . We know that habits of priva t e devotion for ,
 H O ME TRAINING OF SCH OO L CHILDRE N 2 05

example induced during these years are never afterward

, ,

easily forsworn T he whole secre t is in beginning Soon

.

enough H abi t t raining ough t t o be gin i n the cradl e the

.
-
,

bes t nur ses t ell us on t he first day of the chil d s life

’
.
,

Successful governm en t through habi t ua t ion duri ng the

s chool days is not easy un less it began long before school
da s
D
.

rill is made easier because children have as we have ,

seen a respect for personal au t hority They resp ond

,
.

dur ing t hese years t o devices based upon t hi s fac t They .

wil l learn t o obey promp t ly by playin g sol di er ; t hey

will enj oy signing an d r e reading a fam ily compact
-
,

which i s framed and kept always 111 sight ; t hey will accept
punishment by imprisonm ent chee rfull y when t hey have
been told t ha t t hey are sailors in irons and that they
are get t ing wha t is appropriate in case of mu t iny .

M eth od s of P u n is h m en t N 0 child i s so good by nature

.

tha t he d oe s n ot need nega t ive reward once in a whi le .

T he principles and purpose s of p u ni shmen t were stated in

Chapter X a n d shoul d be r eviewed a t this time On e or
‘

two further words need t o be sai d abou t t his rigorous kind

of t eachin g .

In t he first place it is more diffi cul t to admin ister pun

,

ish m en t wise ly and successfully t han it was in infancy .

The child is less docil e is more self willed has more re

,
-
,

sis t ing power errs from a grea t er va ri ety of mo t ives

, .

We have said tha t t he pur pose of punishmen t is n ot t o

stop a course of conduct so much as to change a course
of desire Thi s sugges t s bo t h ou r difficul ty and ou r oppor
.

tu n ity D esires are harder t o reach than acts bu t if

.
,

they ar e reached t hey control conduc t .

E viden t ly corporal pun ishm ent woul d n ot often be

indi ca t ed during t his pe riod I t se ldom crea t es a love for .

virt ue I t does not change a course of desire except in a

.
,

weak willed child in whom i t crea t es t he mo t ive of a b

-
,

jectly followin g the desires of ano t her ins t ead of crea ting
noble desires of his own I t is impossible to indica t e
.

lines of punishm en t for all the va ri ous offences of child

h od Some gener al sugges t ions may be made based
o
.
,
2 06 CHILD S T UDY AND CHIL D T RAIN ING

upon the thought that all p u nishment sho ul d be intended

as a means of will traini ng
' - .

1 Puni shme n ts should not be given wi t hout warn ing

.

or for o ffences that have never been prohibited After .

clearly un ders t ood warn ing they sho ul d be given as

promised .

2 When a punishment is to be given time shoul d be

.
,

allowed to make i t fully effec t ive The parent often needs .

time to con t rol his temper to get a ll the facts to decide , ,

j us t what is best t o do Such delay is more impressive

.

t han sudden though t less penal t ies The child S hould

, .

usually be given time to sta t e his defence if he has any to ,

t hink over his failing so as to be able to give the right name

to his conduct and t o get the best out of the whole trans
action .

3 I f possible the Child should co—operate in his own

.
, _

punishmen t Sometimes he can be led fairly and to a

.

good degree impar t ially to see and to say what he had

better do in t he way of restitu t ion of apology of penance
, , ,
.

4 With the possible excep t ion of a case where the

.

offence has been against a group or a gang where others ,

may have some t hing to say about the matter reproofs , ,

punishmen t s and the discussion of punishment s should

always be strictly private .

Tra i n in g I n d ividu a li ty The time of punishment is

.

not the best or the only time to correct faults T he .

posi t ive me t hod is better than the nega t ive one The .

best method of will training is to give t he child frequent

opportuni t ies of using his good sense The following .

opportunities will suggest themselves as deserving of

.

careful consideration an d working ou t .

1 E n courage initia t ive in every possible wa y

. When .

a child sugges t s a course of conduct that is novel but ,

'

apparen t ly harmless let him t ry it , Some chil dren .

are made obstina t e and sulky by parents whose instinct

seems to be to say N o whenever the chil d suggests
anything new They think they are cautious ; they are
.

really too lazy to follow up the child s origi nality and find ’

out what he is up t o If the child wants to engage in

.
 H O M E T RAINING OF SCH OO L CHILD RE N 2 07

some small commerci al transac t ion encourage h im Go , .

even fur ther G ive him an allowance t ha t I ncreases as

.

fast as it is safe and make h im more and more responsible

for spendi ng it E mbark with him as a part ner in hi s .

new business Hun t up hard and challenging t hings for

.
.

hi m to try .

2 Let him make as many of his own decisions as po s

.

sible givin g him plen ty of t ime to do so and all t he help

,

he asks for and then have him s t ick t o t hem

,
If a red .

headed child insis t s after due delibe ra t ion on buyi ng him

self a crimson necktie le t him do i t and then let h im wear , ,

i t out .

3 D on t say
. D on t to him but train him to learn
’ ’

to say D on t to himself ’
.

4 S t rengthen and glori fy his positive choi ces in every

.

possible way by generous concessions by mutu al helpful

, ,

ness by praise by larger opportuni t ies

, ,
.

5 Wh en his choices lead t o unfortunate res ul ts do n ot

.
,

chi de him Treat him as on e wh o has made an hones t

.

experi men t T alk i t over and point ou t wh y it di dn t

.
, .
’

RE ADI NG REFE RE N C E S
S o m an y g ood book s e xi s t u po n th e topic of h om e tra i n in g th a t it is
h a r d to kn ow wh i ch to r e c omm e n d A m on g th ose of S pe cific v a l u e for .

th e th e m e s of thi s ch a p ter a re th ese : G riggs M ora l Ed u ca tion h a s a n ’

e x c e ll en t a n d th orou g h d i s cu ss i on of d i s ciplin e pp 129 1 8 1 In Pa ge t s ’

-
. .
,

Th e Ne w Pa re n ts A ss i s ta n t pp 29 -4 0 is a re m in d e r of th e rea l p u r
’ ”
.
, ,

p ose a n d th e li m ita tion s of par en tal a u th ori ty an d on pa ges 7 1 82 h e ,

-

se n s ibly d i s cu sse s d i s cip li n e Do roth y Ca nfield F i s h e r in h e r s tim u l a ti n g

.

M oth ers an d Ch il d re n pp 99 1 7 0 g oe s ca ref u l ly in to t he p roblem s of

,
”
.
-
,

o be di en ce .

Oth er books to wh ich S pe cific pa ge re fe ren ces wou l d n ot d o j u s ti ce a re :

,
-

J a cob A bb ott s Gen tl e M ea su re s in th e T ra in i g of th e Youn g

’
n .

E rn es t H a m li n A bbott s On th e T ra in i n g of Pa ren ts
’ ”
.

Wi llia m A M cK ee'v e r S T ra i n in g th e Boy

.
’
.
”

M a r y W ood A ll en s M a ki n g th e B e st of Ou r C h il d ren
-
.

An ni e W in sor Alle n s H om e S ch ool an d Va ca ti on ’

, .
”
 C H APT ER X X V I I I
C O M PA N I O N S H I P
TH E W AY SO CI AL I M P U L S E D E V E L O P S
TH E

In order to u nderstand the importance and possible

value of the social imp ul se it is necessary b ri efly t o trace
the way of i t s usual development Kirkpatrick s names.
’

for the periods of childhood are based upon recogni t ion of

this impul se and they are used here with some words of
, ,

description .

Th e P r e S oci a l S ta ge This includes onl y about half

- .

of the fir st year of life D ur ing this peri od the baby is

.

ve ry busy learning the parts of his body and ga t hering

a mul titude of sense impressions and he does not care ,

much about people except that they shall make him

comfortable By the end of the first half of the year he
.

has begun to sit up and in a short time to creep and

thus through locomo t ion to enlarge his obj ective world
, , .

By this time he welcomes persons as a part of this world

and is pleased with t he objects which they b ri ng to his
attention and the endeavors which they m ake to amuse
him This leads to
.

' '

Th e I n uta ttn g a n d S oci a lizin g S ta ge which culminates ,

at the end of the t hi rd year A s soon as the child has .

seen an act he t ri es n ow to imitate it and af t er his imagin a ,

tion develops during the second year he not onl y imi

, ,

tates the act but uses it dramatically

,
H e shows signs .

of real affection particul arly to adul ts with whom he

, ,

gets along better than with children .

Th e I nd ividu a liztn g S ta ge comes next and lasts unti l

about the end of the sixth year The increasing self .

consciousness which is n ow his makes the child no t only

assertive and perhaps rebellious to his paren t s bu t inde ,

pendent in his rel a t ions with his first playmates We now .

see the amusing si t uation that at a party a group of li tt le

2 08
 C OMPANI O NSHI P 209

children may enter a nur se ry and each one seize a toy and
play wi t h i t in as comple t e and happy isola t ion as if he
were qui t e alone . Kindergart en begins during t his peri od
and the child is socialize d a l i tt le by t he in fluence of hi s
t eachers and by im i t a t ion of his many new companions .

Thi s brings hi m to
Th e S ta ge of Com peti tive S oci a lizin g which culminates
,

just be fore pubert y T hese are t he years of in di vidu al

.

is tic contests in al most every field of endeavor Imi t a .

t ion di stinctly yields t o compe t i t ion T he child however

.
, ,

has bee n smoo t hed off somewhat by compulsory social

usages and does no t go to t he extremes of pugnaci t y which
would be natural if he did n o t come under the in fl uence of
the school and the home . D uring the last two years of
thi s period gangs arise among boys chiefly for con ,

v eni en ce in playing the group compe t i t ive games for un ,

d er ta kin g and pro t ectin g each o t her in adven t ures t hat

woul d n ot be possible alone an d for neighborhood self
,

defence agains t other encroaching gangs .

E arly adolescence up to eigh t een is called by Kirk

, ,

pa t rick th e Tr a n s i tion a l S ta ge and perhaps t here is n o

,

better name for the even t ful years in which the b oy be

comes a man and the girl a woman The social impulse .

is n ow at i t s height and involves an in teres t ing g roup of

facts The on e t hat is most signifi cant is t hat relations
.

that were somewha t accidental ex t ernal and impersonal

,

now change in t o t hose t ha t mean real personal friendships .

D I FF E RE N C E S B E T W E E N B O Y S AND GI RL S I N T H E I R
SO C I AL I N S T I N C T S
Among boys the social imp ul se is pec ul iarly well marked .

I t has been sa id that while on e man ou t of t en joins a

Ch urch and one man ou t of five a lodge t hree boys ou t of ,
”
every four g o into a gang . Coun t ing ou t those who
have n o such opportunity and t he few who are by nature
unsocial we find the
,
gang phenomenon prac t ically
universa l among boys from t en t o sixteen or seven t een .

Thi s must mean t ha t a large part of a boy s social t raining ’

durin g t hese years comes from such self-formed and

2 10 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD T RAIN ING

se f conducted organization s
l -
. Puffer divides the a c tivi
t ies of such groups as follows :
Expressions of t he primitive impulses .

E xpressions of t he preda t ory impul ses .

E xpressions of tribal impulses .

G roup games .

A statistical s t udy from the largest questionnaire t hat

has been made of the gang divides these ac t ivi t ies in
the following propor t ions :
Athle t ic games
P redatory fighting and building activities
,

Indust rial ac t ivities .

T otal associations involving lively physical

activity
Total associations for social secret and self ,

improvement purposes
T hese facts suggest that boys organize chiefly in t he
summer—t ime , for ac t ivi t ies t ha t represen t those of some
what primi t ive man and tha t t hey meet usually ou t of
doors and away from home .

G irls organize to nearly as great a per cent as do boys ,

bu t for quite di fferent purposes T he same s t udy yielded

.

t he following results :
P hysical activities .

T hree to five t imes as many societies for social ,

secret and self improvemen t purposes

-
.

G irls group themselves more often in the winter—time ,

for s ociability self —improvement and service and indoors

, ,

and at home Puffer refuses the name gang to girls

.
’

“ ” “
social groupings and prefers , sets He says Se t s
.
,

and gangs are q uite different ins t i t u tions T he set is ex .

cl u s iv e,
undemocratic I t has no organiza t ion leaders
.
, ,

history The set snubs its rivals ; the gang fights t hem
. .

The members of a se t also snub one another quarrel and ,

backbite There is none of the deep seated ins t inctive

.
-
,

loyalty which t he me mbers of a gang have for each o t her

”
.

Puffer also no t es the fact that boys have a passion for

games while girls will play them when taught
,
He .
 C O M PANI O NSHI P 2 11

thinks these di stinc t ac t ivi t ies no t onl y prophetic of t he

separate func t ions of men and of women bu t also defini tely ,

prepara t ory for t hem .

As soon as boys and girls begi n to regard t hemselves as

having come to ma t uri ty they begin to imi t ate adul t s in
,

t heir social groups T hey organi ze in hi gh school fra

.

te rni tie s imi t ative of those conducted by college studen t s

,
.

They freely join socie ties of an al t ruis t ic purpose organ

ize d by adul t s for t heir benefi t and as soon as they are ,

eligible t he lodges to which their p aren t s belong At

,
.

leas t fifty per cen t more girls are foun d in church organ
iza tion s t han boys and a reverse proport ion of young men
,

in secret lodges .

T he coming t o consciousness of the sex instinct pro

”
duces significant changes in t he gang impulse On .

the whole t he former is di sin t egrating t o t he la tt er

, .

There is a curious pairing off tendency not onl y of boys -

,

wi t h girls but of boys wi t h boys and of girls wi t h gi rls

, ,

for mu t ual confid en ces and co opera t ion in t he early -

a tt emp t s a t cour t ship T his prophesies t he more in t i

.

mate a t tachmen t s of mature years .

OTH E R I M P O RTAN T FA C T S
Several miscellaneous fac t s are of import ance :
1 T he boy from t he poor home is more likely to belong
.

to a gang because he cannot comfortably sa t isfy t he

,

social instinc t in hi s home Such a b oy is also more .

endangered morally .

2 T he gang is usually quite subject to i t s leader who

.
,

may be of i t s own age or an adul t I t imi t a t es him .

closely In many ways he resembles in hi s infl uence and

.

power t he C hief t ain of a clan He is a fair spokesman and .

expression of the group ideals .

3 A gang tends t o codify t he morali ty of i t s in d ividual

.

members wh o are for a time at least more powerful ly

,

influenced by the public opini on of the group than by any

o t her force I t is almost impossible during t his s t age t o
.

produce a moral I mpression t ha t I s not a g roup impression .

4 T he fact t ha t t he heyday of t he gang i s coinci den t

.
2 12 CHILD S T UDY AN D CH ILD TRAINING

with the storm and stress of adolescence and wi t h years

tha t are often anti —domestic in feeling suggests the pos ,

sible peri l of lawless and thoughtless conduc t from the

unregul ated gr oup T hese pe ri ls are increased by the
.

fac t t hat the gang dares do together what no individual

would do alone .

5 The frequent tendencies of brothers to belong to

.

different groups and so t o play more freely with other

boys than wi t h each other gives parents an un expected
and puzzling problem .

6 All these associations help to create a larger self

.
,

and are impor t ant in relation to the future civic and social
relations of young people .

7 T he power of being a leader has a remarkable in flu

.

ence upon the boy wh o can gain and maintain that posi
tion According to Swift t he leaders excel the o t her boys
.
,

in truthfulness perseverance generosity bravery reason

, , , , ,

S hrewdness and independence The L eader is free from .

many of the limi t a t ions of his followers They have their .

reputations to make He has made his The ve ry fact

. .

of his l eadership and his feeling that he is t he pro t ec t or

of his followers gives him a social self that is in advance of
that of his subordinates .

SO M E H E LP F U L S U GG E S T I O N S
A number of suggestions come from these facts :
1 The home must recognize and prepare for early
.

expressions of this social instinct N 0 household can live .

unto itself To forbid a child to play with his neighbors

.

is to make of him an unpopular snob T0 keep the .

neighbors children away is to deprive one s own children

’ ’

of any natural comrades T he home must be free though. ,

careful with its hospitality each household must take an

, ,

interest in the chi l dren of o t hers and there is room for

sensible united action of groups of families in supervising
,

the social relations of their children .

2 T he schoolroom is often too much a place where

.

children in sight of each o t her are working in solitary

, ,

confinement There are unreached educa t ional p os sr

.
 C OMPANI O NSHI P 2 13

b ilities in conjun ct study and experiment and in u t ili zing

t he natural child leaders -
.

3 The church sho u l d recogni ze the normal social likings

.

of its young people ,

especially in its organized Sunday
school classes and by keeping boys and gir ls separate in
t heir so cial organiza t ions un t il t hey are about sixt een .

4 SO potent and so far reachi ng are t he in fluences of

.
-

”
gang s and se t s t hat there can be no more irn
port an t or challengi ng social and moral Opportunity for
men and women of abili ty and C ha r m than to become
leaders of such groups and help t ransform t heir ideals
,

and lead t hem ou t in t o wholesome social co-operation .

And paren t s S houl d be above all others pre -e min ently

equipped for t his hi gh ca lling .

5 N o religious work among adol escen t s shoul d b e

.

under t aken without serious recogni tion of the psychol ogy

of the group .

RE AD ING R EFE RE N C E S
Th e fi rs t s ta ti s tica l s tu d y of th e g a n g i m p ul se wa s m a d e som e yea rs
a g o by S h el d on in h is I n s titu ti on al A ctiv i ties of Am e rica n C hil dr en ”
.

F orb u sh in hi s Th e Boy Pr oblem ca ll e d a tte n tion to th e m ea n i n g of

th ese fa c ts to s ocia l a n d re ligi ou s eff ort Pa ges 66 1 29 offe red a c riti qu e
.
-

of org a n iz a ti on s in ten d ed fo b o ys ori gi n a te d by a d u l ts

r On pa g e s 1 30 1 92
.
-

con s tru c tiv e s u gges tion s were gi v en Pu ffer in h is b ook Th e Boy a n d

.

H is G a n g g a v e fresh figu res a n d a s tu d y d rawn f rom som e v e ry rea l

e x pe r i en ce s
. H is i nfere n ce s a re gi v e n be gin n in g on pa ge 1 2 4
, . S wif t
in h is You th a n d th e Ra ce 2 4 6 2 87 g oe s ov er th e g roun d a ga in wi th
,
”
-
, ,

h e s u g e s tive Ch a p te r titl e Th e S piri t of th e Gan g ; a n Ed u ca ti on a l

Rtsse .
g’
,
 C HA PT ER XX I X
AM U S E M E N TS A N D S O C IA L L I F E
What has been said of both the individual and social
development of the young prepares us to accept th e follow
ing brief s t atement of the particular recreational interests
of children and young people .

1 Children up to school age play alone or in company

.

wi t h adults and engage in free play rather than in or

g a n ize d games .

2 Young children engage in a somewhat desultory

.

fashion in running games and other forms of keen competi

tion .

3 Then during the gang period boys develop t he

.
, ,

highly organized games and unite for purposes of a d ven

ture . G irls group themselves more quietly and are ,

never so enthusiastic about games of whi ch however , , ,

they become interes t ed spectators as soon as t hey begin

t o be interested in boys .

4 When sex attraction appears young people like to

. ,

be ve ry much t oge t her at parties in social groups on

, , ,

outings in homes where t hey are welcome and p ri vately

, , .

When the subject of P lay wa s being discussed (in

Chapter XVI I ) enough perhaps was said for our present
purpose about t he recreations of childhood Let us now .

t hink for a li t tle of the recreations of youth involving ,

“
what is frequently called the amusement question ,

and wholesome relations between the sexes .

T o those who accept the traditional taboos of cards ,

”
theatre and dancing this question appears perfectly
,

simp le at least until the necessity arises under modern

,

conditions of providing adequate substitutes for those

rej ected pleasures Today t he tendency is to reconsider
.

the whol e question in the ligh t of ou r be t ter knowledge of

child nature and to seek for broad princip les by which
2 14
 A M US EME N TS AN D S O CIAL LI F E 2 15

these and all offered recrea t ions may be t ested E ach .

era has i t s new problems of amusement wi t h which t o

deal .
Once it wa s backgammon bear b ai t ing and rin g
,
,
-

ing church bells Today we have t he mo t ion pic t ure S how

.
,

t he t rolley park and t he week end party -

.

SO M E P R O B L E M S OF SO CI AL L I F E
Th e following lis t of presen t —day problems may seem a

somewhat miscellaneous one ye t t hey are among t he mos t ,

import an t whi ch paren t s and morali s t s must face before

they can set t le in t heir own minds what they wo ul d a p
prove or di sapprove for t he young :
1 There exists t he universal play impul se which as
.
,

we have seen has the deepes t educative social and moral

, ,

possibili t ies I t ough t no t t o be neglec t ed ; i t mus t n o t

.

be crushed .I t is subj ec t t o many pe rils ; i t s bes t frui t s

can be won only by indus t rious vi gilance and posi t ive
provision for play on the part of t hose wh o are t he pro
te ctor s of you t h .

2 This recogni t ion is par t icularly necess ary on t he

.

part of adul t s wh o n ot only have forgot t en wha t t hey did

, ,

bu t h o w they fel t when t hey were young I t is ve ry easy .

for t he fa t her and mo t her who a t nigh t crave no t hing

,

bet t er t han slippers books or a quie t game a t home

, ,

t o fail to apprecia t e t he natural desire of t heir children

for exci t ement a crowd and a boisterous good t ime wi th
,

other boys and girls .

3 Adul t s of conserva t ive temper wh o were brought

.

up in a P uritan or a rural a t mosphere d o n ot readily real

ize t hat t hey are bringing up children wh o live in richer
t imes and wh o will probably make t heir homes in t he ci ty .

T o keep a child from what seems to hi s parents dan gerous

conformi t y t o t he world may actually mean to keep him
in social os t racism from his schoolmates E ven if t he
°

paren t s are righ t wh o hold such a posi t ion t he rebellious ,

ness of t heir chi ldren who ca nnot even see their poin t of
view is a cause of keen irrita t ion To t hem it appears .

t ha t nearly a ll t he regular and available forms of en t er

ta in m en t are tabooed Seldom we must acknowledge
.
, ,
2 16 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD T RAINING

are such paren t s equally vigorous and faithful to endeavor

to find other and better recreational opportunities .

4 Adults wh o are serious minded and who wish all the

.
-
.

pleasures of life to con t ribu t e to culture and character

are likely to forget certain manifest limitations of youth .

Young people are not resourceful To grown persons .

no t hing is more deligh t ful than an evening of cha t B ut .

the conversational powers of t he young are easily ex

h a u s te d Such an evening in a miscellaneous company
.
,

where some are shy and some are not bright woul d drag ,

terribly B efore the third dimension of depth is added

.
, , ,

the young may be expected to giggle over nothing to like ,

to play games rather than to talk and to engage in social

pleasures which have not much better warrant than that
they pass the t ime .

5 T he dramatic element in play has been mentioned as

.

of great moment T he imagina t ive side has been s t ated

.

to be the major part of the play of youth T he desire to .

have the sense of adventure to perform before an audience

, ,

to look upon thrilling scenes these are a part of the very

fact of being young No wonder then that the drama
.

appeals to youth Wh ether we wish to admi t the play

.

’
house or not into our children s lives we must recognize ,

and provide for this dramatic instinct .

6 The sex element in recreation is equally real and

.

equally important Courtship plays have existed in

.

every race and time There must be some experiments

.

in getting acquainted between the sexes during the quest

for life partners When we obj ect to the dance because of
.

its erotic suggestions we must not forget that the primal

,

forces are present j ust the same and that the instinct for
physical contact is natural cannot be suppressed but may
, ,

be conventionalized chaperoned and lif t ed to the level of

,

gallantry .

If children learn to dance before the sex impulse a p

pears ami d wholesome surroun di ngs and companion
,

S hips and the exercis e is made a par t of their education

, ,

—
they are delivered so many believe from the la t er
perils of the ballroom To t each t he dance early is to
.
 A M USE ME N TS AND S OC LAL LI F E 2 17

develop in t heir lives one of the oldest most natural and ,

most joyous of the arts .

7 T he t endency of the amusemen t s of youn g people

.

wh o are ye t a t school to become un dul y luxurious and

ex t ravagan t is a cause of concern n ot only t o the poor ,

bu t t o all who beli eve t hat such precocious an d un wa r

ran t ed indul gences are inapprop ri ate to c hi ldren and
dangerous to swee t ness and con t en t men t .

8 T he commerciali zing of pleasure is a re al social

.

peril I t tends to passive rather than ac t ive publi c ra t her

.
,

t han domes t ic enjoymen t More se ri ously it seeks t he

,
.
,

level of the crowd rather t han t he rising ideals of t he

earnes t min ded Its cheapness i t s pop ul arity i t s con
-
.
, ,

v en ien ce make i t dangerously available even to children

who have li tt le money to spend .

Q U E S T I O N S F OR P AR E NT S To AS K T H E M S E L V ES
The writer is opposed t o any ready made answers to -

these problems Af t er all ques t ions are more essential

.
,

t h an answers ques t ions tha t shall se t us t hough t fu lly to

,

find our own answers These a r e some queries whi ch may

.

properly be considered by t he indi vidual or the s t udy

class .

1 Shall we accept t he dict u m of our chur ch or social

.

circle or family tra di t ion or shall we reconsider the whole

amusement problem anew in view of wha t we know of ,

t he needs and na t ure of childhood of local social condi ,

t ions and of the opport un i t ies t ha t are n ow available ?

2 Are our own amusemen t s as adul ts if not planned

.
,

with our chi l dr en in mi nd wholesome for t hem to imi t ate

,

and share and adequa t e for t hem ?

,

3 What are t he actu al recreation al reso u rces available

.

in our homes to our c h ildren ?

4 Have we begun early enough to forecast t he larger
.

recrea t ional desires tha t are to come ?

5 Conside ri ng cards as t ime fille rs what place if any
.
-
, , ,

S houl d t hey have in t he fa m ily life ? If none wha t other ,

amusemen t s of t he t ime fillin g class shall we subs t i t ute ?

-

6 Recognizing t he sex element in t he dance shall we

.
-
,
2 18 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAI NING

teach dancing to ou r children before the sex interest

'

appears or how shall we endeavor to supervise and guide

,

this at t rac t ion when it comes ?

7 How shall we provide for ou r daughters not only
.

prudent chaperonage but those ideals which make ,

chaperonage less necessary ?

8 Shall we select plays and accompany our children to
.

them or shall we forbid t he theatre ? How shall we satisfy

,

the drama t ic instinc t ? Can we do something in the

church and the social circle as well as the home to develop -

its ac t ive as well as its passive enjoymen t ?

9 If cards and the adventure spirit sometimes lead to
.
-

gambling how can we sa t isfy the spirit of adventure in

,

other ways that are wholesome ?

1 0 How may we help ful fil ou r l arger duty in co
.
,

opera t ing with others to improve the tastes increase the ,

wise restrictions and remove the objectionable and fash

ion a ble fac t ors of and about the local amusemen t
situa t ion ?
I n this new coun t ry of ours we have been S low to recog
nize the impor t ance of good taste as a part of beau t iful
living I f we as parents put ourselves on the side of
.

decorous dancing Of the clean and uplifting drama of

, ,

courteous social living we are doing more than to redeem ,

ou r time from vul ga ri ty and indecency we are aligning

ourselves with serene and potent moral forces .

