,,concerning ,,children 99 99 99 99 99 ,by ,charlotte ,perkins ,stetson ,,in ,,this ,,our ,,world4 ,cloth1 #afmo4 #e_/-- ,,women ,,and ,,economics4 ,cloth1 #abmo4 #f_/-- ,,the ,,yellow ,,wall ,,paper4 ,paper boards1 #abmo4 #b_/-- ,g4 ,p4 ,,putnam',s ,,sons #bd ,bedford ,street ,strand ,,london1 ,w4,c4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,concerning ,,children ,,by ,,charlotte ,,perkins ,,stetson ,,gilman ,,author ,,of ,,women ,,and ,,economics1 ,,in ,,this ,,our ,,world1 ,,the ,,yellow ,,wall ,,paper4 ,illustration ,,london3 ,g4 ,p4 ,,putnam',s ,,sons ,,boston3 ,,small1 ,,maynard ,,co4 #aijc ,,to ,,my ,,daughter1 ,,katharine ,,who ,,has ,,taught ,,me ,,much ,,of ,,what ,,is ,,written ,,here ,contents4 ,,page ,i4 ,,the ,,precious ,,ten #c ,,ii4 ,,the ,,effect ,,of ,,minding ,,on ,,the ,,mind #be ,,iii4 ,,two ,,and ,,two ,,together #df ,,iv4 ,,the ,,burnt ,,child ,,dreads ,,the ,,slipper #gj ,v4 ,,teachable ,,ethics #if ,,vi4 ,a ,,place ,,for ,,children #aah ,,vii4 ,,unconscious ,,schooling #aci ,,viii4 ,,presumptuous ,,age #aef ,,ix4 ,,the ,,respect ,,due ,,to ,,youth #afi ,x4 ,,too ,,much ,,consideration #ahc ,,xi4 ,,six ,,mothers #bjj ,,xii4 ,,meditations ,,on ,,the ,,nurse-,,maid #bab ,,xiii4 ,,children ,,and ,,servants #bcc ,,xiv4 ,,mothers1 ,,natural ,,and ,,unnatural #bee ,,xv4 ,,social ,,parentage #bgh ,concerning ,children ,i4 ,,the ,,precious ,,ten4 ,according to our religious belief1 the last best work of ,god is the human race4 ,according to the observation of biologists1 the highest product of evolution is the human race4 ,according to our own natural inner conviction1 this twofold testimony is quite acceptable3 we are the first class4 ,whatever our merits when compared with lower species1 however1 we vary conspicuously when compared with one another4 ,humanity is superior to equinity1 felinity1 caninity2 but there are degrees of humanness4 ,between existing nations there is marked difference in the qualities we call human2 and history shows us a long line of advance in these qualities in the same nation4 ,the human race is still in the making1 is by no means done2 and1 however noble it is to be human1 it will be nobler to be humaner4 ,as conscious beings1 able to modify our own acts1 we have power to improve the species1 to promote the development of the human race4 ,this brings us to the children4 ,individuals may improve more or less at any time1 though most largely and easily in youth2 but race improvement must be made in youth1 to be transmitted4 ,the real progress of man is born in him4 ,if you were buying babies1 investing in young human stock as you would in colts or calves1 for the value of the beast1 a sturdy ,english baby would be worth more than an equally vigorous young ,fuegian4 ,with the same training and care1 you could develope higher faculties in the ,english specimen than in the ,fuegian specimen1 because it was better bred4 ,the savage baby would excel in some points1 but the qualities of the modern baby are those dominant to-day4 ,education can do much2 but the body and brain the child is born with are all that you have to educate4 ,the progress of humanity must be recorded in living flesh4 ,unless the child is a more advanced specimen than his father and mother1 there is no racial improvement4 ,virtues we still strive for are not yet ours3 it is the unconscious virtues we are born with that measure the rise of nations4 ,our mechanical products in all their rich variety serve two purposes1--to show the measure of the brains that made them1 and to help make better ones4 ,the printing-press1 for instance1 marked a century of ability2 but its main value is to develope centuries of greater ability4 ,society secretes1 as it were1 this mass of material wherewith to nourish its countless young2 and1 as this material is so permanent and so mobile1 it is proportionately more advantageous to our posterity than the careful preparation of some anxious insect for her swarm of progeny4 ,unless the creature is born better than his creators1 they do not save him4 ,he sinks back or is overcome by others1 perhaps lingering decadent among the traces of lost arts1 like degenerate nomad savages who wander among the ruins of ancestral temples4 ,we see plenty of such cases1 individually1 showing this arrested social development1--from the eighteenth-century man1 who is only a little behind his age and does not hinder us much1 to the dragging masses of dull peasantry and crude savagery1 which keep us back so seriously4 ,this does not include the reversions and degenerates1 the absolutely abortive members of society2 but merely its raw stock1 that heavy proportion of the people who are not bred up to the standard of the age4 ,to such we may apply every advantage of education1 every facile convenience of the latest day2 and1 though these things do help a little1 we have still the slow-minded mass1 whose limited range of faculties acts as a steady check on the success of our best intellects4 ,the surest1 quickest way to improve humanity is to improve the stock1 the people themselves2 and all experience shows that the time to improve people is while they are young4 ,as in a growing cornstalk the height is to be measured from joint to joint1 not counting the length of its long1 down-flowing leaves1 so in our line of ascent the height is to be measured from birth to birth1 not counting the further development of the parent after the child is born4 ,the continued life of the parent counts in other ways1 as it contributes to social service2 and1 in especial1 as it reacts to promote the further growth of the young4 ,but the best service to society and the child is in the progress made by the individual before parentage1 for that progress is born into the race4 ,between birth and birth is the race bred upward4 ,suppose we wish to improve a race of low savages1 and we carefully select the parents1 subjecting them to the most elaborate educational influences1 till they are all dead4 ,then we return1 and take a fresh set of parents to place under these advantageous conditions1 leaving the children always to grow up in untouched savagery4 ,this might be done for many generations1 and we should always have the same kind of savages to labour with1 what improvement was made being buried with each set of parents4 ,now1 on the other hand1 let us take the children of the tribe1 subject them to the most advantageous conditions1 and1 when they become parents1 discontinue our efforts on that generation and begin on the next4 ,what gain was made in this case would be incorporated in the stock2 we should have gradually improving relays of children4 ,so far as environment is to really develope the race1 that development must be made before the birth of the next generation4 ,if a young man and woman are clean1 healthy1 vigorous1 and virtuous before parenthood1 they may become dirty1 sickly1 weak1 and wicked afterward with far less ill effect to the race than if they were sick and vicious before their children were born1 and thereafter became stalwart saints4 ,the sowing of wild oats would be far less harmful if sowed in the autumn instead of in the spring4 ,human beings are said to have a longer period of immaturity than other animals2 but it is not prolonged childhood which distinguishes us so much as prolonged parenthood4 ,in early forms of life the parent promptly dies after having reproduced the species4 ,he is of no further use to the race1 and therefore his life is discontinued4 ,in the evolution of species1 as the parent becomes more and more able to benefit the young1 he is retained longer in office2 and in humanity1 as it developes1 we see an increasing prolongation of parental usefulness4 ,the reactive value of the adult upon the young is very great1 covering our whole range of conscious education2 but the real worth of that education is in its effects on the young before they become parents1 that the training and improvement may become ours by birth1 an inbred racial progress4 ,it may be well here to consider the objections raised by the ,weissman theory that acquired traits are not transmissible4 ,to those who believe this it seems useless to try to improve a race by development of the young with a view to transmission4 ,they hold that the child inherits a certain group of faculties1 differing from the parents perhaps through the tendency to vary1 and that1 although you may improve the individual indefinitely through education1 that improvement is not transmissible to his offspring4 ,the original faculties may be transmitted1 but not the individual modification4 ,thus they would hold that1 if two brothers inherited the same kind and amount of brain power1 and one brother was submitted to the finest educational environment1 while the other was entirely neglected1 yet the children of the two brothers would inherit the same amount of brain development3 the training and exercise which so visibly improved the brain of the educated brother would be lost to his children4 ,or1 if two brothers inherited the same physical constitution1 and one developed and improved it by judicious care and exercise1 while the other wasted strength and contracted disease1 the children of either would inherit the original constitutional tendencies of the parent1 unaffected by that parent's previous career4 ,this would mean that the whole tremendous march of race-modification has been made under no other influence than the tendency to vary1 and that individual modification in no way affects the race4 ,successive generations of individuals may be affected by the cumulative pressure of progress1 but not the race itself4 ,under this view the ,fuegian baby would be as valuable an investment as the ,english baby1 unless1 indeed1 successive and singularly connected tendencies to vary had worked long upon the ,english stock and peculiarly neglected the ,fuegian4 ,in proof of this claim that acquired traits are not transmissible1 an overwhelming series of experiments are presented1 as wherein many consecutive generations of peaceful guinea pigs are mutilated in precisely the same way1 and1 lo6 the last guinea pig is born as four-legged and symmetrically-featured as the first4 ,if it had been so arranged that the crippled guinea pigs obtained some advantage because of their injuries1 they might have thus become fittest2 and the tendency to vary would perhaps have launched out a cripple somewhere1 and so evolved a triumphant line of three-legged guinea pigs4 ,but1 as proven by these carefully conducted scientific experiments1 it does not modify the species at all to cut off its legs1--not in a score of generations4 ,it modifies the immediate pig1 of course1 and is doubtless unpleasant to him2 but the effect is lost with his death4 ,it has always seemed to me that there was a large difference between a mutilation and an acquired trait4 ,an acquired trait is something that one uses and developes1 not something one has lost4 ,the children of a soldier are supposed to inherit something of his courage and his habit of obedience1 not his wooden leg4 ,the dwindled feet of the ,chinese ladies are not transmitted2 but the ,chinese habits are4 ,the individual is most modified by what he does1 not by what is done to him2 and so is the race4 ,let a new experiment be performed on the long-suffering guinea pig4 ,take two flourishing pair of the same family 7fortunately1 the tendency to vary appears to be but slight in guinea pigs1 so there is not serious trouble from that source71 and let one pair of guinea pigs be lodged in a small but comfortable cage1 and fed and fed and fed1--not to excess1 but so as to supply all guinea-piggian desires as soon as felt1--them and their descendants in their unnumbered generations4 ,let the other pair be started on a long1 slow1 cautious1 delicate but inexorable system of exercise1 not exercise involving any advantage1 with careful mating of the most lively1--for this would be claimed as showing only the tendency to vary and survival of the fittest1--but exercise forced upon the unwilling piggies to no profit whatever4 ,a wheel1 such as mitigates the captivity of the nimble squirrel1 should be applied to these reluctant victims2 a well-selected1 stimulating diet given at slowly increasing intervals2 and the physical inequalities of their abode become greater1 so that the unhappy subjects of scientific research would find themselves skipping ever faster and farther from day to day4 ,if1 after many generations of such training1 the descendants of these cultivated guinea pigs could not outrun the descendants of the plump and puffy cage-fed pair1 the ,weissman theory would be more strongly re-enforced than by all the evidence of his suffering cripples4 ,meanwhile the parent and teacher in general is not greatly concerned about theories of pan-genesis or germ-plasm4 ,he knows that1 as the twig is bent1 the tree's inclined1 and that1 if the fathers have eaten sour grapes1 the children's teeth are pretty certain to be set on edge4 ,inherit we must to some degree2 and whatever comes to us by that method must belong to the parent before he is a parent4 ,traits acquired after parentage are certainly not transmissible1 whatever may be the case before4 ,our inherited constitution1 temper1 character1 tendency1 is like an entailed estate4 ,it is in the family1 belongs to the family in succession1 not to the individual4 ,it is owned by the individual in usufruct1 but cannot be sold1 given away1 or otherwise alienated4 ,it must be handed on to the next heir1 somewhat better or worse1 perhaps1 for the current ownership4 ,when the new heir takes possession of his estate1 he confers with the steward1 and becomes thoroughly acquainted with his holdings4 ,here are the assets1--this much in permanent capital1 this much in income1 which he may use as he will4 ,it would be possible for him to overspend that income1 to cut down the timber and sell it1 to incur debts1 impoverishing the next heir4 ,perhaps this has been done2 and he finds himself with neglected lands1 buildings in disrepair1 restricted resources1 and heavy debts4 ,in such case the duty of the heir is to live carefully1 avoiding every extravagance1 and devote all he can save to clearing off the encumbrances on the estate1 thus handing it on to the next heir in better shape than he received it4 ,if this is not done1 if one generation after another of inheritors draws relentlessly on the burdened estate and adds to its encumbrances1 there comes a time when the heavy mortgages are foreclosed1 and that estate is lost4 ,so with the human constitution4 ,we inherit such and such powers and faculties2 such and such weaknesses1 faults1 tendencies to disease4 ,our income is the available strength we have to spare without drawing on our capital4 ,perhaps our ancestors have overdrawn already1 wasting their nerve force1 injuring their organisms1 handing down to us an impoverished physique1 with scarce income enough for running expenses1 yet needing a large sinking fund for repairs4 ,in this case it is our plain duty to live within our means in nerve force1 however limited1 and to devote all we can spare to building up the constitution1 that we may transmit it in an improved condition to the next heir4 ,if we do not do this1 if successive generations overdraw their strength1 neglect necessary rest and recreation1 increase their weaknesses and diseases1 then there comes a time when the inexorable creditor called ,nature forecloses the mortgage1 and that family is extinct4 ,the heir of the entailed estate in lands and houses has an advantage over the heir of blood and brain4 ,he does not transmit his property until he dies4 ,he has a lifetime to make the needed improvements4 ,but the inheritor of poor eyesight1 weak lungs1 and a bad temper has a shorter period for repairs4 ,if a woman1 she is likely to become a mother by the time she is twenty-five1--perhaps sooner2 the man1 a father by thirty4 ,taking the very early marriages of the poor into consideration 7and they are a heavy majority of the population71 we may take twenty-five as the average beginning of parenthood4 ,of course there is still room for improvement before the later children appear2 but the running expenses increase so heavily that there is but a small margin to be given to repairs4 ,the amount of nerve force hitherto set aside to control the irritable temper will now be drawn upon by many new demands3 the time given to special exercises for the good of the lungs will now be otherwise used4 ,however good the intentions afterward1 the best period for self-improvement is before the children come4 ,this reduces the time in which to develope humanity's inheritance to twenty-five years4 ,twenty-five years is not much at best2 and that time is further limited1 as far as individual responsibility goes1 by subtracting the period of childhood4 ,the first1 say1 fifteen years of our lives are comparatively irresponsible4 ,we have not the judgment or the self-control to meddle with our own lives to any advantage2 nor is it desirable that we should4 ,unconscious growth is best2 and the desired improvement during this period should be made by the skilful educator without the child's knowledge4 ,but at about fifteen the individual comes to a keen new consciousness of personal responsibility4 ,that fresh1 unwarped sense of human honour1 the race-enthusiasm of the young2 and the fund of strength they bear with them2 together with the very light expenses of this period1 all the heavy drains of life being met by the parent1--these conditions make that short ten years the most important decade of a lifetime4 ,it is no wonder that we worship youth4 ,on it depends more than on the most care-burdened age4 ,it is one of the many follies of our blundering progression that we have for so long supposed that the value of this period lay merely in its enjoyableness4 ,with fresh sensations and new strength1 with care1 labour1 and pain largely kept away1 youth naturally enjoys more heartily than age1 and has less to suffer2 but these are only incidental conditions4 ,every period has its advantage and accompanying responsibilities4 ,this blessed time of youth is not ours to riot through in cheerful disregard of human duty4 ,the biological advantage of a longer period of immaturity is in its cumulative value to the race1 the older parent having more development to transmit4 ,the human animal becomes adult comparatively early1--that is1 becomes capable of reproducing the species2 and in states of low social grade he promptly sets about it4 ,but the human being is not only an individual animal3 he is a social constituent4 ,he may be early ready to replace himself by another man as good1 but he is not yet able to improve upon the past and give the world a man much better4 ,he is not yet developed as a member of society1--trained in those special lines which make him not only a healthier1 stronger1 rounder individual1 but a more highly efficient member of society4 ,our people to-day are not only larger and longer-lived than earlier races1 but they are capable of social relations immeasurably higher than those open to a never-so-healthy savage4 ,the savage as an individual animal may be equal--in some ways superior--to the modern man2 but1 as a social constituent1 he is like a grain of sand in a heap compared to some exquisitely fitted part of an intricate machine1--a living machine1 an organism4 ,in this social relation man may grow and develope all his life2 and that is why civilisation1 socialisation1 brings us useful and honourable age1 while savagery knocks its old folk on the head4 ,but while the social structure grows in beauty1 refinement1 and power1 and eighty years may be spent in its glorious service1 that service must be given by individuals4 ,unless these individuals improve from age to age1 showing a finer1 subtler1 stronger brain and unimpaired physique1 there can be no genuine or enduring social improvement4 ,we have seen repeatedly in history a social status lodged in comparatively few individuals1 a narrow fragile upper-class civilisation2 and we have seen it always fall1--fall to the level of its main constituents1 the mass of the people4 ,one per cent4 of sane men in a society of lunatics would make but a foolish state2 one per cent4 of good men in a society of criminals would make a low grade of virtue2 one per cent4 of rich men in a society of poor peasants does not make a rich community4 ,a society is composed of the people who compose it1 strange to say1--all of them2 and1 as they are1 it is4 ,the people must be steadily made better if the world is to move4 ,the way to make people better is to have them born better4 ,the way to have them born better is to make all possible improvement in the individual before parentage4 ,that is why youth is holy and august3 it is the fountain of human progress4 ,not only that the child is father to the man1 but the child is father to the state--and mother4 ,the first fifteen years of a child's life should be treated with a view to developing the power of judgment and will1 that he may be able to spend his precious ten in making the best possible growth4 ,a boy of fifteen is quite old enough to understand the main principles of right living1 and to follow them4 ,a girl of fifteen is quite old enough to see the splendid possibilities that lie before her1 both in her individual service to society and the almost limitless power of motherhood4 ,it is not youth which makes our boys and girls so foolish in their behaviour4 ,it is the kind of training we give the little child1 keeping back the most valuable faculties of the brain instead of helping them to grow4 ,a boy cast out upon the street to work soon manifests both the abilities and vices of an older person4 ,a girl reared in a frivolous and artificial society becomes a practising coquette while yet a child4 ,these conditions are bad1 and we do not wish to parallel them by producing a morbidly self-conscious and prematurely aged set of youngsters4 ,but1 if the child has been trained in reason and self-control1--not forced1 but allowed to grow in the natural use of these qualities1--he will be used to exercising them when he reaches the freer period of youth1 and not find it so difficult to be wise4 ,it is natural for a child to reason1 and the power grows with encouragement and use4 ,it is natural for a child to delight in the exercise of his own will upon himself in learning to do things4 ,the facility and pleasure and strong self-control shown by a child in playing some arbitrary game prove that it is quite natural for him to govern his acts to a desired end1 and enjoy it4 ,to a desired end1 however4 ,we have not yet succeeded in enlisting the child's desires to help his efforts4 ,we rather convince him that being good is tedious and unprofitable1 often poignantly disagreeable2 and1 when he passes childhood1 he is hampered with this unfortunate misbelief of our instilling4 ,but1 with a healthy brain and will1 a youth of fifteen1 with the knowledge easily available at that age1 should be not only able and willing1 but gloriously eager for personal development4 ,it is an age of soaring ambition2 and that ambition1 directed in lines of real improvement1 is one of ,nature's loveliest and strongest forces to lift mankind4 ,there is a splendid wealth of aspiration in youth1 a pure and haughty desire for the very highest1 which ought to be playing into the current of our racial life and lifting it higher and higher with each new generation4 ,the love of emulation1 too1 so hurtful in the cheap1 false forms it so often takes1 is a beautiful force when turned to self-improvement4 ,we underrate the power of good intention of our young people4 ,we check and irritate them all through childhood1 confusing and depressing the upward tendencies2 and then wag our aged heads pityingly over the follies of youth4 ,there is wisdom in youth1 and power1 if we would but let it grow4 ,a simple unconscious childhood1 shooting upward fast and strong along lines of rational improving growth1 would give to the opening consciousness of youth a healthy background of orderly achievement1 and a glorious foreground1--the limitless front of human progress4 ,such young people1 easily appreciating what could be done for themselves and the world by right living1 would pour their rich enthusiasm and unstrained powers into real human growing1--the growing that can be done so well in that short1 wonderful ten years1--that must be done then1 if the race is to be born better4 ,three or four generations of such growth would do more for man's improvement than our present methods of humaniculture accomplish in as many centuries4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,effect ,,of ,,minding ,,on ,,the ,,mind4 ,obedience1 we are told1 is a virtue4 ,this seems simple and conclusive1 but on examination further questions rise4 ,what is a virtue8 ,what is obedience8 ,and1 if a virtue1 is it always and equally so8 ,there is a time when patience ceases to be a virtue4 ,perhaps obedience has its limits1 too4 ,a virtue is a specific quality of anything1 as the virtue of mustard is in its biting quality2 of glass1 transparency2 of a sword1 its edge and temper4 ,in moral application a virtue is a quality in mankind whereby we are most advantaged4 ,we make a distinction in our specific qualities1 claiming some to be good and some bad2 and the virtues are those whereby we gain the highest good4 ,these virtues of humanity change in relative value with time1 place1 and circumstance4 ,what is considered a virtue in primitive life becomes foolishness or even vice in later civilisation2 yet each age and place can show clear reason for its virtues1 trace their introduction1 rise into high honour1 and gradual neglect4 ,for instance1 the virtue of endurance ranks high among savages4 ,to be able to bear hunger and heat and cold and pain and dire fatigue1--this power is supreme virtue to the savage1 for the simple reason that it is supremely necessary to him4 ,he has a large chance of meeting these afflictions all through life1 and wisely prepares himself beforehand by wilfully undergoing even worse hardships4 ,chastity is a comparatively modern virtue1 still but partially accepted4 ,even as an ideal1 it is not universally admired1 being considered mainly as a feminine distinction4 ,this is good proof of its gradual introduction1--first1 as solely female1 a demand from the man1 and then proving its value as a racial virtue1 and rising slowly in general esteem1 until to-day there is a very marked movement toward a higher standard of masculine chastity4 ,courage1 on the other hand1 has been held almost wholly as a masculine virtue1 from the same simple causes of sociological development2 to this day one hears otherwise intelligent and respectable women own themselves1 without the slightest sense of shame1 to be cowards4 ,a comparative study of the virtues would reveal a mixed and changeful throng1 and always through them all the underlying force of necessity1 which makes this or that quality a virtue in its time4 ,we speak of making a virtue of necessity4 ,as a matter of fact1 all virtues are made of necessity4 ,a virtue1 then1 in the human race is that quality which is held supremely beneficial1 valuable1 necessary1 at that time4 ,and what1 in close analysis1 is obedience8 ,it is a noun made from the verb to obey4 ,what is it to obey8 ,it is to act under the impulse of another will1--to submit one's behaviour to outside direction4 ,it involves the surrender of both judgment and will4 ,is this capacity of submission of sufficient value to the human race to be called a virtue8 ,assuredly it is--sometimes4 ,the most familiar instance of the uses of obedience is among soldiers and sailors1 always promptly adduced by the stanch upholders of this quality4 ,they do not speak of it as particularly desirable among farmers or merchants or artists1 but cling to the battlefield or the deck1 as sufficient illustrations4 ,we may note1 also1 that1 when our elaborate efforts are made to inculcate its value to young children1 we always introduce a railroad accident1 runaway1 fire1 burglar1 or other element of danger2 and1 equally1 in the stories of young animals designed for the same purpose1 the disobedient little beast is always exposed to dire peril1 and the obedient saved4 ,all this clearly indicates the real basis of our respect for obedience4 ,its first and greatest use is this3 where concerted action is necessary1 in such instant performance that it would be impossible to transmit the impulse through a number of varying intelligences4 ,that is why the soldier and sailor have to obey4 ,military and nautical action is essentially collective1 essentially instant1 and too intricate for that easy understanding which would allow of swift common action on individual initiative4 ,under such circumstances1 obedience is1 indeed1 a virtue1 and disobedience the unpardonable sin4 ,again1 with the animals1 we have a case where it is essential that the young should act instantly under stimuli perceptible to the mother and not to the young4 ,no explanation is possible4 ,there is not speech for it1 even if there were time4 ,a sudden silent danger needs a sudden silent escape4 ,under this pressure of condition has been evolved a degree of obedience absolutely instinctive and automatic1 as so beautifully shown in ,mr4 ,thompson's story of the little partridges flattening themselves into effacement on their mother's warning signal4 ,with deadly peril at hand1 with no brain to give or to receive explanation1 with no time to do more than squeak an inarticulate command1 there is indeed need for obedience2 and obedience is forthcoming4 ,but is this so essential quality in rearing young animals as essential in human education8 ,so far in human history1 our absolute desideratum in child-training is that the child shall obey4 ,the child who minds promptly and unquestioningly is the ideal3 the child who refuses to mind1 who1 perhaps1 even says1 ,i won't1 is the example of all evil4 ,parental success is judged by ability to make the children mind3 to be without that is failure4 ,all this has no reference whatever to the kind of behaviour required4 ,the virtue in the child is simply to do what it is told1 in any extreme of folly or even danger4 ,witness the immortal fame of ,casabianca4 ,being told to stay1 this sublime infant stayed1 though every instinct and reason was against it1 and he was blown up unflinching in pursuance of duty4 ,the effect of minding on the mind is here shown in extreme instance4 ,under the pressure of the imposed will and judgment of his father1 the child restrained his own will and judgment1 and suffered the consequences4 ,the moral to be drawn is a very circuitous one4 ,although obedience was palpably injurious in this case1 it is held that such perfect surrender would in most cases be highly beneficial4 ,that other popular instance1 beginning ,old ',ironsides' at anchor lay ,in the harbor of ,mahon4 is more practical4 ,the judicious father orders the perilously poised son to ,jump6 ,jump1 boy1 far into the deep6 and he jumps1 and is hauled out by the sailors4 ,as usual1 we see that the reason why obedience is so necessary is because of imminent danger1 which only obedience can escape4 ,with this for a practical background1 and with the added proviso that1 unless obedience is demanded and secured when there is no danger1 it will not be forthcoming when there is1 the child is trained to obey from the first4 ,no matter how capricious and unnecessary the command1 he must mind1 or be punished for not minding4 ,we may fall short of success in our efforts2 but this is our ideal1--that a child shall do what he is told on the instant1 and thus fulfil his whole scale of virtue as well as meet all the advantages of safety4 ,our intense reverence for the virtue of obedience is easily traceable4 ,in the first place there is the deep-seated animal instinct1 far outdating human history4 ,for uncounted ages our brute mother ancestors had reared their brute young in automatic obedience1--an obedience bred in the bone by those who obeyed and lived1 any deficiency in which was steadily expurgated by the cutting off of the hapless youngster who disobeyed4 ,this had1 of course1 a reflex action on the mother4 ,when one's nerve-impulse finds expression through another body1 that expression gives the same sense of relief and pleasure as a personal expression4 ,when one wills another to do something which the other promptly does1 it gives one an even larger satisfaction than doing what one wills one's self4 ,that is the pleasure we have in a good dog1--our will flows through his organism uninterrupted4 ,it is a temporary extension of self in activity that does not weary4 ,this is one initial reason for the parental pleasure in obedience and displeasure in disobedience4 ,when the parent emits an impulse calling for expression through the child1 and the child refuses to express it1 there is a distinct sense of distress in the parent1 quite apart from any ulterior advantage to either party in the desired act4 ,almost any mother can recall this balked feeling1 like the annoyance of an arrested sneeze4 ,to this instinct our gradually enlarging humanness has added the breadth of wider perceptions and the weight of growing ideas of authority1 with the tremendous depth of tradition and habit4 ,early races lived in constant danger1 military service was universal1 despotism the common government1 and slavery the general condition4 ,the ruling despot exacted obedience from all2 and it was by each grade exacted remorselessly from its inferiors4 ,no overseer so cruel as the slave4 ,where men were slaves to despotic sovereigns1 their women were slaves to them2 and the women tyrannised in turn over their slaves1 if they had any4 ,but under every one else were always the children1 defenceless absolutely1 inferior physically and mentally4 ,naturally1 they were expected to obey4 ,as we built out of our clouded brains dim and sinister gods1 we predicated of them the habits so prominent in our earthly rulers3 the one thing the gods would have was obedience1 which1 therefore1 grew to have first place in our primitive religion4 ,the early ,hebrew traditions of ,god1 with which we are all so familiar1 picture him as in a continuous state of annoyance because his children would not mind4 ,in the centuries of dominance of the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 obedience became additionally exalted4 ,the power and success of that magnificent organisation depended so absolutely on this characteristic that it was given high place in the vows of religious societies1--highest of all by the ,jesuits1 who carried it to its logical extreme1 the subordinate being required to become as will-less as a corpse1 actuated solely by the commands of his superior4 ,even militarism offers no better instance of the value and power of obedience than does the ,church4 ,it now becomes clear why we so naturally venerate this quality3 first1 the deep brute instinct2 second1 the years of historic necessity and habit2 third1 the tremendous sanction of religion4 ,it is only a few centuries since the ,protestant ,reformation broke the power of church dominance and successfully established the rebellion of free thought4 ,it is less than that since the ,american ,revolution and the ,french ,revolution again triumphantly disobeyed1 and established the liberty of the individual in matters temporal4 ,since then the delighted brain has spread and strengthened1 thinking for itself and doing what it thought2 and we have seen some foretaste of what a full democracy will ultimately bring to us4 ,but this growth of individual freedom has but just begun to penetrate that stronghold of all habit and tradition1 the ,home4 ,men might be free1 but women must still obey4 ,women are beginning to be free1 but still the child remains1--the under-dog always2 and he1 at least1 must obey4 ,on this we are still practically at one1--,catholic and ,protestant1 soldier and farmer1 subject and citizen4 ,let us untangle the real necessity from this vast mass of hoary tradition1 and see if obedience is really the best thing to teach a child1--if by obedience is the best way to teach a child4 ,and let careful provision here be made for a senseless inference constantly made when this question is raised4 ,dare to criticise a system of training based on obedience1 and you are instantly assumed to be advocating no system at all1 no training1 merely letting the child run wild and have his own way4 ,this is a most unfair assumption4 ,those who know no other way of modifying a child's behaviour than through making him mind suppose that1 if he were not made to mind1 he must be utterly neglected4 ,child-training to their minds is to be accomplished only through child-ordering2 and many think the training quite accomplished if only the subject is a model of obedience4 ,others1 a little more open-minded1 and who have perhaps read something on the subject1 assume that1 if you do not demand obedience of the child1 it means that you must explain everything to him1 reason with him from deed to deed2 and this they wearily and rightly declare to be impossible4 ,but neither of these assumptions is correct4 ,one may question the efficacy of the ,salisbury method without being thereby pledged to vegetarianism4 ,one may criticise our school system1 yet not mean that children should have no education4 ,the rearing of children is the most important work1 and it is here contended that1 in this great educational process1 obedience1 as a main factor1 has a bad effect on the growing mind4 ,a child is a human creature4 ,he should be reared with a view to his development and behaviour as an adult1 not solely with a view to his behaviour as a child4 ,he is temporarily a child1 far more permanently a man2 and it is the man we are training4 ,the work of parenthood is not only to guard and nourish the young1 but to develope the qualities needed in the mature4 ,obedience is defended1 first1 as being necessary to the protection of the child1 and1 second1 as developing desirable qualities in the adult4 ,but the child can be far better protected by removing all danger1 which our present civilisation is quite competent to do2 and the habit of obedience developes very undesirable qualities4 ,on what characteristics does our human pre-eminence rest8 ,on our breadth and accuracy of judgment and force of will4 ,because we can see widely and judge wisely1 because we have power to do what we see to be right1 therefore we are the dominant species in the animal kingdom2 therefore we are consciously the children of ,god4 ,these qualities are lodged in individuals1 and must be exercised by individuals for the best human progress4 ,if our method of advance were that one person alone should be wise and strong1 and all other persons prosperous through a strict subservience to his commands1 then1 indeed1 we could do no better for our children than to train them to obey4 ,judgment would be of no use to them if they had to take another's3 will-power would be valueless if they were never to exercise it4 ,but this is by no means the condition of human life4 ,more and more is it being recognised that progress lies in a well-developed average intelligence rather than in a wise despot and his stupid serfs4 ,for every individual to have a good judgment and a strong will is far better for the community than for a few to have these qualities and the rest to follow them4 ,the habit of obedience1 forced in upon the impressible nature of a child1 does not develope judgment and will1 but does develope that fatal facility in following other people's judgment and other people's wills which tends to make us a helpless mob1 mere sheep1 instead of wise1 free1 strong individuals4 ,the habit of submission to authority1 the long1 deeply impressed conviction that to be good is to give up1 that there is virtue in the act of surrender1--this is one of the sources from which we continually replenish human weakness1 and fill the world with an inert mass of mind-less1 will-less folk1 pushed and pulled about by those whom they obey4 ,moreover1 there is the opposite effect1--the injurious reaction from obedience1--almost as common and hurtful as its full achievement2 namely1 that fierce rebellious desire to do exactly the opposite of what one is told1 which is no nearer to calm judgment than the other4 ,in obeying another will or in resisting another will1 nothing is gained in wisdom4 ,a human creature is a self-governing intelligence1 and the rich years of childhood should be passed in the guarded and gradual exercise of those powers4 ,now this will1 no doubt1 call up to the minds of many a picture of a selfish1 domineering youngster1 stormily ploughing through a number of experimental adventures1 with a group of sacrificial parents and teachers prostrate before him4 ,again an unwarranted assumption4 ,consideration of others is one of the first laws of life1 one of the first things a child should be taught2 but consideration of others is not identical with obedience4 ,again1 it will be imagined that the child is to be left to laboriously work out for himself the accumulated experiments of humanity1 and deprived of the profits of all previous experience4 ,by no means4 ,on the contrary1 it is the business of those who have the care of the very young to see to it that they do benefit by that previous experience far more fully than is now possible4 ,our system of obedience cuts the child off from precisely this advantage1 and leaves him longing to do the forbidden things1 generally doing them1 too1 when he gets away from his tutelage4 ,the behaviour of the released child1 in its riotous reaction against authority as such1 as shown glaringly in the action of the average college student1 tells how much judgment and self-control have been developing behind the obedience4 ,the brain grows by exercise4 ,the best time to develope it is in youth4 ,to obey does not develope the brain1 but checks its growth4 ,it gives to the will a peculiar suicidal power of aborting its own impulse1 not controlling it1 but giving it up4 ,this leaves a habit of giving up which weakens our power of continued effort4 ,all this is not saying that obedience is never useful in childhood4 ,there are occasions when it is2 and on such occasions1 with a child otherwise intelligently trained1 it will be forthcoming4 ,we make a wide mistake in assuming that1 unless a child is made to obey at every step1 it will never obey4 ,a grown person will obey under sharp instant pressure4 ,if there is a sudden danger1 and you shriek at your friend1 ,get up--quick6 or hiss a terrified1 ,sh6 ,sh6 ,be still6 your friend promptly obeys4 ,of course1 if you had been endeavouring to boss that friend with a thousand pointless caprices1 he might distrust you in the hour of peril2 but if he knew you to be a reasonable person1 he would respond promptly to a sudden command4 ,much more will a child so respond where he has full reason to respect the judgment of the commander4 ,children have the automatic habit of obedience by the same animal inheritance that gives the mother the habit of command2 but we so abuse that faculty that it becomes lost in righteous rebellion or crushed submission4 ,the animal mother never misuses her precious authority4 ,she does not cry1 ,wolf6 ,wolf6 ,we talk glibly about the best good of the child1 but there are few children who are not clearly aware that they are minding for the convenience of the grown-ups the greater part of the time4 ,therefore1 they suspect self-interest in even the necessary commands1 and might very readily refuse to obey in the hour of danger4 ,it is a commonplace observation that the best children--i4e41 the most submissive and obedient--do not make the best men4 ,if they are utterly subdued1 too good to live1 they swell the ,sunday-school list of infant saints1 die young1 and go to heaven3 whereas the rebellious and unruly boy often makes the best citizen4 ,the too obedient child has learned only to do what he is told4 ,if not told1 he has no initiative2 and1 if told wrong1 he does wrong4 ,life to him is not a series of problems to be solved1 but a mere book of orders2 and1 instead of understanding the true imperious force of natural law1 which a wise man follows because he sees the wisdom of the course1 he takes every must in life to be like a personal command1--a thing probably unreasonable1 and to be evaded1 if possible4 ,the escaped child1 long suppressed under obedience1 is in no mood for a cheerful acceptance of real laws1 but imagines that there is more fun in having his own way4 ,the foolish parent claims to be obeyed as a god2 and the grown-up child seeks to evade ,god1 to treat the laws of ,nature as if she1 too1 were a foolish parent4 ,suppose you are teaching a child arithmetic4 ,you tell him to put down such and such figures in such a position4 ,he inquires1 ,why8 ,you explain the reason4 ,if you do not explain the reason1 he does not understand the problem4 ,you might continue to give orders as to what figures to set down and in what places2 and the child1 obeying1 could be trotted through the arithmetic in a month's time4 ,but the arithmetic would not have gone through him4 ,he would be no better versed in the science of numbers than a type-setter is in the learned books he sets up4 ,we recognise this in the teaching of arithmetic1 and go to great lengths in inventing test problems and arranging easy stages by which the child may gradually master his task4 ,but we do not recognise it in teaching the child life4 ,the small acts of infancy are the child's first problems in living4 ,he naturally wishes to understand them4 ,he says1 ,why8 ,to which we reply inanely1 ,because ,i tell you to6 ,that is no reason4 ,it is a force1 no doubt1 a pressure1 to which the child may be compelled to yield4 ,but he is no wiser than he was before4 ,he has learned nothing except the lesson we imagine so valuable1--to obey4 ,at the very best1 he may remember always1 in like case1 that mamma would wish me to do so1 and do it4 ,but1 when cases differ1 he has no guide4 ,with the best intentions in life1 he can but cast about in his mind to try to imagine what some one else might tell him to do if present3 the circumstances themselves mean nothing to him4 ,docility1 subservience1 a quick surrender of purpose1 a wavering1 untrained1 easily shaken judgment1--these are the qualities developed by much obedience4 ,are they the qualities we wish to develope in ,american citizens8 ,,iii4 ,,two ,,and ,,two ,,together4 ,if not trained to obedience1 what shall the child be trained to8 naturally demands the outraged parent4 ,to inculcate that first of virtues has taken so much time and effort that we have overlooked the subsequent qualities which require our help1 and feel rather at sea when this sheet anchor is taken from us4 ,but it is not so hard a problem1 when honestly faced4 ,a child has a body and a mind to be nourished1 sheltered1 protected1 allowed to grow1 and judiciously trained4 ,we are here considering the brain training2 but that is safely comparable to--is1 indeed1 part of--the body training1 for the brain as much as the lungs or liver is an organ of the body4 ,in training the little body1 our main line of duty is to furnish proper food1 to insure proper rest1 and to allow and encourage proper exercise4 ,exactly this is wanted to promote right brain growth4 ,we do not wish to overstimulate the brain1 to develope it at the expense of other organs2 but we do wish to insure its full natural growth and to promote its natural activities by a wise selection of the highest qualities for preferred use4 ,and we need more knowledge of the various brain functions than is commonly possessed by those in charge of young children4 ,the office of the brain we are here considering is to receive1 retain1 and collate impressions1 and1 in retaining them1 to hold their original force as far as possible1 so that the ultimate act1 coming from a previous impression1 may have the force of the original impulse4 ,the human creature does not originate nervous energy2 but he does secrete it1 so to speak1 from the impact of natural forces4 ,he has a storage battery of power we call the will4 ,by this high faculty we see a well-developed human being working steadily for a desired object1 without any present stimulus directed to that end1 even in opposition to prevent stimulus tending to oppose that end4 ,this width of perception1 length of retention1 storage of force1 and power of steady1 self-determined action distinguish the advanced human brain4 ,early forms of life had no brains to speak of4 ,they received impressions and transmitted them in expressions without check or discrimination4 ,with the development of more complex organisms and their more complex activities came the accompanying complexity of brain1 which could co-ordinate those activities to the best advantage4 ,action is the main line of growth4 ,conditions press upon all life1 but life is modified through its own action under given conditions4 ,and the relative wisdom and success of different acts depend on the brain power of the organism4 ,the superiority of races lies in better adaptation to condition4 ,in human life1 in the long competition among nations1 classes1 and individuals1 superiority still lies in the same development4 ,power to receive and retain more wide1 deep1 and subtle impression2 power to more accurately and judiciously collate these impressions2 power to act steadily on these stored and selected impulses rather than on immediate impulses1--this it is which marks our line of advance4 ,the education of the child should be such as to develope these distinguishing human faculties4 ,the universe1 speaking loudly1 lies around every creature4 ,little by little we learn to hear1 to understand1 to act accordingly4 ,and this we should teach the child1 to recognise more accurately the laws about him and to act upon them4 ,a very little child does this in his narrow range exactly as does the adult in wider fields4 ,he receives impressions1 such as are allowed to reach him4 ,he stores and collates those impressions with increasing vigour and accuracy from day to day2 and he acts on the sum of those impressions with growing power4 ,naturally1 his range of impression is limited1 his power of retention is limited1 his ability to relate the impression retained is limited2 and his action is at first far more open to immediate outside stimulus1 and less responsive to the