RE AD ING REFE RE N C E S
A g rea t m a n y b ook s h a ve b ee n wri tte n f rom th e n ega tiv e s i d e a s to th e
a m u s e m e n t q u e s ti on Th e y s el d om tou ch th e i m p u l ses th a t lie a t th e
.

b ottom of th e p roblem T h i s J a n e A d d a m s h a s d on e wi th s ym p a th etic

.

u n d e s ta n d i n g i n C h a p te r s I I I a n d I V o f
r Th e S pi r i t of Y ou th a n d th e C i ty
Th e a u th o r h a s s u gg e s te d hi s own v iewp oin t a s a p a r en t in
”
S tree ts
‘

Th e B oy P r obl em in th e H om e pp 2 00 2 0 5 Rich a rd H Ed wa rd s
,
”
.
-
. .

h a s m a d e th e m a tte r a s p e ci a l s tu d y a n d h a s wr i tte n two v a l u a bl e b ook s

u p on it I n h is . Th e A m u se m en t Qu e s ti on h e c ov e rs th e wh ol e fi e l d
of p u blic a n d c om m e rci a l r e c rea ti on H is Ch ri s ti a n i ty a n d A m u s e
“
.

m en ts is a te x tb ook for y ou n g pe opl e of th e a g e th a t d i re c tly fa c e s th e s e

“ ”
p robl em s a n d is p ers on a lly s u gge s tiv e R os s : P opu la r A m u sem en ts
,
.

is a l s o g ood .

Th e C a th olic Th e a tre M ov e m e n t of New Y ork Ci ty p u b l s h e s a n n u a lly r

wh i te li s t of s ta n d a rd pl a y s Th e n a ti on a l (C h ic a g o) a n d l oca l
”
a .

D ra m a Lea gu e s i s su e f rom ti m e to tim e li s ts of rec omm en d ed cu rren t

d ra m a s .
 C HA PT E R XX X
MON EY
The property sense does no t appear with Chil dr en at
.

t he begin ni n g F or t he first year or t wo whi le t hey grasp

.
,

a t every a tt rac t ive object they re linquish wi t h e qu a n im

,

i ty and on t he whole seem to t ake about as much pleasure

,

in seeing thin gs I n the ha nds of friends as in t heir own .

Some t ime In t he t hi rd year thi s disposition C han ges and

,

there is a s t rong desire to hold and re t ai n t heir own

possessions At t hi s pe ri od children d o not sh are so
.

pleasan t ly We have S poken of t he fac t t hat even a t a

.

part y each chil d monopoli zes some t oy and is qui t e con

t ent t o play wi t h i t by himself I t is dangerous to t ak e .

Ch il dren of this age to a toy s t ore because t hey are likely ,

to claim as t heirs o r insist s t orm i ly upon t he immedia t e

purchase of whatever attracts t heir atten t ion T hey .

t ake what doe s n ot belong to t hem wi t hou t compun c t ion ,

”
o n t he principle apparen t ly t ha t
’
fin d in g s keepings .

By the time t hey en t er school they ga t her hoards of

t rivial objects an d a t a la t er period collections whether
, , ,

of stamps cigar t ag s or na t ural objec t s are of in t erest

, ,

because of the ir quan t ity ra t her t han t heir qual i t y The .

child for example woul d rather have given him a t hou

, ,

sa nd pos t age s t am ps t ha t cos t a quart er than a few unique

examples In this the compe t itive S p irit is involved
. .

Chil di sh bart er whi ch is very common consis t s na t urally

, ,

of t he exchan ge of objec t s of li tt le value bu t even t hese ,

are exchanged because of t heir b rightness or color or for

reasons tha t are not obvious to the adul t mind .

TH E C HI LD
’
FI R S T R E LA T I O N S W I T H M O N E Y
S

A child soon learns t ha t money is some t hi ng t h at is

regarded by adul t s as of grea t and almos t magical im
portance H e is probably usually puzzled by hi s firs t
.

2 19
220 CH ILD ST UDY AN D CHILD TRAINI NG

experiences with it Vari ous sums are given hi m by hi s

.

fond relatives and friends which he is adjured at once ,

t o put into the bank a disposal which mus t st ri ke him as

,

a t once foolish and useless He soon learns from such .

small sums as he is allowed to use that it is a medium of

exchange for candy and marbles and des t ructible toys .

Indeed it woul d be hard for adul ts to explain the m oon

sistent position which they take wi th children to the ,

e ffect that sums large enough to purchase anything worth

while ought to be saved while the smaller amoun ts are to
be spent at once for what will injure the digestion and give
only momentary pleasure N ot many older persons .

realize that money may have educational uses from t he

start and that instruction and practice as to its uses are of
the greatest importance if t he youth is ever to be either
prudent wise foresighted or generous in i t s spending
, , .

In the first place not only are small coins one of t he

,

most useful means by which to learn the simpler opera

tions of arithmetic but it is hard to see how a child can
,

learn the value of money un less he practices t hese very

operations F or this reason it is well to begin to create a
.
,

sense of val ues by giving a young child a small weekly

allowance entirely in one cent pieces and discussing what
,
-
,

they will amount to in the various a ttractive com m o d i

ties . Confectionery and perhaps soda water should be
eliminated from the budget a t the start because the home ,

should provide wholesome swee t s as a part of the regul ar

dietary and because the soda foun tain I s usually u n s a ni
t ary . H ere are ten pen ni es N ow let us go down t o the .

stores and ask what they will buy for you Here is a whole .

bag of marbles which can be bought for ten cents and ,

here is a ball of string for your kite and here is a little ,

’ ’
Noah s ark but i t doesn t look very strong and don t ,
’

you really thi n k you would like to have a few more

animals ? That on e is marked twenty five cents and it
'
-
,

is so much s tron ger a n d has four times as many animals ,

and it looks as if it would float on real water How much .

is twenty —five cen t s ? See here it is a ll in one cent pieces

,
-
.

’
I t is quite a lot isn t it ? And how long would it take
,
 MONEY 22 1

before you coul d buy it ? Well i t woul d take this w ,eek

and nex t week and you have five cents n ow in your
li t tle ban k haven t you ? So it woul d t ake just on e week
,
’

seven days longer t o ge t the big ark But you don t

’
.
,

want to wait ? Well j ust t hink i t over a few minutes

,
”
and decide which you will do Very likely the child will
.

d ecide n ot to wai t bu t even if he takes t he poo rer bar

,

gain since everythi ng is Now to a young chi ld he will

be ge tt ing an expe rience through his unwise purchase he ,

will have had a measu re of values illus t ra t ed and he will ,

be a little more likely t o show some self con t rol next t ime -
.

P R O B L E M S or TH E A LL O WA N C E
S P E C I AL
Wh y S houl d not t he parent in such a case loan the child
enough to make hi s desired purchase a t once ? B ecause i t
will onl y pos t pone t he hour of reckoni ng and especiall y ,

if the parent is ind ul gent and never calls for repaymen t ,

will educa t e the child in t ha t vice of modern households ,

mortgaging t he futur e Some parents however t hink i t

.
, ,

well t o give a few expe ri ences in t his di rection Th e sug .

ges t ion is made t ha t if t he child wishes t o borrow ten

cen t s for example hi s allowance for t he next fortni gh t
, , ,

t wenty cents be laid ou t in two piles of ten cen t s each

, .

T he parent t hen suggests drawing five cen t s from each

pile The chil d looks a t his diminished pil es and real izes
.

t ha t his expendi t ures for t he nex t following weeks must

be curtailed so much He n ow has the si t ua t ion clear ly
.

before hi m so as to decide whether for t he sake of the ,

imme di ate gratification he can endur e t hese deprivations

,

in the future He will be much less likely to accept t he

.

loan if he looks at those lessened piles than if he faced

nothi ng bu t a general abs t rac t ion to the effect t hat so me
time he must return the borrowed money I t helps the .

t ransaction if t he chil d is t old the nature and sacredness

of a promissory note and sign s on e solemn ly whenever he
makes a loan I t may be well even tha t he sho ul d learn
.
.

why interes t is charged and be asked to pay a cen t or so

himself on long t erm loans
-
.

A child s allowance ought of course t o be held sacred

’

.
222 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAI NI NG

H e Sho ul d not be penalized in his money account It is .

di fficul t to teach honesty to a child when money is at

times taken from him without his consent even though
, ,

he has done wrong This does no t mean however t hat

.
, ,

a persisten t ly careless child sho ul d not pay for things he

destroys B ut if this is tried some ar ticle S hould be
.

chosen which either is of small value or for whose de

struction a moderate penalty may wisely be required A .

conversation S hould be entered into of which the logic ,

wi ll be that the child himself S hould see and suggest that

to purchase ano t her play t hing say in re t urn for t hat on e
, ,

of little bro t her s which he broke would be most fair

’
'

And it seems wholesome that ins t e a d of t aking his sav,

ings to any extent for this the child S hould be allowed to

,

earn a large part of the required amount by childish t oils

for which he S hould be paid reasonably by the hour ,

H ere too a little preliminary figuring will be useful and

, , ,

the actual labor will impress the cost of money whil e not
infringi ng upon the sacred hoard .

S H O U LD C H I LD R E N B E P AI D F OR WO R K ?
This brings up the question whether children should
ever be paid for work in the home I t is thought by some
. .

that to allow this is to encourage the child to a demand

ing disposition and discourage him from o ffering services
of love . On the other hand it is di fficult to make the
,

allowance a t all elas t ic for changing needs and wan t s or

to interpre t what salary earning means or even to make
-

clear how work is an exchange for cash without some such

arrangement And it is quite possible to make an a d
.

justment which will include services for reward withou t

excluding services for love T he whole matter of wisely
.

handling the finances of children seems to depend upon a

right a tt i t ude on the part of all concerned and it is the ,

failure to find and hold this attitude which explains mos t

of the di fficulties with t his matter between husbands and
wives as wel l as between parents and children In the .

home where the father gives money only in responses to

request or entreaty the arrangement is as unbusinesslike
,
 MONEY 22 3

as i t is unwise I t assumes t he absolute dependence and

.

inca paci ty of t he chi ld and m ak es t he fa t her the pe rpe tual

arbi t er of each separate expendi t ur e N o t o nl y doe s t his .

ca use the child s incom e t o depend upon t he mood or

’

whi m of t he paren t but i t pu t s him in such perpe t ual un

,

certainty regardi ng t ha t income t ha t he has no opport un ity

t o learn t he value of money or of i t s uses and i t holds him ,

in such a posi t ion of subservience t ha t when he is old

enough to have considerable sense he is t rea t ed as if he
had none This S i t ua tion is un fair unwi se and ful l of
.
,

irrita t ion In the home where t he paren t gives a regular

.

allowance but never anything more t he si t ua t ion is be t ter ,

because i t is more cert ain bu t i t is too rigid and s t ill ,

involves the a tt i t ude tha t t he paren t is all wi se and all -

comprehending whi ch is never t he ca se

,
Bo t h a t ti t udes .

assume t ha t t he child is a dependen t a serf T he right ,

.

attitude is qui t e differen t I t is t h is : T ha t t he child is a

.

j uni or partner and t hat he is t herefore en ti tled to his

, , ,

fair S hare of t he income of the concern His all owance .

is no t an ac t of grace i t is a ri ght A s a part ner he has

, .

hi s obliga tions as well as his privileges He has much to .

give , his loya l a ffec t ion his a tt ention as a learner in t he

,
'
concern his S hare in the t asks of t he household and of t he
,

business F or thi s he receives hi s allowance hi s sala ry

.
, ,

if you please whi ch increases wi t h his abili ty to serve as

,

well as wi t h hi s needs If when t here comes to hi m an

.
,

extraordinary need or desire he is wi lling to do an ex t ra ,

t ask he may receive a n ex t ra sa la ry wi thou t modi fying

, ,

the regul ar arrangement by which he gi ves as well as

receives If thi s is all ca refully t alked over t he child
.
,

will apprecia t e and unders t and i t In a home where thi s .

is t he a tt i t ude t here is li tt le difficul ty abou t hold ups

from t he children T hey have from t he begi nning been
.

t aken in t o t he confi dence of t heir paren t s S O far as was ,

discreet concerning t he sources of t he family in come

, .

They have some inkling of h ow hard father has to work

to earn hi s sala ry wha t sac ri fices mo t her makes to keep
,

t he home t ogether T hey will come in some t imes beg

.
,

gin g t o be given what t he o t her chil d ren have bu t if ,

22 4 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAINI NG

they share the family hopes and ambitions they will n ot be

so demanding kn owing t hat the prudence or self res t raint
,
-

of their concern has its own high aims and i t s large

p l ans This does not mean t hat children are to be both
.

ered wi th all the family anxie t ies or tha t they are t o

babble the family secrets but there does not seem to be ,

any way by which children in homes of moderate circum

s tances can be brought up among other homes of wealth
or of careless expenditures wi t hout envy except by train ,

ing them in wise and cheerful thrift .

TH E A D JU S TM E N T OF TH E A LL O WA NC E
I t is of course impossible to state what the amount of
, ,

the allowance in a given family S ho ul d be Its purpose .

,

as stated above will suggest to each parent what is right

, .

That pur pose is not the bestowing of a weekly license to

waste or indul gence I t is a j ust arrangement for an
.

educative end That end is the instruction of the child

.

in what is worth while He will at first naturally buy .

nothing but play things which is very much worth while ,

for him H e will learn that it is better to deny himself at

.

times and always to buy things that will last and give
enduring p leasure AS his nature deepens he may want
.

to have tools or books and eventually he will have a keen

,

interest in clothes and social pleasures The allowance .

should accommodate itself to these legitimate desires and ,

should be supplemented by self s a crificin g extra labors -

Of his own
’
I n the wri t er s judgment the allowance
.
, ,

given on this p ri nciple may properly be somewhat larger

,

than is customary The fact that the child S pends every

.

cent he gets does not in itself prove that he is a S pen d

thri ft. Perhaps he does not get enough for his wants .

P utting money in the bank is a nob l e habit for adults ,

but to do so when a child is not so natural since to the ,

child it seems ve ry much like losing it altogether To .

delay in spending for the sake of better goods is about

as much as we may expect until the youth gets some real ,

purpose to save for which hardly comes before a d oles

,

cence . O f on e t hing the wri ter is so sure that he has made

 MONEY 2 25

it a definite crusade wherever hi s voice has been heard .

The allowance S hould as t he child grows bo th in his ,

desires and hi s knowledge of t he use of money become , ,

early in t he high school years inclusive that is it should , ,

embrace clothes social pleasures school fares and lunches

, , ,

and everyt hi ng except board a t home and such accidents

as medical and dental care T his plan enables the you t h .

to do wha t too few adul t s ever a t tain have a budget and ,

work to it It has to be bestowed and adminis t ered wi t h

.

’
some oversight by t he parent bu t i t is t he wri t er s con ,

viction observa t ion and experience t ha t it is the on e mos t

,

import an t arrangement be t we en parent and child which

is possible durin g t he adolescen t years I t s outreach is .

ex t raordi nary for it is not only an educa t ion in t aste and

,

in prudence but it particul arly affec t s t he you t h s choice

,
’

of entert ainments and social pleasures t he responsibility ,

of which is placed upon his own S houl ders and whi ch are
governed by the necessary choice be t ween many invita
tions in behalf of t hose which his income causes him to
decide are wort h while The influence of this arrange .

ment in con t inuing pleasant rela t ions between t he paren t

and t he you t h and in develop ing S elf mastery is remark
. -

able .

FU RTH E R S UGG E S T I O N S
l .A regular wee kly or mon t hly accoun t ing of all
expe ndi t ures S houl d be made B ookkeeping forms shoul d .

be learned in t his way The paren t s shoul d kn ow but n ot

.

necessarily con trol expendi t ures .

2 Children S hould be trained in t he purchase of

.

clo t hes and wea rin g apparel befo r e adolescence ; fi rst ,

minor art icles ; t hen major ar t icles wi t h t he paren t

presen t at t he beginni ng t o explain differences in qual ity ,

usableness e t c , .

3 Chil dren S houl d be early t aught t o make purchases

.

for the household wi th di scrimin a t ion as to quali t y and

price T his applies t o both boys and gi rls
. They shoul d .

learn to judge frui t s mea t s vegetables bakery goods

, , , ,

ki t chen utensil s carpets furniture wall paper pi ctures

, , , , ,
2 26 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAIN ING

etc. They will enjoy learning if they are actually allowed

to choose lit t le by li t tle .

4 Let the children early do the household b a n king

.

and paying of accounts .

E D U C ATI O N
I N B E N E V O L E NC E
There is room to say a word about educating the child
in benevolence F orced benefactions are of course worse
.
, ,

than useless ; they leave a feeling of inj us t ice to rankle ,

and d ry up the S p ri ngs of generous feeling F ormal .

”
gifts such as the penny for Sunday school only induce
, ,

thoughtl ess givin g G enerosity must begin and be kept

.

alive by a real and deep apprecia t ion of hum an need .

The natur al way to begi n is with physical needs such as ,

those the chi ld can realize need for food and shelter and
, ,

especially the needs of chi ldren These rather than the

.

“
Boards of the chur c h must be emphasized at firs t .

The chil d must l earn too from the start t hat the gift
,

without the giver is bare and should give his personal

,

service oftener tha n his money He may rightly follow

.

hi s gifts with intelligence kno wing somewhat of h ow t hey

,

are ad m i n istered and not getting the idea that they all
,

go to the minister or the church treasurer for example ,

.

He may be gi ve n reading matter which S hall make real

the fields of servi ce where his money may help and should ,

kno w that his gi ft can do a tangible t hing such as t o sus ,

tai n a fa m ine orpha n for a day or keep a sick child on a

floa tin g hospi t al for an e q ually definite time The Sun .

day scho ol and the young peopl e s society S hould educate

’

their young peopl e in these same direc t ions by teaching ,

the actual and unutterab le needs and the practical means

of supply ; also by having children choose be t ween
alternatives .I n adolescence it is desirable t o set before
you n g peop l e the way by which human gif t s and human
se rvice take their place in the whole of social bet t ermen t .

Then at l east t hey may learn h ow their consecration may

help destroy the factors which mul tiply misery faster
than money can relieve it .
 MO N E Y 22 7

RE AD ING RE FE RE N C E S
E A K i r kpa tr ick h as j u s t p rod u ced a n e x c ellen t boo k d ea lin g wi th a ll
. .

th e p roble m s tou ch ed u pon in th is ch a p ter I t is en titl ed

. Th e Use of
M on ey .

C h a pter V I I I of Ca rl Ewa l d s M y L ittle Boy gi ves som e a m u s in g

’

e x pe ri en c es of a sma ll c h il d a d v e n tu rin g for th e fir s t tim e wi th hi s wee kly

a ll owa n ce .

Th ere a re m ore book s tha t tell h ow to ma ke m on ey th a n h ow to s pe n d it .

Cu n n in gha m s Th e Chri s ra n Use of M on e y su gg es ts to a d u lts ra th er

’ ”

th an' to ch il d ren th e p rin ciple s th a t un d er lie fina n cial un s elfish n ess H i x.

Son s M i s s i on s in th e S un da y S ch ool pp 1 1 9 1 35 gi v es a d v ice a bou t

, .
-
,

tra in in g ch il d re n to giv e To h e lp youn g people fa ce th e la r ge p roblem o'f

.

m on e y wi se ly n oth i n g is be tte r th a n a ch a pter in Ell i ott an d C u tl er s

te xtbook S tu d"
,

en t S ta n da r d s of A c ti on
" pp 3 1 -44 en ti tl ed An Ex
pe n se A ccoun t
,

S t J oh n s
.
'
.
,
.
,
"
C h il d Na tu re a n d Ch il d N ur tu re pp .
,

9 7 1 06 s h ows pa re nt s h ow to tra in c h il dr e n ar ig h t I n re la ti on to p rope rty

-
,

a n d be ne v ol en ce
Th e M i ss i on a ry Ed u ca ti on M ov em en t a n d a ll th e d e n om in a tion a l
.

boa rd s ci rcu l a te tra c ts u po n C h ri s tia n s te wa rd shi p of m on e y Th e y a ls o

.

n i sh li s ts of re comm en d ed s tories a n d biogr a p hi es u pon m i ss iona r y

fime es .
 C HA PT ER XXX I
WH E N TH E C H I LD R E N B E C O M E
“
Y OU N G P E OP LE
This chapter roun ds out the discussion of the home
training of children which began in Chapter X and wa s
continued in Chapter X XVI I .

In t he o t her C hapters we frequently used the word

government we must now substitute the word
”
help .We said that obe di ence by the child wa s a
temporary necessity until he coul d learn self obedience -
.

We said that the purpose of punishment is to affect the

’
child s desires even more t han hi s conduct and t hat what ,

we seek is to develop a crea t ure wh o knows what he is

about and wh o has the will to do it The logic of all this
.

i s that whether we like it or not children when they b e

,

come young people (a much more human word than

adolescents should not be governed but helped ,
.

TH E S I TU A T I O N
Y O U N G P E O PL E
OF

The S ituation is a very difficult on e .

O n t he on e hand we have the youth himself Here are .

some of his traits :

1 He has a new sense of personal power he does no t
.
,

want to obey others but he does not know j ust wha t he

,

wants to do himself .

2 H e has a keen desire for excitement and enter t ain

.

ment many wants that require money but he usually

, ,

has neither the money nor the physical end u rance to en

joy himsel f as he woul d ; his desires are independent of
his parents but he is stil l d ependent upon them financial ly
,
.

3 H e has a new spirit of daring and adventure par

.
,

ticu l a r ly when supported by his crowd and will do with ,

them things that he wo ul d never do alone .

4 His roman t ic S pirit his frequent discouragement and

.
,

2 28
 CHILDRE N BE C O ME Y O UNG PE OP L E

disappointment in his achi evemen t s and pleasures his ,

ebbs and flows of emo t ion combine t o make h im re t icen t ;

,

t his wi t h his new independence may alienate him from

hi s home .

.5 F ollowin g t hi s he may becom e res t less in schoo l

, ,

tir ed of humdr um di spo sed t o wander

,
.

6 The in t eres t of t he sexes in each o t her gr ows to be

.

absorbin g and rela t es itself wi t h many physical men t al ,

and moral problems .

.7 Although there is of t en lack of in teres t in the C hurch

and i t s ins t i t utions t here is Oft en in t he same you t hs
, , ,

keen sensi t iveness t o moral and religious ma tt ers .

8 Wh il e t he developmen t of t he girl is n ot charac t er

.

ize d by such jerky revolu t ions as t hat of boys it comes ,

earli er and follows very much t he sa me course .

TH E A TT I TU D E
P ARE NT S OF

The average parent thirt y years removed from hi s

,

child has qui t e a differen t a tt i t ude

, .

1 He has los t and perhaps forgo t ten t he feelin g of

.

exuberance and of desire whi ch youn g peo ple feel .

2 H e has learned t o measure t hi ngs more t ruly as to

.

t heir wort h and he finds i t hard to sympa t hi ze wi t h t he

,

passion which young people feel for a cons t an t good

t ime If he is poor t he new fin ancial deman ds seem to
him un jus t and if he is t hough t ful t hey appear dangerous
, .

3 He finds i t diffi cult to keep close to hi s Chi ldren

.
,

wh o have suddenly become a t once S O an noyin gly se lf

assert ive and so ba ffli ngly secre t ive .

4 He sees more readily t he perils than t he pur pose of

.

t he new sex problems t ha t have ari sen .

5 Amid t he t urmoil of the you t h s desires he does n ot

’
.

readi ly single ou t t he S ign ificance of the real ques t for

voca t ional and religi ous se tt lemen t and is apt to measure,

them as mere fickl en e ss and restlessness .

TH E M UTU AL P R O B L E M S
So t here are some hard problems that parents an d
children ough t t o solve t oge t her which too oft en t hey
,
230 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD TRAINI NG

try to solve separately T hese may conveniently be .

separated and lis t ed though in fact they dovetail and ,

in t eract continually Some of them are these : .

The Problem of Building a Body A dequate for Man

hood .

The P rob lem of G etting a Thorough Intellectual Prepa

ration for Life .

T he Problem Of Voca t ional Choice .

T he Problem of Wholesome Recreational Tastes and

H abits .

The Se x Problem especial ly that of Choosing a Life ,

P artner .

The Prob lem of F aith .

This extraordinary n ew situation demands a recasting

of ou r whole program We have now t o comple t e t he .

transition of the management of the child by adul t s t o

his own complete self —management We can no longer .

command or punish ; it is useless to nag or scold T he .

demands upon us as parents are extreme While the .

youth is never calm we must always be calm Though

.
, .

he is frequently disquieted and often in desp air we must ,

ever be hopeful When as Le B aron B riggs says he

.
, ,

wants to act like a child and be treated like a gentleman ,

we mus t have enough sense of humor to do it When he .

is mos t i m p er tin en t contrary and cold we must be least so

, .

T he situation has its encouraging features Most of .

the things t hat annoy are transitory some of them are ,

hopeful If the youth is garrulous about himself it

.

means that he is trying to be confidential and is probably ,

explaining himself perhaps trying t o understand and

,

control himself If he is susceptible to unworthy com

.

panions susceptibility is impar ti al and he will respo nd

,

wi th equal enthusiasm to worthy ones if we can find ,

them for him If he is not studious maybe he is n ot

.
,

following the line of study that will kindle his interes t s

and fit him for his real life —work Probably too he most .
, ,

yearns for love and appreciation when he least knows how

to receive them A nd the bes t of all is tha t as they b e
.

come most t rying t hese young peop le are j ust about t o

 CHILDR E N B E C O ME Y O UNG P E OP L E

become most enjoyable for t he first time in their lives

,

old enough to be capable of being comrades on a real level

wi t h t heir fa t hers and mo t hers T hough t hey may be too
.

busy discovering themselves to be grateful they do now ,

begin t o become real fri ends

.
.

T o say that an equal comradeshi p begins now is not

to imply t ha t compani onshi p S houl d no t have been set
up many years before T he paren t i t is t o be supposed
.
, ,
’
has already relearned children s plays and games and ,

n ow is ready t o induc t his young people in t o wi der and

deeper pleasures such as t ravel and campin g ou t

,
.

E S T A B LI S H I N G FA V O RA B L E C O NDI T I O N S
We see a t once t hat t he you t h has to so lve problems
for which he needs favorable condi t ions Mos t of t hese .

the average home can supply .

P hysical pro t ec t ion is urgent Both boys and girls are .

tempted n ow to overdraw their nervous energy This .

comes chiefly t hrough t he over developed social life of -

the high school The b oy wh o goes heart ily into athletics

.

may conquer this temp t a t ion bu t if too s t renuous may

,

meet the o t her on e of physical overs t rain The girl less .

,

ac t ive physically is too oft en given t he ex t ra burden of

,

music lessons We have to figh t for the righ t propor t ion of

.

food sleep and exercise t o carry the fas t growing body

,
-

through t his season of s t rai n Review and reminder of

.

the meaning of the physical changes which overt ake

yout h a t t he beginn ing of adolescence have already been
s t rongly advoca t ed .

I t is because of the emo t ional as well as t he physica l

tension of the time t hat we need to s tu dy the problem
se ri ously not onl y as individual parents but also to unite ,

in groups sufficien t ly s t rong to create public sen t imen t

agains t t he wearying and precocious social demands upon
’
young people s lives in ou r communi ties today The .

paren t wh o t ries alone t o segrega t e his own children from

such social oppor t uni t ies as are expressed by t he con tinual
round of part ies school dances au t omobile t rips t hea t re
, , ,

par t ies moving pic t ure S hows has a n ungracious and

, ,
2 32 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAINING

almost impossible task I t is all t he more difficult because

.

the restless youth has for a time seemed to outgrow his quiet
home whose resources are with di ffic ul ty extended to r epr e
,

sent all the excitement and hospitality he craves A great .

deal has been done by co operation

°
-
In some places the.

high school and th e h om e have narrowed the soci al life

of pupils closely to one evening in the week N eigh b or .

hood groups of mothers have made such social occasions

more simple and appropriate In many churches the
.

social organizations of boys and girls begin their work b e

fore high school and retain a wholesome influence well
on through the high —school period .

The one word that needs to b e em ph a sized is that the

'

home must expect to take a good deal of pains with its

children during this whole pe ri od O ne sympathizes .

with the mother wh o expressed the wish to go into a

retreat during t he year before her oldest chi ld entered
high school S O t hat grace and wisdom might be given her
for the ordeal A mother wh o endeavors to perform the
.

whole parental task now alone is at a pitiful disadvantage .

AS wa s said in an early chapter it is not necessar y to

,

believe that t he mother is chiefly suited to train children

when they are young if we say that now a peculiar opp or
tu n ity comes t o t he fa t her He knows some things about
.

’
what it means to be a big boy that the boy s mother
cannot know He has special traits which suit him to be
.

his daughter s first lover

’
His very business t raining and
.

experience may fit him to study and solve the adolescent

problem in a l arge and broad —minded wa y His financial .

co Operation is necessary to meet the properly enlarged

-

wan t s of youth a nd to equip the house to con t inue it as

the social center of his children s lives A s a voting ci t i
’
.

zen he ought to j oin with others in putting through needed .

regula tions which shal l make the community life safe for
all young people .

U S IN G TH E R U LI N G M O T I V E S
The hardest thing a parent has to do is to realize that a
t ime has come When he must take his hands off his child
 CHILDRE N BE C O ME Y O UNG P E OP L E

whether for control or puni shmen t When a chil d coul d.

be whi pped or S hut up or held down physica ll y i t seemed ,

as if we co ul d really d o so methin g t o him and for him ,

but i t is very hard to reconcile to ourselves t ha t we are

now dealing wi t h a separa t e personali ty wi t h ri ghts and
privileges of his own And of course t he bi tt eres t realiza
.
, ,

t ion is tha t one of hi s privil eges is t ha t of making his own

mistakes . T he g reat lesson t o parents of adolescen t s is ,

tha t t hey can no longer move t he child as by a belt of

power from t hemselves wound round a wheel on t he
ou t side of t he child but tha t t hey must let t he child gO
,

by mo t ive power t hat is wi t hin himself .

Wha t are t he mo t ive powers of you t h ?

One of t hem is P r id e I t may begin in nothi ng greater
.

t han an interes t in clo t hes and in keeping clean I t leads .

t o t he cul t iva t ion of social graces i t may move to such a

,

conven t ionaliza t ion of conduc t as shall deliver from the

more brut ish vices i t may ri se to t he level of person al
,

honor Of cour se it ca n sink t o snobbery and general

.
,

uselessness Bu t we can encourage i t and believe in its

.

highes t uses Oft en t he apprecia t ion and expectancy of

.

a paren t have proven t he steadying power that has

brought t he yout h who was di scouraged about himself
t hrough to success .

This evi den t ly rela t es i t sel f t o H er o Wors h ip It is

'
-
.

rather ex t raordinary how a yout h always idealizes in

t erms of biography On e wh o resen t s any kind of per
.

sonal advi ce wi ll frankly fo rm himself aft er an individual

model We canno t conceive any influence in Sunday
.

school dur ing t he adolescen t years s o powerful as th a t of s

a t eacher wh o represents in his own person what boys or

girls wish t o be .

R es pon s i bi lity is pride carrying its own burden The .

youth wh o fails as an assistan t Oft en succee ds admirably

if he is put in charge of the job The value of t he in clu
.

sive financial allowance is that it puts th e Situation in the

young person s own hands
’
In no trade apprenticeship
.
-

can one get very far unless he has a chance t o learn by

doing some t hing alone T he only men upon whom any
.
2 34 CHILD ST UDY AN D CHILD TRAIN ING

on e has ever depended for service are those wh o have

proven capable of bearing responsibility We parents .

fail here more often than do our children We do not .

dare to let them make their own mistakes We cannot .

see t hat mis t akes mus t inevitably be made and t hat they
are never made more safely t han when those wh o make
them are to some degree protected We forget that part .

at least of wha t the youth does of which we disapprove

is due t o the fact that he is not going to be an entire copy
of ourselves What he does _may mean some t hing for
.

his individuality that is too precious for him to lose .

A L ife P u rpos e is the most important product and the

most potent force of adolescence I t is what he loves that .

cons t i t utes the propelling power of any man s life This ’

.

purpose may center for a time about a human affec tion ,

or it may have to do with vocation All conversions .

during adolescence are n ot in church though most of ,

them as they deepen become essentially religious We .

desire of course that they be consciously so We would

, ,
.

have them embrace a social consecration also .

Parents do not originate th ese motives of which we

have been speaking but t hey can feed them and they can
,

give them room to grow O ne planteth and ano t her .

watere t h and G od give t h the increase .

RE AD ING REFE RE N C E S
Th e p robl em s th a t h a v e b ee n d i s cu s s e d I n th i s ch a p te r in a g en era l wa y
a re ta k e n u p h elpf u lly I n th e f oll owi n g b oo k s .

H a ll : A d ol es cen ce p a rticu la rly Ch a p te rs X a n d X I

,
.

S l a tter y : T h e Gi rl I n H e r Teen s .

S wi f t : Th e H ig h S c h ool Age
”
.

F iSke : Boy L ife a n d S e lf G ov ern m en t

- p a rticu l a rly Ch a p ters V a n d
,

XI V .

Ki rtl e y : Th a t Boy of You rs .

1

Th e a u th or h a s di s cu s s ed a d ol es cen c e m ore th orou g h ly in Th e Boy

P robl em In th e H om e pp 2 19 27 7
, . .
 C HA PT ER XXX I I
VO CATI O N A L O P P ORT U N IT I E S
Presiden t Charles W E lio t once said
. The career ,
”
motive has t he grea t es t spiritual con ten t of all mo t ives .

T he s t atemen t may a t firs t seem exaggera t ed but when ,

we real ize how much fin di ng one s own place in life means

’

toward t he ful lest use of spiri t ual consecra t ion we can ,

see how t his may be t rue . I t is n ot s t range t herefore , ,

that ma t ters Of voca t ional trai ni ng and guidance are the

livest topics in educa t ion al discussion It ought n ot to
.

be strange t hat they S houl d be faced earnes t ly in domestic

and religious circles T o make a careless inves t ment of
.

a life is surely on e of the dea dl y sins T0 mak e a right .

investment is to be in t he way of fulfil ling t he fondest

hopes t ha t a parent can cherish .

We have eve ry reason to believe t ha t mul t itudes of

young persons are no t facing t hi s decision wisely Many .

of t hem drift from school in t o work influenced by no,

better mo t ive than dis t as t e for s t udy or t he glowing r e

por t s Of a comrade wh o has found employmen t Ot hers .

t ake t heir fa t her s callin g for granted as t heir own wi t h

’

ou t asking whe t her it has the same advan t ages that it

had when t he fa t her was young or go in t o some new ,

voca tion wi t hou t inqui ri ng whe t her i t mee t s a pe rmanent

demand of socie ty or whe t her i t is already overcrowded .

Immedia tenes s of profit is so much desired t ha t any em

ployment bur eau can wi t hin an hour furni sh to any em
ployer fresh un skil led labor of you t h wh o are t hus
,

t hough t lessly ready to trade their possibilities for a

tempora ry wage But the foolish choices which young
.

people mak e are not always because of shortsi ghtedness

or carelessne ss of t he future They are due to i g norance
.
,

ignorance of the fields of toil and ignorance of the requ ire

men t s for any special field And since we wh o are Older
.

are n ot much be t ter informed it seems necessa ry to pref

,

2 35
2 36 CHILD ST U DY AN D CHILD T RAI NING

ace the considera t ion of vocational guidance of t he young

by a brief considera t ion of the modern voca t ional situa
tion and of the present facilities for vocational education .

C H AN G E S I N TH E VO CATI O N S
The most i mportant of these changes are those that
have come as the result of the in t roduction of labor saving
-

machinery . O nce the cobbler made a whole S hoe ; today

in the shoe factory more t han twenty men are employed
in making a S hoe each doing bu t a small part Thi s
, .

means the passing of the artisan and the entrance of the

”
operative The artisan wa s an intelligent trained
, ,

adaptable worker wh o con d u c ed his own business .

The operative need not be intelligent so long as he is

trained to do some one small task which wi t h its narrow
,

training and monotonous practice takes from him a ll

initiative and adaptability . H e is an employee too
, ,

whose place may so easily be filled that he is quite at

t he disposal of his employer especially since he is helpless
,

away from his one capability .

Against t he aggressions of employers has risen a power

ful trades union system aiming to protect its members
-

from unreasonable requirements and from inadequate

wages In the S killed trades collective bargaining has
.

been especially e ffective and it has proven of some a c

count even in those which require but little training .

The trades unions have however tended to hamper the

, ,

ambitious by holding do wn the productiveness of the

individual to the level of the average and only about half
of them have shown an active interest in insisting upon
systems of appren t iceship which shall give young men
and women thorough preparation .

I mportant vocational changes have come from the

steady movement of popul ation to the cities and especially
to the great cities This means not only the flooding of
.

these centers with the unskilled and consequently the

unemployed but it has the even more important meaning
,

that t he vari ety of indust ri es in the villages and towns

grows continually smaller so that to boys and girl s wh o
,
 VO CAT I O NAL OPPOR T UNI T I E S 2 37

li ve in small places t he range of choice grows ever more

and more limi t ed We have hardl y realized yet the social
.

impo rt of t he fact t ha t t he bes t blood of t he country is

ge tt ing the narrowes t oppor t unity t o find its most fit t ing
ou t le t.

T wo condi t ions of indus t ry have come la t ely to mo di fy

t o some ex t en t voca t ion al possibili t ies One is t he de
velop m en t of seasonal indus t ries ,dependent upon har
ves t s or fashions or grea t ly fluc t uating supply and demand .

Closely connec t ed wi t h t hese ar e di st ric t industries u til iz ,

ing men in on e part of t he coun t ry only and t hat oft en

a part in which t here are n o o t her opport un i t ies An .

il lus t ra t ion of an indus t ry t ha t is bo t h seasonal and local

is whea t harves t ing in t he northwes t which calls for,

enormous num bers of men for only a few mon t hs of t he

year who canno t possibly find employmen t in t hat part
of t he country af t er t heir special job is over Socially .
,

t his sugges t s t he need of elaborate adjustmen t s of whole

regi men t s of t oilers whi ch we have n o t ye t learned h ow
,

t o make ; individual ly i t sets before men t hus employed

,

a cons t an t ly critical and difficul t personal problem .

I mmi gra t ion so far has n ot made easier t he mat t er of

fin di ng a tt ractive voca t ion al oppor t uni t ies In the skil led
.

trades t he G erman and E nglish art isans trai ned as a p ,

prentices and educated in con tinua t ion schools take posi ,

tions which young Americans wi t h t heir hi t —o r —rn is s

prepara t ion canno t hold whi le at t he lower end of the
,

sca l e t here is al ways an army of unskil led I talians or

H ungarians crowding the labor marke t .

Ra ce prejudice has come to have so me effect upon voca

tion a l possibili t ies. The negro in the N ort h is finding one
door af t er another of opportun ity closing be fore him .

T he Chinese and Japanese have never been given more

than the most limited room in the world of toil .

The entrance of women into daily work has made far

reachin g changes in the voca t ions They have n ot as a
.
,

rul e ri sen to administrative and executive positions but

, ,

t hey have taken t he places of men almost entirely in

clerical tasks and in education .
2 38 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD TRAINING

Thus far we have been speaking of t he trades Com .

merce and the professions are also undergoing great

changes The grocer for example was until recen t ly
.
, ,

regarded as a man whose business in s t aples was safe sure ,

and profi t able but t he man wh o buys a grocery store

,

today may find himself tomorrow in despairing compe t i

tion with a syndica t e t hat operates a chain of two hundred
groceries The departmen t s t ore has made a S imilar
.

change of ou t look not in one but in many kinds of shops .

And t he more enormous the concern the smaller the

proportion of individual employees wh o can distingui sh
t hemselves .

The professions have long been overcrowded partly ,

because our acade m ic courses distinct ly have these as

their goal par t ly because of the attractiveness of their
,

noble work partly perhaps because they give social stand

,

ing clean clo t hes and hands and an intellectual life

, .

B ut changes are constan t ly occurring in t hese as voca

tion a l opportunities In en ginee ri ng for example the
.
, ,

tasks are so inviting and have been so lucrative that

technological courses have multiplied in many of our
higher institutions of learning and the examination of ,

high school boys as to their aspira tions will often reveal

-

that two thirds of them look forward to some branch Of

-

this diversified calling But in t he State of Wisconsin it

.

wa s recen t ly estimated that if a l l those wh o are n ow in the

schools of t hat State who look forward to th a t profession
’

shoul d enter it Wisconsin would have enough engineers

,

within the next five years to fill all the engi neering posi
tions in that State for the next century Medicine .
,

which is one of the most crowded of professions is b e com ,

ing increasingly di fficul t to en t er The ordina ry boy .

,

without special capital or influence must cou n ts om eh ow ,

on S even or eight years of training beyond high school ,

two years in a hospital and from three to ten years of bare

self suppor t afterward before he is satisfactorily adj usted
-

in his life work The lure of riches made in commercial

.

adventure is today drawing college men away from the

learned professions The youth hears of grea t fortunes
.
 VO CAT I O NAL OPPO R T UN I T I E S

rapidly accumul ated by young men who have fri ends in

Wal l S t ree t ; he learns t ha t t he world wil l give a man wh o
can successfully exploit a pa t en t medicine more t h an i t
will one who makes an im por t an t scientific discovery ; he
is t old tha t advertising will do wonders wi t h a wort hless
novel or magazine or t oilet preparation an d his whole ,

sense Of v al ues becomes obscured .

M I S TA K E S T H A T Y O UN G P E O PL E M A K E
Pathetic are so me of the mistakes t hat youn g people
m ak e as t he resul t of ignorance or misgu i ded inclin a t ion
,
.

Lit t le can t hey kn ow a t t he best of t hese sweepin g gus t s

and eddies of t he indus t rial world The hope t he self
.
,

con fid en ce t he desires of you t h carry them in t o careers

,

t ha t have no out le t and n o fu t ure Le t us enumera t e

.

j us t a few of the more common mistakes .

T he public school cur ri cul um offers before the four

teen th year almost nothing t hat has di rec t bea ri ng upon
any of t he common occupa t ions The firs t year in high
.

school is usually di stinc t ly scholastic The result is t hat .

at abo ut t hirt ee n or four t een t here is a ve ri t able emigra

t ion from t he schools F rom one half t o t wo t hi rds of ou r
.
- -

schoo l chi ldren drop out by t he eighth gr ade only on e ,

t enth fin ish hi gh school and less than five per cent go t o

college . In di s t ric t s where workin gmen live and in S t ates
where children are allowed to be employed a t fourteen
t hat age is t radi t ionall y accep t ed by youn g people as t he
t ime when t hey will go to work .

Mangold t ells us of the voca t ional fu t ure of those wh o

leave school too early .N 0 children who drop ou t of
school a t t he end of t he fif t h or S ixth grades can hope to
have acquired direct t rainin g for any occupa t ion which
they may en t er ; t he se ven t h an d eigh t h grade chil dren
may acquire a little manual dex t erity I t has b een es t i
.

ma t ed t hat nine ty per cen t of t he working chi ldren enter

unskilled occupations ; about seven per cen t S killed ocen
p a tion s of low grade ; perhaps t hree per cen t enter hi gh
grade occupa t ions which promise a fu t ure Of t he t hree .

per cent however Mangold reminds us the defects of t he

, , ,
2 40 CHILD ST UDY AN D CHILD TRAINING

appren t ice sys t em are such that many are allowed to

learn a trade only by absorption and in a desul tory
manner .

All work tha t is worth while pays li t tle a t the first .

T his fact is not apparent to t he boy who wants spending

money or the girl wh o thinks she will be employed only
until she is married Youth is not patien t and has not
.
,

the observation or experience to look beyond the present

or the circle of imm edia t e acquaintance to see the larger
situation .

A D JU S TM E NTS T H AT AR E N E EDE D
T he life was t e that is being made is terrible As E li .

W Weaver reminds us t he State does no t permit a child s

.
,
’

for t une to be used withou t t he oversight of a special court ,

yet it permits the child to sell his time and ambition wi t h

Ou t foresight and advice I t does not let a grocer sell a
.

bottle of milk wi t hout its supervision ye t it stands idly ,

by W hile a young man or boy gives t he most precious

years of his life without Opportuni ty for improvemen t or
prospects of advancement E vidently some importan t .

adj ustments are necessary So m e of them are these : .

1 The school mus t adj ust itself t o the preparation of

.

every class not the professional class chiefly for life

, , .

2 T he child the individual child mus t be more care

.
, ,

fully studied that he may be adap t ed to the righ t course

,

of study for his development that he may be placed in ,

the ri ght occupation that he may be traced even after

,

he has entered an occupation to be sure t hat his work

treats him fairly that he is really suited to it and that he
,
.
,

has oppor t uni ty for promotion .

3 T he placement agencies must be adjusted T oday .

too often the child determines his future wi t h lit t le con

.

ference wi t h his parents or teachers ; he depends upon his

young fri ends or an employment bureau for his first job ;
he considers but a narrow range of Opport u ni ties and he ,

moves frequently and restlessly from one place to another .

P lacement mus t be t aken away from commercialized or

ignorant hands I t must be taken up by t he school and
.
 VO CA T I O NAL OPPO R T UNI T I E S 24 1

the home I t must be reconsidered n ot from t he view

.
,

point of t he first wage but from t ha t of t he child s largest

’
,

future .

4 The vocations themselves must be readjusted

. Ap .

prenticeship mus t be revived P r ofit sharing mus t be .

-

encouraged U nemployment mus t be reduced no t only

.

by educating more employable youn g people bu t by large , ,

perhaps na t ion al schemes of supervising indus t ry mov

, ,

ing abou t labor where t here is work and insurance against ,

unemployment .

Our presen t study gives room onl y for consideri ng what

training and gu idance can do to solve vocation al problems .

RE AD ING REFE RE N C E S
Th e situ a ti on th a t th e y ou th wh o is en te ri n g u pon life tod a y fa ce s is
ou tli n e d in S n e d d e n s Th e P robl em of V oca ti on a l Ed u ca ti on an d m ore
’ ”

b ri efly in M u n roe s New D em a n d s n Ed u ca ti on C h a pte rs I V I I Th e

“ ’
I ,
”
.

re la ti on Of i n d u s try to ch il d la b or is s h own in Nea rin g s Th e C h il d

’

La b or P roblem an d in M a n gol d s P roblem s of Ch il d W elfa re pp

” ’
,
.

2 27 -344 .

Wea v er 5 two b ook s P rofita bl e V oca ti on s for B oy s a n d Pr ofita ble

’

Voca tion s for Gi l s giv e fa i s ta tem e n ts a bou t th e a tt a ctio s of th e di f

r ,
”
r r n
fere t ca lli g s
n n S pe cific s t d ies of d iffe en t tra d e s h v e be e
. u m a d byr a n e
th e V oc a ti o B u r u Of B os to La se ll e a n d Wil y s V oc a ti on s for ’ “
n ea n . e

Gi ls
r a n d P e ki n s rVoca tion s fo th e T in e d Wom a n a re d eta il ed
’
r ra
s tu d i e s of th e O pp o rtu n i ti es th a t e x i s t fo gi rl s r .

Th e N a ti on a l C h il d La bo C om m i ttee 1 05 E s t T we ty S ec on d S t ee t
r ,
a n - r ,

New York is gla d to f r n i sh s ta te m en ts a bo t th loca l ch il d l a bo r la ws

, u u e

n d ea v or to sa v e th e y ou th of th e na ti on fr oni
,

a n d d e se rves su pp or t in its e
e xpl oita ti on .
 C H A P T E R XXX I I I
VO CA T I O N A L E D U CA T I O N
I n the great field of training children for their places
in the world t here are yet many dispu t ed and unsolved
questions This chapter can onl y sta t e the general trend
.

of the best educational ideals of today .

Vocational education is based upon the recognition of

certain adj ustments t hat are needed in the school and in
society some of which were enumerated at t he end of the
,

last chapter Certain other considerations are involved

.

in it .

. 1 Vocational education must be kept democratic .

“
The term industrial education which has been pro
,

posed as a substitute is unsatisfactory because it sugges t s

,

that the only voca t ions in which t he schools are inter

e s te d are those that involve toil with the hands The .

proposal to create separa t e school boards and depart

ments of supe r vision for vocational schools is unfort un ate ,

because it makes a cleavage be t ween those wh o are pre

pari ng for the professions and those wh o are preparing
for the trades and makes di fficult the transfer of pupils
,

wh o are discovered to belong elsewhere from on e type of

school to the o t her No education is democratic that
.

gives any private interest any kind of control Close co.

operation of schools with S hops is good but not control ,

of schools by manufacturers .

.2 V ocational education must regard girls as much as

it does boys We must accept women as a large and prob
.
,

ably increasing fac t or in t he industrial world If as is .

,

said to be the case women spend eight of the nine bill ions
,

Of dollars t ha t are spent in this coun t ry every year we ,

must in our schools regard t he educa t ion of t hose wh o

_

shall spend as well as that of those wh o shall earn We .

have also with young women the d ifli cul t bu t important

‘

2 42
 V OCAT I O NAL E DUCA T I O N 24 3

problem a double education for employment and for

‘

, ,

3 . Voca t ional educa t ion must consider the man more

t han the job Voca t ional educa t ion mi gh t Simply feed
.

“
hands t o corpora t ions I t might t rain in dustrial
.

bond slaves I t ough t t o t rai n men who are adaptable

-
.

as well as specifi cally efficien t B u t particularly because .

,

so many occupa t ions are necessar il y mono t onous and

because so ma ny yout h are evi dently adapted onl y for
such kind of work it seems necessary tha t young people
,

shoul d be educated for avoca t ions as well as for vocations ,

for the wise use of their leisure as well as t heir working

hour s B oth the ri gh ts of t he worker and some in di ca
.

tions in employers of a fresh apprecia t ion Of bread t h in

t he worker persuade us tha t cul t ure and voca t ion are n ot
mut ually excl u sive words bu t t hat voca t ional education
,

mus t include c ul t ure There is of cours e a differen ce of

.
, ,

opinion as t o wha t cul t ure means Thorndike gives a t .

least fiv e separa t e defini t ions of whi ch t he Germ an ,

Kul tur includes bu t one He fin ally set t les upo n on e :

.

It shoul d perhaps be defin ed as t rain i ng fo r t he imper

sona l pleasures t he unselfish sa tisfac t ions whi ch involve
n o necessa r y depriva t ion for any o t her man t hose
equi t able s t ainless wan t s whose increase is seen to be
,

on e main elemen t of t he a im of educa ti on Such culture .

in a democ ra t ic s t a t e S houl d be a righ t of every child .

TH E S C O P E
VO C A T I O N AL E D U C A T I O N
OF

I n making plans for public voca t ion al educa t ion t here

seems t o be sub stanti al agreemen t as t o i t s scope .

S o —cal l ed pre voc a t ional education sho ul d n o t b egin

-

before t he seven t h grade E very chil d needs thorough .

t raini ng in the t echnique of learning in kno wing h ow to ,

read to wri t e t o make Simple compu t a t ions and to

, , ,

express hi mself in simple ways wi t h his hands .

Af t er t he six t h grade t here shoul d come di fferen t ia t ions

in courses t ha t S hall open up t o t he chil d t he grea t divi
sions of human t oil and shall lay t he founda tions of p r a c
t ice in their elemen t s Thi s differen t iation seizes upon
.
244 CH I L D ST UDY AN D CHILD TRAINI NG
’
the child s interests a year or two before the child can
legally go to work tends to occupy him profitably during
,

t hose years from four t een to S ix t een which are of most

value in preparation and of leas t value t o industry and
gives opportunity for some of those methods of co opera -

tion between the school and the shop which are to be ,

described by whi ch the youth may gain skill as well as

,

kno wledge .

T he ambition of vocational education is to retain all

young people under some kind of technical training un t il
they are at least eighteen I t is thought that not only is
.

this the earliest age at which a young man can show the ‘

maturity as well as the S kill t hat will enable him to take

a position but that it is as soon as his capabilities are
,

s u fli cie n tly manifest to place him Wisely .

The ideal voca t ional education will not drop the youth
after he has left school but wi ll assist in placing and r e
,

placing him until he has successfully solved hi s life

problem .

M E T H O D S OF VO CAT I O NAL E D U C A T I O N
F ollowing are some of the present day plans for voca -

tion a l training Many of them are sum mari zed from

.

Taylor .

1 Vocational emphasis in the elementary grades

. This .

is being made in two ways by utilizing the constructive

,

instinct of children in real proj ects and by making S imple

s t udies of actual industries Manual training in t he e a rli.

est grades has of late years departed from formal method

t o the creation of obj ects of real value for play or other
home use D rawing and cabinet work and metal work
.

and printing have found their wa y down as low as t he

sixth grade Children are being S hown something of
.

such industries as gardening dairying textile indust ri es , , ,

transportation etc , .

2 T he S O called
.
-
plan of division has been
brought forward in the administering of t he grades .

T his means that the first S ix grades are reserved for gen ‘

eral training tha t ins t ead of accepting the gaps and

,
 VO CAT I O NAL E DUCAT I O N 24 5

losses at the door of t he high school a S ix year voca t ional -

program begins aft er t he general prepara t ion whi ch broad ,

ens ou t in t o t echnical as well as academic courses .

3 Whe t her t he
. plan is formally accepted or not we ,
”
are seeing the in t roduc t ion of t he in t ermedia t e school .

Thi s school is intended to come effec t ively as an antidote

t o t hose years of defec t ion I t is an elemen t ary t rade
.

school emphasizing in a pre voca t ional way commerce

,
-
,

manual art s and household arts Such schools may be .

publicly or p ri vately conducted The comm ercial high .

S chool is an intermedia t e school of the hi ghes t grade .

4 P art time schools

.
-
Many young people cannot
.

afford to remain in school unless they can do se lf suppor t -

ing work E ven if they can afford t hi s they need skil l

.
,

as well as knowledge Some wh o are ge t ting t he skill in

.

t he S hop find t he knowledge in evenin g and correspondence

courses B ut for those wh o are ye t in school we are seeing
.

an ingenious reviv al of t he appren t ice sys t em through

plans of co-opera t ion be t ween schools an d S hops by which
a b oy works part of his t ime a t t he bench and part a t t he
desk Oft en t he plan is made prac ticable by dividing the
.

classes into pairs one member of which occupies the desk

,

while t he o t her works and vice versa These plans are .

winning the hearty approval of employers and S hop

managers Corpora t ions t hemselves are Opening schools
.
,

whose value educationally depends of course on whether , ,

t hey t rain young people for more than the mere manip ul a
tions of a specialized industry .

These new developmen t s in the schools affect the aca

demic s t uden t s ind i rectly but posi t ively N ew cul t ural .

values are being sought in voca t ional subj ects of which ,

many academic studen t s avail t hemselves A ca demic .

subjects t hat bear no obvious relation to real life are

comi ng up for fresh valua t ion and some t imes are being
,

relegated to a minor prominence The joy and se ri ous .

ness of c o —operative work in the S hop or a t the forge t end

t o coun t eract t he la ziness and dile tt an t ism of t he reci t a
tion room And since t he endeavor is made t o make
.

i
transition conven ent from on e depa r t men t to ano t her ,
2 46 CHILD ST UDY AND CHILD TRAINING

the Students of each department interact upon each other .

The new vocational emphasis is not disproportionate .

Ninety S ix per cent of American workers are in t he in

-

d u s trie s and commerce They are S imply coming into

.

their own The emphasis is not misplaced Vocational

. .

education has al ways existed but it has e xisted too far ,

up We had colleges from the begi nning and they were

.
,

vocational schools for t he professions We had ins t i t utes .

of technology before we had trade schools and t hus edu ,

ca te d the cap t ains before the privates of indus t ry .