inner will-force1 than that of an adult4 ,that is the condition of childhood4 ,it is for us to gently1 delicately1 steadily surround the child with such conditions as shall promote this orderly sequence of brain function rather than to forcibly develope and retain his more primitive methods4 ,before going further1 let us look at the average mental workings of the human creature1 and see if it seems to us in smooth running order4 ,we have made enormous progress in brain development1 and we manifest wide differences in brain power4 ,but clearly discernible through all the progress and all the difference is this large fault in our mental machinery1--a peculiar discrepancy between the sum of our knowledge and the sum of our behaviour4 ,man being conscious and intelligent1 it would seem that to teach him the desirability of a given course of action would be sufficient4 ,that it is not sufficient1 every mother1 every teacher1 every preacher1 every discoverer1 inventor1 reformer1 knows full well4 ,instruction may be poured in by the ton3 it comes out in action by the ounce4 ,you may teach and preach and pray for two thousand years1 and very imperfectly ,christianise a small portion of the human race4 ,you may exhort and command and reiterate2 and yet the sinner1 whether infant or adult1 remains obdurate4 ,no wonder we imagined an active ,enemy striving to oppose us1 so difficult was good behaviour in spite of all our efforts4 ,it has never occurred to us that we were pursuing an entirely erroneous method4 ,we uttered like parrots the pregnant proverb1 ,example is better than precept1 learning nothing by it4 ,what does that simple saying mean8 ,that one learns better by observation than by instruction1 especially when instruction is coupled with command4 ,this being a clearly established fact1 why have we not profited by it8 ,because our brains1 all of our brains from the beginning of time1 have been blurred and blinded and weakened by the same mistake in infant education4 ,what is this mistake8 ,what is it we have done so patiently and faithfully all these years to every one of the human race which has injured the natural working of the brain8 ,this3 we have systematically checked in our children acts which were the natural sequence of their observation and inference2 and enforced acts which1 to the child's mind1 had no reason4 ,thus we have carefully trained a world of people to the habit of acting without understanding1 and also of understanding without acting4 ,because we were unable even to entirely subvert natural brain processes1 because our children must needs do some things of their own motion and not in obedience to us1 therefore some power of judgment and self-government has grown in humanity4 ,but because we have been so largely successful in our dealings with the helpless little brain is there so little power of judgment and self-government among us4 ,observe1 too1 that our most intelligent progress is made in those arts1 trades1 professions1 sciences1 wherein little children are not trained2 and that our most palpable deficiencies are in the morals1 manners1 and general personal relations of life1 wherein little children are trained4 ,the things we are compelled to do in obedience we make no progress in4 ,they are either obeyed or disobeyed1 but are not understood and improved upon3 they stand like the customs of ,china4 ,the things we learn by understanding and practising are open to further knowledge and growth4 ,a normal human act1 as distinguished from the instinctive behaviour of lower animals or from mere excito-motary reaction1 involves always these three stages1--impression1 judgment1 expression4 ,these are not separate1 but are orderly steps in the great main fact of life1--action4 ,it is all a part of that transmission of energy which appears to be the business of the universe4 ,the sun's heat pours upon the earth1 and passes through whatever substance it strikes1 coming out transformed variously1 according to the nature of the substance4 ,man receives his complement of energy1 like every other creature1--physical stimulus from food and fire1 psychical stimulus from its less known sources2 and these impressions tend to flow through him into expression as naturally as1 though with more complexity than1 in other creatures4 ,the song of the skylark and ,shelley's ,skylark show this wide difference in the amount and quality of transmission1 yet are both expressions of the same impressions1 plus those wider impressions to which the poet's organism was open4 ,the distinctive power of man is that of connected action4 ,our immense capacity for receiving and retaining impressions gives us that world-stock of stored information and its arrested stimulus which we call knowledge4 ,but wisdom1 the higher word1 refers to our capacity for considering what we know1--handling and balancing the information in stock1 and so acting judiciously from the best impression or group of impressions1 instead of indiscriminately from the latest or from any that happens to be uppermost4 ,this power1 in cases of immediate danger1 we call presence of mind4 ,similarly1 when otherwise intelligent persons do visibly foolish things1 we call it absence of mind4 ,the brain1 as an organ1 is present in both cases2 but in the former it is connected with action1 in the latter the connection is broken4 ,the word thoughtless1 as applied to so large a share of our walk and conversation1 describes this same absence of the mind from the place where it is wanted4 ,in training the brain of the child1 first importance lies in cultivating this connection between the mind and the behaviour4 ,as with eye or hand1 we should induce frequent repetition of the desired motions1 that the habit of right action be formed4 ,if the child is steadily encouraged to act in this natural connection1 in orderly sequence of feeling1 thought1 and action1 he would grow into constant presence of mind in his behaviour4 ,habits work in all directions2 and a habit of thoughtful behaviour is as easy to form1 really easier1 than a habit of obedience1--easier1 because it would be the natural function of the brain to govern behaviour if we did not so laboriously contradict it4 ,we have preferred submission to intelligence1 and have got neither1--not intelligence because we have so violently discouraged it1 and not submission because the healthy upward forces of human brain growth will not submit4 ,those races where the children are most absolutely subservient1 as with the ,chinese and ,hindu1 where parents are fairly worshipped and blindly obeyed1 are not races of free and progressive thought and healthy activity4 ,the potential attitude of mind involved in our method is shown in that perfect expression of childish faith1--,it's so because mamma says so2 and1 if mamma says so1 'tis so if 'tain't so4 ,that position makes it very easy for mamma as long as childish faith endures2 but how does it help the man she has reared in this idyllic falsehood8 ,the painful truth is that we have used childish weaknesses to make our government easy for us1 instead of cultivating the powers that shall make life easy to them4 ,a child's limitless credulity is the open door of imposition1 and is ruthlessly taken advantage of by mother and father1 nurse and older companion generally4 ,as a feature in brain-training1 this1 of course1 works absolute harm4 ,it prolongs the infant weakness of the racial brain1 keeps us credulous and open to all imposture1 hinders our true growth4 ,what we should do is to help the child to question and find out1--teach him to learn1 not to believe4 ,he does learn1 of course4 ,we cannot shut out the workings of natural laws from him altogether4 ,gradually he discovers that fire is hot and water wet1 that stone is hard to fall on1 and that there are pins in pussy's toes4 ,his brain is always being healthily acted upon by facts1 his power of discrimination he practises as best he may1 and his behaviour follows inevitably4 ,given such a child1 with such and such an inheritance of constitution and tendency1 submit him to certain impressions1 and he behaves accordingly4 ,he has felt4 ,he has thought4 ,he is about to do4 ,here comes in our universal error4 ,we concern ourselves almost wholly with what the child does1 and ignore what he feels and thinks4 ,we check the behaviour which is the logical result of his feeling and thinking1 and substitute another and different behaviour for his adoption4 ,now it is a direct insult to the brain to try to make the body do something which the brain does not authorise4 ,it is a physical shock3 it causes a sort of mental nausea4 ,there are many subconscious activities which go on without our recognition2 but to call on the body to consciously go through certain motions1 undirected by previous mental processes1 is an affront to any healthy brain4 ,it is sharply distasteful to us1 because it is against the natural working of the machinery4 ,the vigorous functional activity of the young brain cries out against it2 and the child says1 ,why8 ,why is an articulate sound to express the groping of the brain for relation1 for consistency4 ,we have so brow-beaten and controverted this natural tendency1 so forced young growing brains to accept the inconsistent1 that consistency has become so rare in human conduct as to be called a jewel4 ,yet the desire for consistency is one of the most inherent and essential of our mental appetites4 ,it is the logical tendency1 the power to put two and two together1 the one great force that holds our acts in sequence and makes human society possible4 ,we demand consistency in others1 and scoff at the lack of it1 even in early youth4 ,what yer talkin' about1 anyway8 we cry4 ,there's no sense in that6 ,we expect consistency of ourselves1 too4 ,it is funny1 though painful1 to see the ordinary warped brain trying to square its own conduct with its own ideals4 ,square they must1 somehow1 however strained and thin is our patchwork connection4 ,we check the child's act1 the natural sequence of his feeling and thought1 so incessantly as to give plenty of basis for that pathetic tale of the little girl who said her name was ,mary4 ,and what is your last name8 ,don't1 said she4 ,mary ,don't4 ,by doing this1 we constantly send back upon the brain its own impulses1 and accustom it to such continual discouragement of natural initiative that it gradually ceases to govern the individual behaviour4 ,in highest success1 this produces the heavy child1 whining1 ,what shall ,i do now8 always hanging about1 fit subject for any other will to work on2 and the heavy adult1 victim of ennui1 and needing constant outside stimulus to pass away the time4 ,the slowness1 the inertia1 the opaque conservatism1 and the openness to any sort of external pressure1 easiest1 of course1 on the down side1--which so blocks the path of humanity1--largely come back to that poor child's surname1 ,mary ,don't4 ,it is thoroughly beaten into us when young1 and for the rest of life we mostly ,don't4 ,but beyond the paralysing ,don't6 checking the natural movement of the organism1 comes a galvanising ,do6 shocking it into unnatural activity4 ,we tell the child to perform a certain action toward which his own feeling and thought have made no stir whatever4 ,why8 he demands4 ,and we state as reason our authority1 and add an immediate heaven or hell arrangement of our own making to facilitate his performance4 ,he does it4 ,hell is very near4 ,he does it many1 many times4 ,he becomes habituated to a course of behaviour which comes to its expression not through his own previous impression and judgment1 but through ours2 that is1 he is acting from another person's feeling and thinking4 ,we have asserted our authority just before his act1 between it and his thought4 ,we have made a cleft which widens to a chasm between what he feels and thinks and what he does4 ,into that chasm pours to waste an immeasurable amount of human energy4 ,the struggles of the dethroned mind to get possession of its own body again1 as the young man or woman grows to personal freedom1 ought to strike remorse and shame to the parental heart4 ,they do not1 because the devoted parent knows no more of these simple psychic processes than the ,goths knew of the priceless manuscripts they destroyed so cheerfully4 ,with the slow1 late kindling of the freed mind1 under the stimulus perhaps of noble thoughts from others1 or just the inner force of human upgrowth1 the youth tries to take the rudder1 and steer straight4 ,but the rudder chains are stretched to useless slackness or rusted and broken4 ,he feels nobly4 ,he thinks nobly4 ,he starts to do nobly1 but his inner pressure meets no quick response in outer act4 ,the connection is broken4 ,the habit of don't is strong upon him4 ,following each upward impulse which says1 ,do6 is that automatic check1 artificial1 but heavily driven in1 which has so thoroughly and effectually taught the brain to stop at thinking1 not to do what it thought4 ,what he felt and thought was not allowed to govern his action these fifteen years past4 ,why should it now8 ,it takes years of conscientious work to re-establish this original line of smooth connection1 and the mended place is never so strong as it would have been if it had not been broken4 ,also1 the work of those who seek to educate our later youth1 and of those who are forever pouring out their lives to lead the world a little higher1 is rendered million-fold more difficult by this same gulf1 this terrible line of cleavage which strikes so deep to the roots of life1 and leaves our beautiful feelings and wise thoughts to mount sky-high in magnificent culture1 while our action1 which is life's real test1 grovels slowly along1 scarce moved by all our fine ideas4 ,a more general discourager of our racial advancement than this method of brain-training we could hardly have invented4 ,it is universal in its application1 and grinds down steadily on all our people during the most impressionable years of life4 ,that we grow as we do in spite of it is splendid proof of the beneficent forces of our unconscious life1 always stronger than our conscious efforts2 and that our ,american children grow more freely1 and so have more power of initiative and self-government1 is the best work of our democracy4 ,but what else can we do8 will ask the appalled parents4 ,without authority they feel no grip upon the child1 and see themselves exposed to infant tyranny1 and the infant growing up neglected and untrained4 ,this shows how little progress we have made in child-culture1 how little grasp we have of the real processes of education4 ,any parent1 no matter how ignorant1 is wiser than a baby and larger4 ,therefore1 any parent can direct a child's action and enforce it1 to some extent4 ,but to understand how to modify the child's action by such processes as shall keep it still his own1 to alter his act by first altering his feeling and thought and so keeping the healthy sequence unbroken1 that is a far more subtle and difficult task4 ,a typical instance of this difference in method may be illustrated in that common and always difficult task1 teaching a child table manners4 ,here is a case in which there is no instinct in the child to be appealed to4 ,the noise1 clumsiness1 and carelessness to which we object are not at all unpleasant to him4 ,in what way can we reach the child's range of reasoning1 and convince him of the desirability of this artificial code of ours8 ,we can1 of course1 state that it displeases us1 and appeal to his good will not to give us pain4 ,this is rational enough2 but consideration for others1 based on a mere statement of distaste1--a distaste he cannot sympathise with1--is a rather weak force with most children4 ,it is a pity to over-strain this delicate feeling4 ,it should be softly tested from time to time1 and used enough to encourage a healthy growth2 but to continually appeal to a sympathy none too strong is often to strain and weaken it4 ,in table manners it seldom works well4 ,the alleged distress of the parent requires too much imagination1 the desired self-control has too slight a basis4 ,but there is a far safer and better way4 ,carefully work out in your own mind the real reason why you wish the child to conform to this particular code of table ethics4 ,it is not wholly on the ground of displeasing you by the immediate acts4 ,the main reason why they displease you1 and why you are so concerned about the matter1 is that this is the accepted standard among the people with whom you associate and with whom you expect the child to associate2 and1 if he does not conform to this code1 he will be excluded from desirable society4 ,reasons why table manners exist at all1 or are what they are1 require further study2 but the point at issue is not why it is customary to eat with the fork instead of the knife1 but why your child should do so4 ,when he gets to the point of analysing these details1 and asks why he should fold his napkin in one case and leave it crumpled in another1 you will of course be prepared with the real reasons4 ,meanwhile the real reason why the child should learn not to do these undesirable things is that such manners1 if pursued1 will deprive him of desirable society4 ,we usually content ourselves with an oral statement to this effect3 ,nobody will want to eat with you if you do so6 ,right here let a word be said to those who are afraid of over-stimulating a child's brain by a more rational method of training4 ,training by observation and deduction is far easier to a young brain than training by oral statements4 ,to take into the mind by ear a statement of fact1 and to hold that statement in memory and preserve its force to check a natural action1 is a difficult feat for an adult4 ,but to see that such a thing has such a consequence1 and take warning by that1 is the early method1 the natural method1 the quickest1 easiest1 surest way4 ,so1 instead of saying to the child1 ,if you behave so1 people will not want to eat with you1 we should let him see that this is the case1 and feel the lack4 ,his most desirable society is usually that of his parents2 and his first entrance upon that plane should be fairly conditioned upon his learning to play the game as they do4 ,no compulsion1 no penalties1 no thought of naughtiness1 merely that1 if he wants to eat with them1 why1 that is the way they eat1 and he must do so1 too4 ,if he will not1 exit the desirable society4 ,by very gradual steps1--not by long1 tiresome grown-up meals1 but by a graduated series of exercises that should recognise the physical difficulty of co-ordinating the young faculties on this elaborate manual of arms1--a child could learn the whole performance in a reasonable time1 and lose neither nervous force nor clearness of perception in the process4 ,as we do these things now1 pulling this string and that1 appealing to feelings half developed1 urging reasons which find no recognition1 using compulsion which to the child's mind is arbitrary and unjust1 we may superinduce a tolerable system of table manners1 but we have more or less injured the instrument in so doing4 ,a typewriter could1 perhaps1 be worked with a hammer2 but it would not improve the machine4 ,we have had far more consideration for the machinery of the household than for the machinery of a child's mind1 and yet the real foundation claim of the home is that it is necessary to rear children in4 ,if the ordinary conditions of household life are unsuitable to convey the instruction we desire1 it is for us to so arrange those conditions as to make them suitable4 ,there are cases1 many cases1 in a child-time1 where we cannot command the conditions necessary for this method of instruction1 where the child must act from our suggestion with no previous or accompanying reasoning4 ,this makes it all the more necessary that such reasoning should be open to him when we can command it4 ,moreover1 the ordinary events in a young life are not surprises to the parent4 ,we know in advance the things that are so unexpected to the child4 ,why should we not be at some pains to prepare him for these experiences8 ,the given acts of each day are not the crucial points we make of them4 ,what is important is that the child shall gradually establish a rational and connected scheme of life and method of action1 his young faculties improving as he uses them1 life growing easier and plainer to him from year to year4 ,it is for the parent1 the educator1 the brain-trainer1 to study out details of method and delicate applications4 ,the main purpose is that the child's conduct shall be his own1--his own chosen course of action1 adopted by him through the use of his own faculties1 not forced upon him by immediate external pressure4 ,it is our business to make plain to him the desirability of the behaviour we wish produced1 carefully establishing from day to day his perceptions of the use and beauty of life1 and his proven confidence in us as interpreters4 ,the young brain should be regularly practised in the first easy steps of sequential reasoning1 arguing from the interesting causes we so carefully provide to the pleasant or not too painful effects we so honestly let it feel1 always putting two and two together as it advances in the art and practice of human conduct4 ,then it will grow into a strong1 clear1 active1 mature brain1 capable of relating the facts of life with a wider and juster vision than has been ours1 and acting unflinchingly from its own best judgment1 as we have striven to do in vain these many years4 ,,iv4 ,,the ,,burnt ,,child ,,dreads ,,the ,,slipper4 ,the question of discipline is a serious one to every young mother2 and most mothers are young to begin with4 ,she feels the weight of maternal responsibility and the necessity for bringing up her child properly1 but has studied nothing whatever on the subject4 ,what methods of discipline are in general use in the rearing of children8 ,the oldest and commonest of all is that of meeting an error in the child's behaviour with physical pain4 ,we simply hurt the child when he does wrong1 in order that he may so learn not to do wrong4 ,a method so common and so old as this ought to be clearly justified or as clearly condemned by its results4 ,have we succeeded yet in simplifying and making easy the training of children1--easy for the trainer and for the trained2 and have we developed a race of beings with plain1 strong1 clear perceptions of right and wrong behaviour and an easy and accurate fulfilment of those perceptions8 ,it must be admitted that we have not2 but two claims will be made in excuse3 first1 that1 however unsuccessful1 this method of discipline is better than any other2 and1 second1 that the bad behaviour of humanity is due to our inherent depravity1 and cannot be ameliorated much even by physical punishment4 ,some may go further1 and say that whatever advance we have made is due to this particular system4 ,unfortunately1 we have almost no exact data from which to compute the value of different methods of child-training4 ,in horse-training something definite is known4 ,on one of the great stock ranches of the ,west1 for instance1 where some phenomenal racers have been bred1 the trainers of colts not only forbid any rough handling of the sensitive young animals1 but even rough speaking to them4 ,it has been proven that the intelligent and affectionate horse is trained more easily and effectually by gentleness than by severity4 ,but with horses the methods used are open to inspection1 and also the results4 ,with children each family practises alone on its own young ones1 and no record is kept beyond the casual observation and hearsay reports of the neighbours4 ,yet1 even so1 there is a glimmer of light4 ,the proverbial uncertainty as to ministers' sons indicates a tendency to reaction when a child has been too severely restrained2 and the almost sure downfall of the mamma's darling1 the too-much-mothered and over-indulged boy1 shows the tendency to foolish excesses when a child has not been restrained enough4 ,again1 our general uncertainty as to methods proves that even the currently accepted rod system is not infallible4 ,if it were1 we should have peace of mind and uncounted generations of good citizens4 ,as it is1 we have the mixed and spotty world we all know so well1--a heavy percentage of acknowledged criminals1 a much larger grade of those who just do not break the law1 but whose defections from honesty1 courage1 truth1 and honour weigh heavily upon us all4 ,following that comes the vast mass of good people1 and their behaviour is sometimes more trying than that of the bad ones4 ,humanity does gain1 but not as fast as so intelligent a race should4 ,in penology something has been learned4 ,here1 dealing with the extreme criminal1 we are slowly establishing the facts that arbitrary and severe punishment does not proportionately decrease crime2 that crime has causes1 which may be removed2 and that the individual needs to be treated beforehand1 preventively1 rather than afterward1 retributively4 ,this would seem to throw some light on infant penology4 ,if retributive punishment does not proportionately decrease crime in adult criminals1 perhaps it does not decrease naughtiness among little children4 ,if there is an arrangement of conditions and a treatment which