Vocational schools are not only meeting a larger range

of need but they are making popul ar education a fact as
,

well as a name We have for many years talked of our

.

”
system of universal education but it wa s a misnomer so ,

long as the people were not get t ing it Wh en twenty .

five per cent of our popula t ion only get far enough in
“ ”
school to read write and figure when , the average ,
”
Am erican is a sixth grader when only on e tenth finish
-
,
-

the pub lic school system we have not real popular educa
,

tion O ur high schools which cost proportionately two

.
,

or three times as much to main t ain as the lower grades ,

are reserved largely for the children of the prosperous .

S O ou r public schoo l system is undemocra t ic as well as

exclusive Vocational educa t ion tends to change thi s
.

condition I t makes it practicable and profitable for the

.

working m an s son to stay in school until he is ready for

’

life . I t also performs the special service of showing that

generally the s o called dullard t he retarded pupil the
-
, ,

truant is simply the child wh o has been misunderstood

and m rspl a ce d .

The social outreach of vocation al education is not yet

ful ly apprehended We can already see that something
.

is going to come of institutions where youths work to

gether which did n ot come of institutions where each
recited an individual lesson F rom a school where the .

ideal is e fficiency something di fferent is to come from what

came from on e whose ideal was ab stract culture The .

youth who goes to school with an interest is going to be a

di fferent man from the on e who stays because he wa s
 VO CA T I O NAL E D UCAT I O N 247

'

sen t We can see t his

.
— that these prospects are all
socially hopeful .

F rom t he commercial st an dpoint reinforcement has

come t o the new educational ideal The indust ri al or
.

g a n i za tio n of G ermany has been a lesson to us I t is .

s t a t ed t ha t G ermany has two million skill ed ar tisans ,

and America only t wenty fiv e t housand

-
A s someo ne has
.

”
pu t i t ,
America is a s t evedore S imply loadi ng i t s crude
,

ma t e ri als a t i t s own Wa t er s edge for t he men of o ther

’

nations t o manufac t ur e in t o objects of u t ili ty and bea uty .

Our employers associa t ions and our trades unions alike

’

are beginning t o ask for t he renewal of the appren t ice

system and t hus are adding t he shop school to t he public
school as complementary t o a na t ion al education al
scheme .

TH E N E E D OF L E AD E R S H I P
Just n ow t here is a pressing need for voca t ional teachers .

A new type of man is requi red and an un usual on e He .

mus t know t he t echnique of his calling from ac t ual pra c

t ice ; he mus t have t he abili ty to in t eres t his pupils and
to explain t hings clearly ; he mus t be a man of char acter
and scholarship .

The appren t ice system is n ot going to come back wi t h

ou t ef fort . T here are st ill concerns t ha t believe i t to be
more profi t able t o lim i t t he work of t heir employees to
part icul ar opera t ions There are t rades un ions t hat in
.

sis t on li mi t ing t he number of apprentices Journeymen .

are oft en unwill ing to instruc t appren tices The rela t ions.

be tween capi t al and labor are n ot ye t SO friendly as t o

make all t hese adjus t men t s easy There are even ex .

tr emi s ts wh o t hink the frui t s of the eart h belong t o all

men alike whe t her t hey have pa t iently and conscientiously
prepared to earn them or not The d es ir e to get one s
.
‘ ’

share t akes the place of wi lli ngness to d o one s share A ’

.

public sen t imen t must be created by leaders if t hes e ,

adj us t men t s are to be made .

Voca t ion al t rain i ng is expensive I t is less expensive

.

t o t he na t i on t ha n t o ge t along withou t i t But t his is .

n o t always clear to a loc al school board I t is propor .

2 48 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAI NING

tion a tely more expensive and less satisfactory in the

country than in the city and yet it is needed in the ,

country as much as in the city I t is a gospel that must .

be preached and it is one worthy to be preached by

,

ministers and by Christian laymen Some country .

ministers have already begun to make the deserts of

country life to blossom like the rose by bringing voca ,

tion a l training in agriculture and household science close

to the farm boys and girls This kind of influence must .

be extended more broadly Ou r national D epar t ment .

of Agric ul ture is taking the lead in this direction Through .

its various achievement clubs it is stimulating th e co

operative endeavors of farm boys and girls ; these in turn
lead toward the desire for a higher education in the voca
tions of farming and farm housekeeping ; and t he work of
such vocational colleges is constan t ly supplemented by
the widely circulated results of agri cul t ural research
among those wh o are actually at work upon the land .

T he Mas t er said What shall a man give in exchange

,

for his life ? H e had in mind not mere existence but ,

all that makes life Worth while In this complex and

. .

difficult age of ours He could point to no task more chal

lenging to his followers t han tha t of making young life
everywhere more rich and capable .

RE AD ING REFE R E N CE S
A v eri ta bl e fl oo“d of b ook s u p on v oc a ti on a l e du ca ti on is u pon u s .

’
K e r s ch en s tein e r s Th ree L e c tu res on V oca ti on a l T ra in in g s ets for th ”

th e G erm a n m e th od Pers on s I n d u s tria l E d u ca ti on a n d Ru s sell a n d

.
’

B on s er s b ook of th e sa m e ti tl e ou tli n e th e l a tes t th e ory a n d p ra c tic e in

’

th i s fi el d Kin g s S oci a l A s p e c ts of Ed u ca tion en d ea v or s to p u t v oca"

’
.

tio n a l e d u c a ti on in its p rop e r s oci a l s e tti n g Th orn d ike s Ed u ca tion ’

.
,

pp 23 2 6 2 7 0 2 7 5 ters ely d oe s th e sa m e
.
-
,
-
, .
 C HA PT E R X XX I V
V O CA T I ON A L GU I DA N C E
We have alr eady no t ed some of t he reasons why a
chi ld or young person is incompeten t to plan his own future .

Of t hese t hree are most conspicuous : T he child does not

,

know what t he available oc cupa t ions are or much of any

t hing abou t them ; he knows nex t to no t hing abou t work
or his own abili ty to do i t ; he is n ot ye t ma t ure enough
SO that his tal ents are fu ll y manifest T here are al so
.

certain ideals and longings whi ch are consciously or u n

,

consciously cherished that commonl y influence a youth

,

a t t hi s critical peri od of choice Of t en di sas t rously

, .

On e of t hese is t he desire for imm edi ate reward You t h .

“
is not pa t ient or foresigh t ed . A fifty cen t piec e n ow
-

”
loo ks bigger t han t he prospec t of learnin g a t rade .

Thi s means t ha t thousands of b ri ght youn g people at once

set t le down to lifelong employment within reach of their
hands instead of t hat which migh t be wi t hi n reach of
their brains if t hey were t rained
,
.

Coupled wi t h t hi s is intense self con fid en ce combined

-
,

wi t h the irrepressible hopefuln ess of youth The boy may .

know t hat hi s un t rai ned fa t her a t fif ty is a failure but ,

he cannot conceive at t wen ty t ha t he him se lf can ever

fail So as the ma nager of an employmen t b ur eau said
.
, ,

young people are every day o ffering t hemselves for work

”
who know no thi ng and wan t t o be paid for i t .

The desires of young people limi t the range of their

choices in many di rec t ions . Ci ty bred youth t hink life
-

un endurable in the coun t ry and coun t ry youth want to

get into t he city Both feel an aversion to work wi th th e

.

hands par t icul arly if i t involves a workingman s garb

’
.
,
”
O ffi ce work therefo re m akes a s t rong appeal regard ,

less of its real values and work in a s t ore answers t he sa me

,

desire .
25 0 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD T RAINI NG

O ne motive creditable in itself may have through lack

, ,

of guidance or oppor t unity a tendency to limita t ion It .

is ambitio n I t may be expressed I n on e of several ways :

.

’
I don t want t o be taking orders from ano t her man a ll
“
my life . I want to ge t where somebody else will be
”
Or it is
’
working for me I want to be at the top . .

put in the pathetic words of a hard working paren t : We

’
don t want our children always t o have such a hard time
”
as we have had Such ambition is creditable bu t if it is
.
,

undirected it may be fruitless T hat it is general is indi .

ca te d by the enormous amount O f correspondence school -

advertising al ways illustrated by pic t ures of two men

, ,

one in working clothes with a hang dog expression and -

,

the other in a b usiness sui t giving an order to the first .

E very young man wants to be S itting in tha t ofii ce chair .

,

com m anding B ut there are di fficul t ies

. T here may be .

lack Of ability There may be unwillingness to plod or

.

to use the discoverable and available means of prepara

tion The concern into which t he youth finds his wa y
.

may be notorious for using up men and t hen throwing

them aside or his particular work may be on e that offers
,

no appren ticeship and gives no training .

’
A gain in this age of youth s independence no matter
, ,

how wise or foreseeing the parent it is the young people ,

themsel ves who usually decide what t hey will do ; and even
the wisest parent if the youth be determined hesita t es , ,

to deflect him thinking that the determination itself may

,

prove the indication of aptitude or the motive power for

perseverance .

F inally there is a factor which affects vocational choice

,

in the most subtle ways Many men today do not work .

for the sake of their work but for the sake of their leisure ,
.

They work not to save but to spend T he monotony of ,

.

much toil I S such that the worker can ask no pleasure ou t

of it excep t the wage at the end of the week T his is .

especially true of the voca t ions that are followed by t he

po or and ignorant The child of this class grows up wi t h .

no expectation that his work can in itself be a j oy bu t he ,

has j ust as keen a desire to ge t pleasure out of life as a

 VO CAT I O NAL GUI DANC E 25 1

rich man s son What does he ca re about the natur e of

’
.

his work so long as i t pays for hi s pleasures ? T he t hough t

,

tha t work is a cur se is as old as t he B ook of G enesis and is

cherished by people in every level of so cie ty .

TH E I N T E RE S T SO C I E TY I N VO C A T I O N AL G U I DA N C E
OF

So ciety has an important s t ake in this ma tt er I t .

canno t afford to was t e i t s chief asset men If i t be true

,
.

that G ermany has t wo million t rained ar t isans and

America but twen ty fiv e thousand socie t y knows t hat
-
,

i t s ma t e ri al fu t ure is in peril If i t be t rue that only

.

twen ty —fiv e per cen t of boys and girls who go to work

between t he ages of four t een and S ix t een ever ge t into any
employment t ha t is wort h while socie ty cannot afford to
,

all ow t ha t condi t ion to con t inue Socie ty knows t ha t if

.

a large propor t ion of its ci t izenship can offer to t he

labor world no t hing bu t b rute s t ren g t h t hey will be use ,

less and helpless when t hat s t reng t h is gone unempl oy ,

men t will always be a cri t ical fac t and o ld age pensions ,

will be loaded upon the shoul ders of t hose wh o were

t rained and are successful Genius is j us t as likely to be
.

born among t he poo r as t he rich and socie ty cannot , ,

afford t o lose t hose mas t ers of t he art s t hose inventors ,

and leaders who were t hro tt led before they ever came
t o t he ligh t Men will always seek goals beyond t heir
.

daily work and some men will never see much furt her
t han t heir wages bu t socie ty canno t be composed of a
,

happy ci t izenship if t he joy of art isanship perishes .

TH E A I M S
VO C AT I O NA L G U I DA N C E
OF

Before coming t o th e s p ecia l agencies of gu i dance let

'

us ask ourselves t he general aims which eve ry agency

S hould hold in view T hey are perhaps four
. .

F irs t is the study of t he na t ure and abili t ies of t he

,

child Wh a t we perceive of t he limi t a t ions Of psychology

.

and of our knowledge of t he human being wh o is be s t

known to us sugges t s h ow appalling t his t ask mus t be in ,

t he case of a child who does no t unders t and himself wh o ,

canno t clearly state what he does know and who is so far ,

252 CHILD ST UDY AN D CHILD TRAINING

only in a formative condition Yet this t ask must be .

undertaken wi t h the use of eve r y process of examination

,

and the co opera t ion of everybody wh o knows if we are

-
‘

to take the first step in guidance .

In studying the child we naturally turn first to what

ever he can reveal by careful self study I t m ay n ot be -
.

much but it will be earnest and sincere

,
His desires will .

be of interest The vocational aspirations of children

.

seem to be affected in the earlier years by their imagina

tions through wha t attracts t hem in books and in life
, .

I n a cer t ain grammar school for instance the pupils , , ,

wh o were abou t eleven years of age when asked what ,

they wished to be in the world responded as foll ows :

14 % bookkeepers
12 % policemen
7% artists
5 1% teachers
O ne fancies that he can define this situation pretty clearly .

The boys of course were going to be the policemen and

, , ,

some of them bookkeepers and artists The girls were .

going to be th e teachers and a few of them bookkeepers and

artists T he element of hero —worship wa s Obvious in
.
,
”
the favorite teacher and the stalwart corner cop .

The desire for an occupation that involved good clothes

wa s universal in these choices T here wa s a feeling for
.

self expression in t he artistic longing

-
It cannot be said .

that t hese preferences were very significant or prophetic .

I n high school as we noted in another chapter vocations

, ,

that have the appeal of financial reward and of gentility

are strongly considered The wri ter recently questioned
.

personally about a hundred boys in high schools in market

centers of a farming region in the Middle West Many .

were going t o be farmers but practically all the rest woul d

,

become engineers lawyers and doctors , .

’
When on e t ries t o get closer to a chi ld s self kn owledge -

than his whims or conventional desires the t ask is s t ill ,

di fficult Prof F rank Parsons t he father of voca t ional

. .
,

gui dance devised some ingeni ous questionnaires which

,
 VO CAT I O NAL GUI DANC E 25 3

an app li cant mi ght fill ou t for se lf measurement So far -

.

’
as t hey involve t he child s family and school record they
‘

are valuable and t hey are interes t ing as t hey reve al so me

of hi s t astes habi t s and ways of looking a t life
,
But t hey .

do no t go very deeply in t o self an al ysis T he wri ter has-

.

had a li tt le experience wi th a ques t ion sheet modell ed .

after on e that was devi sed by P rof Herm an Schneider of .

the Uni versi t y of Cincinn a t i At on e poin t t he endeavor

.

was made to di scover the temperamen t of t he in dividua l

by asking him to class himse lf in one of two exclusive
“
categories (F or ins t an ce
. Are y ou a leader or a fol
, ,

lower ? Are you quick to ini t iate or pa t ient to fo llow ,

up ? In several cases the confi den t you t h gave to a ll

the al t erna t ives t he improbable reply t hat he was both
.
.

E viden t ly as P rofessor Parso ns and o t hers have a ckn owl

,

edged such sheets are of use only as t hey are reviewed

,

pa t ien t ly in personal conference be t ween the coun sellor

and the you t h .

Of course be tt er than personal memo ries are carefull y

,

kep t school records and these if kept t hroughout t he

, ,

grades and if they concern t he ri gh t sort s of efficiency

, ,

are ex t remely impo rt ant as measurements of development

of intell igence and power They may be used wi t h cau
.

tion for prophecy as well as his t ory .

Psychologica l t es t s are be ing devi sed which already in

certain callings are defini t ive A t H arvard an ingenious .

device has been inven t ed which has delimi ted from t he

call ing of mo t ormen a large number of individuals ma ny ,

of t hem able for other c a ll ings whose percep t ive and ,

inh ibitory po wers were n ot imm e di a te enough to in sure

quick action in emergencies a t t he motor Tes t s for color .

blindness have of course long been applied in railroad

, ,

engin ee ri ng All such tests are negative and S how only

.

wha t an indi vi dual canno t do In t he enormous diversi t y

.

of calli ngs they can apparently have but limi t e d a p p i

l
ca b ility .

The voca t ional counsellor doe s n ot do hi s full duty

unl ess he seizes upon every S hred of evidence which co
operation can b ri ng wi thi n hi s reach H e makes a cl ose .
25 4 CHILD S T UDY AN D CH ILD T RAI NING

and sympathetic study of the child s own experience and

’

knowledge of himself ; he not only studies the school

records but he confers with the school teacher ; he en d ea v
,

ors to consult carefully with the parents ; h e u s e s any testi l

mony that may be given by any employer wh o has watched

the child at work .

The next step is to discuss the child s preparation ’

.

Vocational guidance says Meyer Bloomfield is ,

educational guidance T he presumption is tha t the

.

child is not yet prepared G uidance is chiefly for the

.

purpose of telling him h ow to ge t ready The counsellor .

wants both to develop his capacity as far and as long as

possible and also to leave the doors of opportun ity and of
final choice open as late as possible until t he ful l capaci t y ,

has revealed itself F ew pupils know the p r ep a r a tion a l

.

resources of the varied schools of their o wn city F ew .

indeed know what t he next year or years in their own

school can give There is s t ill less knowledge of prep
.

a r a tion a l opportun ities in continuation schools a pp r en ,

tice s h ip s s t ore schools e t c

, ,
.

A third task is the study of industrial opportunities .

So essential wa s this seen to be that ou r firs t Vocational

B ureau the one in Boston has made this ra t her than
, , ,

in di vi dual counsel its most conspicuous achievement

,
.

E mployers themselves had never known the situation in

their own industries until the fac t s were pointed ou t t o
them But to the youth wh o is deciding t he nature of
.
,

preparation the financial rewards the working condi

, ,

tions the s t eadiness or fluctua tion of demand for labor

, ,

are all of the deepest import The fact for instance .

, ,

that between S ixty and eighty per cent of those wh o

leave school at fourteen drift into occupations that have
no outlet that at least a third of these change work sev
,

eral times during the first year seldom to their advantage , ,

and that a very small proportion ever even en t er occupa

tions whi ch afford an income sufficien t to establish a
decent home is enough to cause any young person to make
,

whatever personal sacrifice is needful i n order to rise

above such a destiny .
 VO CAT I O NAL GUI DANC E 25 5

Then comes t o t he voc a t ion al counsellor t he task of

placing t he in di vidual with sa t isfac t ion t o himself and
his employer T hi s may mean placing and replacing
.

him t racing him from posi t ion t o posi t ion t aking up

, ,

afresh wi t h him his whole si t ua t ion wa t ching t he effec t ,

upon hi s work of hi s habi t s his recreations hi s marriage

, , ,

his home life e t c ,

T he counsell or I S t hus n ot only guide
.
,

bu t S hould be lifelong phi losopher and friend .

TH E A G E N C I E S V O C A T I O N A L G U I DA N C E
OF

This work na t ur ally s t art ed in the s chools Here were .

t he people who knew and were in t eres t ed In Brooklyn .

there was a student aid co m mi tt ee of volunteer teachers ;

in Bos t on t he schools availed t hemselves of t he aid of t he
Vocation Bureau and i t s affil iated ins t itu t ions We are .

eviden t ly soon t o have men and women set apart in close ,

rela t ion wi t h the school system for this specific mission , .

Since voca tional gu i dance is differen t from and involves

much more t han an employment bureau t he work should ,

not be commercialized and it S hould be re t ained as a .

proper part of t he educa t ion al sys t em .

T here seems to be Opport unity for the church to do

.

some t hi ng in thi s field There is of course danger of

.
, ,

working wi t h zeal ra t her t han discre t ion Since t he .

ideal counsellor S houl d have had indus t rial as well as

educational experience t he mini s t er wh o has had nei t her
,

is li kely to be an imprac t ic al and some times dangerous

idea list Bu t wha t minis t er S u n d ay s ch oo l teacher club
.
,
~

and camp leader all together know abou t a b oy or girl is

of great value t o any voca t ional counsellor,
and t he ,

church has t he opportuni ty to convey and conserve those

noble and generous mo t ives whi ch ought to underlie every
life choice .

Back to t he home however comes the deepes t du t y

, ,

and the finest opportuni ty It can follow t he child s

.
’

developmen t wi t h t he most minute and t ender care It .

can afford home opport uni t ies for play occupa t ion and ,

fin ancial experience t ha t are v al uable t es t s of ca pabili ty .

It can place before t he child for regular readi ng periodi

25 6 CHILD ST UDY AN D CHILD TRAINING

cals of popular science and industry and books that t el l

of actual life in t he world s callings I t can bring in as
’
.

guests men wh o are doing noble work for others I t can .

encourage summer time expe ri ments which may determine

-

the life interest N one but the home can so tactfully

.

S how the child the gap that m a y exist between his admira

tions and his endowments Almost all youth are p oe t s .

at some time or other but W hile we may crave that they ,

remain poets S O far as appreciation is concerned as long

as they live somebody has to prove to many children tha t
,

writing poetry is not to be their life work The home .

only can exalt the durable sa t isfactions of life The .

home has to remind its children that money is not the

“
only criterion of success T he discove ry of truth and.

”
the bearin g of worthy chi l dren as Thorndike reminds ,

th e two things mos t essentia l to the world s welfare

’
us , ,
”
are as a rule no t paid for at all The home too has the .
, ,

opportunity to discover possibilities that even the school

may never find Some of the courses of study that make
.

men are no t examinable The Christian home alone can .

teach its children that in the decision of a calling a rela

, ,

tion is being di scussed t hat is not only between ability

and the task between work and leisure between man an d
, ,

man but that is between man and G od

,
I s Life a .

”
Career or a Mission ? wa s t he title of a n ow forgotten -

tract The question is s t ill pertinent To the young

. .

Christian life is a mission more than a career T he .

prayer and choice of t he home and of the you t h wh o is

preparing to live should be :
To serve th e present age ,

M y calling to fulfil ,

Oh m a y i t all m y powers engage

,
”
To d o m y M a ster s will
’
.

RE AD ING REFE RE N C E S
F ra n k Pa rs on s Ch oos i n g a Voc a ti on d es c rib e s th'e i“n teres tin g work
’

of c ou n s e l i n a u gu r a te d by th i s pi on ee r Bloom field s . You th S c h ool ,

a n d V oc a ti on te ll s h ow th i s wo r k wa s c on ti n u ed D a v i s V oc a ti on al ’
.

a nd M ora l G u id a n ce I I I V I X d e s c rib es a h elpf l e x pe rim n t for

,
”
,
-
,
u e

d e v e l opi n g th ou g h tfu l n es s i n s c h ool p u pil s c on c er n i n g th ei r f u tu r s a n d e ,

 VO CAT I O NAL GUIDANC E 25 7

gi ves 1 77 -298 som e of th e resu lts

, ,
. C h a p te r X I V
wo k of v oca ti on a l c oun se lli n g
r .

C oo pe r S Wh y Go to C oll ege ? an d Wil so s Workin g On e 3 Wa y

’ “ ”
n
’ ’

th ro g h C oll ege wi ll be v ery h e lpful to ol d er bo y s an d gir l s wh o a re

m ea su rin g th e fa lu e an d poss ibility of th orou g h prep ara ti on for life th r ou g h
u
r

a h ig h er ed u ca ti on .
 C HA PT ER XXXV

TH E C H U R C H A N D H E R C H I LD R E N
So far as children are concerned we have three types Of
churches There I S t he church that neglects its children
. .

The building the services t he plans t he leadership

, , ,

every t hing except a Sunday school conducted almost 1 n ,

dependen t ly are entirely for adults

.
Children are .

ignored until they cease to be children and then a re

expec t ed to en t er what other adul t s participate in The .

method of revival is often depended up on to bring about

this change T O the revivalis t sinners and children are
.

alike they are outsiders Second t here is the church

.
,

t hat is ineffective with children In t his church t here is .

someone there may be several wh o recognize the need

, ,
”
of doing some t hing for the children So there may be .

a troop of Boy Scouts t here may even be an assis t ant

,

minister wh o is especially charged with children s in t er ’

es t s The church however is not vitally concerned in

.
, ,

any of these The Sunday school is virtually a separate

.

institution Somebody of his own initiative s t arted the

.

Scouts but the church has not adopted t he organization

,

and does not know very much about it The assistan t .

mi n ister has t he blessing of the chur ch bu t not its alle ,

g ia n ce
. T he children are still outside In these two types .

of chur ches there are parents wh o are earnes t ly concerned

for the religious training of children but there is not a ,

considerable body of persons wh o have the courage t o

" "
scrutinize the church as if it had just been thought of and
ask themselves What is t he will concerning it of Jesus wh o
“
said : O f such t hat is Of children is the kingdom of
,

heaven . To build a meeting house primarily for t hose -

of whom is the kingdom to conduc t services to make , ,

plans and to engage a minis t er really for their sakes has

258
 T H E CHURCH AN D HE R CHILDRE N 25 9

n otbeen wi thi n the vision of many Chri stian churches .

T he t hird type consis t s of t he chur ches t ha t have caught

such a vision .

The purpose of this chapter is t o sug gest

A C H U RCH P LAN F OR C H I LD RE N
There woul d no t be room in t he chap t er even if t here ,

were t he desire in t he mind of t he au t hor to propose a ,

revolu t ion of chur ch organi z a t ion .Wha t he intends to

do is sim ply to s t a t e five rights whi ch every chi ld shoul d
’

have in every church .H ow the at t ai nmen t of these

fec t t he presen t constitu t ion of t he church
ri gh t s will a f

is beyond the present inquiry These righ t s are however

.
, ,

so S imple and really so wi t hin reach of a tt ainmen t in any

earnes t church t ha t i t may be premised t hat they will n o t
be des t ructive of wha t is now worth whil e .

WO R S H I P
Wh ether church going is always t o oc cu py t he central
-

place in org an ized religi on that i t occupies t oday may be

a question The mos t religious na t ion of an t iqui ty had
.

for a long pe ri od onl y on e temple of worship to which a ll ,

the pe ople resort ed at infrequen t intervals T he practica l

.

ma tt er is that for many centuri es t he vitali ty of t he church

has seemed t o be closely linked wi t h its ceremonies of public
worship . I ts safe fu t ure depends in part upon t he
, ,

s t rength of t his se rvice The church t ha t expec t s to

.

win and hold the coming ge n era t ion must build the life
of its young people into t hi s se rvice and n o t depend
,

upon convert ing them t o i t af t er contrary habi t s have

been formed We are also com ing to believe t hat t he
.

services of devo t ion in the Sunday school j unior con ,

gr ega tion s and a t tempts t o combine church and Sunday

school in on e service are unsa tisfy ing beca use fortifying
,

the habi t of a tt endance a t one servi ce makes more diffi

cul t rather than more ea sy t he t ransi t ion t o ano t her an d
because a composite servi ce pleases nobody The bes t .

goal seems to be to make a church ser vi ce t hat shall mean

some thi ng to a wh ole fam ily
'

.
2 60 CHILD ST UDY AN D CHILD TRA INI NG

I n these days of enriching the service of n on

l iturgi ca l churches and liberalizing the service in liturgical
ones we ought to take advantage of the willingness to make
changes and study the psychology of the way a child
,

worships so tha t these chan ges shall sui t chi ldhood We .

may in this s t udy ignore very y oung children on the ground ,

that while they are still living movi ng and having their
,

being mostly in the home life we do them no injustice if we

,

do not provide reg ul ar occasions of pub l ic worshi p for them .

I t will be enough for them for the present to share in the

church festivals and to l ook forward to taking their place
in the church home A s for the Older ones we can see
.
,

already that the S imple the dramatic and the active will
,

appeal to them E ach sect according to its own genius

.
, ,

must consider changes in these directions Simplicity .

may come in S hortening the servi ce and omitting vain and

meaningless repeti t ions The story-sermon or the chil
.

dren s sermon has already found its way into many of ou r

’

churches and its populari ty with adul ts has revealed to

,

some preachers the superiority of the parabolic over the

hortatory method of teachi ng E ndeavors for the enri ch
.

ment of the service in non —liturgical churches cautiously

patte rned after th e Book of Common Prayer have been
in unconscious recognition of the remarkable dramatic
movement of that order of se rvi ce I t is because children .

enjoy and appreciate that movement that we look for a

cheering Christian uni ty in thi s direction The return to .

the church in some modern form especially for occasions ,

of festival of the miracle play is if we mistake not

,
.
, ,

something to be defini tely worked for Activity is of . .