may prevent the crime1 perhaps there may be an arrangement of conditions and a treatment which will prevent the naughtiness4 ,one point may be clearly established1 to begin with2 and that is the need of an open court for our helpless little offenders4 ,whatever else we think of human nature1 we know it to be fallible1 and that a private individual cannot be expected to administer justice in secret and alone4 ,suppose ,mr4 ,jones steals a cow from ,mr4 ,smith1 is ,mr4 ,smith capable of being himself both judge and executioner8 ,does not the very conception of justice involve a third party1 some one to hold the scales1 to balance1 to decide8 ,and1 if circumstances compel much power to be invested in an individual for a season1 should not that individual be previously instructed from some code of law which many have sanctioned1 and afterward be held responsible to public judgment8 ,a ship captain1 for instance1 has absolute authority for a while2 but his authority rests on law1 and1 if he breaks that law1 he is liable to punishment4 ,moreover1 if he goes too far while in command1 he is liable to dangerous mutiny as well4 ,but in domestic discipline the child is absolutely in the power of the parent4 ,there is no appeal4 ,there is no defence4 ,there are no witnesses4 ,the child offends against the parent1 and the offended one is both judge and executioner4 ,a number of children may commit exactly the same offence1 as1 for instance1 if six boys all go swimming when forbidden2 yet they are liable to six several punishments at the hands of their six several mothers or fathers1--punishments bearing relation to the views1 health1 and temper of the parent at the time rather than to the nature of the misdeed4 ,the only glimmer of protection which the child gets from an enlightened community is in the ,society for the ,prevention of ,cruelty to ,children1--a small1 feeble body1 acting in few localities1 and intervening only to save the child from the parent when gross physical cruelty is practised4 ,that in many cases parents are even violently cruel to little children gives reason to believe that many others are a little cruel2 and that still more1 while not cruel1 are unwise4 ,there is no society for the prevention of over-indulgence to children1 for instance2 yet this is a frequent injury to our young people4 ,whatever the views of the separate parents1 and whatever their standard of justice1 a great improvement would be made if there were some publicity and community of action in their methods4 ,a hundred men together can decide upon and carry out a higher course of action than they could be trusted to follow severally4 ,our beautiful growth in justice and equity 7for grown people7 has always required this openness and union4 ,many a mother1 tired and cross with her housework1 does things to her child which she would be ashamed to retail to a cool and unprejudiced circle of friends4 ,and many another mother consistently and conscientiously inflicts punishments which she would learn to be ashamed of if she heard them discussed by her respected associates with a consensus of disapproval4 ,in the ordinary contact of neighbourly life1 some little development of this sort goes on3 a few sporadic ,mothers' ,clubs lead to more concerted discussions2 and to-day the ,mothers' ,congress1 lately become the ,parents' ,congress1 and other bodies1 together with a growing field of literature on the subject1 is leading to far wider and deeper thought1 and some experiment4 ,but the field is as wide as the world1 and very little is yet accomplished4 ,we have swung wide from the stern severity of earlier times1 so that ,american children are notoriously indulged2 but merely to leave off a wrong method1 without introducing a better one1 is not all that can be hoped4 ,the discipline of life lies before us all4 ,the more carefully and wisely we teach and train our children1 the less they and others need suffer afterward4 ,but there does seem to be some grave deficiency in our method of domestic discipline4 ,here is little ,albert being educated4 ,he is not going to school yet4 ,he is not old enough4 ,that is1 he is not old enough to be taught anything systematically by persons whose business it is to teach2 but he is old enough to be learning the a1 b1 c of life at the hands of those with whom he chances to be4 ,a child learns every day4 ,that cannot be helped4 ,what he learns1 and how1 we can largely dictate2 but we cannot keep his brain shut until he gets to school1 and then open it for three or four hours a day only4 ,what does little ,albert learn8 ,put yourself in his place for a little while4 ,here are new sensations coming to him momently1 through the eager nerves of sense4 ,here is a new brain1 fresh to receive impressions1 store them1 and act upon them4 ,the pleasure of perceiving is keen1 the pleasure of his limited but growing reflection is keen1 and the pleasure of action is best of all4 ,life is full of interest4 ,all the innumerable facts which form our smooth background of behaviour1 in the knowledge of which we avoid the water and the fire and go down hill circumspectly1 are to him fresh discoveries and revelations4 ,he has to prove them and put them together1 and see how they work4 ,the feelings with which we have learned to associate certain facts and actions do not exist to him4 ,he knows nothing of should or should not1 except as he learns it by personal trial or through the reaction of other persons upon him4 ,this open state of mind we early destroy by labelling certain acts as good and others as bad2 and1 since we do not see our way to exhibiting the goodness or badness to the baby brain in natural colours1 we paint them in sharp black and white1 with no shading4 ,he has to gather his sense of relatively good and bad from the degree of our praise and punishment2 and strange1 indeed1 are his impressions4 ,the loving and cuddling which delight his baby soul are associated with so many different acts1 and in such varying proportion1 that he does not clearly gather whether it is more virtuous to kiss mamma or to pull grandpa's whiskers2 and it takes him some time to learn which dress he must not hug4 ,but1 if the good things confuse him1 the bad ones are far more complex and uncertain4 ,little ,albert is1 we will say1 investigating his mother's work-basket4 ,a tall object stands before him4 ,he just bumped his head against it1 and it wiggled4 ,he felt it wiggle4 ,he reaches forth an inquiring hand1 and finds graspable wicker legs within reach4 ,to grasp and to pull are natural to the human hand and arm4 ,to shake was early taught him4 ,things were put in his hands1 the shaking of which produced an agreeable noise and admiration from the beloved ones4 ,so he shakes this new object2 and1 to his delight1 something rattles4 ,he puts forth his strength1 and1 lo6 the tall1 shakable object falls prostrate before him1 and scatters into a sprawling shower of little things that clink and roll4 ,excellent6 ,lovely6 ,have not persons built up tall creations of vari-colored blocks1 and taught baby to knock them down and rejoice in their scattering6 ,but mamma1 to whom this group of surfaces1 textures1 colours1 movements1 and sounds1 means much besides infantile instruction1 asserts that he is naughty1 and treats him with severity4 ,if you do that again1 says irate mamma1 ,i'll whip you6 ,if ,albert has not already been whipped1 the new word means nothing4 ,how is an unwhipped child to know what whipping means8 ,she might save her breath4 ,the lesson is not taught by words4 ,but if she promptly whips him1 and does so inevitably when he repeats the offence1 he does learn a definite lesson2 namely1 that the act of pulling over a work-basket results in a species of physical pain1 via mamma4 ,then the unprejudiced young brain makes its deduction1--,the pulling over of things causes physical pain1 named whipping4 ,this much being established1 he acts on the information4 ,presently he learns1 with some little confusion1 that going out of the gate without leave is also productive of whipping1--dissimilar acts1 but the same result1--and lays this up with the other1--,pulling over things and going out of gates are two causes with the same result1--whipping4 ,then comes another case4 ,he begins to investigate that endless wonder and attraction1 the fire4 ,if ever cause and effect were neatly and forcibly related1 it is in this useful and dangerous element4 ,so simple and sure is its instructive and deterrent action that we have built a proverb on it1--,the burnt child dreads the fire4 ,but the mother of ,albert has a better plan than mother ,nature4 ,she interposes with her usual arbitrary consequence1--,if you play with fire1 ,i will whip you1 and ,albert learns anew that this third cause still produces the same unpleasant result2 and he makes his record1--,pulling things over1 going out of gates1 playing with fire1 result in whipping4 ,and he acts accordingly4 ,then one day he makes a new and startling discovery4 ,led by some special temptation1 he slips out of the gate and safely back again1 unseen of any4 ,no whipping follows4 ,then his astonished but accurate brain hastily revises the previous information1 and adds a glaring new clause1--,it is not just going out of gates that makes a whipping come3 it is being seen6 ,this is covertly tried on the other deeds with the same result4 ,aha6 ,aha6 clicks the little recording machine inside4 ,now ,i know6 ,whipping does not come from those things3 it comes from mamma2 and1 if she doesn't see me1 it doesn't come6 ,whipping is the result of being seen6 ,of course1 a little child does not actually say this to himself in so many words2 but he does get this impression very clearly1 as may be seen from his ensuing behaviour4 ,the principle in question1 in considering this usual method of discipline1 is whether it is better to associate a child's idea of consequences with the act itself or with an individual1 and conditioned upon the chance of discovery4 ,our general habit is to make the result of the child's deed contingent upon the parental knowledge and displeasure rather than upon the deed itself4 ,as in this hackneyed instance of the fire1 instead of teaching the child by mild and cautious experiment that fire burns1 we teach him that fire whips4 ,the baby who is taught not to play with fire by the application of a rearward slipper does not understand the nature of the glittering attraction any better than before2 and1 as soon as he learns that whippings are contingent upon personal observation1 he fondly imagines that1 if he can play with fire without being seen1 no pain will follow4 ,thus the danger we seek to avert is not averted4 ,he is still liable to be burned through ignorance4 ,we have denied the true lesson as to the nature of fire1 and taught a false one of arbitrary but uncertain punishment4 ,even if the child is preternaturally obedient and never does the things we tell him not to do1 he does not learn the lesson4 ,he is no wiser than before4 ,we have saved him from danger and also from knowledge4 ,if he is disobedient1 he runs the same risk as if we had told him nothing1 with the added danger of acting alone and nervously4 ,whereas1 if he were taught the simple lesson that fire burns1 under our careful supervision to see that the burn was not serious1 then he would know the actual nature of fire1 and dread it with sure reason1 far more than he dreads the uncertain slipper4 ,this has been dwelt upon so fully by previous writers that there would seem small need of further mention2 but still our mothers do not read or do not understand1 and still our babies are confronted with arbitrary punishment instead of natural consequence4 ,the worst result of this system is in its effect on the moral sense4 ,we have a world full of people who are partially restrained from evil by the fear of arbitrary punishment1 and who do evil when they imagine they can do so without discovery4 ,never having been taught to attach the evil consequence to the evil act1 but instead to find it a remote contingency hinging on another person's observation1 we grow up in the same attitude of mind1 afraid not of stealing1 but of the policeman4 ,if there is no slipper1 why not tip over the work-basket3 if there is no policeman1 why not steal8 ,back of slipper and police we hold up to the infant mind a still more remote contingency of eternal punishment2 but this has to be wholly imagined1 and is so distant1 to a child's mind1 as to have little weight4 ,it has little weight with grown persons even1 and1 necessarily1 less with a child4 ,the mental processes involved in receiving by ear an image of a thing never seen1 of visualising it by imagination and then remembering the vision1 and finally of bringing forward that remembered vision to act as check to a present and actual temptation1 are most difficult4 ,but where a consequence is instant and clear1--when baby tries to grab the parrot1 and the parrot bites1--that baby1 without being promised a whipping or being whipped1 will thereafter religiously avoid all parrots4 ,a baby soon learns to shun certain things for reasons of his own4 ,what he dislikes and fears he will not touch4 ,it is no effort for the young mind to observe and remember a prompt natural consequence4 ,we do make some clumsy attempts in this direction1 as when we tie up1 in an ill-tasting rag1 the thumb too often sucked4 ,if thumb-sucking is a really bad habit and a general one1 we should long since have invented a neat and harmless wash1 purchasable in small bottles at the drug store1 of which a few applications would sicken the unhappy suckling of that thumb most effectually4 ,but thumb-sucking we do not consider as wrong1 merely as undesirable4 ,when the child does what we call wrong1 we think he should be punished4 ,our ideas of domestic discipline are still of the crudely savage era2 while in social discipline1 in penology1 we have become tolerably civilised4 ,some will say that the child is like a savage1 and is most open to the treatment current at that time in our history4 ,it is true that the child passes through the same phases in personal development that the race passed long ago1 and that he is open to the kind of instruction which would affect a primitive-minded adult4 ,but this means 7if we are seeking to benefit the child71 not the behaviour of one savage to another1 but such behaviour as would elevate the savage4 ,one of the most simple and useful elements in primitive discipline is retaliation4 ,it is ,nature's law of reaction in conscious form4 ,to retaliate in kind is primitive justice4 ,if we observe the code of ethics in use among children1 it resolves itself into two simple principles3 that of instant and equal retaliation2 or1 when that fails1 the dread ultimatum which no child can resist1--,i won't play6 ,a child who is considered mean and disagreeable by his fellows meets the simple and effectual treatment of snubbing1 neglect1 ostracism4 ,these two principles may be applied in domestic discipline gently1 accurately1 fairly1 and without ill-feeling2 and their effect is admirable4 ,what is the difference between this and the other method8 will be asked4 ,is not this also descending to the plane of childishness1 of savagery1 to which you were just now objecting8 ,here is the difference4 ,to apply a brutal and arbitrary punishment to the person of the offender is what savages do1 and what we do1 to the child4 ,to receive a just and accurate retaliation is what child and savage understand1 are restrained and instructed by4 ,we should treat the child in methods applicable by the savage1 not with the behaviour of savages4 ,for instance1 you are playing with a little child4 ,the little child is rude to you4 ,you put him down1 and go away4 ,this is a gentle reaction1 which1 being repeated1 he soon learns to associate with the behaviour you dislike4 ,when ,i do this1 observes the infant mind1 the play stops4 ,i like to play4 ,therefore1 ,i will not do the thing that stops it4 ,this is simple observation1 and involves no ill-feeling4 ,he learns to modify his conduct to a desired end1 which is the lesson of life4 ,in this case you treat him by a method of retaliation quite perceptible to a savage1 and appealing to the sense of justice without arousing antagonism4 ,but1 if you are playing with the little one1 he is rude to you1 and you spank him1 he is conscious of a personal assault which does arouse antagonism4 ,it is not only what a savage could understand1 but what a savage would have done4 ,it arouses savage feelings1 and helps keep the child a savage4 ,also1 it helps keep the race a savage2 for the child who grows up under the treatment common in that era finds it difficult to behave in a manner suitable to civilisation4 ,discipline is part of life2 and1 if met early and accepted1 all life becomes easier4 ,but the discipline which the real world gives us is based on inexorable law1 not on personal whim4 ,we make the child's idea of right and wrong rest on some person's feeling1 not on the nature of the act4 ,he is trained to behave on a level of primitive despotism1 and cannot successfully adjust himself to a free democracy4 ,this is why our ,american children1 who get less of the old-fashioned discipline1 make better citizens than the more submissive races who were kept severely down in youth1 and are unable to keep themselves down in later life4 ,there is a painful paucity of ideas on child-training in most families1 as clearly shown in the too common confession1 ,i'm sure ,i don't know what to do with that child6 or1 ,what would you do with such a child as that8 ,if we may not use the ever-ready slipper1 the shrill1 abusive voice1 the dark closet1 or threat of withheld meal1 what remains to us in the line of discipline8 ,what is to be done to the naughty child8 ,we need here some knowledge of what naughtiness really is4 ,the child is a growing group of faculties1 the comparative development of which makes him a good or bad member of society4 ,his behaviour has1 first1 the limitations of his age1 and1 second1 of his personality4 ,a child is naturally more timid than a grown person1 and a given child may be afflicted with more timidity than is natural to his age4 ,acts which indicate such a condition show need of training and discipline4 ,a certain amount of selfishness is natural to childhood3 acts indicating unusual selfishness call for correction4 ,so with the whole field of childish behaviour3 whatever acts show evil tendencies need checking2 but the acts natural to every child only show that he is a child1--which is not naughty6 ,if we considered the field beforehand1 asked ourselves what we expected during this day or this year in the behaviour of such a child1 and were not displeased when he behaved within those lines1 much unnecessary pain and trouble would be saved to both parties4 ,then1 when things really indicative of evil were done1 we should carefully examine and test the character so manifested1 and begin to apply the suitable discipline4 ,for example1 it is natural to childhood to be inconsiderate of others4 ,the intense little ego1 full of strong new sensations1 has small sympathy for the sensations of his associates4 ,the baby may love the kitten1 and yet hurt it cruelly because he does not know how kittens feel4 ,this is not naughty1 and needs only the positive training which shall hasten his natural growth in extension of sympathy4 ,to show him the right methods of handling the pet1 and especially of not handling it2 to teach him to enjoy watching the kitten's natural activities and to respect its preferences1--all that is education1 and needs no discipline4 ,but1 if the child shows a pleasure in hurting the kitten after he knows it hurts1 then you have real evil to deal with4 ,a character is indicated which may grow to callous indifference to the feelings of others1 and even to their actual injury4 ,these acts are wrong2 and wise1 strong measures are necessary4 ,there are two main lines on which to work4 ,one is to take extra measures to cultivate sympathy1 using nature study1 and to examine and care for such pronounced cases of suffering as must arouse even the most dominant interest4 ,the too-callous child might be taken to a children's hospital1 and helped to minister to the needs of the small sufferers4 ,his pets1 meanwhile1 should be large and strong creatures1 which he would depend on more or less1 and his enjoying their company made absolutely contingent on right treatment4 ,special attention should also be paid to all such acts as showed consideration of others1--to encourage and reward them4 ,again1 if a child shows a too violent or sullen temper1 or is distinctly sly and untrustworthy1 these are serious indications1 and need careful and thorough treatment4 ,but the great majority of acts for which children are punished are not at all evil4 ,carelessness1 for instance1 is incident to the young brain1--essential to it4 ,the power always to properly co-relate and remember is an adult power1 and not always strong in the adult4 ,we need1 of course1 to encourage a growing carefulness1 but not to expect it nor punish its natural lack4 ,clumsiness is also incidental to the young nerve connections4 ,the baby drops things continually1 the child frequently3 the adult will hold an object even while the mind is otherwise engaged1 the habit of the flexo-motor nerves being well established4 ,enterprising experiment is not only natural to childhood1 but a positive virtue4 ,that is the quality which leads the world onward1 and the lack of it is a ,chinese wall against progress4 ,one enormous field of what we call naughtiness in our little ones lies in offences against things4 ,first and foremost1 clothes4 ,wetting1 soiling1 and tearing clothes1--what a sea of tears have been shed1 what wails and sobs1 what heavy and useless punishments inflicted1 because of injured clothing6 ,yet almost every accident to clothing comes from the interaction of two facts3 first1 the perfectly natural clumsiness and carelessness of childhood2 and1 second1 our interminable folly in dressing a child in unchildish garments1 and placing him in unchildish conditions4 ,there is no naughtiness involved except in the parent1 who shows a stupidity abnormal to her age4 ,children are frequently reproached for wearing out their shoes4 ,what does the intelligent parent expect8 ,is the child to sit in a chair1 lie down1 or ride the bicycle continually8 ,if the child is seen to cut his shoes with knives or grind them on a grindstone1 that may be discouraged as malicious mischief2 but the inevitable stubbing and scuffing of the eager1 restless1 ungoverned little feet should have been foreseen and allowed for4 ,we do strive to buy the heaviest possible mass of iron-shod leather for our boys1 and then we scold them for being noisy4 ,to surround a growing creature with artificial difficulties1 to fail to understand or allow for the natural difficulties of his age1 and then to punish with arbitrary retribution the behaviour which is sure to appear1 this is not the kind of discipline which makes wise1 strong1 self-governing citizens4 ,v4 ,,teachable ,,ethics4 ,our general knowledge of ethics is small and unreliable1 and our practice in ethics even smaller and more unreliable4 ,the good intentions of mankind are prominent2 but our ideas of right behaviour are so contradictory and uncertain1 our execution of such ideas as we hold so partial and irregular1 that human behaviour continues to be most unsatisfactory4 ,this condition we used to cheerfully attribute to the infirmity of human nature1 taking ignominious consolation from the thought of our vicious tendencies and hopeless weakness4 ,the broad light of evolutionary study has removed this contemptible excuse4 ,we now know human nature to be quite as good as the rest of nature1 wherein everything is good after its kind2 and that1 furthermore1 our human kind has made great improvement in conduct so far1 and is capable of making a great deal more4 ,we are not weak3 we are strong4 ,we are not wicked3 we earnestly desire to be good4 ,but we are still very ignorant of the science of ethics1 and most inept in its practice4 ,we learn mathematics1 and apply our knowledge with marvellous results4 ,we learn physics1 and use what we know therein to work miracles in the material world4 ,ethics is as plain a science as physics1 and as easy of application4 ,ethics is the physics of social relation4 ,the cause of our slow growth in ethics is this3-- ,the prominent importance of right action and constant need of some general standard to appeal to1 strongly impress the human mind in its very earliest stage of development4 ,incapable as yet of scientific methods of study1 ignorant1 supremely credulous and timid1 conservative and superstitious to a degree1 primitive man promptly made a religion of his scant observations and deductions in ethics1 and forbade all further study and experiment4 ,where other sciences have their recognised room for progress1 a slowly accumulating and often changing knowledge behind1 and a free field of uncertainty in front1 ethics was promptly walled in with the absolute and the super-natural4 ,the few lines of action then recognised as moral or immoral were defined in the most conclusive manner1 