,

course essential to chi ldren wh o require frequent changes

,

of position Th e best activity in worship is that of song

.
.

The quartet choir is a fetich which we worship in church

and do not endure in the secular concert The possi .

bilitie s of children s choruses have not been reached in

’

thi s country A few musicians know not onl y what can

.

be done with trained cathedral choirs but that pretty

nearly a ll chi ldren can be taught to sin g .
 T H E CHURCH AN D H E R CH ILDRE N

R E LI G I O U S E D U CA T I O N
The writer of a recen t book upon Sunday school work -

”
has enti t led i t The Chur ch School I n t he trues t sense
.

the whole church is a schoo l and t here is nothing done ,

with children in the service of worship or in the boys ’

club or at t he summer camp tha t is n ot for the direct

purpo se of educa t ion But t he so called Sunday school
.
-

’
is t he proper cen t er for t he chur ch s most important educa
tion a l ac t ivities and s o it deserves to b e developed into a
,

comprehensive church school It may or may not meet a ll

.

toge t her on Sunday T 0 call i t t he Bible school is to

.

accept wi t hout considera t ion t he presupposition that the

chur ch s only te x t book will be t he Bible
’
.

The church has be en moving ami d various st ruggles , ,

toward t he development of a real and wort hy school of

religion We need o nl y summa ri ze t he resul ts of thi s
.
.

movemen t I t has come t o embrace all classes of chi l

.

dren in i t s e ffort I t has gradually narrowed the su bject

.

of instruction which in the days before free schools in

,

cluded sec ul ar subjects to religious education , I t has .

s t udied t he child to fin d ou t what reli gious teaching he

nee ds a t each pe ri od and has also s t udied the Bible afresh
to find ou t wha t t he Bible has for each age I t has irn .

m en se ly increased the wort h of t he t ex t books and o t her

educa t ional devices used by t eachers and pupils I t has .

begu n wi t h some seriousness the work of t raining i t s

teachers wh o are mos t ly volun t eers so that they may be
, ,

real educa t ors I t con t empla t es some ex t ension of i t s

.

courses in t o t he weekdays and a close r rela t ionship b e

tween i t s school and i t s s o cal led young people s s ou
-
’

”
c ie ties
. The bes t t hing t ha t t he church has learned is
t o apprecia t e t ha t t he Sunday sc hool is t he church s own ’

school . D oing t his means not onl y assuming i t s budge t ,

appoin t ing i t s officers and hea ri n g i t s report s bu t pu tt ing ,

t he whole s t rengt h and responsibili ty of the church into

its most impo rt ant task .

A g reat educa t or has said that t he greatest of educa

tion a l t asks is to find t he t eacher n ot to found t he ,

school . The livest matter of in t eres t in church school

2 62 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD T RAINING

circles is to get into the consciousness of the church the

necessi t y of provi di ng a trained facul ty for the school .

The very improvements that have been made in courses

and equi pment may tend to make the church well sa t is
fie d but that satisfac t ion cann ot be las t ing since t here is
, ,

nothing vi tal in any school but its t eachers Some of the

.

Ol d N ew E ngland churches used to set apart a second

”
minister on a parity with the pastor as teacher
, , .

The chur ch must learn t o regard all its teachers as of its

most sacred O ffice and ask many of its members not
, ,

as a courteous and t emporary act of good nature but as ,

a lifetime consecra t ion to assume this task of teaching

, ,

after thorough training in the church school This is a

, .

ri ght of the child , and is essential to the futur e of t he

church .

SO C IAL L I F E
We have been impressed at every step of our study wi t h
the fact that the child is a social individual We have .

”
learned that the chi ld has not only no original nature ,

bu t that he li t erally shares much of hi s life wi t h o t hers .

His religious developmen t comes under the same law and ,

the universal way by which children come forward in

their groups into church membership should be enough
to cause us to realize that we can make no religi ous im
pressions tha t do not involve the social nat ure N either .

can t he child or the you t h serve and so express his reli

g iou s life except in social relations . A merely Sun day
”
church ,
therefore can b e reaching only a small par t
,

of the capacities of the child ,

and its very success on
Sunday may have and often does h ave the e ffect of per
s u a d in g the child that religion is a Sun day matter In .

neighborhood churches at leas t i t wo ul d no t seem to be t oo

much to crave that t he earliest social life of the child
sho ul d develop un der church sanc t ions . I t seems prob
able that such early connections will do much to keep
sane and sweet t he entrance of youth la t er into a larger
society . I n all churches there ought t o be regul ar Opp or
tu ni tie s for mutual acquaintance and service among i t s
young people All such facili t ies ought to be very closely
.
 T H E CHURCH AN D H E R CHILDRE N
. 2 63

un der the control of t he church and be in effect an ex t en

sion of t he life of its school A gymnasium and a ca mp .
,

are excellent ins t i t u t ions bu t t hey are n ot worth much for,

the purposes we have in mind if t hey are carried on by

persons hired for the pur pose who have li t t le other con
cern in the church itself The Boy Scouts the Knights of .
,

Kin g Ar t hur t he C am pfire G irls are ingenious and

, ,

educa t ive appliances bu t t hey should be conduc t ed by

,

the church school t eachers and be used chi efly as means of

brin ging classes or groups of classes in t o C lub life T he .

Chr istian E ndeavor and such like movemen t s are in t he ,

wri t er s j udgmen t even t ually to se cure a much needed

’

,
-

adul t direc t ion defin ite aim and universal grasp by losing
,

their life so t hat they m a y add ri chn ess to t he life of the

church school .

C O MM I TT A L
There is as we have seen a break between t he life of
, ,

chi l dren and of adul t s in t he church T0 some degree i t .

may be inevi t able There is a break between being a

.

ch il d an d be ing an adult Wh at the church wants to d o .

with all its children is wha t the parent t ri es to d o with the

individual chi l d to carry t he chil dr en from chil dhood over
,

into adul t hood in the church wi thout l osing anything

that is permanen t ly precious in chil dhood and wi t hou t
unnecess ary strain and un r est on t he way There are .

different ways of doing t his O ne church assumes t ha t .

i t s chil dren a re infan t members and after appropri a t e

ins t ruction confirms t hem Ano t her by a D ecision .

D ay in its church school t akes an annual census Of t ho s e

who will move definitely forward in t o an accep t ed rela
tion with the church A thi rd works more quietly still .
,

but arranges t hat each class of young adolescents shall

each year as a group and as in di vi dual s have t he oppo r
, ,

tun ity to make some commit t al Different communions .

may work in differen t ways bu t each on e may as a part , ,

of i t s church prog r am work for and expect t ha t i t s whole

,

school shall as i t ma tur es en t er the gradua t e school of

, ,

c hurch members hi p .
2 64 CHILD S T UDY AN D C H I IJD TRAINING

This too is a right of the child to come naturally into a

, , ,

place in his F a t her s House ’

.

E ve rywhere but in the church of G od especially the, ,

child has a ri ght to

A F RI E ND
The church is an institution , but its work if it be divine
must be personal We have already seen to what a n .

extraordinary degree a child responds to personal in fl u

ence What we know about moral and religious education
.

is chiefly t his that formal ins t ruction does some good in

,

helping a child to put right names to things but t hat he is ,

made good chiefly by seeing how goodness looks when it

is lived When Charles Kingsley wa s asked the secret
.

of his life he replied : I had a friend

, Swift reports .

that of 2 5 5 boys in the Waukesha Reform School 5 4 had ,

never seen anyone whom t hey particularly admired while ,

42 others wh o said they had could not name anyone To , .

2 8 others Washington had been the nearest available

hero There are many obvious lessons in such facts
. .

O ne of th em on ly will be named here in connection with

'

the church ri ghts of a child a church plan for children , .

I t is this : O ftentimes when we imagine that we cannot

persuade anybody to take a Sunday school class or do -

some o t her particular chore in the church we can have ,

the finest young men and women in t he commu nity if

we will tell them what we know men and women like
themselves mean to boys and girls wh o are climbing b e
hind them u p the hill of life Such a challenge calls .

forth a fine chivalry If t he church believes in i t s work .

like thi s it can have the ri ght men and women to do the
,

work .

RE AD ING REFE RE N C E S
Of c ou rse H ora ce Bu s h n ell foreca s ted th e v i ews of th i s c h a p ter m an y
"
‘

yea rs a g o in h is Ch ri s ti a n Nu r tu re Th i s th ou gh t of em b ra cin g ch il
.

d ren in th e a rm s of th e m oth er c h u rc h f rom th e b egi n n i n g a n d n u rtu r i n g

th em wi th qu ie t d evoted wi s d om h a's b ee n worked ou t a d m i ra bly a n d wi th
,

a s an e p s yc h ology in McK i n ley S Ed u ca tion a l Ev a n g eli s m Th e .

”

’
a u th o r s C h u rc h Work wi th B oy s S h ows h ow it m a y b e d on e in th e c a se
of b oy s C oe h a s giv en u s
. Th e C h r i s tia n V iew of C h il d h ood i n th e
 T H E C HURCH AN D H E R CHILDRE N 2 65

fou rth ch a p ter of h is Ed ca tion in Re ligion a n d M ora l s

u . Th e b oo k
ci ted in 'th cha p ter a th e bes t e cen t on e u pon th S d y s ch ool is
e s r e un a

A th ea rn s Th C h u rc h S ch oo l
e . Not on ly is it a c om pl ete m a n a l b u t u ,

its f r n ces to boo k s d ed ca tio a l m a te ia l a e e xh a u s tiv

re e e an u n r r H a rts
e .

h or e s
n
’
Worsh ip in th e S un d a y S ch ool is th e on ly th orou gh book u pon
i ts th em e .
 C H A PTER XXX V I
TH E GO A L : S E R V I C E F OR THE K I N G D O M
The Christian world is not yet sure what it means to
be a Christian If it were Christian men would never
.
,

find it necessary to go out and shoot each other If i t .

were it would not find it necessary so to was t e its strength

,

and resources among a hundred sects that it h a s no time

to attack the social problem and has no money with
which to give its children adequate religious educa t ion .

B ut so far as it has come to any vision it says that to be a

Christian means in a word Self D evo t ion A nd then
, ,
-
.

needing j ust as the child needs to see its duty in terms of

, ,

a life it goes back to its Master to learn what Self D e vo

,
-

tion is like I t wa s not s elfl es sn ess Whatever the

'

. .

me t aphysician Paul meant when he spoke of the Christ

”
as emptying himself Jesus did not empty himself of ,

his humanity What we know of hi s silent years from the

.

great result in t he few years of his public ministry per

s u a d e s us that they were spent in magnificent preparation .

N ot s elfl es sn es s but a superb self respect wa s behind the -

life that gave itself so royally when it wa s ready It gave .

not because it wa s poor but because it wa s exceedingly

,

rich and because it had so much to S hare Su ch have been .

th e o t her lives that have reminded us most of Jesus :

from P aul through Saint F rancis and Livings t one to
G renfell They express an attitude and a bes t owing
. .

This attitude and t his bestowing Obtain their grandeur

from the greatness of the ends to which they were con s e
crated These as the T wo L aws of t he Kingdom s t ate
.
,

them are Love to G od and L ove to Man S t ated thus

,
.

baldly they are mere abstractions but s t a t ed in t erms of

, ,

life of the life that Jesus lived t hey are glowing reali t ies
, ,
.

To say what L ove to God means is to say all t hat the di

vine F ather meant t o t he soul of Jesus ; to say what Love
2 66
 T H E G OAL : S E RVIC E FO R T H E K INGD O M 2 67

to man means is to say all tha t men and women and chil
dren c all ed fort h from Jesu s of compassion loyal ty and ,

chi valrous attachment .

TH E Y O U N G C H RI S T I AN A KN I G H T AS

When ou r T eutonic ancestors were wild wa r riors with ,

cruel hatreds an d un gov em ed passions the Chri s t ian ,

teachers wh o convert ed t hem were puzzled h ow t o t urn

these furious forces in t o orderly channels Al ready these .

S haggy figh t ers had t heir distinctions of rank and honor .

The monks wh o influence d them decided to allow t hese

di stinctions to stand whi le they endeavored to use the
’

best ideals t hey represen t ed to n obler ends S o the .

F ranks continued to have their Ch eva liers and the G er

.

ma ns their R i tter bo t h denomina t ing t he men wh o rode

,

on horseback But t hey es t ablished new rules for their

.

conduct and they taught them to be proud of a new name ,

that of K n ech ten or se rvants They made t hem wish t o

,
.

consecrate to a heavenl y Maste r their old prowess and

strength F rom thi s word in time came the mode r n
.
, ,
“ ”
word kni ghts S O t he men wh o had n o tas te to be
.

monks or scholars were captiva t ed by thi s new kind of

soldiering Without being o t her than t hemse lves with
.
,

ou t destroy ing anyt h ing in them that was really worthy ,

they strove to live up to t heir new nobili ty with the old

en t husiasm and fellowship .

This has been said to help us state to youn g peopl e and

to ourselves for their sakes what it means for them to be
Chris t ians I t is t o be knigh t s of t he Kingdom of Chris t
. .

This of course is n ot in the sense of wha t his t oric knight

, ,

hoo d ac t ually be came but of knigh t hood as i t was held

,

as an ideal Thi s ideal does no t enfold all of personal

.

Chris t iani ty as i t may be a tt ained by a mature Chris t ian .

I t does not exhaust t he meaning of the life of Jesus B ut .

it does express probably be t ter tha n any o t her single con

c ep tion t he at t itude which a young Chri stian living a c

cording to hi s developmen t may bes t hold It is at least .

helpful to us who are older to use such a clear cut con cep
tion s o as to differentia t e wha t is mean t when we ask a
2 68 CH ILD ST UDY AN D CHILD T RAINING

you ng person to follow Jesus from what it means to a ,

little child I t guards one or two important and sacred

.

qualities of youth of wh ich h e is jealous as an integral

part of his manhood When we say manhood we include
.

young womanhood also S ince the chivalric ideal in femi

,

nine form is con g enial to girls The quali t ies which I .

particularly have in mind are Self Respect and Chival ry -

.

S E L F -R E S P E C T
Young persons do not take satisfaction in the thought
that they are worms of the dust They are unwil ling .

to sing ,O h to be nothing no t hing

, They may sing , .
,

but they cannot mean that other hymn whi ch begins , ,

”
Pe rfect submission T hey are not followers of eithe r
.

Saint Jerome or Saint Anthony b u t rather of Saint ,

Christopher wh o sought to find the strongest as master

, ,

because he had so much strength to give T he youth has .

not yet fathomed or tested his strength but he believes ,

it is immense I t is not necessary to distur b this high

.

confidence Life Will disturb it soon enough Let him

. .

continue to roar forth that favorite hymn in every pre

paratory school in this country :
The Son of God goes forth to war ,

A kingly crown to gain ;

His blood-red bann er s tre am s afar ,

Wh o follows in His train ?

This attitude confident heroic loyal a youn g man or
, , , ,

woman ought to carry into his reli gion .

B ut it has to be qualified by another That other is .

C H I V ALR Y
H ere too often we stop We are living in an opulent
, ,
.

time We rear ou r you t h like princes B ut we forget

. .

that the first essential to the kn ightly ideal wa s the Quest .

Listen to an account of the ancient custom He wa s .

first solemnly reminded of the duties of a knight and then ,

l eft in the solitude of the sanctuary t o spend the night in

meditation and in prayer Around him in the S hades of .

the aisles were the resting -places of the dead On the .

 THE GO AL : S E RVIC E FO R T H E K INGD O M 2 69

painted windows fain t ly shown by the pal e light of t he

,

moon were t he pic t ur ed records of t he con flicts of t he

,

sain t s and mart yrs of o t her days In front upon the al tar
.
, ,

where lie t he weapons he is t o bear dimly seen by t he rays ,

o f the cons t an t lamp was the cross t he symbol of hi s

, ,

fai t h Wha t is t he meaning of i t ? He is no t simply a

.

restless young wanderer eager for fame S t ill less is he a

,
.

bold mercenary figh t er The knigh t erran t is con s e

,
.

cra t ed t o the service of the weak the needy an d the ,

wronged .

Such an ideal is not uncongeni al to youth Someone .

has said t ha t the keyno t e to boyhood is st r uggle ,

referring doub t less t o the s t ormy endeavors of lads toward

self knowledge and adjus t ment wi t h t heir fell ows E ven
- .

t he Boy Scou t s a peaceful organiza t ion has foun d uni

, ,

fo rm s decora t ions and dri l ls essen t ial

,
And to girls no .
,

less tho ugh I n so mewhat differen t ways t he idea of con

, ,

fli ct I s interwoven wi t h much of their early experience .

Now comes t he M as t er and tell s t hese young pe ople ,

whose whole prepara t ion has been of soldierly quality ,

tha t i ts des t iny is t hi s : warfare yes but warfare in behalf

, ,

of o t hers Jesus recogni zes t he s torm and s t ress of a d oles

.

cence ; he even an t icipa t es i t s con t inui ty but he redeems i t , .

To o n e who looks abroad in the t imes of whi ch we are

a part t here is some t hing more t ha n t he reverberations of
almos t uni versal war to sugges t t hat t he present issue is
mos t sui t ably s ta ted in te rms of Confli c t U ndernea t h t he .

pretex t s t ha t se t the world ablaze we see t he outreaching

of whole races for opport unity and t he s t ruggle of d e m oc
racy to come in t o con t rol T he so called femini s t move
.
-

men t is more t han t he effort t o grasp t he suffrage ; i t is

an expression of an en t ire sex comi ng to se l f reali zation .

P oli t ical s t ruggles take names from contes t s abo ut t he

t ariff and t he regu la t ion of t rus t s but t hey come back to
,

t he person al desire of men and women to have for t hem

selves and for t heir childr en life more abundantly The .

various recen t movemen t s in the chur ches bro t herhoods , ,

revivals organized upon business me t hods o t her co ,

opera t ive movements are endeavors t o make vi t al and

,
2 70 CHI L D ST UD Y AN D CHILD TRAINING ’

e ffective t he crusading spirit that is native to the heart of

every Chris t ian .

We may do this even more vitally and more effectively

, ,

with young people We can transform the love of s tren u

.

ous play of figh t ing of fellowship into the contests of t he

, , ,

Kingdom T heir strength is unspoiled by self—seeking ;

.

they have n ot misused t he S pirit of contest in the s elfish

ness of business or society ; they are not disillusioned .

All t hat is bes t of their enthusiasm vigor and romance ,

may be enlisted in the Holy War .

How may we bes t inculcate in the young the ultimate

of the chivalrous ideal the wil l to serve ? ,

T RAI NI N G TO S E RV E
This like all ou r training mus t follow along the lines
, ,

of the child s own development W e h a ve said t hat the

'
’
.

child at the beginning is self regarding and de manding -

.

We have indica t ed the desirability of his get t ing a sense

of property rights and of l earning to deal prudently with
money and other possessions B ut we do not need to stop.

there T he child wh o is capable of love is also capable

.
, ,

of enjoying the luxur y of giving and serving He may be .

encouraged to t his by t he approval of those wh o train him .

He may be taught to use his love of surprises by planning

unexpected pleasures for others He should be taught to .

sympathize His range of sympa t hy na t urally is limited

.

by his experience He can feel for the sorrows of o t her

.

children wh o have never had no t only what he most prizes

but even his co mmon blessings He can sympa t hize to .

some degree with those wh o are S hut off from sunshine

and outdoor play by sickn ess If he cannot give money .

or goods to these he can help prepare the gif t s and go

,

with those wh o present t hem G radually and steadily .

,

as his intelligence and expe ri ence develop he S hould be ‘

,

brought close to t he various needs of the world T he .

benevolent boards of the churches are of great import ance ,

but they do not always represent instructional material

of t he widest or closest range and unti l recen t ly their ,

facts have not been attractively or simply stated for chil

 T H E G OAL : S E RVIC E FO R T H E K INGD O M 271

dren These boards are t hemselves t o blame in no t build

.

ing up a new clien t ele of support ers if they d o no t educa t e

them .

T he child s al lowance shoul d never be forcibly levied

’

upon for benevolence If he offers t o give le t him do so

.
,

in a free self—respec t ing fashion

,
If he is in t eres t ed and
.

is infor med of the t echnique of bes t owing (t he t i t he sy s

tem for example ; h ow t he money ac t ually gets t o India
, ,

etc ) he wi ll usually become a sys t ema t ic donor when he

.

is quite youn g .

There is much joy in joint benevolence Considerable .

’
ingenui ty has been S hown in young people s socie t ies
(with girl s more than wi t h boys however) in developing ,

co—Operative schemes of handicraf t drama t ics and social ,

entert ai nmen t s for t he sa ke of good cause s I t cannot .

be sai d tha t any of t hese go very far along t he way of

sacrifice but if t he cause is clearly known and really loved
,

an d the personal element is kept alive in t he bestow a l ,

these merry co-opera t ive t asks have considerable val ue

,

in training young pe ople in workin g toge t her .

TH E RI G H T RE LATI O N TO WARD M O N EY
But t here are t hings in t he chi valric life more important
than young people s dram a t ics On e of t hese is t he right
’
.

rela t ion t oward money We turn back to t he a tt i t ude of

.

J esus and of F rancis Of Assi si with refreshmen t and

bewilderment We adm ire and we desp ai r Wh ile on e
.
, .

has to struggle wi t h t he high cos t of S imply keeping alive ,

it is no t always easy t o follow t he t eachings of Jesus who

lived in a time when i t was probably n o t as hard for a
man to clothe hi mself as i t is t od ay It is t he glory of a .

good civil ization that i t crea t es wants and ours has ,

created many whi ch only money can supply I t is easier .

for young persons to see t hi s kind of wan t s and desire

to sat isfy t hem than t he s t ill be tt er ones tha t money
canno t supply The very air is full of the lust of money
.
.

I t ge ts in t o t he home conversa t ion as we express ou r ,

financial anxie t ies t ell of ou r money making schemes

,
-
,

make clear by t he general t rend of ou r talk t ha t whi le we

2 72 CHILD ST UDY AN D CHILD TRA INING

want the children to b e honest and unselfish we shall be ,

ve ry uneasy indeed unless they lay up a fortune .

I t would be difficult in a short chapter to say how a home

can counteract the money loving tendencies of the time
-
.

So far as the young people are concerned we must somehow ,

persuade them that money is not the young kn ight s ’

shield but his sword ; that he must master it that he

, ,

may wield it for good ; that this like his t alen t s may be
, ,

made to help the wronged and serve the Kingdom .

TH E Q U ES T
SO C I AL J U S T I C E
F OR

Some Christians believe that the road of the Master

will in the near future poin t away from the w ays of the
chur ch They poin t to the alienation of wage -earners
.

from her doors They claim t hat the moral fervor that
.

’
once glowed on t he church s altars now S hines in t he halls
of organized labor They say t hat the church is allied
.

with a social system which must be overturned before the

Kingdom of Go d can come on the earth .

T he purpose of this textbook is not to say wh a t the

home or the church shall teach young people about social
questions B ut we are sure that they S hould encourage
.

them to face them boldly We think that eve ry home

.

and the leaders of every church should at least know what

the proletariat: is saying and feeling We believe that .

there is a capitalistic press and a labor press and that ,

most of us read too exclusively of either sort We want .

the men and women wh o are going to lead the church of

G od in the fu t ure to find some wa y of standing beside the
wea ry and the heavy -laden and continuing the task of the
Carpenter of N azareth in lifting their yokes as well as in
giving rest to their so ul s .

TH E C O N S E CRA T I O N
SE LF OF

We have said that not self—cru cifixion but self devotion -

is the motive that appeals to youth Possibly we have

.

implied that such consecration is made in some hour of

crisis only Those hours of vision and definite resolve
.

are indeed holy but perhaps not more so than t hose of

,
 THE G OAL : S E RVIC E FO R T H E K I NGD O M 2 73

every day The mother who can keep s t ep wi t h the

-
.

prayers of her chi ld craves t hat each day may mean t he

gi ving of t he child accordin g t o his knowledge and love , ,

to t he life of t he world as represen t ed in his daily duty .

Here aft er all is where the emphasis mus t be made The

, ,
.

reason why we li sten some t imes wi t h uneasiness to t he

pe t i t ion or resolve expressed in t he young people s meet
’

ing or watch wi t hout pleasure the shallow endeavors of

the servi ce comm i t tee is no t because they are necessa rily
insincere for probably they are n ot bu t because we are
, ,

so afraid they are being made the substi t ute for what is
Vi t al t he consecration of t he daily life An d t his is where
,
.

the perpe t ual companionsh ip of parent and child is most

precious because it gi ves the paren t the chance to t ry to
,

S how how religion is chi efly a ma tt er of home du t ies and

home obligations To ge t the young kn ight to t ransfer .

his enthusiasm from ri di ng gaily in t he lis t s to S haking

down the fur nace is a very di ffic ul t but im portant task .

RE AD ING REFE RE N C E S
A li ttle book by R obert J D ru m m on d Th e C h ri s ti a n K n igh t (Ba g
.
,

s te rs Lo n d on ) e x p re sses m o re fu l ly th a n we h a v e see n e l se wh e re th e con

, ,

v iction th a t C h ri s tia n i ty for y o n g peo pl e sh ou l d be th ou gh t of in te rm s

u

of chi v a l ry . G ra d ed S ocia l S e rv ice for th e S u n d a y S ch ool b y H u tch in s , ,

is b roa d e r th a n its title in d ica te s be i n g a n e a rn e s t e n d ea v or to gi v e g ra d ed

,

su gg es ti on s a pp rop ri a te to ea c h pe ri od fo r co-Ope ra ti v e se r vice by you n g

, ,
'
peo ple S u ch well kn own book s a s M a th e ws S ocia l Tea ch in g s of J esu s
.
-
,

an d R a u s c h en b u s c h s C h ris tia n ity a n d th e S ocia l C ri si s a re m od era te

’

in th ei r sta te m en ts of th e d u ty of th e c h u rc h in V i ew of th e so ci a l S itu a ti on .

'
B ou ck Wh i te s Th e Ca ll of th e Ca rpe n te r is a ra d ica l d ocu m en t on .

th i s su bj ect .

'
J os i ah S tron g s te x tbook s i ssu ed in m on th ly p a rts u n d e r th e title Th e
,

G os pe l of th e K in gd om h a v e bee n fou n d v er y us e fu l in a d u l t cl a sse s

,
”

th a t wi sh to di s cu ss th e social p roblem s of tod a y f rom th e Ch ri s tia n

s ta n d poin t .

B ehin d th e con f u s ion of socia l th eories s tan d s th e vi s i on of th e type of

ma n h ood Wh ic h we c ra ve to h e lp c rea te a s th e fu l les t e x p res s i on of th e
Ch r is tian id eal Recen t writers h a ve a pp roa ch ed this su bj ect from dif
.

fe ren t s tan d o in ts I n his s tim u la tin g C rowd s th e poet-sociologi st

Ge ra ld S ta nle
.
,

y Lee h as e n d ea v ore d to sta te th i s i d ea l in s ocia l te rm s ;

,

in hi s ear lie r Th e Los t Ar t of R ea din g h e h a s writte n it m ore clea r ly

from th e litera ry po int of vi ew Th e mys tics as pira tion was n ev er m ore
.
’

pass ion a tely word ed th a n in Ri ch a rd Jefl eries m em ories of h is you th ’

Th e S tor y of M y Hea rt Bu t p rob a bly th e m ost u se fu l st u di es of th e

.

ma n W h om th e C h r i st wou l d h a v e u s be a re som e re cen t boo k s a bou t

J es u s h im self B ru ce B a rton s Th e Y oun g M a n s J es u s by n o m ea n s
.
’ ’

,
”

a d ee p book yet s u gges ts by its ti tl e th e h on es t d e s i r e to an s we r th is q u es

,
2 74 CHILD S T UDY AN D CH ILD T RAINING

i from th e sta d p oi n t of yo th Cro'oke s Th e S p m a cy of J esu s

t on n u . r
’
u re ,

Ki n g s R a tion al L iv i g a n d F os d ick s Th e M a n h ood of th e M a s ter

’
n

a e c on s ci ou s en d ea v o s to i n te p r et th e i d e a l s of J es u s to y o
r r r g li ves un .