and no room left for later study4 ,it is most interesting to note the efforts of conscientious men in later ages to make an intelligible1 consistent scheme of ethics out of these essentially incorrect early attempts4 ,by these efforts a religion grew from a simple group of dogmas and rites to the complex ramifications of many commentators2 and the occasional vigorous and progressive brain that saw more light has always had to suffer and struggle long to introduce new truth4 ,we have forbidden1 under awful penalties1 all open-minded study in these lines2 and this especially hindering mental attitude has kept the most general and simple of the sciences in a very backward condition1 so that we go through school and college with no real enlightenment on the subject4 ,thus a young man1 quite proficient in languages1 physics1 and the higher mathematics1 will be shamefully deficient in even the lowest ethics 7right behaviour in regard to himself71 and show no acquaintance whatever with the higher branches of the subject4 ,we err very commonly in right treatment of ourselves1 more commonly in treatment of one another2 and our confusion of idea and behaviour increases with the square of the distance1 our behaviour to other nations or other kinds of animals being lowest of all4 ,we have a common scheme of behaviour1 coming from various influences and conditions1 which we cannot ourselves account for by any ethical rules2 and this every-day working ethics of ours shows how social evolution unconsciously developes needed conduct1 even where our conscious intelligence fails to recognise or recommend such conduct as ethical4 ,thus we have developed many stalwart and timely virtues in spite of rather than because of religious approval1 and many serious vices flourish without religious opposition4 ,a conspicuous instance of this is in the pious contentment of a wealthy church corporation1 the income of which is derived from tenement houses which are hotbeds of evil2 and in the often observed conduct of an irreligious man1 who practises the commonplace necessary virtues of daily business life4 ,but this power of social evolution developes the immediate virtues essential to close personal intercourse more quickly than the higher range of virtue1 needed in national and international affairs4 ,thus we often see a good family man1 friend1 and perhaps even an honest business dealer1 shamefully negligent or corrupt in political duty4 ,it would seem that the same brains which have brought us forward to such enormous knowledge in other lines might have made more progress in this4 ,some special cause must have operated1 and be still operating1 to prevent a normal growth in this deeply important field4 ,much might be said here of the influence of religious custom2 but the still closer and more invariable cause lies not in the church1 but in the home4 ,where in social relation our necessary enlargement and progress have forced upon us nobler characteristics1 in the domestic relation small change has been made4 ,the privacy and conservatism of the family group have made it a nursing ground of rudimentary survivals1 long since outgrown in more open fields2 and the ethical code of the family is patently behind that of the society in which it is located4 ,the primitive instincts1 affections1 and passions are there2 but justice1 liberty1 courtesy1 and such later social sentiments are very weak4 ,new truth is seen by new brains4 ,as the organ we think with grows from age to age1 we are able to think farther and deeper2 but1 if the growing brain is especially injured in any one department in early youth1 it will not grow as fast in that one line4 ,as a general rule1--a rule with rare exceptions1--we do thus injure the baby brain in the line of ethical thought and action4 ,in other sciences we teach what we know1 when we teach at all1 and practise fairly2 but1 in teaching a child ethics1 we do not give even what we have of knowledge1 and our practice with him and the practice we demand from him are not at all in accordance with our true views4 ,in glaring instance is the habit of lying to children4 ,a woman who would not lie to a grown friend will lie freely to her own child4 ,a man who would not be unjust to his brother or a stranger will be unjust to his little son4 ,the common courtesy given any adult is not given to the child4 ,that delicate consideration for another's feelings1 which is part of our common practice among friends1 is lacking in our dealings with children4 ,from the treatment they receive1 children cannot learn any rational and consistent scheme of ethics4 ,their healthy little brains make early inference from the conduct of their elders1 and incite behaviour on the same plan2 but they speedily find that these are poor rules1 for they do not work both ways4 ,the conduct we seek to enforce from them does not accord with our conduct1 nor form any consistent whole by itself4 ,it is not based on any simple group of principles which a child can understand1 but rests very largely on the personal equation and the minor variations of circumstance4 ,take lying again as an instance4 #a4 ,we lie to the child4 ,he discovers it4 ,no evil is apparently resultant4 #b4 ,he accuses us of it1 and we punish him for impertinence4 #c4 ,he lies to us1 and meets severe penalties4 #d4 ,we accuse him of it1 rightly or wrongly1 and are not punished for impertinence4 #e4 ,he observes us lie to the visitor in the way of politeness with no evil result4 #f4 ,he lies to the visitor less skilfully1 and is again made to suffer4 #g4 ,he lies to his more ignorant juniors1 and nothing happens4 #h4 ,meanwhile1 if he receives any definite ethical instruction on the subject1 he is probably told that ,god hates a liar1 that to lie is a sin6 ,the elastic human brain can and does accommodate itself to this confusion1 and grows up to complacently repeat the whole performance without any consciousness of inconsistency2 but progress in ethics is hardly to be looked for under such conditions4 ,it is pathetic to see this waste of power in each generation4 ,we are born with the gentler and kinder impulses bred by long social interrelation4 ,we have ever broader and subtler brains2 but our good impulses are checked1 twisted1 tangled1 weighed down with many artificial restrictions1 and our restless questionings and suggestions are snubbed or neglected4 ,a child is temptingly open to instruction in ethics4 ,his primitive mental attitude recognises the importance of the main principles as strongly as the early savage did4 ,his simple and guarded life makes it easy for us to supply profuse and continuous illustrations of the working of these principles2 and his strong1 keen feelings enable us to impress with lasting power the relative rightness and wrongness of different lines of action4 ,yet this beautiful opportunity is not only neglected1 but the fresh mind and its eager powers are blurred1 confused1 discouraged1 by our senseless treatment4 ,our lack of knowledge does not excuse it4 ,our lingering religious restriction does not excuse it4 ,we know something of ethics1 and practise something1 but treat the child as if he was a lower instead of a higher being4 ,surely1 we can reduce our ethical knowledge into some simple and teachable shape1 and take the same pains to teach this noblest1 this most indispensable of sciences that we take to teach music or dancing4 ,physics is the science of molecular relation1--how things work in relation to other things4 ,ethics is the science of social relation1--how people work in relation to other people4 ,to the individual there is no ethics but of self-development and reproduction4 ,the lonely animal's behaviour goes no farther4 ,but gregarious animals have to relate their behaviour to one another1--a more complex problem2 and in our intricate co-relation there is so wide a field of inter-relative behaviour that its working principles and laws form a science4 ,however complex our ultimate acts1 they are open to classification1 and resolve themselves into certain general principles which long since were recognised and named4 ,liberty1 justice1 love1--we all know these and others1 and can promptly square a given act by some familiar principle4 ,the sense of justice developes very early1 and may be used as a basis for a large range of conduct4 ,to play fair can be early taught4 ,that isn't fair6 is one of a child's earliest perceptions4 ,when ,i want to go somewhere1 you say ,i'm too little2 and1 when ,i cry1 you say ,i'm too big6 ,it isn't fair6 protests the child4 ,in training a child in the perception and practice of justice1 we should always remember that the standard must suit the child's mind1 not ours4 ,what to our longer1 wider sweep of vision seems quite just1 to him may seem bitterly unjust2 and1 if we punish a child in a way that seems to him unjust1 he is unjustly punished4 ,so the instructor in ethics must have an extended knowledge of the child's point of view1--that of children in general and of the child being instructed in particular1 and the illustrations measured accordingly4 ,it ought to be unnecessary to remark that no more passion should be used in teaching ethics than in teaching arithmetic4 ,the child will make mistakes1 of course4 ,we know that beforehand1 and can largely provide for them4 ,it is for us to arrange his successive problems so that they are not too rapid or too difficult1 and to be no more impatient or displeased at a natural slip in this line of development than in any other4 ,unhappily1 it is just here that we almost always err4 ,the child's slowly accumulating perceptions and increasing accuracy of expression are not only confused by our erroneous teaching1 but greatly shocked and jarred by our manner1 our evident excitement in cases of conduct which we call matters of right and wrong4 ,all conduct is right or wrong4 ,a difference in praise or blame belongs to relative excellence of intention or of performance2 but the formation of a delicate and accurate conscience is sadly interfered with by our violent feelings4 ,it is this which renders ethical action so sensitive and morbid4 ,where in other lines we act calmly1 according to our knowledge1 or1 if we err1 calmly rectify the error1 in ethics we are nervous1 vacillating1 unduly elated or depressed1 because our early teachings in this field were so overweighted with intense feeling4 ,self-control is one of the first essentials in the practice of ethics1--which is to say1 in living4 ,self-control can be taught a child by gently graduated exercises1 so that he shall come calmly into his first kingdom1 and exercise this normal human power without self-consciousness4 ,we do nothing actively to develope this power4 ,we simply punish the lack of it when that lack happens to be disagreeable to us4 ,a child who has tantrums1 for instance1--those helpless1 prostrate passions of screaming and kicking1--is treated variously during the attack2 but nothing is done during the placid interval to cultivate the desired power of control4 ,self-control is involved in all conscious acts4 ,therefore1 it should not be hard to so arrange and relate those acts as to steadily develope the habit4 ,games in varying degree require further exertion of self-control1 and games are the child's daily lessons4 ,the natural ethical sense of humanity is strongly and early shown in our games4 ,it is a joy to us to learn the rules and play according to them1 or to a maturer student to grasp the principles and work them out2 and our quick condemnation of the poor player or the careless player1 and our rage at him who does not play fair1 show how naturally we incline to right conduct4 ,life is a large game1 with so many rules that it is very hard to learn by them2 but its principles can be taught to the youngest4 ,when we rightly understand those principles1 we can leave off many arbitrary rules1 and greatly simplify the game4 ,the recognition of the rights of others is justice1 and comes easily to the child4 ,the generosity which goes beyond justice is also natural to the child in some degree1 and open to easy culture4 ,it should1 however1 always rest on its natural precursor1 justice2 and the child be led on to generosity gradually1 and by the visible example of the higher pleasure involved4 ,to divide the fruit evenly is the first step4 ,to show that you enjoy giving up your share1 that you take pleasure in his pleasure1 and then1 when this act is imitated1 to show such delight and gratitude as shall make the baby mind feel your satisfaction1--that is a slow but simple process4 ,we usually neglect the foundation of justice1 and then find it hard to teach loving-kindness to the young mind4 ,demands on the child's personal surrender and generosity should be made very gradually1 and always with a clearly visible cause4 ,where any dawning faculty is overstrained in youth1 it is hard and slow to re-establish the growth4 ,one simple ethical principle most needful in child-training1 and usually most painfully lacking1 is honesty4 ,aside from direct lying1 we almost universally use concealment and evasion2 and even earlier than that we assume an artificial manner with babies and young children which causes the dawning ethical sense strange perturbations4 ,it is a very common thing to demand from little children a show of affection without its natural prompting4 ,even between mother and child this playing at loving is often seen4 ,come and kiss mamma6 ,what6 ,don't you love mamma8 ,poor mamma6 ,mamma cry6 ,and mamma pretends to cry1 in order to make baby pretend to love her4 ,the adult visitor almost invariably simulates an interest and cordiality which is not felt1 and does it in a palpably artificial manner4 ,these may seem small matters4 ,we pass them without notice daily1 but they are important in the foundation impressions of the young brain4 ,children are usually very keen to detect the pretence4 ,oh1 you don't mean that3 you only say so6 they remark4 ,we thus help to develope a loose1 straggling sense of honesty and honour1 a chronic ethical inaccuracy1 like a bad ear for music4 ,the baby-educator should see to it that she show only real feelings to the child2 and show them in large letters1 as it were4 ,do not say1 ,mamma is angry1 or ,mamma is grieved1 or ,mamma is ashamed1 but be angry1 grieved1 or ashamed visibly4 ,let the child observe the effect of his act on you1 not hear you say you feel thus and so1 and see no signs of it4 ,we depend far too much on oral statements1 and neglect the simpler1 stronger1 surer means of conveying impressions4 ,the delicacy of perception of a child should be preserved and tenderly used4 ,we often blur and weaken it by giving false1 irregular1 and disproportionate impressions1 and then are forced to use more and more violence to make any impression at all4 ,all this sensitiveness is to ethics what the musical ear is to music4 ,in injuring it1 we make it harder for the growing soul to discriminate delicately in ethical questions1--a difficulty but too common among us4 ,the basis of human ethics1 being social1 requires for its growth a growing perception of collective and inter-relative rights and duties4 ,our continual object with the child is to establish in his mind this common consciousness and an accurate measure in perception4 ,it is at first a simple matter of arithmetic4 ,here is the group of little ones1 and the equal number of cookies3 palpably1 each should have one4 ,here is one extra cookie4 ,who shall have it8 ,robby1 because his is the smallest4 ,jamie cries that his is as small as ,robby's4 ,is it8 ,the fact is ascertained4 ,divide the extra cookie1 then3 that's fair4 ,or here is one who was not well yesterday and had no cookies4 ,give it to him4 ,these things are not to be ostentatiously done nor too continually1 but always with care and accuracy1 as lessons more important than any others4 ,the deeper and larger sense of social duty1--not the personal balancing of rights1 which is easy to even the youngest mind1 but the devotion to the service of all1 the recognition that the greater includes the less1--this must be shown by personal example long before it can be imitated4 ,parents neglect this where it would help them most1 and substitute1 to meet the child's inquiries1 only personal authority and compulsion4 ,if the parent would constantly manifest a recognition of duty and performance of it even against desire1 it would be a great help to the child4 ,most children imagine that grown persons do just as they want to2 and that the stringent code of behaviour enforced upon them is requisite only in childhood1 and enforceable only because of their weakness4 ,much of the parent's conduct can be used as an object-lesson to the child2 but its skilful employment needs clear ethical perception and much educational ability4 ,for instance1 if the mother elaborately explains that she is obliged to do something which seems to the child absurd1 or if she claims to have to do a certain thing which the child can see that she really enjoys1 the impressions made are not correct ones4 ,a recognition of the importance of right teaching of ethics to the child would help adult conduct in most cases4 ,and1 if the child were receiving proper grounding in ethics from a special educator1 he could come home and perplex his parents with problems1 as a bright child often does now in other sciences4 ,this1 of course1 points to the need of accepted text-books on ethics1 and will allow of disputes between authorities and disagreement on many points2 but these conditions exist in all sciences4 ,there are different authorities and schools1 much disagreement and dispute and varying conduct based on our various scientific beliefs4 ,but out of the study1 discussion1 and ensuing behaviour comes the gradual proof of what is really true2 and we establish certain generally accepted facts and principles1 while still allowing a margin for divergence of opinion and further knowledge4 ,our dread of studying ethics as a science on account of this divergence of opinion is a hereditary brain tendency1 due to the long association of ethical values with one infallible religious text-book1--,koran or ,bible or ,talmud or ,zend-,avesta4 ,it is written was the most conclusive of statements to the ancient mind4 ,the modern mind ought by this time to have developed a wide and healthy distrust of that which is written4 ,while our written ethics has remained at a standstill always until the upward sweep of social conduct demanded and produced a better religion1 our unnoticed practice of ethics has worked out many common rules4 ,in the fearless study of this field of practical ethics lies our way to such simple text-books as may be used to teach children4 ,there is no question as to whether we should or should not teach ethics to very little children4 ,we do1 we must1 whether we will or not4 ,the real question is what to teach and how4 ,they learn from our daily walk and conversation2 and they learn strange things4 ,most palpable of all among the wrong impressions given to our children is that of the pre-eminent importance of the primitive relations of life1 and the utter unimportance of the great social relations of our time4 ,whatever ideas of right and wrong the child succeeds in gathering1 they are all of a closely personal nature1 based on interpersonal conduct in the family relation1 or in such restricted and shallow social relations as is covered by our code of company manners4 ,the greatest need of better ethics to-day is in our true social relation1--the economic and political field of action in which lie our major activities1 and in which we are still so grossly uncivilised4 ,not until he goes to school does the child begin to appreciate any general basis of conduct2 and even there the ethics of the position are open to much clearer treatment4 ,as the mother is so prominent a factor in influencing the child's life1 it is pre-eminently necessary that she should be grounded in this larger ethics1 and able to teach it by example as well as by description4 ,she needs a perception of the proportionate duties of mankind1--an understanding of their true basis1 and a trained skill in imparting this knowledge to the child4 ,if she cannot properly teach ethics1 she should provide a teacher more competent4 ,at present the only special ethical teaching for the child outside the family is in the ,sunday-school2 and ,sunday-school teachers are usually amiable young ladies who are besought on any terms--with no preparation whatever--to give this instruction4 ,once we boldly enter the field of ethical study1 and reduce its simple principles to a teachable basis1--when we make clear to ourselves and our children the legitimate reasons of right conduct1--the same intelligence and ambition which carry us on so far in other sciences will lift the standard of behaviour of our race1 both in theory and practice4 ,meanwhile1 with such knowledge and practice as we have to-day1 let us see to it that we give to little children our best ethics by precept and example1 with hopes that they may go on to higher levels4 ,,vi4 ,a ,,place ,,for ,,children4 ,the one main cause of our unfairness to children is that we consider them wholly in a personal light4 ,justice and equity1 the rights of humanity1 require a broader basis than blood relationship4 ,children are part of humanity1 and the largest part4 ,few of us realise their numbers1 or think that they constitute the majority of human beings4 ,the average family1 as given in the census returns1 consist of five persons1--two adults and three minors4 ,any population which increases has a majority of children1 our own being three-fifths4 ,this large proportion of human beings constitutes a permanent class1--another fact we fail to consider because of our personal point of view4 ,one's own child and one's neighbour's child grow up and pass out of childhood1 and with them goes one's interest in children4 ,of course1 we intellectually know that there are others2 but to the conscious mind of most persons children are evanescent personal incidents4 ,the permanence of childhood as a human status is proven by the survival among them of games and phrases of utmost antiquity1 which are handed down1 not from father to son1 but from child to child4 ,if an isolated family moves into a new country1 and its children grow up alone1 they do not know these games4 ,we should bear in mind in studying children that we have before us a permanent class1 larger than the adult population4 ,so that in question of numerical justice they certainly have a right to at least equal attention4 ,but1 when we remember also that this large and permanent class of human beings is by far the most important1 that on its right treatment rests the progress of the world1 then1 indeed1 it behooves us to consider the attitude of the adult population toward the junior members of society4 ,as members of society1 we find that they have received almost no attention4 ,they are treated as members of the family by the family1 but not even recognised as belonging to society4 ,only in modern history do we find even enough perception of the child's place in the ,state to provide some public education2 and to-day1 in some more advanced cities1 some provision for public protection and recreation4 ,children's playgrounds are beginning to appear at last among people who have long maintained public parks and gardens for adults4 ,also1 in the general parks a children's quarter is often now provided1 with facilities for their special care and entertainment4 ,but except for these rare cases of special playgrounds1 except for the quite generous array of school-houses and a few orphan asylums and kindred institutions1 there are no indications in city or country that there are such people as children4 ,a visitor from another planet1 examining our houses1 streets1 furniture1 and machinery1 would not gather much evidence of childhood as a large or an important factor in human life4 ,the answer to this is prompt and loud3 ,children belong at home6 ,look there1 and you will see if they are considered or not4 ,let us look there carefully4 ,the average home is a house of1 say1 six rooms4 ,this is a liberal allowance1 applicable only to ,america4 ,even with us1 in our cities1 the average home is in a crowded tenement1--only two or three rooms2 and in wide stretches of country it is a small and crowded farm-house4 ,six rooms is liberal allowance1--kitchen1 dining-room1 and parlour1 and three bedrooms4 ,gazing upon the home from the outside1 we see a building of dimensions suited to adults4 ,there is nothing to indicate children there4 ,examining it from the inside1 we find the same proportionate dimensions1 and nothing in the materials or arrangement of the internal furnishings to indicate children there4 ,the stairs are measured to the adult tread1 the windows to the adult eye1 the chairs and table to the adult seat4 ,hold6 ,in a bedroom we discover a cradle1--descended from who knows what inherited desire for swinging boughs6--and1 in some cases1 a crib4 ,in the dining-room is often a high chair 7made to accommodate the adult table71 and sometimes in the parlour a low chair for the child4 ,if people are wealthy and careful1 there is1 perhaps1 a low table1 too2 but the utmost that can be