Two te xtb ook s for th i s p u rp os e m y b e rec om m en d e d : J e k s L ife ’

a n

P robl em s of H igh S ch ool B oy s a d Elliott C tler s S tu d e t S ta n d rd s

n - u
’
n a

of A cti on th e l a tter b e i n g i n ten d e d for c oll eg e stu d en ts Th e c on ti n u a

”
.
,

ti on of th i s p e s en t c o
r se of s tu d y by th
ur ,
s t d y of a n y of th e l a t th r ee
e u s

m en ti on e d with th p rp os e of tea ch i n g th e s a m e to cl a s s s of b oy s or
, e u e

gi l s woul d b e a a d m i a bly p ra c tic a l wa y to ca rry th ese l ess on s on chil d

r ,
n r

tra i n in g in to real religiou s ed u ca tion .

 LA B O RA T OR Y E X P E R I M E NTS
The studies which follow are laboratory t opics It .

is believed t ha t t hose who have read t hus far are now

ready for some fir s t hand experimen t s and are equi ppe d
-

t o make somewha t more careful Observations of t heir

own and t o interpret t hem T hose however who have .
, ,

not p u rsued t he course before woul d by no means fail

of profi t by joini ng a class a t t his point .

The methods of work avail able to an average group

are these :
Reminiscence .

I nterviews .

Reading .

O bser va t ion .

E xpe riment .

Survey.

More t han one of t hese are su ggested in each of t he studies

tha t foll ow By . R emini scence is mean t a careful
”
search of one s O TVI I memori es ; by Interviews i nformal
’

bu t purposef u l cha t s wi t h chi ldren as well as more formal

”
ques t ioning of adul t s ; by Reading is imp lied t he search
of di ari es au t obi ogra phies t ab ul a t ed and un t abula t ed
, ,

records e t c as well as t he published ob servations of

.
,
”
o t her s t uden t s E xpe ri men t . implies no t hing like
vivi s ec t ion but si mply modest endeavors to t ry ou t a
,

t heory or to a rrange a S ituation in which a chil d S hall

“ ”
express hi mself na t urally A Survey is a careful
.

stud y of a local so cial si t uation for a defin i te purpose .

The useful rather than t he sc holastic aim is un ders t ood

to be a t the bot t om of every me t hod .

The following genera l hints are in trod uctory to the

study as a whole .

H I NTS ON R E M INI S C E N C E
In tryi ng to recall one s own vi ewpoint ’
as a ch il d the
,

followi ng cautions are needful :

27 5
2 76 CHILD ST UDY AN D CHILD T RAIN ING

1 .D issociate anything you are trying to prove from

what you are trying to remember In fact never try to .
,

prove any t hing except the truth Give every t hing .

your memo ry offers whe t her it is in accord wi t h the gen

,

er a liza tion s of others o r n ot so long as it has direct bear

,

ing on t he case .

2 Separate carefully what you yourself recal l from

.

what you have been told by others and especially be sure

that recent suggestion from your reading has not thrown
itself back into the guise of memory .

H I N T S ON I N T E R V I E W S
I n all conversations Whether informal or by appoint
,

ment with adults or children conceal careful ly your

, ,

theory or thesis Ask only and clearly What do you

.
,

remember ? What do you think ? How do you feel about

this ? With reference to a child especially any expres ,

sion of opinion to be valuable must be checked up by a

, ,

considerable knowledge of the child his temperament , ,

his freedom sinceri t y or reticence of speech and oft en is

, ,

better secured under several differing circumstances and

moods The child is so responsive that he is likely to
.

say what you want him to say His words are not a c .

cep te d in a court of law an d they are no t to be counted

as reliable elsewhere Bu t when you can catch a S pon
. .

ta n e ou s statement of opinion or feeling you have some ,

thi ng and when you have responses from enough children

,

you get quite a respectable body of evidence .

H I NT ON R E ADI N G
Y ou will value in quite di fferent categories the litera
ture Of insight the popular book based on second—hand
,

evidence and t he monograph of original research

,
.

H I N T S ON O B S E R V A T I O N AND E X P E RI M E N T
The following valuable suggestion is from Coe What .

o observe is not the subjective states of children but

y u ,

what they d o in any particular s itu a tion There is a .

S ituation and here is the reaction ; usually there is a social

 LA B O RA T O RY E XP E RI ME N TS 2 77

situation and here is a social response O b serve care .

ful ly t he origin al si t uation and just how the chil dr en

respond to i t Then change t he S itua t ion in a S ingle
.

definable way and no t e the change in t he chi ldren s ’

reac t ions D o n ot explain in advance wh y you make t he

.

change an d do not t ell t he children how you expec t t hem

,

to act Jus t change t he si t ua t ion and no t e t he changed

.

response Al ways no t e age sex and any other known

.
, ,

de t erminan t of t he child s conduc t In t erpre t your no t es

’
.

in t erms of instinc t s or o t her unlearned t endencies in ,

habi t s ideals laws of growth or laws of learning

, ,
.

H I NT S F OR A S U R V E Y
T he following di re ct ions that are given for investiga t in g
cert ain subjec t s of s t udy by t he survey me t hod are chosen
from the best surveys t ha t have actually been made t ha t
are available Unless the s t udent is sure he has a wiser
.

me t hod he wo ul d be t ter carefully follow t hose indicated .

T heir value is tha t t hey clearly had in mind what was

being sought aft er and chose what seemed t o be the bes t
ques t ions by which t o find i t ou t .

TH E R E M AI N I N G TO PI C S
So me of the topics cover more t horoughl y gr ound tha t
has al ready been touched in some of the firs t thi rt y —six
chap t ers Bu t t hey involve di rect contac t wi t h prac t ical
.

details and applica t ions and closer rela t ions be t ween t he

,

individual problem and t he social problem as i t appears

in t he school t he church and t he communi ty The pur
, .

pose is not only t o master more thoroughly wha t has

been read but to use i t more effec t ively To t his end
, .

the observa t ions interviews wi t h adul t s and expe ri men t s

,

nearly all have some practic al an d immediate focus .

The di vision of t he rest of the s t udy is by t opics ra t her

t han by chap t ers I t is n ot an t icipated t ha t a ll of t hese
.

will be used by any given class Classes t hat are able to

.

give n ot more t han t hree months more to t he s t udy wil l ,

in t welve sessions use not more than a dozen of the

,

topics One will usual ly be enough for a session

. .
2 78 CHILD ST UDY AN D CHILD TRAINI NG

I t is presupposed t hat the leader and the class wil l

decide in conference before going further which of the
, ,

topics S hall be taken up and that S ince most of them

, ,

requi re and will reward a preparation lasting more than

on e week ass gn m en ts wi l l be made a t this time to those
,
_
wh o wi ll report upon nearly eve ry one of the topics .

Where more than one method of investigation is sug

gested under a single topic it is desirable t hough it is n ot
,

necessary that a ll of them shoul d be followed up

,
.
 TOPIC I
I N STA N C E S OF M IS U N D E RSTA N D I N G A N D OF
B E I N G M I S U N D E RST OOD
T hroughout the earlier chap t ers we were con t inually
no t icing how children were wronged because they were
misunderstood We saw that t heir primi t ive instinc t s
.

were always getting t hem in t o trouble t hat we were ,

never prepared t o apprecia t e t heir imagina t iveness tha t ,

in all our rela t ions wi t h them of di scipline fellowship , ,

even of religious nurture we were con t inually trampling

,

upon some impulse fancy convic t ion whi ch we did no t

, , ,

even know exis t ed We saw t ha t when adolescence came

.

wi t h all i t s s t orm and s t ress t he child wh o had been in

j ured all hi s life by o t hers was n ow in danger of self—injury
because he di d no t unders t and him self The purpose of .

t he poin t s for inves t iga t ion named below is to S how up

some of t he more common ma tt ers of misun derstanding
and t hus t o pu t ourselves on guard aga ins t t hem .

I t hardly need be said t ha t in t his and all the succeed

,

ing t opics in which it is implied t hat the pupils are to be

free of t ex t book or teacher successful class sessions
,

depend upon fai t hful and hear ty prepara t ion of t he work

sugges t ed Some of t he t asks sugges t ed are for individ
.

u al s and some are co operat ive

-
T ho u gh assigned by
.

t he leader i t is presu med t hat each st uden t volun t eers as

,

to which assignmen t he prefers Several may accept t he

.

same t ask and thus bring in res ul t s t ha t are of increased

,

value because arrived a t independen t ly

,
.

WO RK UND E R T H I S TO PI C
1 No t e as carefull y as you can the ins t ances in your
.

childhood and you t h when you were misunders t ood .

Place t he da t es as closely as possible Selec t only in .

stances in which you judge tha t there was no faul t in

your behavior simple cases of rni s a pp r eh en d in g words
,

or acts or mo t ives Having done t his no t e in each case

.
, ,

for report the cause of the misunders tan ding

, .

2 79
2 80 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD TRAINING

Was i t because you did not know how to express

yourself ?
Was it because the adult apparently did n ot take pains
to un derstand ?
Was i t due to some secret fancy that you did not wish or
feel able t o explain ?
D id you intend to cast suspicion on yourself ; and if
so wh y ? etc
,
.

2 Confess a number of instances in which you have

.

failed to understand a given child G ive the reasons wh y .

you think you failed G ive the explanations that now

.

occur to you State any unsolved cases Suggest how

. .

you or others could enter into more perfect understanding .

3 List the next twenty questions that are spontaneously

.

asked you by a given child Outline your answers State

. .

in each case wha t you think the child wa s seeking U se a .

noteb ook for this and indicate age and sex of child
, .

4 As a help to your own understan di ng ask several

.
,

children of various ages what they are most afraid of ,

and wh y .

5 Since the child is often n ot self explanatory take a

.
-
,

S pecific case of temper and give as many extenuating

,

circumstances as you can think of endeavoring to take ,

’
the child s viewpoint .

6 D eal wi th a case of sul kiness in the same way

. .

7 T ake the habit of crying spells and seek simil ar ex

.

planations .

8 G ather a few instances of

. prodigals that is of ,

boys or girls wh o left home because they were unhappy

there If you have the confidence of on e such person
.
,

relate his story and his reasons anonymously in ful l or , , ,

give several such s t ori es in part with the probable reasons

from the prodigals standpoi nts ’
.

9 In your own home you have become convinced that

.

a certain misunderstanding is due to a circumstance that

you know and can remedy Change the situation in that
.

respect and report the result If y ou get no resul t al ter

.
,

the e xperiment in the light of your further wisdom .

 T H E HI DD E N L O NGI NGS OF CH ILDH OO D 28 1

TOP I C I I
T HE H I DDE N L O N G I N G S O F C H I LD H OO D
T he purpose of this s t udy is t o come closer to an
unders t anding of individual children by bringi ng t o ligh t
ty pical ins t ances of desires t ha t have been s t rongly held
by children but which for various reasons have been
kep t concealed The fur t her aim is to learn how we may
.

help children ei t her by bringing such desires to frui t ion ,

or at least by sympathi zing with them .

WO RK U N D E R TH I S T O PI C
1 T ry t o sta t e clearly (bes t on pape r) a few of the
.

hidden longings of your chi ldhood and youth Beneath .

each on e pu t no t es as follows :
()
a At wha t age did t his desire begin h ow l ong di d it
,

las t and when did i t cease ?

,

()
b D id i t o r did i t no t come to ful film en t ? I n what
way ?
(c) Why did you conceal i t : because it was im pos si
ble of fulfil men t because yo u t hough t adul t s
,

woul d n ot understand or sympa t hize be cause ,

y ou though t i t migh t be wrong or for wha t ,

reason or reasons ?
(d) Wha t was t he influence of this desi re upon you ,

t hen and la t er ?
(e) Have you suspec t ed or known such a desire in
t he mind of your own child ? Of another
chi ld ? How ha ve you deal t wi t h i t ?
G ive a S ke t ch of a few si gnifican t hi dden desires in
the lives of children of which we have record in li t era t ure .

(T he following books if avai lable wil l be useful

, ,
Biog .

r a ph ie s which s peak of their subjec t s childhood in de t ail

’

, ,

may also be searched U na Hun t s . U na Mar y

’

Chapter V I I I of G S t anl ey Hall s . Adolescence

’

Chap t ers I I V and X I of Ann ie S t eger Wins t on s Mem

,
’

oirs of a Child an d Mari e Ba s hkirtseff s a u tob iog ’

r a ph y .
)
28 2 CHILD S T UDY AND CH I LD T RAI NING

3 G ive instances of this sort that have been told you

.

by other adults Make special inqui ries al so for this

.

report .

T O PI C I I I
T H E I N T E R E STS OF A N I N D I V I D U AL C H I LD
Study one child (more t han one if you can) and find ou t
from his conversation his school record as interpreted
,

by his teacher his activi t ies at home and in any other

,

possible wa y what are his principal interests Tabulate .

these placing in the first column the subj ects he studies

,

in school and in the second his chief activi t ies ou t of

,

school U nderline singly and doubly to indi cate the

.

intensity of the appeal of any Connect by a line items

.

in on e column that are related to items in another column .

Connect by dotted lines items in on e column that inter

fere with or are exclusive of items in the other column .

H aving done this study the results and give a report

, , ,

verbally or in writing on t he following poin t s :

,

H ow many items in each column seem to represent real ,

natural interests ?
How do the school activities help or hinder the outside
activities ?
H ow do the outside interests help or hinder the schoo l
interests ?
What do the answers to th e last two ques t ions suggest
as to the desirability of modifying either school or outside
activi t ies ? In making t his study th e student should read
again Chapter X I I I .

TOPI C IV
S C H OO L AN D THE LIFE I N T E R E STS OF
The aim is to discover in various ways how school, ,

may be more closely related to the permanent interests

of life .
 SCH OO L AN D T H E IN TE R E S TS OF LI F E 2 83

WO R K UND E R TH I S T O PI C
.1 What specific subjec t s of s t udy in school (such as
li t erature drawing na t ure s t udy e t c ) awoke or s tirn u
, , ,
.

lated in your life in t eres t s t ha t have become vital ? In

your reply specify h ow they did so whe t her by t he
, ,

me t hod of presen t ation some fea t ure of t he t ex t book or,

labo ra t o ry t he en t husiasm of t he t eacher the evi dent

, ,

rela t ion wi t h an in t erest already ale r t on e or all , .

.2 Reviewing the p ri ncipal subjec t s of ins t ruction in

t he common schools which in your case t ended to s tim u ,

late which t o sa t ia t e an d whi ch t o des t roy vi t al inter

,

ests ? The test of course woul d be a compa ri son of the

, ,

vi t ali ty of such in t erests so far as it can be made before , ,

and af t er t he study of t hese subjec t s .

.3 Wh i ch subjec t s of s t udy in school d o your children

t al k over wi t h y ou a t home ? Co ncerning whi ch are t hey
S ilent ? What inferences d o t hese facts suggest ?
.4 Ask a child of a given age (more than on e if poss ible)
what subjec t s in school in t eres t him and why T hen , .

suggest t he possible rela t ions of ea ch of these s t udi es to

his life presen t or futu re and no t e hi s fur ther com
, ,

men t s .

.5 Wha t if any has been the favorable influence upon

, ,

you la t er of s t udi es whi ch in schooldays were n o t your

favori t es ? In your reply make some such classifi ca t ion ,

as t his , subjects tha t were t he t ools of knowledge (such

as spelling) ; subjects tha t were believed to be di s cipli
nary subjec t s t ha t were no t well introduced or ade
qu a tely explained to you ; subjec t s for whi ch you were
no t ripe Wha t in de t ail is your impression as to favor
.
, ,

able possibili t ies tha t migh t have been brought o u t by ,

rearrangemen t by be t ter presen t a t ion by omissi on ?

, ,
“

.6 Secure a copy of t he curriculum of ou r local high

school and study it in relation to the probable futur es
of i t s pupils Wha t changes if any woul d be desirable
.
, ,

t o b ri ng the school cl oser to the life intere sts of ou r young

people
2 84 CHILD S TU DY AN D CHILD TRAINING

T O PI C V
A R OU N D T H E C L O C K WI T H A C H I LD A T P LAY
A study like this has been undertaken before at two ,

di fferent ages of childhood and it may be hoped tha t the

,

resul t s of t hese two investigations may be presented to

day B ut t hey will be of greater value if t hey are not
.

o ffered until after indi viduals have made their own inde
pendent observations Students of childhood wh o are
.

experts will welcome gladly careful testimonies regardi ng

the life of the chil d in his free play .

I t is suggested that each member of the class take this

one subj ect for report There is room for different a p
.

p r oa ch e s as to age sex and circumstance

, , Such an .

investigation will be more valuable the longer it is con

tin u ed and the more times specific observations are made .

F ollowing are su ggestions for various ways of under t aking

the work .

WO R K UND E R T H I S TO PI C
1 .I n the N ur sery The mo t her of a little chi l d can
.

easily with a small notebook at her hand jot down each

, ,

playful ac t ivi ty of t he child from the time he wakes in

the morning until he takes his nap The fact that on e .

observer made over seventy separa t e notes in the space

of two hours indicates how varied are such play activities
.

and how copious faithful notes would be In such ob .

s erv a tion s the mother of course will n ot confin e herse lf

, ,

to play with toys or articles of any sort Some playful .

activities will perhaps involve no obj ects at all There .

should be no discrimination in her s earch for facts though ,

brief interpretations would not be amiss a t the time .

The essential t hing is to catalog ue all that t akes place and ,

afterward to find out what the fac t s reveal .

After the mother has taken all the notes S h e cares to ,

such as the comple t e record of a play —day of twelve

hours or records taken at di fferent periods of the day or
, ,

records of play under different circumstances such as

indoors and ou t doors wi t h companions and alone
,
Sh e
 AR O UN D T H E CLO C K WI T H CHILD A T P LAY 2 85

is ready for t he study of her notes She may set t le upon .

an y t opic of special search tha t she chooses such as on e

of t hese :
What proport ion of the play if any was dramatic , , ,

imagina t ive in character ? ,

Wha t general differences were there in ac t ivi ty in i ti , ,

ative success enjoymen t between t he soli t ary play and

, ,

the co —opera tiv e p la y ; or between t he play wi t h an adul t

'

and wi t h ano t her child ?

Wha t differences were t here in t he play a t differen t
times of day ; or b e t ween the play indoors and ou t doors ?
What S pe cific reac t ions did t he chil d make to separa t e
play t hi ngs (t oys of various sor t s household art icles no t ,

meant for playthin gs e tc ) ? ,

2 The P lay of t he Y oung School Child

. The mo t her .

can observe such play so far as i t t akes place in her own ,

house or back yard She S ho ul d do so unob s erved e g .

, . .
,

by leaving a door open I t may be bo t h su rprisin g and .

ins t ructive to do s o Some of t he objec t s named above .

ma y be kept in mind par t icul arly as to t he influence of ,

differen t playmates upon ac t ion ideas and ideals , .

3 The P lay of t he O lder School C h ild

. Here t he .

student usu al ly depe nds upon t he child s own report

’
.

T0 encourage such a chil d wh o usually ta lk s about his ,

p lay freely to go in t o detai l as to just wha t he does and

,

why he does i t and wh o sugges t s and leads etc will be , .

,

very ins t ruc t ive I t woul d be both po s sible and desirable

.

t hat t he observer should watch the same child in th e

yard on the playground in t he woods and other haun t s
, ,

of hi s group e t c bo t h unn o t iced and as a part of the

,
.
,

company .

In a ll such stud ies t ha t are to be repo r ted t he age and ,

se x Of t he child an d a fair repor t o f all influen t ial cir

,

cu m s tan ce s shoul d be given The purpose in ea ch

, .

ins t ance S hould be no t to prove a thesis bu t to discover ,

the t ru t h .

4 A S t udy of an Adul t s P lay Make a self examina

’
-
. .

t ion D O y ou reall y play ? When ? How regu l arly ?

.

How do your play —in t eres t s di ffer from t hose when y ou

2 86 CHILD S T UDY AND CHILD TRAI NING

were a child ? What does play do for you different from

what it used to do ? D o you play enough ? D o you play
to the best advantage ? What conside ri ng yo u r needs , ,

would be for you a model play program ?

TO P I C V I
A C H I LD S R E A D IN G
’

What is desired in this study is knowledge of what

children actually read particularly with the though t of
,

s t udying what t hey like and also of finding ou t how their

likings may be wisely di rected and bettered by adul t s .

Any of the following methods of investigation would be

frui t ful .

WO R K UND E R TH I S TO PI C
1 An extant list of books tha t were read by some boy
.

or girl (Children sometimes keep such separate lists ;

.

others record them in dia r ies In presenting such a list .

try to trace the ages represented at each point and give ,

the sex ) .

A list procured by tracing back the record upon a

given child s libra ry card ’
.

’
3 A composite list of children s reading procured in
.
,
’
co operation wi th a children s librarian
-
by coun ting on ,
’
the book slips in the children s department the number
-

of times books have been taken ou t during a given period .

(The search might be for the twenty most popular books ,

but the titles least frequent ly sought for would be equally

si gni ficant I t would be desirable either by confining
.
,

the search to a certain alcove restricted to children of a

certain range of age or some other plan which the librarian
may suggest to discover what ages of children are repre
,

sented in the result ) .

4 A list prepared by co operation with a given child

.
,
-
,

whose sex and age are reported of all he reads during a ,

short interval including papers and magazines as well as

,

b ooks .
 PRAC T I CAL ST O RY-TE LLI NG 28 7

5 A catalog of a chil d s library wi t h Special notes t o

.
’
,

show two poin t s the books chosen by t he child and those

,

chosen by others for him and which books are the child S ,
’

favori t es .

6 A catalog of a ho e bookcase indicating by number

. . .
, ,

at leas t the books which t he children wo ul d enjoy read

,

ing and t he depar t ments of li t era t ure which such books

represen t .

7 A s t udy of nickel novels

. A repo rt produced by .
,

friendly CO operation wi t h a dealer of t he series t ha t are

-
,

favori t es wi t h young people indica t ing the proportion of ,

boys and of girls and t he range of age The inves t iga t or .

S hould purchase samples of all t he series in s t ock and ,

examine t hem for his report wi t h reference t o t heir s tyle ,

t heir useful ness t heir pu ri t y of language t heir mechanical

, ,

appearance t heir moral t one an d t he reasons adduced

, ,

for t hei r populari ty Sugges t ions as to possibili t ies of

.

subs t i t u t ion would be helpful .

8 A s t atemen t of t he resources an d needs of t he chil

.

dren s depart ment of t he loc al public li brary prepared

’

by co Opera t ion wi t h the libra ri an

- .

9 A similar statement concerning t he local church

.

library See also Topic XX V I for more de t ailed s u g ges

.

t ions on t his poin t .

T O PI C VI I
P RA CT I CA L S TO R Y— T ELL I N G
SO impor t an t is s t o ry telling because of i t s emo t ion al
-
,

i t s intellec t ual and its moral appeal in t he home t he , ,

school and t he church t hat t his course would not be com

,

p le te wi t hou t on e or more exerci ses by the class in t he

actual t elling of s t ories These exerci ses will n ot be .

e ffec tive unless t he s t ory t elling is accompan ied by criti -

cis m kindl y and fri endly and in t ended to improve t he

,

techni que of all wh o are present F ollowing are a few .

2 88 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAINI NG

suggestions as to subject method of telling and plan for ,

criticism (We firs t s t udied

. story -
telling in Chapter
XIX ) .

S U GG E S T I O N S F OR S UB JE C TS
Some stu d ent may like to retell a story that has
1 .

been told by another The following are a few t hat are .

commonly accessible In using them the story teller .

,
-

will of course make t hem his own so far as possibl e both

, ,

in structure and language and will on no account read

them to the class .

T he F isherman and His Wife from Andersen ,

.

” ’
The Story of G areth from the I dyls of the Kin g , .

”
The Pig Brother .

”
Pippa P asses from Browning ,
.

F rom the Bible these are suggested :

D avid and Mephibosheth .

The T hree Hebrew Children from D aniel , .

Jezebel and Jehu .

An excellent subject for experiment is the story of the

visit of the three angels to Abraham recorded in Gen xvii i ,
. .

This is the passage :

B ut Abraham moved hi s t en t and came and dwel t in th e plain

of M amre whi ch is in Hebron An d Jeh ovah appeared to
, .

Abrah am by th e oaks of M am re as h e was S i tting at th e door ,

of th e tent in th e h eat of th e d a y ; and as h e l ooked u p h e sa w , ,

th ree men stan ding th ere opposi te h im And as soon as h e saw .

them h e ran from th e door of th e tent to meet th em and bowed

,

him self to th e ground and said M y lords if n ow I h ave fou nd , , ,

favor in your sigh t d o n ot I pray you pass by your servant

, , ,
.

Le t a li ttle water be brough t I pray you th at you may wash , ,

your fee t and res t yourselves under th e tree ; a n d le t m e bring

,

a bi t of bread th at you may refresh yourselves ; afterward you

,

m a y go on your way sin ce for thi s reas on you are passing by

,

your servant And th ey repli ed Do even as you h ave said

.
, .

S O Abrah am h as tened in to th e ten t to Sarah and said M ake , ,

ready quickly th ree measures of fin e meal knead i t and bake , ,

cakes Abrah am al so ran to th e h erd and took a calf tender

.
, ,

an d good and gave i t to th e servant th a t h e m igh t pre pare i t

, ,

qui ckl y And h e took cur ds a n d mil k wi th th e calf wh ich h e

.
,
 PRACT ICAL ST O RY—TE LLING 28 9

h ad dressed an d se t be fore th em and h e was wai ting on th em

, ,

un der th e tree while th ey a te ,

.

Th en th ey said to him Wh ere is th y wife ? And h e sa id , ,

Th ere wi thin th e tent An d h e said I will ce rtai nl y re turn to .

,

th ee about a year from now an d th en Sarah th y wife sha ll ,

h ave a son .

F rom t he sta ndpoin t of s t ory telling me t hod and of -

the child s interes t t he angel -s to ri es are t he fai ry s t ories

’

,
-

of t he Bible and t hey sho ul d be told wi th t he same grace

,

and lightness of t ouch Af t er two or t h ree versions of .

thi s narra t ive have been given the leader m ay like t o ,

presen t to thi s clas s the followi ng which is t aken from an ,

”
early chapter in The Junior Bible in the graded series ,

of the Bible S t udy U ni on L essons :

Long long a go across the ocea n th ere was a i i ch m an nam ed

, ,
-

Abraha m He did n ot live in a fin e h ouse as rich pe ople do in

.
,

th is country and h e di d n ot kee p hi s ri ch es in a h ouse Instea d

, .

of that h e h a d h undred s an d th ousan ds of S h ee p and g oats

,

and ca ttl e ; and h e and h is wife Sara h lived in a ten t o n a grea t

plain where h e coul d look after hi s ma ny se rvants a s th ey
, ,

ca red for hi s flocks and h erds .

B ut al th ough Abrah am was so ri ch he was not al togeth er ,

h appy For h e and his wife Sarah h a d no son or daugh ter One
. .

day God sai d to Abrah am

,
GO forth from th y coun try to a , ,

land th a t I will Sh ow th ee And I wi ll surely bless th ee an d .