claimed for the average child is a cradle or crib1 a high chair1 and a little rocker4 ,there can be no reasonable objection to this1 so long as the child is considered merely as a member of a family4 ,the adult family precedes and outlasts the child1 and it would be absurd to expect them to stoop and suffer in a house built and furnished for children4 ,so we build for the adult only1 and small legs toil painfully up our stairs and fall more painfully down them4 ,but the moment we begin to address ourselves to the needs of children as a class1 the result is different4 ,in the school-house all the seats are for children1 except teacher's chair2 in the kindergarten the tiny chairs and tables are perfectly appropriate2 in the playground all the appointments are child-size4 ,what do you expect6 protests the perplexed parent4 ,you say yourself1 ,i cannot build my house child-size4 ,do you expect me to add a child-size house in the back yard8 ,i cannot afford it4 ,no1 the individual parent cannot afford to build a child-house for his own family1 nor1 for that matter1 a school-house4 ,we1 collectively1 whether through general taxation1 as in the public school1 or combination of personal funds1 as in the private school1 do manage to provide our children with school-houses1 because we recognise their need of them4 ,similarly1 we can provide for them suitable houses for a far more early and continuous education1--when we see the need of them4 ,here the untouched brain-spaces make no response4 ,what do you mean6 cries the parent4 ,do you wish us to club together1 and build a--a--public nursery for our children6 ,this seems sufficiently horrific to stop all further discussion4 ,but is it8 ,may we not gently pursue the theme8 ,we can and do cheerfully admit the advantages of a public school and a public school-teacher for our children4 ,some of us admit the advantages of a public kindergarten and a public kindergartner for our children4 ,the step between child-garden and baby-garden is slight4 ,why not a public nursery and a public nurse8 ,that1 of course1 for those classes who gladly provide and patronise the public school and kindergarten4 ,the swarming neglected babies of the poor1 now underfoot in dirty kitchen or dirtier street1 part neglected and part abused1 a tax on the toiling mother and a grievous injury to the older children who must care for them1--these would be far better off if every crowded block had its big1 bright baby-garden on the roof1 and their young lives were kept peaceful1 clean1 and well cared for by special nurses who knew their business4 ,a public nursery is safer than the public street4 ,one hot reply to this proposition is that statistics prove that babies in institutions die faster than babies even in the poorest families4 ,perhaps this is so4 ,but consider the difference in the cases4 ,children in institutions are motherless1 generally orphans4 ,no one is proposing to remove the mothers of the babies in the baby-garden4 ,but they would be separated from their mothers6 ,children who go to school are separated from their mothers4 ,children who go to the kindergarten are separated from their mothers4 ,children who play in the street are separated from their mothers4 ,if the mothers of these children had nothing else to do1 they could give all their time to them4 ,but they have other things to do2 and1 while they are busy1 the baby would be better off in the baby-garden than in the street4 ,to those who prefer to maintain the private school and the private kindergarten1 a private baby-garden would be equally available4 ,but we do not want it4 ,we prefer to care for our children at home1 they reply4 ,this means that they prefer to have their little ones in their own nursery1 under the care of the mother1 via the nurse4 ,the question remains open as to which the children would prefer1 and which would be better for them4 ,perhaps certain clear and positive assertions should be made here1 to allay the anxiety and anger about separating the child from the mother4 ,the mother of a young baby should be near enough to nurse it1 as a matter of course4 ,she should take care of it2 that is1 see that it has everything necessary to its health1 comfort1 and development4 ,but that is no reason why she should administer to its every need with her own hands4 ,the ignorant1 low-class poor mother does this1 and does not preserve the lives of her children thereby4 ,the educated1 high-class rich mother does not do this1 but promptly hires a servant to do it for her4 ,the nursery and the nurse are essential to the baby2 but what kind of nursery and nurse are most desirable8 ,the kind of servant hired by the ordinary well-to-do family is often not a suitable person to have the care of little children4 ,a young child needs even more intelligent care than an older one4 ,a group of families1 each paying for its children's schooling1 can afford to give them a far higher class of teacher than each could afford to provide separately4 ,so a group of families1 each paying for its children's nursing1 could afford to provide a far superior class of nurse than each can provide separately4 ,here again rises the protest that it is not good for small children--babies--to be herded together1--see infant mortality in institutions4 ,again1 an unfair comparison is involved4 ,the poorest kind of children1 motherless and fatherless1 are crowded in undue numbers in charitable or public institutions1 and submitted to the perfunctory care of low-grade1 ill-paid attendants1 among accommodations by no means of the best4 ,we are asked to compare this to small groups of healthy1 well-bred children1 placed for certain hours of the day only in carefully planned apartments1 in all ways suitable1 under the care of high-grade1 well-paid expert attendants and instructors4 ,the care of little children is not servant's work4 ,it is not nurses' work4 ,a healthy child should have his physical needs all properly supplied1 and1 for the rest1 be under the most gentle and exquisite training4 ,it is education1 and education more valuable than that received in college1 which our little ones need2 and they do not get it from nurse-maids4 ,then rises the mother4 ,i can teach my baby better than any teacher1 however highly trained4 ,if the mother can1 by all means let her4 ,but can she8 ,we do not hear mothers protesting that they can teach their grown-up sons and daughters better than the college professors1 nor their middle-aged children better than the school-teachers4 ,why1 then1 are they so certain that they can teach the babies better than trained baby-teachers8 ,they are willing to consult a doctor if the baby is ill1 and gladly submit to his dictation4 ,the doctor says baby must eat this and go there and do so4 ,there is no wound to maternal pride in this case4 ,if they have defective children1 they are only too glad to place them under expert care1 not minding even separation for the good of the child4 ,any one who knows of the marvellous results obtained by using specially trained intelligence in the care of defective children must wonder gravely if we might not grow up better with some specially trained intelligence used on our normal children4 ,but this we cannot have till we make a place for children4 ,no woman or man1 with the intelligence and education suitable for this great task1 would be willing to be a private servant in one family4 ,we do not expect it of college-teacher or school-teacher4 ,we could not expect it of baby-teacher4 ,the very wealthy might of course command all three2 but that has no application to mankind in general1 and is also open to grave question as to its relative value4 ,a private staff of college professors would not be able to give the boy the advantages of going to college4 ,we cannot have separately what we can have collectively4 ,moreover1 even if the teacher be secured1 we have not at home the material advantages open to us in the specially prepared place for children4 ,a house or range of apartments for little children could be made perfectly safe1--which is more than the home is4 ,from the pins on the carpet1 which baby puts in his mouth1 the stairs he falls down1 the windows he falls out of and the fire he falls into1 to the doors to jam the little fingers and the corners and furniture he bumps himself upon1 the home is full of danger to the child4 ,why should a baby be surrounded with these superfluous evils8 ,a room really designed for babies to play in need have no furniture save a padded seat along the wall for the grown-ups to sit on1 a seat with little ropes along the edge for the toddlers to pull up and walk by4 ,the floor should be smooth and even1 antiseptically clean1 and not hard enough to bump severely4 ,a baby must fall1 but we need not provide cobblestones for his first attempts4 ,large soft ropes1 running across here and there1 within reach of the eager1 strong little hands1 would strengthen arms and chest1 and help in walking4 ,a shallow pool of water1 heated to suitable temperature1 with the careful trainer always at hand1 would delight1 occupy1 and educate for daily hours4 ,a place of clean1 warm sand1 another of clay1 with a few simple tools1--these four things--water1 sand1 clay1 and ropes to climb on--would fill the days of happy little children without further toys4 ,these are simple1 safe1 primitive pleasures1 all helpful to growth and a means of gradual education4 ,the home cannot furnish these things1 nor could the mother give her time and attention to their safe management1 even if she knew how to teach swimming1 modelling1 and other rudimentary arts4 ,the home1 beside its difficulties and dangers1 is full of unnecessary limitations4 ,it is arranged on a scale of elegance such as the adult income can compass2 and the natural activities of childhood continually injure the household decorations and conveniences4 ,perfectly natural and innocent conduct on the part of the child is deleterious to the grown-up home1 so patently so that owners of fine houses are not willing to let them to families with children4 ,a nice comment this on the home as a place for children6 ,must a home be shabby and bare8 ,or must the child be confined to his bed8 ,why not develope the home to its own perfection1--a place of beauty and comfort and peace1--and let the children have a home of their own for part of the day1 wherein the order and beauty and comfort are child-size8 ,the child could sleep under his mother's eye or ear1 and gradually aspire to the adult table when he had learned how to be comfortable there1 and not injure the comfort of others4 ,he could soon have his own room if the family could afford it1 and express his personality in its arrangement2 but the general waking time of little children could be much better passed in a special house for children than in the parental kitchen1 parlour1 bedroom1 or back yard4 ,but why not the private nursery1--the sunny room for the child and his toys8 ,is not that enough8 ,the private nursery means the private nurse1 who is1 as a class1 unfit to have the care of little children4 ,she is a servant2 and the forming ideas of justice1 courtesy1 and human rights in general1 are much injured by the spectacle of an adult attendant who is a social inferior4 ,a servant is not a proper person to have charge of these impressionable years4 ,moreover1 however perfect the private nursery and private nurse might be1 there remains its isolation to injure the child4 ,we grow up unnecessarily selfish1 aborted in the social faculties proper to our stage of advance1 because each child is so in the focus of family attention all the time4 ,a number of little ones together for part of every day1 having their advantages in common1 learning from infancy to say we instead of ,i1 would grow up far better able to fill their places as helpful and happy members of society4 ,even in those rare cases where the mother does actually devote her entire time to her children1 it would still be better for them to pass part of that time in an equally wise and more dispassionate atmosphere4 ,our babies and small children ought to have the society of the very best people instead of the society of such low-grade women as we can hire to be nurses in our homes4 ,and1 while they need pre-eminently the mother's tender love and watchful care1 they also need the wider justice and larger experience of the genuine child-trainer4 ,so long as we so underrate the importance of childhood1--and that in proportion to the youth of the child1--those persons who should benefit our babies by their presence will not do so4 ,very great and learned men are proud to teach youths of eighteen and twenty in colleges2 but they would feel themselves painfully ill-placed if set to teach the same boys at ten1 five1 or two years old4 ,why8 ,why should we not be eager for an introduction to ,professor ,coltonstall6 ,he's the first man in ,america in infant ethics6 ,marvellous success6 ,you can always tell the children who have been under him6 ,you cannot have this professor in your nursery4 ,but your children and those of fifty other eager parents could be benefited by his wisdom1 experience1 and exquisitely developed skill in a place in common4 ,the argument does not appeal to us4 ,we see no need for wisdom1 experience1 trained skill with a baby4 ,we have not realised that we despised our babies2 but we do4 ,any one is good enough to take care of them4 ,we even confide them to the care of distinctly lower races1 as in the ,south with its negro nurses4 ,social equality with the negro is beyond imagination to the ,southerner4 ,that gross inferior race can never be admitted to their companionship1 but to the companionship of the baby--certainly4 ,could anything prove more clearly our lack of just appreciation of the importance of childhood8 ,the colored nurse is1 of course1 thought of merely as the servant of the child2 and we do not yet consider whether it is good for a child to have a servant or whether a servant is a good educator4 ,the truth is we never think of education in connection with babyhood1 the term being in our minds inextricably confused with school-houses and books4 ,when we do honestly admit the plain fact that a child is being educated in every waking hour by the conditions in which he is placed and the persons who are with him1 we shall be readier to see the need of a higher class of educators than servant-girls1 and a more carefully planned environment than the accommodations of the average home4 ,the home is not materially built for the convenience of a child1 nor are its necessary workings planned that way2 and1 what is more directly evil1 the mother is not trained for the position of educator4 ,we persist in confounding mother and teacher4 ,the mother's place is her own1 and always will be4 ,nothing can take it from her4 ,she loves the child the best2 and1 if not too seriously alienated1 the child will love her the best4 ,the terror of the mother lest her child should love some other person better than herself shows that she is afraid of comparison1--that she visibly fears the greater gentleness and wisdom of some teacher will appeal to the young heart more than her arbitrary methods4 ,if the mother expected to meet daily comparison with a born lover of children1 trained in the wisest methods of child-culture1 it would have an improving influence on the home methods4 ,one of the great advantages of this arrangement will be in its reactive effect on the mother4 ,in her free access to the home of the children1 she will see practically illustrated the better methods of treating them1 and be in frequent communication with their educators4 ,the mother's knowledge of and previous association with the child will make her a necessary coadjutor with the teacher1 and by intercourse with the larger knowledge and wider experience of the teacher the mother will acquire new points of view and wiser habits4 ,as the school and kindergarten react beneficially upon the home1 so this baby-school will react as beneficially1 and perhaps more so1 as touching the all-important first years4 ,the isolated mother has no advantage of association or comparison1 and falls into careless or evil ways with the child1 which contact with more thoughtful outside influences would easily prevent4 ,she could easily retain her pre-eminent place in the child's affections1 while not grudging to the special teacher her helpful influence4 ,also1 the child1 with the free atmosphere of equality around him for part of each day1 with association with his equals in their place1 would return to his own place in the home with a special affection1 and submit with good will to its necessary restrictions4 ,in all but isolated farm life1 or on the even more primitive cattle range1 it would be possible to build a home for little children1 and engage suitable persons to take charge of them daily4 ,it would take no more time from the housework--if that is the mother's trade--to take the child to its day play-school than it takes to watch and tend it at home and to prevent or mend its mischief4 ,children are so mischievous1 we complain1 regarding their ingenious destruction of the domestic decorations4 ,a calf in a flower-garden would do considerable mischief1 or kittens in a dairy4 ,why seek to rear young creatures in a place where they must do mischief if they behave differently from grown people8 ,why not provide for them a place where their natural activities would not be injurious1 but educational8 ,in cities it is a still simpler question4 ,every block could have its one or more child homes1 according to their number of children thereabouts4 ,the children of the rich would be saved from the evil effects of too much care and servants' society1 and the children of the poor from the neglect and low associations of their street-bred lives4 ,the practical question will now arise1 ,who is to pay for all this8 ,there are two answers4 ,one is1 ,the same people who pay for the education of our older children4 ,the baby has as good a right to his share of our educational funds1 private and public1 as the older child2 and his education is more important4 ,the other answer is that an able-bodied mother1 relieved of her position as nursery governess1 would be able to contribute something toward better provision for her children4 ,,vii4 ,,unconscious ,,schooling4 ,a small boy came from an old-fashioned city1--a city where he went to school from day to day1 and sat with his fellows in rigid rectangular rows1 gazing on bare whitewashed walls adorned with a broad stripe of blackboard2 where he did interminable sums on a smeary little slate1 and spelled in sing-song chorus ,baker6 ,baker6 b1 a1 bay2 k1 e1 r1 ker1--,baker6 ,he came to a new-fashioned city1 where the most important business on earth--the training of children--was appreciated4 ,the small boy did not know this4 ,he saw that the city was clean and bright and full of wide spaces of grass and trees2 and he liked it4 ,it pleased him1 as a child3 it was the kind of place that looked as if it had been planned with some thought of pleasing children4 ,soon he came to a great open gate1 with shady walks and sunny lawns inside1 buildings here and there in the distance1 and1 just at hand1 some strange figures among the bushes4 ,a pleasant-looking lady sat reading in the shade1 with a few children lying in the grass near by1 reading1 too4 ,our small boy stood irresolute2 but the lady looked up1 and said3 ,come in1 if you like4 ,look around all you want to4 ,still he felt shy2 but one of the reading little boys rose up1 and went to him4 ,come on1 he said cheerfully4 ,i'll show you4 ,there's lots o' things you'll like4 ,oh1 come on6 ,so he entered with uncertain steps1 and made for one of the queer figures he had seen in the shrubbery4 ,it's an ,indian6 he said4 ,like a cigar store6 ,but the resident little boy resented his comparison4 ',tisn't1 either6 cried he4 ,it's ever so much nicer6 ,look at his moccasins and his arrows1 and see the scalps in his belt6 ,see the way he's painted8 ,that shows he's a ,sioux4 ,they are great4 ,one of the best kinds4 ,they live up in the ,north-west1--,minnesota and round there2 and they fight splendid6 ,that one over there is a ,yuma ,indian4 ,look at the difference6 ,and he took the visitor about1 and showed him an interesting collection of samples of ,american tribes1 giving off rivers of information with evident delight4 ,from ,indians their attention was taken by a peculiarly handsome butterfly that fluttered near them1 pursued hotly by an eager little girl with a net4 ,that must be a--well1 ,i forget the name1 said the resident little boy4 ,do you like bugs8 ,what kind o' bugs8 inquired the visitor1 rather suspiciously4 ,oh1 tumble bugs and burying beetles and walking-sticks1 and all kinds4 ,walking-sticks6 ,what's that got to do with bugs8 ,didn't you ever see the walking-stick one8 ,oh1 come on in6 ,i'll show you6 ,it's this way4 ,and off they run to a big rambling building among the shady elms4 ,the visitor hangs back1 somewhat awed by the size and splendour of the place1 and seeing grown people about2 but his young guide goes in unchecked1 merely whispering1 ,got to keep still in here1 and leads him down several passages into a large1 quiet hall1 lined with glass cases4 ,such a wealth of bugs as were here exhibited had never before been seen by the astonished visitor2 but1 when the walking-stick insect was pointed out to him1 he stoutly denied that it was a bug at all4 ,a whispered altercation resulted in appeal to the curator1 a studious youth1 who was taking notes at a large table bestrewn with specimens4 ,instantly dropping his work1 he took the object under discussion from its case1 focussed a magnifying glass upon it1 and proceeded to exhibit various features of insect anatomy1 and talk about them most interestingly4 ,but1 as soon as he detected the first signs of inattention and weariness1 he changed the subject1--suggested that there was some good target practice going on in the ,west ,field2 and the two boys1 after a pleasant walk1 joined a number of others who were shooting with bows and arrows1 under careful coaching and management4 ,i can't shoot except ,saturdays1 said the guide1 because ,i haven't joined a team and practised4 ,but1 if you want to1 you just put your name down2 and by and by you can hit anything4 ,there's all kinds of old-fashioned weapons--and the new ones1 too4 ,what do you call this1 anyhow8 demands the visitor4 ,call what8 ,this is the ,west ,field3 they do all kinds of shooting here4 ,you see that long bank and wall stops everything4 ,yes1--but the whole place1--is it a park8 ,oh1 yes1 kind of4 ,it's ,weybourne ,garden4 ,and that was the museum we went to1--one of 'em4 ,is it open always8 ,yes4 ,and you don't have to pay for anything8 ,no4 ,this part is for children4 ,we learn how to do all sorts of things4 ,do you know how to build with bricks8 ,i learned that last4 ,i built a piece of a real wall4 ,it's not here4 ,it was one that was broken on the other side1 and ,i built a good piece in6 ,a big clock struck somewhere4 ,now ,i must go to dinner with mother1 said the guide4 ,the gate you came in at is on my way4 ,come on6 ,and he showed the wondering visitor out1 and left him at his own door4 ,the young stranger did not know where he had been4 ,he did not faintly imagine it4 ,neither1 for that matter1 did the other children1 who went there every day1 and with whom he presently found himself enrolled4 ,they went to certain places at certain hours1 because they were only open then with the persons present who showed them how to do desirable things4 ,there were many parks in the city1 with different buildings and departments2 and in them1 day by day1 without ever knowing it1 the children of that city went to school4 ,the progressive education of a child should be1 as far as possible1 unconscious4 ,from his first eager interest in almost everything1 up along the gradually narrowing lines of personal specialisation1 each child should be led with the least possible waste of time and nervous energy4 ,there would be difficulties enough1 as there are difficulties in learning even desirable games2 but the child would meet the difficulties because he wanted to know the thing1 and gain strength without losing interest4 ,so soon as a child-house is built and education seen to begin in earliest babyhood1 so soon as we begin to plan a beautiful and delicately adjusted environment for our children1 in which line and colour and sound and touch are all made avenues of easy unconscious learning1 we shall find that there is no sharp break between home and school4 ,in the baby-garden the baby will learn many things1 and never know it4 ,in the kindergarten the little child will learn many things1 and never know it4 ,he will be glad and proud of his new powers1 coming back to share the astonishing new information or exhibit the new skill to papa and mamma2 but he will not be conscious of any task in all the time1 or of special credit for his performance4 ,then1 as he grows1 the garden grows1 too2 and he finds himself a little wiser1 a little stronger1 a little more skilful every day--or would if he stopped to measure4 ,but he does not measure4 ,his private home is happy and easy1 with a father and mother interested in all his progress2 and his larger home--the child-world he grows up in--is so dominated by wise1 subtle educational influences that he goes on learning always1 studying a good deal1 yet never going to school4 ,in the wise treatment of his babyhood1 all his natural faculties are allowed to develope in order and to their full extent1 so that he comes to a larger range of experiment and more difficult examples with a smooth-working1 well-developed young mind1 unwearied and unafraid4 ,the legitimate theories of the kindergarten carefully worked out helped him on through the next years in the same orderly progression2 and1 as a child of five or six1 he was able to walk1 open-eyed and observant1 into wider fields of knowledge4 ,always courteous and intelligent specialists around him1 his mental processes watched and trained as wisely as his sturdy little body1 and a careful record kept1 by these experienced observers1 of his relative capacity and rate of development4 ,so he gradually learns that common stock of human knowledge which it is well for us all to share1--the story of the building of the earth1 the budding of the plant1 the birth of the animal1 the beautiful unfolding of the human race1 from savagery toward civilisation4 ,he learns the rudiments of the five great handicrafts1 and can work a little in wood1 in metal1 in clay1 in cloth1 and in stone4 ,he learns the beginnings of the sciences1 with experiment and story1 and finds new wonders to lead him on1 no matter how far he goes1--an unending fascination4 ,for his sciences he goes to the museum1 the laboratory1 and the field1 groups of children having about the same degree of information falling together under the same teacher4 ,for the necessary work with pen and pencil there are quiet rooms provided4 ,he has looked forward to some of these from babyhood1 seeing the older ones go there4 ,each child has been under careful observation and record from the very first4 ,his special interests1 his preferred methods1 his powers and weaknesses1 are watched and worked with carefully as he grows4 ,if power of attention was weak at first1 he is given special work to develope it4 ,if observation was loose and inaccurate1 that was laboured with4 ,if the reasoning faculty worked with difficulty1 it was exercised more carefully4 ,he has been under such training from babyhood to twelve or fifteen years old as to give a full and co-ordinate development of his faculties1--all of them2 and such a general grasp of the main lines of knowledge as to make possible clear choice of the lines of study for which he is best adapted4 ,with such a childhood the youth will have much more power of learning1 and a deep and growing interest--an unbroken interest--in his work4 ,the natural desire of mankind to know1 and also to teach1 and the steadily enlarging field of knowledge open to us1 should make education the most delightful of processes4 ,with our present methods the place of teacher is usually sought merely for its meagre salary1 by women who have to work1 instead of being eagerly aspired to as the noblest of professions1 and only open to those best fitted4 ,the children are so overtaxed and mishandled that only the best intellects come out with any further desire to learn anything4 ,humanity's progress is made through brain-improvement1 by brain-power4 ,we need such schooling as shall give us better brains and uninjured bodies4 ,fortunately for us1 the value of education is widely felt to-day1 and new and improved methods are rapidly coming in4 ,our school-houses are more beautiful1 our teachers better trained and more ambitious1 and the beneficent influences of the kindergarten and of the manual training system are felt everywhere4 ,but1 while much is being done1 much more remains for us4 ,with such honour and such pay as show our respect for the office of teacher1 and such required training and natural capacity as shall allow of no incapables1 we could surround our children from birth with the steady influence of the wisest and best people4 ,more and more to-day is the school opening out4 ,it connects with the public library1 with art and industry1 with the open fields2 and this will go on till the time is reached when the child does not know that he is at school1--he is always there1 and yet never knows it4 ,where residence was permanent1 the teachers of different grades could constantly compare their growing records1 and the child's unfolding be watched steadily1 and noted with a view to still further improvement in method4 ,travelling parties of children are not unknown to us4 ,these will become more common1 until every child shall know his earth face to face1--mountain1 river1 lake1 and sea1--and gain some idea of political division as well4 ,two main objections to all this will arise at once3 one1 that of expense2 the other1 that a child so trained would not have learned to apply himself1--to force himself to do what he did not like1--that it was all too easy4 ,the ground of too much expense cannot be held4 ,nothing is too expensive that really improves education2 for such improvement cuts off all the waste product of society1--the defective and degenerate1 the cripple1 thief1 and fool1 and saves millions upon millions now spent in maintaining or restraining these injurious classes4 ,not only that1 but it as steadily developes the working value of humanity1 turning out more and more vigorous and original thinkers and doers to multiply our wealth and pleasure4 ,grant the usefulness of improved methods in education1 and they can never be expensive4 ,even to-day the school-children become far better class of citizens than the street ,arabs who do not go to school2 and such school advantages as we have lower our expense in handling crime and disease4 ,when we provide for every child the very best education1--real education of body1 brain1 and soul1--with the trained hand and eye to do what the trained will and judgment command1 it is difficult to see where the criminal class is to come from4 ,as to its being too easy1 and not developing sufficiently stern stuff in our youngsters1 that has two answers4 ,in the first place1 this proposed line of advance is not without its difficulties4 ,whether a child is learning to sew or to shoot or to lay bricks1 to solve examples in fractions or to play chess1 there are always difficulties4 ,to learn what you don't know is always a step up4 ,but why need we add to this the difficulty of making the child dislike the work8 ,because it is necessary in this world to do what you don't like6 is the triumphant rejoinder4 ,this is an enormous mistake4 ,it is necessary in this world to like what you do1 if you are to do anything worth while4 ,one of the biggest of all our troubles is that so many of us are patiently and wearily doing what we do not like4 ,it is a constant injury to the individual1 draining his nervous strength and leaving him more easily affected by disease or temptation2 and it is a constant injury to society1 because the work we do not like to do is not as good as it would be if we liked it4 ,the kind of forcing we use in our educational processes1 the attention paid to what does not interest1 the following of required lines of study irrespective of inclination1--these act to blunt and lower our natural inclinations1 and leave us with this mischievous capacity for doing what we do not like4 ,a healthy child1 rightly surrounded with attractive opportunities1 the stimulus of association1 and natural 7not forced7 competition1 will want to learn the things most generally necessary1 just as he wants to learn the principal games his comrades play4 ,he has his favourite games1 and does best in them1 and will have his favourite studies and do best in them1 which is no injury to any one4 ,in this unconscious method the child learns with personal interest and pleasure1 and not under pressure of class competition1 reward1 or punishment4 ,he knows1 of course1 that he is learning1 as he knows when he has learned to swim or to play golf2 but he is not laboriously going to school and studying against his will4 ,the benefit of such a process is that it will supply the world with young citizens of unimpaired mental vigour1 original powers and tastes1 and strong special interests1 thus multiplying the value and distinction of our products1 and maintaining the health and happiness of the producer4 ,as a matter of practical introduction1 we are already moving in this direction1 with the laboratory method1 the natural sciences now taught so widely1 and all the new impetus through the study of pedagogy4 ,but those most capable and most interested1 those who see the value of this trend and are doing all they can to promote it1 are most keenly conscious of the difficulties which still confront them4 ,these difficulties are not far to seek4 ,they lie in the indifference1 the criminal indifference1 of our citizens1 notably the women4 ,sunk in the constant contemplation of their own families1 our female citizens let the days and years pass by1 utterly ignoring their civic duties4 ,while women are supported by men1 they have more time to spare for such broad interests than men have2 and one would naturally think that even the lowest sense of honour would lead them to some form of public usefulness in return for this immunity4 ,as the ,english nobleman--the conscientious one--sees in his wealth and leisure1 his opportunities for study and cultivation1 only a heavy obligation to serve the ,state which so well serves him1 so should our women of leisure--the thousands of them--feel in their free and sheltered lives a glorious compulsion to serve the best interests of that society which maintains them4 ,the care of children is certainly the duty of women4 ,the best care of children means the best education4 ,the woman who has not done her best to improve the educational advantages of her city1 ,state and country1--of the world1--has not done her duty as a citizen or as a woman4 ,and1 as education comes through every impression received by the child1 we must improve home and street and city and all the people1 to make a clean1 safe1 beautiful world1 in which our children may receive the unconscious schooling to which they have a right4 ,,viii4 ,,presumptuous ,,age4 ,the ineffable presumption of aged persons is an affliction too long endured4 ,much is told us of the becoming modesty of youth4 ,is no modesty becoming a period of life when experience has given some measure to merit8 ,why should youth be modest8 ,youth believes it can do all things1 and has had no proof to the contrary4 ,but age1--age which has tried many times and been met by failure2 age1 which has learned its limitation by repeated blows1 and become content with hard-worn compromise1--why should age be so proud8 ,in itself it is no distinction1 being but the common lot of man4 ,those who do not attain to it are by general consent of superior merit4 ,whom the gods love die young4 ,age is not desired and striven for1--not won by honourable effort4 ,it comes gradually upon us all1 falling like rain upon the just and the unjust4 ,taken simply in itself1 it proves no more than that the aged individual1 if a man1 has had sufficient strength and ingenuity to keep himself alive2 and1 if a woman1 that she has been sufficiently pleasing and well-behaved to be kept alive by others4 ,in very early times1 when the world was young and life more exciting and precarious than now1 perhaps the above qualities were a sufficient distinction4 ,the constitution which survived the rigours of a crude and uncertain diet and of an undiluted climate was a thing to be proud of2 and the visible proof that one had survived one's enemies did indicate some superiority4 ,but in a civilisation which takes special care of the infirm1--where green young cripples grow to a ripe old age1 and a bed-ridden pauper may outlive many muscular labourers1--mere prolongation of existence is no self-evident proof of either power or wisdom4 ,of two men born in the same year1 the more valuable man1 doing more valuable work1 is quite as likely to die as an innocuous1 futile1 low-grade person1 paddling feebly with the tide4 ,of two women1 one may smilingly repeat herself by the dozen1 and drift sweetly on from amiable juvenility to as amiable senility2 while another1 working strenuously and effectively1 dies in her earnest youth or middle age4 ,survival is no longer a fair test of value4 ,the wisdom of the ancients is not the standard of our time4 ,we do not think that a previous century knows more than ours1 but rather less2 and1 if ,methuselah were with us yet1--and retained his faculties1--he would be too much confused between the things he used to believe and what he was learning now to be a valuable authority4 ,when learning was but accumulated tradition1 the old had an advantage over the young1 and improved it4 ,now that learning is discovery1 the young have an advantage over the old4 ,if wisdom consisted merely in the accumulation of facts1 the long-time observer would assuredly have more of them than the new-comer4 ,but the wisdom that consists in a free and unbiassed judgment--a new perception of the relation of things--comes better from a fresher brain4 ,this is not to say that age may not coexist with superiority1 but that age1 per se1 is not superiority4 ,there are many aged persons in the work-house who are quite visibly inferior to many young persons in the ,house of ,commons4 ,this suggests a painful antithesis which is better omitted4 ,granting the origin of this arrogance of the aged to have had some basis in primitive time1 it is easy to see how it has descended to us by the same principle that maintains the fag system4 ,humanity has always its overlapping generations2 and the child who is crushed by the incontrovertible statement1 ,i am older than you are6 waits to recoup himself on children yet to be4 ,in his subordinate position in youth he has no chance to escape from this injustice or to retaliate2 and he strikes a balance with fate by assuming the same superiority over the new-comer4 ,it is probable that we should never outgrow the assumption until we have a generation of children taught to respect conduct for its merits1 not for simple duration1 holding a wise1 strong1 good person1 however young1 to be superior to an ignorant or vicious one1 however old4 ,when the sense of justice and the sense of logic of the child are not outraged in youth1 we shall find more modesty as well as more wisdom in old age4 ,it is always interesting to see our psychic development following the laws of nature1 like any other growth4 ,under the law of inertia the human mind1 starting under a given concept1 continues to enlarge in that direction1 unless arrested or diverted in some other force4 ,so this conception of age as essential superiority1 naturally enough begun1 has been followed to strange and injurious extremes4 ,and under the law of conservation of energy--following the line of least resistance--the aged naturally encroached upon the young1 who were able to make no resistance whatever4 ,the respect and care for aged persons1 which is so distinguishing a mark of advanced civilisation1 is due to two things3 first1 the prolonged serviceability of parents2 and1 second1 the social relation which allows of usefulness to even the very old4 ,in an early savage tribe the elderly parent is of no special value to the newly matured young1 and the tribal service has more use for juvenile warriors than for the ancient ones3 wherefore the old folk are of small account1 and do not meet much encouragement to prolonged living4 ,but with us1 though the child is grown quite sufficiently to hunt and fight and reproduce his kind1 he is not yet properly equipped for the social service4 ,he needs more years yet of parental assistance while he accumulates knowledge in his profession or skill in his trade4 ,therefore1 parentage is a longer and more elaborate operation with us than with lower races1 animal or human1 and the parent consequently more appreciated4 ,this position is fondly taken advantage of by the designing aged1 oft-times with a pious belief in their righteous ground which is most convincing4 ,because the human parent is of far more service to the young than earlier parents1 therefore our elders calmly assume that it is the duty of the young to provide for and serve them1--not only to render them natural assistance when real incapacity comes1 but to alter the course of their young and useful lives to suit the wishes of the old4 ,among poor and degraded classes we see children early set to work for the parents instead of parents working for the children1--a position as unnatural as for a hen to eat eggs4 ,life is not a short circle1 a patent self-feeder4 ,the business of the hen is to hatch the egg1 and of the egg to grow to another and different hen1--not to turn round and sacrificially nourish the previous fowl4 ,the duty of the parent is a deep-seated1 natural law4 ,without the parent's care of the child1 no race1 no life4 ,the duty of the child to the parent was largely invented by parents1 from motives of natural self-interest1 and has been so long sanctioned and practised that we look on without a shudder and see a healthy middle-aged mother calmly swallowing the life of her growing daughter4 ,a girl is twenty-one4 ,she has been properly reared by her mother1 whom we will suppose to be a widow4 ,being twenty-one1 the girl is old enough to begin to live her own life1 and naturally wishes to4 ,i do not speak of marrying1--that is generally allowed1--but of so studying and working as to develope a wide1 useful life of her own in case she does not marry4 ,not so1 says her mother4 ,your duty is to stay with me4 ,i need you4 ,now the mother is not bed-ridden4 ,she is1 we will say1 an able-bodied woman of forty-five or fifty4 ,she could easily occupy herself in one of several trades2 but1 being in possession of a house and a tiny income1 she does not have to work4 ,she prefers to live in that house1 on that income1 and have her daughter live with her4 ,the daughter prefers to go to ,new ,york1 and study music or art or dressmaking1 whatever she is fit for4 ,but here is her dear mother claiming her presence at home as a duty2 and she gives it4 ,she does her duty1 living there with her mother in the capacity of--of what8 ,in no capacity at all4 ,fancy a young man living at home in the capacity of a son1 with no better occupation than dusting the parlour and arranging flowers6 ,in course of time the mother dies4 ,the daughter has lost her position as a daughter1 and has no other place in life4 ,she has never been allowed to form part of the living organism of society1 and remains a withered offshoot1 weak and fruitless4 ,these cases are common enough4 ,but consider from another point of view the serene presumption of the elder woman4 ,because she had done--so far--her duty by the child that was1 she now claims a continuous hold on the grown woman and a return for her services4 ,in still earlier days this claim was made even more strenuously4 ,the child awe-fully addressed the father as author of my being1 and was supposed to owe him everything4 ,the child does not owe the parent4 ,parental duty is not a loan4 ,it is the never-ending gift of nature1--an unbroken1 outpouring river of love and labour from the earliest beginnings of life4 ,the child1 while a child1 has also some duty to the parent2 but even there it is reflex1 and based in last analysis on the child's advantage4 ,meanwhile it is a poor parent who cannot win the affection and command the respect of the young creature growing up so near1 so that a beautiful relation shall be established between them for the rest of life4 ,this love and honest admiration1 this affectionate friendliness1 and all the ties of long association would naturally prompt the child to desire the society of the parent1 and1 of course1 to provide for illness and old age2 but that is a very different position from the one taken by an able-bodied1 middle-aged parent demanding the surrender of a young life4 ,parentage is not a profession with a sort of mutual insurance return to it4 ,the claim that humanity is born saddled with this retroactive obligation requires more convincing proof than has yet been offered4 ,an obligation we all have1 young and old1--and to this the child should be trained1--the vast and endless service of humanity1 to which our lives are pledged without exception4 ,seeing the parent devout in this honourable discharge of duty1--realising that his own training is with a view to that greater service when he is grown1--the child would go onward in life with the parent1 not backward to him4 ,but we have not yet forgotten the habits and traditions of the patriarchate4 ,we demand from the young respect because we are older1 not because we deserve it4 ,respect is a thing which is extorted willy-nilly by those who deserve it1 and which cannot be given at will4 ,if a parent loses his temper and talks foolishly1 how can a child respect this weakness8 ,to demand respectful treatment shows one cannot command it2 and1 if it is not commanded1 it cannot be had4 ,any false assumption is a block to progress4 ,so long as the aged expect to be looked up to on account of the length of time in which they have not died1 so long will they ignore those habits of life which should insure reverence and love at any age4 ,people ought to be living with wise forethought and circumspection1 in order that they may be respected when old1--not carelessly lulled with the comforting belief that1 no matter how foolish they are1 age will bring dignity4 ,so1 too1 if parents did not so fatuously demand respect merely because they are parents1 but would see to it that they deserve and win respect by such visible power and wisdom as the child must bow to1 we might look for a much quicker advance in these desirable qualities4 ,the power of learning things does not cease at maturity4 ,many a great mind has gone on to extreme old age1 open1 eager1 steadily adding to its store of light and power4 ,such keep the freshness and the modesty of youth4 ,far more numerous are the little minds which imagine that years are equivalent to wisdom1 and1 because they are grown up1 decline to learn further4 ,yet these1 far more than the wise men1 sit back complacent on their age1 and talk with finality of my experience6 ,experience is not merely keeping alive4 ,experience involves things happening and things done4 ,many a young man of to-day has done more and felt more than a peaceful1 stationary nonagenarian of yesterday's rural life4 ,that very brashness and self-assumption of hot youth1 which brings so complacent and superior a smile to the cheek of age1 would not be so prominent but for previous suppression and contemptuous treatment4 ,a lofty and supercilious age makes a rash and incautious youth2 but youth1 trained to early freedom and its rich and instructive punishments1 would grow to an agreeable age1 modest with much wisdom1 tender and considerate with long power4 ,,ix4 ,,the ,,respect ,,due ,,to ,,youth4 ,since we have so carefully and thoroughly beaten back the new brain-growth which should distinguish each successive generation1 and fostered in every way the primitive mental habits of our forefathers1 the natural consequence is a prolonged survival of very early tendencies4 ,outside1 in the necessary contact and freedom of the world's life1 crude ideas must change1 and either become suited to the times or lost entirely4 ,but in the privacy of the home1 under the conditions of family life and the dominant influence of feminine conservatism1 we find a group of carefully cherished rudiments which never could have survived without such isolation4 ,among primitive races the stranger is an object of legitimate derision4 ,the differences in his speech and manner are held as visible inferiorities1 and his attempts to assimilate are greeted with unchecked merriment4 ,this attitude of mind is still common in children1 who are passing through the same stage of culture individually4 ,among intelligent and well-bred grown people such an attitude of mind is rightly despised4 ,to them the stranger is entitled to respectful consideration because he is a stranger2 and nothing could be ruder1 in the estimation of such persons1 than to laugh at the stranger's efforts to learn our language and manners4 ,how great is the difference between this common good breeding in the world at large and the barbaric crudity of our behaviour at home to that most sacred stranger1 the child6 ,he comes to us absolutely ignorant of our methods of living1 be they wise or unwise2 and he must needs learn every step of his way in the paths we have prepared for him4 ,unfortunately1 we have prepared very little4 ,a few physical conveniences1 perhaps1 in the way of high chairs and cradles1 or nursing-bottles to supplement maternal deficiency2 but in psychic conveniences--in any better recognition of the childish attitude of mind and its natural difficulties--we make small progress4 ,calm1 wondering1 unafraid1 the stranger enters the family circle4 ,he has no perspective1 no gradations of feeling in regard to the performances he finds going on about him4 ,he has neither shame for the truths of real life nor respect for the falsehoods of