,
”
m ake th y na me gr ea t so th a t th ou sh al t be a blessing So, .

Abrah am obeyed God s comm an d and h e and Sarah gath eri n g ’

u p all th eir be longin s se t ou t for th e far -di s ta n t lan d

g An d h e,
.

h a d a neph ew nam ed Lot wh o went wi t h h im Lo t al so h a d .

m any flocks and h erds I t was a long journey P ar t of th e .

.

time th ey h a d to t ravel across a desert wh ere th ere was no ,

water noth ing but dreary plains of sa nd Th ey h a d to be on

,
.

th e lookout al l th e t im e for li ons an d ot h er wild bea st s as well ,

as robbers B ut at l as t t h e y came to th e new la nd wh i ch was

. ,

called C anaan Here Abrah am an d Lo t found pas tures for .

th eir flocks and lived in th eir tent s as t h ey h a d done in th eir

,

form er h om e And t h eir flocks mul tipli ed an d th e y gr ew

.
,

rich er an d rich er .

One h ot day wh ile h e was livi ng h ere Abrah am was sitting

, ,

in front of his t ent door ; and i t h appen ed t h at t h ree stran gers

came down to the road in fron t of h is ten t And Abrah am .
2 90 CHILD ST UDY AN D CHILD TRAI NING

call ed ou t to th em : M y frie n ds st op h ere with m e for a whil e ,

.

a n d res t ; le t a li tt le water be brough t I pray you t h at you m a

y , ,

wash your feet a n d rest yourselves un der th e t ree And let m e

, .

bring you a bi t of bread th at you m a y refresh yourselves ; ,

”
afterwards you may g o on your wa y And th e strangers .

accepted Abrah am s in vi t ation and sat down by th e t ent And

’
, .

Abrah am cal led to Sarah and sai d to h er : Th r ee strangers

h ave just com e and I wan t to give th em som e t hing to eat ;
,
”
bake some cakes for t h em ri gh t away please S o Sara h t ook , .

som e flour a n d baked a p a n of cakes An d Abrah am cal led a

,
.

servant a n d said to him M ake h ast e and bring a ten der roast
,
”
for som e guest s wh o h ave just c om e S o th e servan t did as .

Abrah am said An d Abrah am brough t a pa n of water s o th at

.

th e strangers c oul d wash t h eir fee t ; for t h ey di dn t wear sh oes

’

in th ose days as we d o n ow but only sandal s And after a , .

tim e h e brough t t h em th e cakes a n d th e roast and som e nice ,

c ool milk and th ey h a d a good dinn er

,
.

Now Abrah am supposed th at th ese thr ee strangers were just

ordinary travell ers going on a journey ; but reall y th ey were
angels sen t from God And wh en th ey rose to go wh at d o you
.
,
“
s u ppose th ey said Th ey said
? B ecause you h ave tri ed to ,

obey all God s com mands God is goi n g to gi ve you and Sarah
’

,
”
a li ttle son . An d in ab out a year a baby was indeed b orn to
Abrah am and S ar ah a n d th ey cal led h is nam e Isaac And h e
, .

was th e ancestor of th e great nati on called th e Hebrews .

2 Some student may like to tell a story from a pictu re

. .

The following are issued in the various penn y series :

The A ge of Inn ocence (Reynolds) .

The D octor (F ildes) .

T he Child in the Temple (Hunt) .

The Gleaners (Millet) .

3 O thers may be willing to compose a narrative on

.
,

the old models or suggested by their own experience .

E xcellent sources for stories of a varied character are

these :
Stories to Tell to Children (B ryant) .

F or the Story -Teller (B ailey) .

Stories and Story T elling (Partridge) -

.

4 The wri t er had a successful experience in a class of

.

this sor t by dictating a skele t on for a story giving his ,

’
class ten minutes intermission and then asking each to
'
 P RACT ICAL ST O RY TE LLIN G —
29 1

tell a story bui l t upon the requi red skeleton The outlin e .

was thi s :
A si t ua t ion arises in W t h true wort h of some so r t will
be made clear T hree persons conscio usly or un con
. ,

s ciou sl y will show their wort h in this respec t and t here

, ,

will be some recogni t ion or reward for t he mos t wort hy .

I t was apparen t t ha t such a s t ory woul d probably t urn

ou t to be useful for moral ends The res ul ts were as .

ton ishi n gly varied but each member of t he class me t

,

t he t es t easily (though previously all expresse d al arm) ,

al l t old good s t ories and every s t ory woul d have be en

,

immediately useful in moral educa t ion O ne young .

woman placed her scene in a king s court where un se lfis h

’

ness of conduct was a t temp t ed and reco gnized ano t her ,

gave instances of self denial in an a t hletic contest ; a

young man gave ins t ances by which boys applyin g for a
position endeavored in t ur n to prove their avail abil i ty .

It being unders t ood t ha t any s t ory t old to t he class is

intended for children the sto ry tell er sh oul d make state
,
-

ments before beginning as to ,

T he purpo se of t he story .

The age for whi ch it is in tended .

The type of the sto ry whe t her on e of sense appe al a, ,

my t h a legend a fable 3 fairy s t ory or a hero tale

, , , .
-
.

E ach member of the class should t ry consciously to

follow as many as possible of the suggestions given in
Chap t er X I X particul a rly as to
,

A good beginning .

Plenty of ac t ion and sense appeal .

A method of intense visualizing .

The moral interwoven di s t inctly in t he plot (n ot tagg ed

on ) .

A fin e climax .

C riticism is to be made of t he story n ot of the story ,

teller I t ma y follow along t he li nes of purpo se in di ca t ed

.

H as th e s t o ry -t eller gained hi s purpose ?

Was hi s s t ory appropria t e t o t he age for whi ch it was
design ed ?
2 92 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAIN ING

Was the story well constructed ? '

D id it have the five virtues of a good story j ust named ? ,

A good beginning plen t y of action etc )

( , , .

5 Another excelle nt method of studying a story is to

.

study the child who is listening to the story and for this ,

reason i t is wel l for each story -teller to try her narra t ive
on some real children and report the result or t o have ,

the class present among children when some member of

t he class is telling her s t ory Miss Angela M Keyes in
. .
,
”
her excellent book on The Sto ry says that a listening ,

child may be making any one or more of the following

responses to a story Which reaction did you r story
.

telling produce ?
(1) I t is listening
.

(2) I t is remaining silent .

(3) I t is commenting .

(4) It is joining in .

(5 ) It is retelling
.

(6) I t is partially retelling .

(7) I t is telling other stories .

(8) I t is inventing stories .

(9) I t is expressing story images in other m edia .

(1 0) I t is playing the sto ry .

(1 1) I t is g rowing by the power and grace of the story .

T O P IC V I I I
C H I LD R E N S I DE AS OF P RA YER
’

The object is to learn a little more about the spiritual

conceptions that children hold and to discover h ow to ,

help them to clearer and more helpful views of the possi

b ilities of personal communion with God To avoid self .

consciousness or the possibility of flippa n cy it is desir ,

able that the children shoul d be questioned when they are

al one and in a quiet mood E ven more significant would
.

b e remarks dropped spontaneously and careful ly recorded .

 CHILDRE N S IN TE R E S T IN T H E B I B L E
’
293

If questions are used they shoul d be framed so as n o t to

,
.

sugges t a preconceived reply or to sus t ain t he lo gic of t he

questioner .

WO R K UND E R T HI S TO PI C
1 A report on a given chil d s views of pr ayer
’

.
At .

differen t t imes perhaps ask t hese quest ions : Wh y d o

, ,

people pray ? D o you ever pray excep t when y ou say

”
your prayers ? Wha t do you some t imes sa y when you
pray t ha t way ? Do you ever pray when you do n ot ask
for some t hing ? D o y ou lik e t o pray ? Why ?

T he above ques t ions are only adapted to children about

ten to t welve years old .

2 A sketch of t he his tory of your own prayer life : Y our

.

firs t recoll ec t ions of prayer ; how you were t aught t o pray ;

t he feelings wi t h whi ch you prayed a t differen t ages of
life ; any reluc t ance to pray and its cause a t any tim e ;
, ,

any cessa t ion of t he prayer habi t and i t s oc casion ; any ,

loss of belief in t he effica cy of prayer at any t ime and i t s ,

provocation ; any revival of the desi re to pray and i t s ,

occasion ; a valua t ion of the habit of prayer in your spiri t

ual developmen t .

3 A histo ry of the influence of famil y worshi p in your

.

spiri t ual experience .

4 The efiec t upon yourself of the pra ye rs of o t hers ;

.

’ “
your mother s prayers ; pul pi t prayers ; t he prayer
mee ting ; t he Chri s t ian E ndeavor society ; the prayer
book ; oc casions of fast or thanksgi vin g .

TOPI C I X
’
C H I LDRE N S I N T E RE ST I N T HE B I B LE
Thi s subjec t whi ch we touched in Chapter XX I I is
, ,

of great impo rt ance to a ll those wh o have to d o with r e

ligi ou s teachin g We d o not know enough about i t
.
.

Ye t we are framing ou r Sunday school curricul a upon t he -

meagre informa t ion t ha t we have I t is of vit al in t erest .

2 94 CH ILD S T U DY AN D CHILD TRAININ G

to the home in which the Bible is taught first to mo st

,

children and where i t sho ul d be of perpetual interest and

influence .

WO R K UND E R T HI S TO PI C
1 Which Bible s t ories do your children most oft en ask
.

for ? Give ages and sexes and indicate order of prefer

ence in each case Where you know give the sta t ed
.
,

reason for t he preference .

2 What parts of t he B ible do your children most

.

enjoy hearing read to them ? Us e the same me t hods of

report as in 3 .

3 How did you take possession Of the Bible ? What

.

parts do you first remember ? H ow did you ge t access to

them ? Through stories hearing them read through a , ,

story Bible through a K ing James version ? D id t he

-
,

style or the pictures in the book affect your interest in

any wa y ? Which did you enjoy more the literal version ,

or some paraphrase ? State successively what other par t s

interested y ou when and wh y D id you have any par
, .

ticul ar aversions ; if so on what accoun t ? What are now

,

your favorite portions and wh y ?

4 How has the Sunday schoo l affecte d the interest of
.

your children I n the Bible ?

G ive age and sex and grade in Sunday school and indi
cate in a general way the me t hods Of instruction naming ,

the t ex t books used Some persons say an early t eaching

.

of the Bible in Sunday school destroys in t erest in it la ter .

How about it ? Wh at specifically have these children

seemed to gain as the resul t of Sunday school teaching ? -

5 What influences in life have led you to the Bible ?

.

P arents Sunday school sermons re ading in public school

, , , ,

influences of other literature in t erest Of friends sorrows , , ,

curiosity etc ? N ame all and indicate how they s tim u

,
.
,

lated or guided or upheld such reading .

6 What influence if any has the s o called

.
,
modern ,
-

vi ewpoint of the Bible had upon young people Old enough

to know anything about it ? Talk wi t h a few t houghtful
boys and girls of high —school age .

7 G et the attitude of a number of young people prefer

.
,
 PE RS O NS WH O HAVE IN F LU E NC E D ME 29 5

ably over ten as to the accoun t s of miracles in t he B ible

, .

D o t hey believe in them or do t hey accoun t for t hem ? ,

Wha t effec t does t heir a tt i t ude seem t o have upon t heir

religious life ?
8 If you know young people who read the Bib le dail y
.
,

or wi t h considerable regul ari ty find ou t wha t course of ,

readi ng t hey adop t wha t are their conscious mo t ives

, ,

whe t her or not t hey enjoy i t wha t they think t hey get ,

ou t of it .

9 Read aloud to a child who is not much in t eres t ed in

.

t he Bible narra t ive passages from on e Of the new tr an s la

t ions Mofia tt s or W eym ou th s or t he T wen t ie t h Cen t ury
’ ’ ’

N ew Tes t ament and report the reac t ion

, .

TO P I C X
P E RS O N S WH O HA V E I N F L UE N C E D M E
Me in the title means anyone wh o can be induced
to give t es t imony We have al ready learned tha t t he
.

personal touch is t he mos t effec t ive force in moral educa

ti on We desire t oday t o confirm t hat kn owledge by
.

individual t es t imony and furt her to endeavor to learn

,

jus t what quali t ies in personali ty are no t iceably infl u en

t ial ; S O far as possible we would like to have t he t es t i
,

mony from people Of different ages and concerning t hose

in differen t w al ks of life who have been influen t ial .

WO R K U N D E R T H I S T O PI C
.1 N ame to yourself t he persons wh o have been no t able
miles t ones Of influence in your l ife Taking t hem in .

order of y our own age ask yourself t hese ques t ions :

, ,

Which in order Of rank were more influen t ial to me in

, ,

t hi s person ?
Appearance .

Dress .

B enefi t s received from .

M a nners .
296 CHILD S TUDY AN D CHILD T RAI NING

Affectionate demeanor .

Athletic prowess .

I ntellec t ual ability .

Social graces .

G oodness .

Make some sort of tabul ation or summ ary as to what

qualities impressed you most at each age .

2 Try to get from several children (no t ing age and sex)
.

their frankest statements as to W hom they admire (n ot

”
love ,like most and get them to say wh y , .

3 A sk a number of childre n (noting age and sex)

.

whom they woul d best wish to be like Tell them that .

persons no longer living may be included Such a study .

,
’
in nine chapters was undertaken in E arl B arnes
,
Studies
”
in E ducation second series u n der the caption
, Type , ,
”
Study of I deal s with a large number of C hildren D O
,
.

not c ompare notes u ntil y ou have finished your own

questionnaire .

4 F ind out from as many groups of chi l dren as possible

.

wh o is their leader and find out why , .

I t may be necessary to get several sch ool teachers to

suggest names of boy and girl leaders because such ,

leadershi p is sometimes more clearly recognized by adults

than by the children themselves The ques t ion may be .

put t o a child like this : Why is it that you think so much

”
of what F rank Smith says or does ? In E arl B arnes ’

”
Studi es in E ducation first series p 2 9 5 is a short paper , , .
,
”
on What D etermines Leadership in Chil dren s P l ays ’
.

5 G ather instances Of influences from books of biog

.

ra ph y and analyze the m

, A mornin g spent in scanning .

the early pages of the books in the biographical section Of

the public library will be fruitful
.
Th ere is a wealth of .

testi mony in G Stanley H all s A dol escence

. in th e ’

“
chapter on A dolescence in Literature Biography and ,
”
H 1 s tory See al s o charming details in the prologue of
.

Gr a h a m e s ”
’
The G olden A ge Winston s Memoirs of a ,
’

” ” ’
Child I I and U na Hunt s U na Mary I V I I I X X I I
, , , , , . .

6 Read a selected book to a child or a group of children

.
,

and ask which character they like best and wh y , .

 CRIS ES I N A CHILD S LIF E ’
29 7

Little Men was t ried by a writer in E arl B arnes ’

”
Studies in E ducation first series p 94
, ,
. .

7 Ask as many church members as possible t his ques

.

tion : T hrough whose influence are y ou in t he church

today ? Analy ze the replies to discover in h ow many
cases i t was t ha t Of the minister a church Officer a par
, ,

en t a Sunday school tea cher someone else

,
-
, .

8 Wh a t are the charac t e ri stics of their bes t teacher as

.
,

recognize d by a school of chi l dren ? (T hi s inquiry coul d

be under t aken only t hrough t he co Opera t ion of the supe r
-

in te n d en t of a pub lic or Sunday school T he resul t Of .

such an inqui ry is described by K ra t z in his S t u di es and

”
O b servations in the School Room Chap t er V )
-
,
.

TOP I C X I
C R I S E S I N A C H I LD S L I F E ’

This is n ot meant t o be solely a s t udy of religi ous con

version or of adolescen t phenomena P erhaps t hese have
.

been s t udied propor t iona t ely too much Th e thought .

is to gather and interpre t insta nces which t he chil d of

various ages has regarded or whi ch t he adul t upon re t ro
spect now regards as having been no t ewort hy t urning
poin t s in life Separa t e researches are sugges t ed bu t i t
.
,

is to be hoped t hat someone the leader or ano t her may

, ,

attemp t at t his or t he next session some correla t ion and

uni fied interp retation if such be po ssible
, .

WO RK UND E R TH I s TO PI C
1 What was the fir st start ling expe ri ence t hat was
.

f ?
infl uential in your life ? Was i t a shock perhaps o fear ,

? ?
Was it a sorrow Was it a misunders t anding Or a
si ckness ? Or a revelation ? How did i t affec t y ou a t t he
time ? Wh at has been its abiding i n fluence ? The expe n
ence may not have been a favorable on e ; this is to be
remembered in the repor t .

2 Wha
. t,
if any was
, the turning point in your life ? -
A
2 98 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAINI NG

sickness or sorrow ? A religious conversion ? A friend ?

An experience of love ? A vocational purpose ? etc .

3 Wha t other crises or strong experiences led up to or

.

followed your religious conversion ?

This is an important bu t uns t udied theme O ne person.

has said that while a t the time he regarded his conversion

as the watershed of his life he now recognizes t hat as he
, ,

puts it the times when he has done something to make

,

him ashamed of himself and then repented have been of

much deeper moral significance .

4 What crises have you already noted in your chi l

.

dren s lives ? B e quite explicit here as to their nature

’

the changes you have noticed and their probable future

,

effect N o t e undesirable as well as desirable experiences

. .

5 Wha t experiences in the life Of a religious person

.

wh o never remembers when he was converted are a

substitu t e for the expe ri ence of conversion ? F or what
experiences is conversion a substitute ? Testimonies upon
this point from such individuals if there be any in the
,

class will be precious because this type of mind has not

, ,

been well understood .

6 G ive in detail the experiences that came to you in

.

connection with your religious awa kening or awakenings .

TOP I C X I I
HEL P I N G C H I LD R E N I N H O M E ST U D Y
N 0 problem is more diffi cult to the average parent than
this of trying to assist the child in doing his home work .

The difficulty comes partly from the fac t that the teacher
may not have expec t ed or suggested t hat such help was
to be given and has giv en n eith er the child nor the mother
directions as to how help may profitably be offered but ,

it is more likely in the fact that the parent tries to help

the child get some defini t e lesson ra t her than t o learn how
to get it himself I n o t her words ; what the parent ought
.
 HE L P ING CH ILDRE N I N H O ME ST U DY 299

to do is no t t o find t he answer to some problem but to

show the child how to study .

WO RK U N D E R T H I S TO PI C
1 .Right condi tions for home study Take t he follow .

ing s t a t ements as to wha t constitu t e su i t able con di t ions

for successful home s t udy No t e tod ay those which are
.

lacking and t he resul t s Work ou t wi t h a given child t he

.

changes t ha t are necessary in order to meet t hese sug

ges ted standards and af t er a given t ime report t he resul t s .

(a) Have t he chil d select afresh t he t ime when he b e

liev e s himself a t his bes t for work If necessary have him .
,

experim en t a bi t about this t rying t he hour jus t after ,

school t he hour before suppe r t he hour af t er supper an

, , ,

hour before school in the morning .

(b) Arrange so t ha t t he week end does n ot in t erfere -

wi t h t he re gul ari ty of t he plan That is if t he afternoon .

,

is t he selected t ime d o no t let F riday aft ernoon be an

exception on t he ground tha t t here will be plenty Of
”
tim e before Monday .

(0) Choose a secluded place If t here is a quie t corner .

in t he house le t the child have it

, If there is n ot all ow .
,

him to go t o t he public library or ask pe rmi ssion to remain

in school Le t t he place be on e where t he child cannot
.

loo k ou t Of t he window or hear noises from t he s t ree t or

be influenced by o t hers wh o are a t play .

(d) Choose a room in which t here are n o distrac t ing

sigh t s such as pictures books or play t hi ngs
, ,
H ave the .

child seat himself as nearly as possible in a si t uation simi

lar to t ha t in school wi t h n o dis t rac t ions
, .

(9) H ave him set his task clearly be fore him an d then ,

se t a time lim it for fini shing it .

(f) H ave hi m go about his work I n the most direct way ,

by havi ng a ll hi s books pape rs and implemen t s imm ed i

,

a t ely at hand H ave h im go to work calmly cheerfully

.
,

and briskly .

(g) A sk hi m to remember as clearly as possible h ow the

teacher told him t o go to work as well as wha t she told
him to d o and to ri se wi th a di s t inc t con q ues t achi eved
, .
300 CHILD S TU DY AN D CHILD TRAINI NG

(h) Tell him : When you get thro ugh pumping let
.

’
,

go the handle D on t have him leave unfinished work

.

or do his work in two installments or worry about it after

it is finished .

2 Right habi t s in home study

. L et the parent for a .

number of days acc ompany a child in his home s t udy with

t he single aim of teaching him how t o study U se the .

fol lo wing methods in t he order given as many of them

, ,

as possible each day (T hey are drawn largely from Lida

.

B Ea rh a r t s T eaching Children to Study pp 1 4 4

.
’
, .

()
a Ask the child wha t his problem is what he is t rying ,

to find out .

(b) A sk him what he has 1n the textbook or el sewhere , ,

to help him find ou t .

(0) Ask him what he has already learned that will help
him find out
‘

(d) As k him if the teacher made any suggestion today

that may help him find ou t .

()
6 H ave him (1 ) g a th er h i s data (2 ) organize it into ,

related groups (3) use his j udgment (4) apply himself

, ,

thoroughl y in the execution .

(f) L et him bring to y ou the result if he has one I f , .

he has not go over the points again discover which if

, , ,

any he neglected find the point of difficul ty and as a

, , ,

l ast resort show him how to use the neglected process .

Report to the class in what ways this analytical method

seemed to help the pupil .

3 A ctual ways of home study

. A s a help toward .

understan di ng the mental processes of children who have

home work to do an exercise like the following is sug
,
“ ’
gested The idea is taken from Kratz
. Studies and
”
O bservations in the School Roo m Krat z tri ed it with a -
.

roomful of pupils but a resul t could be secured from a

,

single chil d H e began by telling the class that just as

.

children who run away from school need a truant Ofli cer
to go after them so the mind sometimes plays truant and
,

needs to be recalled Now I want you to watch your

.

selves as to how you study I want you to detect .

you r own bad habits in wasting time and then set ,

 H O M E DISCI P LIN E 30 1

about correc t ing them Le t us t ake up t he s t udy Of

.

the I ll give you five m inu t es to s t udy t he page

’

which describes and finally leads up t o a defini t ion of

the I wan t you t o do your best t o keep your
mi nds on the subjec t B e aler t to ca t ch your mind wan
.

dering and b ring i t back as qui ckly as possible I will.

in di ca t e when your five minu t es are over and t hen I wan t

y ou t o wri t e ou t in the nex t five minutes H ow I Tried,

to S t udy t he Men t ion t he distrac t ions and indi

cate how much t ime you think you los t The resul ts
.

(as given in his Chap t er XVI ) are interes t ing as to t he

methods of memori zing used and t he amoun t of dis tr a c
,

t ions admi tt ed T he device i t self was of some value

.
,

because several pupils said they never learned s o much in a

given time in their lives .

T O PI C X I I I
HOME D I S C I P L I N E AS S UGG E ST E D I N
T H E B I B LE
This t opic is selec t ed for t wo reaso ns E very grea t col
.

lec t ion of books t hat con t ains t he history an d ideals of a

race includes i t s ideals of t he family and Of childhood and
intimations as to i t s t heories of chil d t raining Such sug .

gestions are profoundly in t eres t in g both as in t erpre t a t ions

Of t he spiri t Of tha t race and of some t rends in i t s histo r y .

Secon dl y t o us who are Chri stians t hat collec t ion which

,

includes n o t only the early annals of our own religion but ,

t he s t ory Of t he race from whi ch it issued is of t he closes t

in t eres t as strengthening and possibly modifying our own
viewpoin t
We shall no t expect to find f
.

ormal s t atemen t s about

chi ld study and child traini ng in the Bible (t hough we
d o come near to findin g t he la tt er in t he B ook Of P roverbs) ,

but we may search successfully for ideals t ha t were worked

ou t in practice . The student is asked to se l ect a subj ect
302 CHILD ST UDY AND CHILD T RAI NING

for investiga t ion through careful reading from the follow

I ng :

WO R K UN DE R T H I S TO PI C
1 Some ideals as to paren t hood and child training
.

in the B ook Of Proverbs (Just a few suggestive refer .

e n ces are given The student is to find and di scuss.

others ) .

The sanctity of the home (v ; vi : 2 0 35 ; xxvu z6 1 1 ; - -

iii : 33
l h e functions of fa t hers and of mothers (iv ; xxxi : 1 0
‘

31 ;Thoughts on child training — iii : 2 6 ; xv : xx1 1

5 , etc .

2 Parts of the Bible that were evidently intended for

.

the direct nurture Of children (Indica t e the specific .

purposes for which these and other passages were pre

pared ) .

P salms cxxviii .

Psalms cxliv : 1 1 1 5 -
.

P roverbs vi : 6 1 1 -
.

Proverbs vii .

Luke ii .

3 T he words Of Jesus in the Synoptic G ospels about

.

the family childhood and t he rela t ion of t he young t o

,

religion Try t o put t hese in t he form of a num ber of

.

terse logical maxims

,
.

(T he classical
’
4 P aul s theories as to child training
. .

passage is E ph v : 1 vi : 4 but find others and arrange

—
.
, ,

the gist of all in somewhat Of a system ) .

T O PI C X I V
.

R E LI G I O N I N T H E H O M E
I t will be interes t ing and important for the home
makers wh o are in the class to know what other home
makers are doing in the way Of introducing religious in flu
en ces into their home life Such an inquiry must not be .
 T H E TRAC ES OF T H E GANG 303

inqui si t ive or censorious and can be conducted only ih

direc t ly G eneral free conference In the midweek mee t ing
.

woul d be one me t hod ; informa l conversations conduc t ed

by the pastor on his roun ds and by members Of t he class
as t hey mee t their fri ends would se rve to gi ve a general
impression .A ques t ionnaire to be filled ou t by many
church members whose signa t ures were no t demanded
woul d gi ve explici t knowledge I n forma t ion t hat woul d
.

be desir able woul d cover some of t hese points :

1 H ow general is the cus t om Of say ing grace at table ?
.

2 How general are dail y or weekly fami ly prayers ?

.

3 How generall y are lit t le chi ldren taught t o say

.

prayers ?
4 H ow common is Sunday hymn singin g in the home ?
.
-

5 I n how many homes d o parents and children tal k

.

freely upon religious ma tt ers ?

6 How comm on is t he habi t of famil y church going
.
-
.

7 What proportion Of t he fami lies of chur ch membe rs

.

engage in sys te ma t ic benevolence ?

8 Wha t b ooks of dis t inct reli gious val ue are co m mon in
.

the homes ?

T O P I C XV
T HE TRA C E S OF T H E GA N G
Any study Of any group activity of chil dren shoul d
begin wi t h t he ques t ion I S this a gang ? The word
,
”
gang is n o t in universal use among boys and is not ,

used at all by girls A party or a picnic is no t nece ssarily

.

composed of a gang even if t he invita t ions were all given

,

by a chi ld A Sunday school class may n ot consti t ute a

.
-

gang In each and all Of t hese t here will however

.
, ,

probably be traces of a gang We ca n study a group

.

which by t he avowal of i t s own membe rs is cons t an t and

self cohering and SO in t he t rue sense a gan g and we can
-
, ,

s t udy ano t her gr oup t ha t is acciden tal and s t ill learn

,

something abou t gangs We have al ready s t udied t he

.

gang in Chapter XXV I I I .

304 CHILD ST UDY AN D CHILD TRAINI NG

WO R K UND E R T H I S TO PI C
1 G ather all the facts you can both from insiders and
.
,

ou t siders about any club or society of boys or girls which

,

you know t o have been formed and managed by children

without adult aid and encouragement .

()
a Who w a s or is i t s leader ?

(b) How did it start ?

(0) What wa s and is its purpose ?
(d) How Of t en does it meet ?
(6) Where does it meet ?
(f) What does it do ?

(g) What are the ages of its members ? H ow many are

there ?
()
h How are they chosen ?

()
1 What is the form of organization ? How are meet
ings conducted ? How are members secured and dropped ?
(7) Wha t in detail is the character of its influence upon
its individu al members ?
2 Wha t games are the gangs p l aying in ou r city at
.

this time of year ? In the spring ? In the fall ? In the

winter ? How do they play and what is the influence of
,

their play upon the individual ?

3 The gang and j uvenile delinquency
. A sk the
.

j uvenile court judge or a police captain or officer if the

group spirit has any direct relation to the conduct of
those wh o get into trouble I f S O what can be done about
.
,

it ?
4 What conscious e fforts are we making in our church
.

to tur n the social instinct to good account ? In our

Sunday s chool our social work our endeavors to build
, ,

up the membership of our church ?

5 .The gang idea in our politics IS it present
.
? How
does it work ? How can it be met ? Can the gang idea
be used for clean politics ?
6 T he big brother idea in our town
. H ow can i t be
.

used 1 n ou r church in ou r schools in the moral life of the

, ,

community ?
7 Wh at is t he boy problem socially as y ou see it for
.

a group of boy s in whom you are interested ?

 T H E VACA T I O N P R O B L E M 30 5

8 Organize a club of boys wh o

. need your help remem ,

be ri ng and recognizing t he gang impul se in your plans ,

and report t o the class la t er how thi s recogni t ion has

affec t ed t he success Of your work .

Co ul d some study be ma de of this topic by re mi

ni scen ce e g di d you in chi l dh ood be lon g to a club or
, . .
, , , ,

socie t y S pontaneously organi zed by y ou and your ma t es

, ,

without adult help or sugges t ion ? H ow old were you ?

H ow did the organi zation start ? Where did it meet ?
What did it d o ?

T O PI C X V I
T HE VA C A TI O N PR O B LE M
The vacation season is the wasted fa llow field in many
a chi ld s year It is on e of t he mos t trying problems of
’
.

home management The following inquiries are intended

.

to center construc t ive t hought upon t hi s ma tt er .

1 How my chi ld spent hi s las t summer vaca t ion

. .

(The parent who answers t his may accept the ass ignment
either because t he vaca t ion was a frui t ful or a frui tless
on e ; in ei t her cas e t he expe ri ence is bound to be ins t ruc t ive
to o t her s ) .

2 The advanta ges and di sadvantages Of t he sum m er

.

c a mp .
(Thi s S hould be t aken by on e wh o has had an
experience wi t h a camp conduc t ed by t he Y M C A . . . .
,

the church t he Boy Scouts or by school men )

, ,
.

3 The possibili t ies of the family camp

. .

4 The possibilities of the work camp

.

“
(A helpful .

sugges t ion may come from t he leafle t Vacation E m

ployment by William A M c K ee ver Of the University Of .

Kansa s published by t he author )

,
.

5 The p ro and con of t he public playground and r ecr e

.

tion park .

6 T he possibilities of finding wort h while employment

.
-

for young people in t he sum mer—t ime (T he author h as a .

booklet entitled Money making and Thrift for Bo ys and -

306 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAI NING

G irls published by the Ame ri can Institute of Child

,

Life Philadelphia )
, .

7 Are there any dangers to be avoided in vacation jobs ?

.

T O PI C X V I I
A S U R VE Y OF A S I N G LE S C H OO L
I n order to make any adequate study even Of one public
school it is necessary to see it agains t the background Of
the school administration of t he whole city and to study
not only its own equipment but its relations to the ,

neighborhood and to community welfare The following .

Twelve Marks of an E fficient School were prepared by

D r E lizabeth K ember Adams Of Smith College for such a
.

test as ours and are used by her special permission T wo

,
.

or three Of the points may be taken by one studen t but ,

the tenth item if followed ou t in full may require more

, ,

than one investigator It is sugges t ed tha t for ou r special

.

purpose emphasis be laid upon items 4 5 6 7 9 1 0 and , , , , ,

12 .

1Small n on-partisan Board of E ducation or Schoo l

’

.
,

Commi t tee (3 9 members) appointed or elected at large

-
.

Superintendent Of Schools with term Of not less than three

years .

2 School funds raised primarily through local taxation

.

with only secondary dependence upon State funds .

School finances managed on business p ri nciples by some

on e accountable to Board Of E ducation .

3 A clear , brief school report issued regul arly and if

.

possible annually preferably in pamphlet form and

, ,

designed for the information of the tax payer and the -

public generally E xpenses stated in t erms of some simple

.

unit of expenditure such as pupil or si tting S O that school

, ,

may be compared wi t h school year wi th year t his school , ,

system with o t her school systems wi t h respec t to such ,

items as ins t ruction supplies heating ligh t ing repairs

, , , , ,

permanent improvement etc School records carefully ,

.
 A SURVE Y OF A SINGL E SCH OO L 307

kep t so t ha t report may conta in tables S h owin g a tten d a n ce

'

in rela t ion t o to t al number Of children of school age ,

“
rela t ions Of age and grade of promo t ions and , school
morta li ty (number dropping ou t of school) e t c , .

4 Modern or modernized school buildings wi t h ade

.

qua t e fire pro t ec tion and floor space and with well ,

ven t ila t ed hea t ed and ligh t ed classrooms desks and sea t s

, ,

adjus t able adj us t ed and preferably movable sa ni t ary

, , ,

drinking fo u n t ains and sani t ary plu mbing

,
.

5 Me dic al inspection and supe rvision Of all pupils not

.
,

onl y for exclusi on from school of those suffering from

contagious di seases bu t for t he discovery and t reatment
,

of removable or improvable defects Of eyes ears t hroat , , ,

t ee t h e t c P ersistent e ffor t s to make school condi t ions

, .

hygieni c and so far as possible to co u n t eract and to im

prove bad home condi tions Of pupil wi t h r espec t t o clea nli
ness nu t ri tion and supply of fresh air P roper luncheon
,
.

provided a t low cos t t o pupils who do not go home at

noon If possible school nurse who shall give follow
.
,

up trea t men t at home .

6 A dequa t e playground space in connec t ion with

.

school wi t h in t elligen t adul t supervision a n d di rec t ion of

,

play A t leas t t wen ty minu t es of ou t door recess duri ng a

.

school day wi t h double session Single session for li tt le .

children unl ess t he school condi t ions ar e much superior

,

to t he home con di t ions .

7 Adequa t e supervi sion (by supe ri n t endent principals

.
, ,

etc and by supervisors Of special subjec ts) n ot absorbing

.
,

over S ix to t welve pe r cen t of money appropria t ed for

ins t ruc t ion A cert ain standard of educa t ion and of
.

professional training requi red of all teachers Salaries .

suffi cien t t o preven t constan t changing Of teachers Pro .

motion and increase of sal ary for lengt h Of service or

further professional training or bo t h plus efficiency ,
.

8 Small pe rcentage Of pupils dropping out of vari ous

.

grades ; small percen t age leaving a t expiration Of com

p u l s or y school period wi t hou t gradua tion from t he ele
men t ary school ; sma ll percen t age of truancy and j uveni le
mi sdeme an or ; fair percen tage of elementary gradua t es
308 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAINING

entering hi g h school ; large percentage of these graduated

from high school ; fair percentage of high school graduates
entering colleges or professional schools .

9 In elemen t ary school n ot more than thirty —five to

.

for ty pupils in one room and under charge of one teacher ;

in high school not more than twenty -five to thir t y pupils
in one class for recita tion F lexible system of promotions
.
,

not less frequent than every half year Small percentage .

Of pupils having t o repeat entire work of grade because of

failur e in one subj ect ; recognition of desirability of pro

motion by subj ects in upper grades and in high school .

’
E ffort made to recognize differen t rate s of work of dull ,

average and b ri ght pupils and to make provisions for

, ,

these differences .

1 0 School system including as many of the follow

.

ing phases of work and equipment as local con di tions

permit :
(a ) Kindergartens .

(b) Evening schools .

(6 ) V aca t ion schools including both grade work and

high school work
-
.

(d) Special classes for sub normal children -

.

(8) Special classes or work for exceptionally bright

children .

(f) Manual t raining and domestic science classes .

(g) T rade schools or classes .

(14 ) Continuation industrial classes for minors at work .

(i) School and home gardens .

(7) Physical t raini ng ; gymnasiums in schools .

(13) School and classroom librari es .

(l) School and classroom collections for science and

na t ure study .

(m) Simple apparatus for laborato ry work in science .

(11) School collection of photographs .

(0 ) School camera and Stereop t icon equi pment .

(p) Assembly halls .

(q) Rooms for m ed ical inspection and S imple treatment

,
.

(7 ) T eachers rest rooms

’
— .

(5 ) H ome and school visitors .

 S O CIAL SI T UA T I O N I N O UR HIGH SCH OO L 309

11 School rela t ed to communi ty t hrough

.

()
a Regu lar use of local library museu m , , ar t gallery
-
,

(b) P upils taken by teachers t o places in neighborhood

Of na t ur al his t ori c civic indus t rial and zes th e tic in t eres t
, , , .

(0 ) E x hibi t ions Of work Of school Open t o paren ts and

to ci t izens generally .

(d) P articipation by pupils in local celebra t ions and

en t e r prises Of va rious kinds .

(e) Home and school asso ciations wi t h regular mee t ings

at school .

12 Commun i ty interest in school shown by

.

(a) O rganized effort s for school improvemen t by home ’

and school ass ocia t ions women s clubs commercial and
, ,

industrial organi za t ions publi c Officials local improvemen t

, ,

leagues e t c, .

(b) Gifts to schools by organiza t ions or by in di vidual

ci t izens .

( 6) Space given t o school aff airs in local pre ss .

T O P I C XV I I I
T HE S O C I A L SI T U ATI O N I N OU R H I G H S C H OO L
We all wish to keep our public schools democra t ic .

We know t hat a vari ed social life has been growing up

in our hi gh schools of late Much of i t is un doub t edly .

educa t ive some of it has aroused cri t icism Jus t what

,
.

is t he S i t uation in our own city and wha t may we d o to ,

im prove i t ?
WO RK U N D E R T H I S TO PI C
1 Talk with a num ber of hi gh sc hool boys and g irls as
.
-

well as wi t h t heir teachers to learn if there are ackn owl,

edged Or unackn owledged secret fra t erni t ies and sorori t ies
in t he school If t here are find ou t from t hese sources
.
,

(1) how many they are (2) h ow many membe rs wha t , ,

propo rtion of t he boys and girls of t he school t hey ih

31 0 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAIN ING

(3) how they are supervised and directed (4) what

'

clu d e , ,

their aims are (5 ) where when and how Of t en t hey mee t

, , ,

(6) what are t heir expenses (7) what is the feeling toward ,

them of the rest Of t he school (8) what is t heir influence

upon their members (9) what I S t he a t titude t oward t hem
,

of the t eachers (1 0) what suggestions for improvement

,

may be made .

2 In a S imilar wa y learn what acknowledged and

.
,

non secre t socie t ies t here are in the school and study these
-
,

under the same headings .

3 In the general student body what social facts a p

.
,

pear : (1) as to the manner of dress ? (2) as to class con -

s ciou sn es s cliquishness or snobbishness ? (3) as to race

,

discriminations ? (4) as to favoritism ?

TO P I C X I X
T H E STR E E T L I F E OF B OY S
A n interesting and important line of study in a city
large enough to have a street life of its own is the relation
of boys to tha t life particularly in the evening Two
, .

directions Of inquiry may be pursued side by side the ,

study of the situa t ion and of the remedy Always give .

the ages of the boys you menti on .

1 T he Situation
. .

(a ) H ow many boys and how many of each age as, ,

revealed by the license records or the statements of the

newspapers are news sellers ? What proportion of these
,

attend school ? What proportion peddle on the street

and what deliver from house to house ? How late at
night is the vending or delivery of papers permitted ?
How early in the morning does it begin ?
()
b How many boys work in pool rooms ? U nder what

conditions ?
()
0 How many in saloons ? U nder Wha t conditions ?

(d) How many as telegraph messengers ? U nder what

con di tions ?
 T H E STR EET LI F E OF B O YS 31 1

()
6 How many bootblacks ? U nder wha t co n di t ions ?

(f) W h a t o t her u n desirable employmen t s o r amuse

men t s have places for boys ? Wha t are t he obj ectionable
features ?
(g) O n a given n i ght with i n a period Of three hours ,

from eight to eleven how many boys were noted in the

,

do wn t own di s t ric t wha t apparen t ly were t hey t here for

,

(give num ber Of boys in each case) an d what di d t hey ,

do ?
H w ? H ow many to mov
()
h o many went t o t he t heatre
in g - pic t ure houses ? H ow many to penn y shows ? How
many in t o s al oons ? H ow m an y used gambling devices ?
H ow ma ny were simply l oa fin g and idl ing abou t ?
(i ) If no t o t herwise planned t he study of t heatres and ,

moving picture shows sugges t ed elsewhere would be

-
, ,

approp ri a t e in connec t ion wi th t his study .

2 T he Way O ut
. .

(a) How in general might t he desir es which impe ril

boys on ou r s t ree t s be t urned in wholesome direc t ions ?
()
b Wha t has our Y M C A t o
. of f er
. boys . even i ngs
.
,

on wha t terms and in wha t frequency ?

(6) Wh a t o t her good social ins ti t utions make t hei r a p

pe al t o t he boy downtown (such as social se ttlemen t s ,

clubs for s tree t boys evening playgrounds church clubs

, , ,

nigh t schools) ?
Have we a cu r few ordinance ? H ow well is i t en
forced ? How effec t ive is i t ? Wh at encouraging exp eri
ence wi t h it have o t her ci t ies had ?
(6) How far is i t feasible for ou r homes to re t ain their
boys evenings ? Wh at a re some attrac tive and prac t ic
able plans for doing this ? Would a co-Operative e ffort
of neighboring homes be e ffective ?

(f) Wou l d the larger use o f o u r schoolhouses and

churches be helpful ? In just what ways ? What can be
done ? How ?
Note Th B oy s C l u b F ed e a ti o 1 M a d i son Av en u e New Y ork a d
’
. e r n, , ,
n

th e B oy s D p rtm en t of th e I n te tio a l Y M C A 1 2 8 Ea s t 2 8 th
’
e a rn a n . . . .
,

S tr ee t New Y ork a re in te es ted in th e p o bl em of th e s tree t a n d wou l d

, ,
r r ,

be gla d to gi ve fur th e r s u gg s ti ons for m a ki n g in ves tig a ti ons or p a cti cal

e r

m eth od s .
312 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD TRAINING

TOP I C XX
WH A T WAS GO I N G ON I N OUR T O W N LA ST
W E E K P OR YOU N G PE O PL E ?
A census taken from the papers and other announce
,

ments and from personal knowledge of the public and ,

priva t e social occasions Of a single week is bound to be ,

very enl igh t ening I t may sugges t serious conditions

.

pressin g needs large opportunities

,
.

The discussion t o be e ffective must measur e as well as

, ,

enum erate the recreational Opportuni ties and should ,

suggest what personal and co operative endeavor might -

do to counteract the influence of commercial or degra di ng

amusements .

T O P I C XX I
T H E M O TI O N P I CT U R E S H O WS I N OU R T O WN
The motion picture has suddenly become the universal
source Of amusement I ts po ssibilities for good or evil
.
-
, ,

are almost unlimited O n t he whole its tenden cies are

.
,

for good but each communi ty decides for itself What class
,

of pic t ures it wants W hat the moral infl uences Of t hese

,

centers of entertainment S hall be and how they S hall be , ,

or S hall not be used for educational ends

,
F ollowing are .

several lines of study W hich might be pursued at one time .

1 The G eneral Situation

. .

()
a How many show houses are there
-
in our city ?

()
b What license fees do they pay annually ?

(6) What restrictions are they re quired to meet :

AS to fire protection ,

A s to sanitation ,

A s to admittance of children ,

AS to censorship Of films ,

A s to moral supervision ?
()
d To W hat extent are these res t rictions lived up to ?

(e) Wh at is the reputation of the persons wh o own and

manage these hous es ?
 M O T I O N P IC T UR ES I N O UR T OWN 31 3

(f) What are the usua l prices of ad m ission ? Wha t

d
are t heir to t al estima t e receip t s in a year ?

What proportion Of our people a t tend t hese shows ?

(g)
( h) How is t he a tt endance di vided : men women and ,

children daytime evenings and Sundays ; childr en after

, , ,

noons even ings be fore nine evenings after nine ?

, ,

2 Special O bserva t ions

.
.

I t woul d be even more to the poin t in ge t ting t he specific

influence Of t hese entertainments if an investigator would
confine him se l f t o a S ingle house or t o a group Of houses
that reaches a cert ain neighborhood an d make as man y as
possible Of th e follo wing Ob serva t ions :
‘

(a) Visi t t he house more t han once and at difl eren t

t imes of t he day and evenin g .

(b) Note t he safety from fire and pani c and hygieni c

.
,

condi t ion of t he buil ding .

(6) Note t he number and charac t er of the patrons (as

under h above) .

(d) No t e the charac t er of the films and of other en t er

.

ta inm e n t .

(9) Talk with the managers as to where they get their

reels what Oppo rtuni ty t hey have to learn t heir character
,

in advance what regu l a t ions they have to mee t as t o

,

censors hi p and inspection wha t res t ric t ions t hey impose

,

as to behavior what class Of pa trons they have and seek

, ,

whe t her t hey espe ci al ly cater t o chil dren and h ow and ,

what in general are t heir ideals Di scover if an y woul d .

respond to an organized group of pat rons wh o desi re the

be st for t hemselves their childr en and the commun i ty
,

Whe t her t hey would exhibit ed uca t ion a l and feature films
Saturdays if supported by the teachers and intelligen t
,

parents Of the communi ty .

(f) Note whe t her Obj ectionab le soci al relations resul t

from casu al mee t ings here .

(g) F ind ou t from chil dren paren t s and teachers how ,

frequently each week children of various ages visit these

houses .

(h) Le arn from t he same so u rces wha t t hey think as to

the influence upon (1) eyesight (2) ability to attend and ,
3 14 CHILD S T UDY AN D CHILD T RAINING

concen t rate (3) alertness in school (4) general in telli

, ,

gence (5 ) nervous vitality (6) poise and contentment

, , ,

(7) efli cien cy (8) morali ty

,
.

3 The thea t re may be studied in S i m ilar ways

. In .

such a study it wo ul d also be interesting to take into

account and to discover the influence which the motion
picture is having upon the thea t re not only financially , ,

but as to the character of plays the attendance Of chi ldren

, ,

etc .

T O P I C XX I I
OBS C E NE L IT E RA T U R E
D efinite information is desirable as to Whether obscene
li t erature is being circul ated in the community The .

following points are worthy of investigation in thi s con

n e ction :

1 Are pictures or postcards being O ffered publicly for

.
,

sale t hat are not merely vu lgar but obscene in character ? ,

2 What periodicals if any p ri nted in E nglish or any

.
, ,

other language are circul ated in ou r town whi ch are

,

Objectionable on thi s ground ?

3 Which local periodicals if any admit advertisements
.
, ,

of quack doctors or of me di cines for the social di seases ?

4 Are pamphlets or circulars of such doctors or reme

.

di es being circul ated ?

5 Are .objectionable billboards allowed ? What in
stances ? Who is responsible ?
6 I n view of these facts what action if any is needed ?
.
, , ,

T O PI C XX I I I
T H E SO C I A L EVI L
Such a cl ass as this will not be able or willi ng to pursue
the inquiry as to t he social evil thoroughly as has been ,

done in notable sur veys that have been made in Chicago

 T H E SAL OO N AN D Y O UNG P E OP L E 31 5

and o t her ci t ies Such surveys need to be made by ex

.

pert s and mus t cover a wi de range The following woul d .

be approp ri a t e ques t ions t o be asked wi t h t he purpose Of ,

knowing how press ing i s t he local S i t uation :

.1 Temp t ations .

()
a The ex t en t of the circul ation of obscene or sugges t ive
li t erature and pictures .

(b) T he number of Objec t ionable pe nn y in t he slot - - -

places motion picture shows and burlesque houses

,
-
,
.

(6) The number of objectionable dance hal ls an d soci al

clubs .

(d) O ther pl aces where boys and girls mee t wi t hout due
restrain t .

(e) T he numbe r of houses of il l fame .

.2 The Si t ua t ion .

(a ) The ex t en t Of the social evil in t he hi gh school .

(b) Among wage earning boys and girls -

.

(6 ) Among newsboys messengers bell boys e t c , , ,

.

(d) The prevalence of social di seases among t he young .

.3 The Cure .

(a ) The ex t en t Of sex inst r uc tion in our homes .

(b) The preventive work of soci al organi za t ions tha t

work among t he young .

(6) The wholesome influence Of the school .

(d) The influence of the church .

The wises t me t hod of pursuing thi s study would be by

personal interviews wi t h judicious persons in t he police
force t he juvenile cour t s t he local se tt lemen t s and mis
, ,

sions t he C ri tt enden Home among t he p hysicians and

,
.
,

t eachers and some older boys in the schools

, .

T O PI C XX I V
T H E SA L OO N A N D YOU N G P E O P LE
T he following question S heet used by the Young Men s ,
’

C h ri s t ian Associa t ion in a Survey of t he Boyhood of

D etroi t is sugges t ed for thi s inves tiga tion :
,
3 16 CHILD S T U DY AN D CHILD TRAI N ING

D AT E . . HO UR P LAC E
ADDRE S S
1 Desc ri p tion of place
.

2 Number of boys present un der 1 6

. under 2 1
3 Number of girl s under 1 8
. under 2 1
4 Loafing
. gam bling drinking pool
5 Class Of boys
.

6 Class of gi rls
. .

7 Obscene li t erature or p ic tures on display

.

8 Wh at attrac t s th e b oys ?
.

Ent ertainm ent s ? M usic ? Singing ?

Dancing S tory-t elling ?
9 B ar te n der m a n woman or ch ild ?
.
, ,

1 0 M e th ods used by sal oon for new recrui t s

.

1 1 Distance from s chool or ch urch

.

12 Impression
.

1 3 Rem arks
.

F or the study of a single saloon this S heet should be

used by several persons at different times Of the day and
night I t should be supplemented by the testimony of
.

neighbors of the police of the police court magis t rate

, , ,

and of habitues Partic ul ar subj ects for inquiry would

.

be : Adh erence to legal hours for opening sale Of liquor to ,

minors use Of the saloon as a social center by men women

, ,

and children general influence on morals

,
.

F or an adequate s t udy Of the si t uation in a district such

a method should be applied to all the saloons in the dis
trict .

T O P I C X XV
OU R P L A YG R OU N D S
The Playground and Recreation A ssociation of Ameri ca ,

1 Madison Avenue N ew York is glad to direct those

, ,

wh o wi sh to make a comprehensive study of the local

_

recreational S ituation and to give counsel for its improve

 T H E P U B LIC LI B RARY AN D TH E CHILDR E N 31 7

men t The followin g in qui ri es wo ul d set before the class

.

the mai n features which i t needs to know .

1 How many public supervise d playgrounds has our

.
,

city includin g t hose I n school groun ds public parks and

, , ,

in connec tion with playgrou nd associations settlemen ts , ,

churches etc ,
How are these loc a t ed in rela t ion to t he
.

soci al needs of the young people ? (A map wi t h stars for

S ites would be useful here ) How many of t hem are Open
.

and supe rvised evenings ? H OW man y make suitable

provision for little children ? F or Older boys ?
2 Are children in eve ry sense safe t here ? I S t he
.
, ,

playgr ound apparatus adequa t e ? H ow are t he c hi ldren

conducted to and from t he grounds ? May mo t hers ass ist
as volun t ary lea ders of t he chi ldren ? To what ex t ent
are these playgrounds succe ssful in di splacin g the a ttrac
tions Of t he s t ree ts ?
3 H ow many places of informal and unsupervi sed play
.

d o we have ? Where are t hey ? Wha t are their in fl u

en ces ? What sh oul d be done about them ?

T O P I C XX V I
THE P U BLI C L I B RA R Y AND TH E C H I LD R E N
A frien dl y study of t he loca l public library S hould ha ve
as its end t he discovery Of the needs of the library and i t s
possibilities and t he needs Of the children wh o are wi t hi n
,

i t s reach Some of the following poin ts may be brough t

.

ou t by co Ope ration wi t h t he li brarian

-
.

.1 A library is usually best admini stered by an inde

pendent board an d not as a part of the city school syste m
, .

This board should be compose d of persons who a re n ot

only unselfi sh but who have literary taste and wh o will
,

give the library much thought and care Wha t is the .

case in our city ?

.2 A library should have a large sunny and air y special ,

room for chil dr en I S ours adequate ? .

318 CHI LD S T U DY AN D CHILD TRAINING

The library staff S hould in clude enough persons to

3 .

take good care of the children s room wh o have been

’

thoroughly t rained and wh o are s ufli cien tly paid I s a ll .

this true wi th us ?

4 There should be a l arge modern well sel ected and

.
, ,
-

attractively arranged collection of children s books This ’

.
,

of course is the prin cipal thing T he on e Who reports

,
.

upon this should do S O in considerable detail making need ,

ful comments .

5 The chil dren s librar y should have sufficient funds to

’
.

permit of keeping i t s stock of books clean and of replenish

ing and increasing the stock as needed What is the .

condition in our library in this respect ?

6 What plans are being made effective if any to
.
, ,

bring t he library closer to all th e children ,

()
a By attractive b ul letins and other publicity ?

()
b By story hours and -
informal talks ?

(0) By branches or depositories in schools shops , ,

stores ?
()
d By other re l ationships with the schoo l s ?

7 What can our class best do to advance t he interests

.

of the library ?

T O PI C X X V I I
TH E I N F L U E N C E OF C I V I C B E A U T Y UPO N
YOU N G PE O P LE
1
What influence does the general appearance of our
.

t wn have upon its young people ?

o
i

Walk through as many stree t s as possible imagining ,

yourself a young person considering Whether or not to

come here and live and try to see everything freshly
,
.

No t e especially : the surroundings of the railroad station ,

the noticeableness of smoke the pavements billboards

alleys care Of private grounds freedo m or lit t ering of
, , ,

, ,

sidewalks presence or absence of rubbish and of recep

,

ta cles for rubbish number convenience and appearance

, ,
 I N F LU E NC E OF CIVIC B EAU TY 31 9

Of parks and open spaces number and charac t er Of saloons

, ,

compara t ive nea t ness and care Of churches a pparen t ,

presence or ab sence Of loun ging places and haun t s of vice ,

number and character Of loun gers general appearance of

,

thrif t pride prospe ri ty public spi ri t or t he opposi t e

, , , , .

2 Wh at is being done in any Of our schools t o secure

.

t he ac t ive co-O pera t ion Of t he school chil dr en in any action

for civic beautifica t ion :
On t he school gr oun ds ?
On t he streets (such as picking up papers not scatteri ng ,

papers)
In the home yards (use of school packe t s of seeds) ?
On Special days (such as Arbor D ay Clean u p Week) ?
,
-

By special org an izations (such as Scouts Junior S t reet ,

Cleaning Leagues) ?
3 What are some practical proj ects for enlisting t he
.

children in city improvemen t ? Se cure informa t ion about

wha t the Boy Scou t s have done elsewhere ; about junior
,

civic leagues (from t he U ni t ed Society of C hris t ian En

d e a vor Boston) ; abou t Clean u p Weeks about school
,
-
,

gardening and home gardening projec t s (from t he N a t ional

School G arden Association New York)
, .