artificial life4 ,in soberness and eager interest he begins the mysterious game of living4 ,now what is the attitude of the family toward this new-comer8 ,how does the intelligent adult treat the stranger within his gates8 ,he treats him with frequent ridicule and general gross disrespect4 ,not unkindly1 perhaps1--that is1 not with anger and blows or undue deprivations1--but as if being a child was a sort of joke4 ,a healthy child is merry with the free good spirits of a spring-tide lamb2 but that pure mirth has nothing in common with ridicule4 ,who of us has not seen a clear-eyed child struck dumb and crimson by the rude laughter of his elders over some act which had no element of humour except that it was new to him8 ,we put grandpa's hat on the downy head of the baby1 and roar with laughter at his appearance4 ,do we put baby's cap on grandma1 and then make fun of the old lady's looks8 ,why should we jeer at a baby more than at an old person8 ,why are we so lacking in the respect due to youth8 ,every child has to learn the language he is born to4 ,it is certain that he will make mistakes in the process1 especially as he is not taught it by any wise system1 but blunders into what usage he can grasp from day to day4 ,now1 if an adult foreigner were learning our language1 and we greeted his efforts with yells of laughter1 we should think ourselves grossly rude4 ,and what should we think of ourselves if we further misled him by setting absurd words and phrases before him1 encouraging him to further blunders1 that we might laugh the more2 and then1 if we had visitors1 inciting him to make these blunders over again to entertain the company8 ,yet this is common household sport1 so long as there is a little child to act as zany for the amusement of his elders4 ,the errors of a child are not legitimate grounds of humour1 even to those coarse enough to laugh at them1 any more than a toddling baby's falls have the same elements of the incongruous as the overthrow of a stout old gentleman who sits down astonished in the snow4 ,a baby has to fall4 ,it is natural1 and not funny4 ,so does the young child have to make mistakes as he learns any or all of the crowding tasks before him2 but these are not fair grounds for ridicule4 ,i was walking in a friend's garden1 and met for the first time the daughter of the house1 a tall1 beautiful girl of nineteen or twenty4 ,her aunt1 who was with me1 cried out to her in an affected tone1 ,come and meet the lady1 ,janey6 ,the young girl1 who was evidently unpleasantly impressed1 looked annoyed1 and turned aside in some confusion1 speaking softly to her teacher who was with her4 ,then the aunt1 who was a very muscular woman1 seized the young lady by her shoulders1 lifted her off the ground1 and thrust her blushing1 struggling1 and protesting into my arms--by way of introduction6 ,naturally enough1 the girl was overcome with mortification1 and conceived a violent dislike for me4 7,this story is exactly true1 except that the daughter of the house was aged two and a half47 ,now why1--in the name of reason1 courtesy1 education1 justice1 any lofty and noble consideration1--why should ,two-and-a-half be thus insulted8 ,what is the point of view of the insulter8 ,how does she justify her brutal behaviour8 ,is it on the obvious ground of physical superiority in age and strength8 ,it cannot be that1 for we do not gratuitously outrage the feelings of all persons younger and smaller than ourselves4 ,a stalwart six-foot septuagenarian does not thus comport himself toward a small gentleman of thirty or forty4 ,it cannot be relationship2 for such conduct does not obtain among adults1 be they never so closely allied4 ,it has no basis except that the victim is a child1 and the child has no personal rights which we feel bound to respect4 ,a baby1 when good1 is considered as a first-rate plaything1--a toy to play with or to play on or to set going like a machine-top1 that we may laugh at it4 ,there is a legitimate frolicking with small children1 as the cat plays with her kittens2 but that is not in the least inconsistent with respect4 ,grown people can play together and laugh together without jeering at each other4 ,so we might laugh with our children1 even more than we do1 and yet never laugh at them4 ,the pathetic side of it is that children are even more sensitive to ridicule than grown people4 ,they have no philosophy to fall back upon2 and1--here is the hideously unjust side1--if they lose their tempers1 being yet unlearned in self-restraint1--if they try to turn the tables on their tormentors1 then the wise grown-up promptly punishes them for disrespect4 ,they must respect their elders even in this pitiful attitude2 but who is to demand the respect due to youth8 ,there is a deal of complaint among parents over the impertinence of children4 ,how dare you speak to me like that6 cries outraged authority4 ,yet that was only the expression used just before by the parent to the child4 ,hold your tongue6 says the mother4 ,hold yours6 answers the child1 and is promptly whipped for impertinence4 ,i'll teach you to answer me like that6 says angry mamma4 ,and she does4 ,in the baby's first attempt to speak we amused ourselves mightily over his innocent handling of rude phrases1--overheard by chance or even taught him1 that we might make merry over the guileless little mouth1 uttering at our behest the words it did not understand4 ,then1 a year or so older1 when he says the same things1 he is laboriously and painfully taught that what is proper for a parent to say to a child is not proper for a child to say to a parent4 ,why8 puzzles the child4 ,we can give no answer1 except our large assumption that there is no respect due to youth4 ,ask any conscientious mother or father why the new human being1 fresh from ,god as they profess to believe1 not yet tainted by sin or weakened by folly and mistake1 serene in its mighty innocence and serious beyond measure1 as its deep eyes look solemnly into life1--why this wonderful kind of humanity is to be treated like a court fool4 ,what can the parent say8 ,from the deeper biological standpoint1 seeing the foremost wave of advancing humanity in each new generation1 there is still less excuse for such contemptuous treatment4 ,in the child is lodged the piled up progress of the centuries1 and1 as he shall live1 is that progress hastened or retarded4 ,quite outside of the natural affection of the parent for the offspring stands this deep1 human reverence for the latest and best specimen of its kind4 ,every child should represent a higher step in racial growth than its parents1 and every parent should reverently recognise this4 ,for a time the parent has the advantage4 ,he has knowledge1 skill1 and power2 and we feel that in the order of nature he is set to minister to the younger generation till it shall supplant him4 ,to develope such a noble feeling has taken a long time1 and many steps upward through those cruder sentiments which led toward it4 ,yet it is the rational1 conscious feeling into which the human being translates the whole marvellous law of parental love4 ,to the animal this great force expresses itself merely in instinct2 but1 as such1 it is accepted and fulfilled1 and the good of the young subserved unquestioningly4 ,in low grades of human life we have still this animal parental instinct largely predominating1 coloured more or less with some prevision of the real glory of the work in hand4 ,yet so selfish is human parentage that in earlier times children have been sold as slaves in the interests of parents1 have been and still are set to work prematurely2 and in certain races the father looks forward to having a son for various religious benefits accruing to him1 the father4 ,sentiments like these are not conducive to respect for youth4 ,the mother is not generally selfish1 in this sense4 ,her error is in viewing the child too personally1 depending too much on instinct1 and giving very little thought to the matter4 ,she loves much and serves endlessly1 but reasons little4 ,the child is pre-eminently her child1 and is treated as such4 ,intense affection she gives1 and such forms of discipline and cultivation as are within her range1 unflagging care and labour also2 but respect for the bewitching bundle of cambric she has so elaborately decorated does not occur to her4 ,note the behaviour of a group of admiring women around a baby on exhibition4 ,its clothes are prominent1 of course1 in their admiration2 and its toes1 fingers1 and dimples generally4 ,they kiss it and cuddle it and play with it1 and the proud mamma is pleased4 ,when the exhibitee is older and more conscious1 it dislikes these scenes intensely4 ,being dressed up and passed around for the observation and remark of the grown-up visitors is an ordeal we can all remember4 ,why cannot a grown person advance to make the acquaintance of a child with the same good manners used in meeting an adult8 ,frankness1 naturalness1 and respect1 these are all the child wants4 ,and precisely these he is denied4 ,we put on an assumed interest--a sort of stage manner--in accosting the young1 and for all our pretence pay no regard to their opinions or confidence1 when given4 ,really well-intentioned persons1 parents or otherwise1 will repeat before strangers some personal opinion1 just softly whispered in their ears1 with a pair of little arms holding fast to keep the secret close2 dragging it out remorselessly before the persons implicated1 while the betrayed child squirms in wretchedness and anger4 ,to do this to a grown-up friend would warrant an angry dropping of acquaintance4 ,such traitorous rudeness would not be tolerated by man or woman4 ,but the child1--the child must pocket every insult1 as belonging to a class beneath respect4 ,is it not time that we summoned our wits from their wool-gathering1--however financially profitable the wool may be1--and gave a little honest thought to the status of childhood8 ,childhood is not a pathological condition1 nor a term of penal servitude1 nor a practical joke4 ,a child is a human creature1 and entitled to be treated as such4 ,a human body three feet long is deserving of as much respect as a human body six feet long4 ,yet the bodies of children are handled with the grossest familiarity4 ,we pluck and pull and push them1 tweak their hair and ears1 pat them on the head1 chuck them under the chin1 kiss them1 and hold them on our laps1 entirely regardless of their personal preferences4 ,why should we take liberties with the person of a child other than those suitable to an intimate friendship at any age8 ,because children don't care1 some one will answer4 ,but children do care4 ,they care enormously4 ,they dislike certain persons always because of disagreeable physical contact in childhood4 ,they wriggle down clumsily1 all their clothes rubbed the wrong way1 with tumbled hair and flushed1 sulky faces from the warm lap of some large woman or bony1 woolly-clothed man1 who was holding them with one hand and variously assaulting them with the other1 and rush off in helpless rage4 ,no doubt they get used to it1 as do eels to skinning2 but in this process of accustoming childhood to brutal discourtesy we lose much of the finest1 most delicate development of human nature4 ,there is no charge of cruelty1 unkindness1 or neglect involved in this4 ,discourtesy to children is practised by the most loving and devoted parents1 the most amiable of relatives and visitors4 ,neither is it a question of knowledge on the part of the elder4 ,these rudenesses are practised by persons of exquisite manners1 among their equals4 ,it is simply a case of survival of an undeveloped field of human nature1--a dark1 uncultivated1 neglected spot where we have failed to grow4 ,the same forces which have so far civilised us will work farther when we give them room4 ,we have but to open our minds and widen our sphere of action to become civilised in these domestic relations4 ,it is the citizenship--the humanness--of the child we need to recognise1 not merely its relative accomplishments compared to ourselves4 ,also the tendencies and restraint born of power and freedom should teach us to respect the child precisely because of its helplessness4 ,the principle that urges even the bullying school-boy to take a fellow of his own size1 and which forbids torturing a captive1 killing an unarmed man1 or insulting an inferior1 ought to put more nobility into our conduct in relation to the child4 ,as so much weaker1 strength should respect him2 and1 as one bound to supersede us1 wisdom should recognise his power4 ,x4 ,,too ,,much ,,consideration4 ,the child comes to the table4 ,he looks a little weary1 knowing the task before him4 ,now what will you have8 asks his fond mamma4 ,what would you like1 dear8 ,the child gazes at the dishes there present1 and is somewhat attracted toward one or more of them2 but his brain thrusts upon him images of other viands1 and memories of triumph in securing some vaguely remembered delicacy4 ,he wavers in his mind1 and wiggles his knife uncertainly4 ,i guess--,i'll have--,mamma is all attention4 ,have some of this nice potato6 she urges4 ,he had inclined toward the potato previously1 but rebels at its being urged upon him4 ,also the cooing adjective affronts him4 ,he has heard things called nice before1 usually when he did not want them4 ,no1 ,i don't want any potato1 he says4 ,i want--,i'll have some sweet potato6 ,unhappily there is no sweet potato1 and the good mamma smilingly excuses the lack4 ,we will have some to-morrow1 she promises2 and1 to distract him from thought of the impossible1 ,won't you have a chop8 ,no--yes--,i'll have one chop4 ,on this plate1 not on that plate4 ,i won't have it on that plate6 ,but this plate is warm1 dear4 ,i want it on my own plate6 ,very well4 ,will you have some gravy8 ,yes1 ,i guess so4 ,not on the potato6 ,don't put it on the potato6 ,i won't eat it if you put it on the potato6 ,in time he eats1 though not with eagerness4 ,in his young mind is a vague sense of annoyance and discomfort1 as if he were in some way defrauded of his dinner4 ,the present dinner1 rather gloomily going down1 is contrasted with other possible dinners1 not now to be attained4 ,what he has suffers by comparison with all the things he has not1 and a dim memory of previous disappointments oppresses him4 ,he never did eat well1 says his mother4 ,we have hard work to find what he will eat4 ,there may be some digestive disturbance1 but there is a quite needless psychological disturbance added4 ,choice is a wearing thing1 even to the trained scanner of menus4 ,to select a meal exactly to one's taste1 and not be haunted by the unchosen dishes1 means the prompt and skilful exercise of a widely cultivated taste4 ,most of us gladly prefer to have some experienced cook and caterer set a good meal before us4 ,a pleased anticipation at a well-known dinner table is a more agreeable frame of mind than that of one who must needs select1 spurred by a tall darkey with a pencil4 ,a child has not a cultivated taste nor the calmness of experience4 ,a choice1 even from objects before him1 is uncertain enough4 ,he is apt to speedily regret and wish to change4 ,to be called upon to order a meal is a real tax upon him4 ,while he exerts himself in this direction1 any proposition is likely to be resented2 and1 to one who is on tiptoe in effort to decide1 an insinuating suggestion from without is extremely irritating4 ,this method of consulting a child's preferences before he has them1 introducing alternatives not present and then harassing the wavering young mind with persuasive propositions1 rapidly developes a halting1 fretful1 back-stitch sort of temper1 always wishing it had done the other thing4 ,the old-fashioned method was to compel a child to eat what was set before him1 all of it1 quite regardless of his personal taste or constitutional limitations4 ,nothing but palpable nausea convinced these obdurate parents of earlier generations that there were some things the little victim could not eat4 ,this was a foolish and cruel method4 ,children differ widely in digestive power and preference1 and their tastes are marked and sensitive4 ,eating what he does not like is far more painful to a child than to an adult4 ,but his tastes and limitations can be discovered without concentrating his own attention on them4 ,it is bad to treat a child's tastes with less consideration than those of older human beings2 but there is no reason why they should be treated with more4 ,the simple lesson can be taught of eating what he likes and leaving what he dislikes without vociferous proclamation of these preferences2 and1 if he really thinks of something else he would like to have for dinner1 teach him to ask for it for another time4 ,he can readily understand that cooking takes time1 and extra dishes cannot be served at a moment's notice4 ,a family is usually composed of several persons1 all of whom should be treated with justice4 ,if it is reduced to two only1--if there is only mother and child to decide between1--the decision should be fairly balanced4 ,the practical issues of daily life are almost always open to a child's understanding4 ,mamma1 we will say1 is reading4 ,mabel is busy with doll's dressmaking4 ,o mamma6 will you please get me the scissors8 ,can you not get them as easily1 dear8 ,i don't know just where they are1 and ,i've been fussing ever so long with this yoke2 and now ,i've got it just right1 and ,i'm afraid1 if ,i put it down1 ,i'll forget again6 ,mamma looks at the flushed1 earnest little face1 lays her book down1 and gets the scissors4 ,again4 ,mamma is stuffing the turkey4 ,mabel1 will you please bring me down the largest needle on my cushion8 ,oh1 but1 mamma1 ,i'm so busy with my paints6 ,yes2 but you are upstairs already1 and my hands are in the stuffing4 ,please hurry1 dear4 ,mabel brings the needle promptly4 ,she knows that mamma is considerate of her1 and she is considerate of mamma4 ,it is by no means necessary to argue over every little service1 but a few test cases keep in mind the idea of justice4 ,if what a child wants will give more pleasure to the child than trouble to the adult1 do it4 ,if it is more trouble to the adult than pleasure to the child1 do not do it2 and let the child understand1 first1 last1 and always1 the balance of human rights4 ,i knew a girl of thirteen who had not yet learned to keep herself covered at night4 ,she slept with her mother2 and1 if she wakened chilly1 she would murmur1 without opening her eyes1 ,mother1 cover me up6 ,and her mother would do it4 ,this was unfair to the child4 ,it allowed her to commit a gross injustice2 and her mother was compounding a felony1 as it were1 in indulging her4 ,the child was already awake1 and quite capable of pulling up the blankets4 ,there was no reason why her tired mother should lose sleep for the purpose4 ,the practical way to exhibit this would be for the mother to waken the child with the same demand4 ,a few applications would be sufficient4 ,if verbal remonstrance was preferred 7usually an inferior method71 the mother might quietly reply3 ,by no means4 ,you are perfectly able to do it4 ,it is not fair to waken me for that4 ,i do not get to sleep again as quickly as you do1 and am tired next day4 ,a child already reasonably trained would easily see the force of that argument4 ,a big boy is persistently late to breakfast4 ,this annoys his mother at the time1 and delays her work afterward4 ,she saves and keeps hot various viands for him1 taking many extra steps2 and her day's work is rendered a little more difficult4 ,if the breakfast hour is that most convenient to the family needs1 simply explain to the boy that breakfast is at such a time only2 that he will be called in due season2 and that1 if he is not down within the given time1 he will find no breakfast whatsoever4 ,this course1 firmly followed1 works like a charm4 ,most people dislike going without breakfast4 ,a child should have sufficient sleep1 of course2 but1 if his hours are reasonable1 there is no justice in incommoding the working mother for the sake of a little natural laziness4 ,with very little children we ingeniously manage to ignore some of their really important questions and actions1 and at the same time to let them trample on our ears and brains with senseless iteration of unnecessary words4 ,a small boy is eating his supper1 while his mother puts little sister to bed4 ,mother6 he bawls4 ,mother6 ,mo-o-ther6 ,at last she leaves her task to come to him1 he still shouting2 and this is his communication3 ,mother6 ,this is baker's bread6 ,yes1 dear1 says the too tender mamma1 and goes back again4 ,that child should have been met1 not with anger or punishment1 but with very simple sarcasm and protest4 ,yes1 that is baker's bread1--and that is a plate1--and that is a spoon4 ,i knew all these things when ,i arranged your supper4 ,do you think it is fair to call me downstairs just to say that8 ,the bubbling fluency of a child's mind1 the tendency to repetition and sometimes foolishness1 is natural enough1 and not to be blamed2 but we should help the child to outgrow it instead of submitting to his wearisome reiterance4 ,but1 my dear1 you said that before4 ,i understand4 ,now do not say it again4 ,to say1 ,yes1 dear1 a dozen times to the same question or statement is not strengthening to the child's mental habits4 ,similarly1 when a child asks palpably foolish questions1--foolish by his own standard1--he needs not consideration1 but mild ridicule4 ,and1 if he can answer his own question1 let him3 it is no kindness to do all his work4 ,children are not benefited by a too soft and yielding environment1 nor do they always love best those who treat them with too much consideration4 ,fairness1 not severity nor constant concession1 is what a child appreciates4 ,if we behave fairly to the child 7as we would to a grown person71 giving to him the healthy reaction of common justice1 we help him to live easily and rightly in the world before him4 ,even love is open to measurement by results4 ,the love we have for our children is not developed in us as a pleasurable exercise1 but is distinctly for the child's benefit4 ,the maternal sacrifice is what our scientific friends call it4 ,in studying early forms of life1 we find the mother sacrificing everything for the good of the young1 from which we draw the general inference that it is for the good of the young to have the mother sacrifice everything4 ,more discriminating study will show us a great difference in maternal methods4 ,where the mother's loss is the gain of the young1 she cheerfully submits to it2 but1 where the young is not benefited by her loss1 we do not find it4 ,the eggs of the hen are carefully brooded by the mother2 the eggs of the frog are left floating on the water in suitable places4 ,there is no special virtue in the hen's brooding or vice in the frog's neglect2 the mother does what is necessary for the young4 ,the mother-cat licks her little ones elaborately1 and teaches them to make their toilettes similarly4 ,the cow licks the calf for a while1 but gives it no instructions in washing its ears with its paws4 ,the mother-love is essential to the best care of the young1 and therefore it is given us4 ,it is the main current of race preservation1 and the basis of all other love-development on the higher grades4 ,but it is not1 therefore1 an object of superstitious veneration1 and in itself invariably right4 ,the surrender of the mother to the child is often flatly injurious1 if carried to excess4 ,to put it in the last extreme1 suppose the mother so utterly sacrifices herself to the child as to break down and die4 ,she then robs the child of its mother1 which is an injury4 ,suppose she so sacrifices herself to the child as to cut off her own proper rest1 recreation1 and development4 ,she thus gives the child an exhausted and inferior mother1 which is an injury to him4 ,there are cases1 perhaps1 where it might be a mother's duty to die for her child2 but1 in general1 it is more advantageous to live for him4 ,the unselfish devotion of the mother we laud to the skies1 without stopping to consider its effect on the child4 ,this error is connected with our primitive religious belief in the doctrine of sacrifice1--one of those early misconceptions of a great truth4 ,it is necessary for the good of humanity that the interests of the one be subordinate to the interests of the many1 but it does not follow that an indiscriminate surrender of one's own interests always benefits society4 ,on the contrary1 a steady insistence on the rights of the individual is essential to the integrity of the social structure and its right workings4 ,so it is necessary for the good of the child that the interests of the mother be subordinated to his interests1 but it does not follow that her indiscriminate surrender of personal interests always benefits him4 ,on the contrary1 a too self-sacrificing mother tends to develope a selfish1 short-sighted1 low-grade personality in the growing life she seeks to benefit1 where her honest maintenance of her own individual rights would have had a very healthy effect4 ,not what the child wishes1 nor what the mother wishes1 is the standard of measurement1 but what is really beneficial to the child4 ,if the mother is frankly and clearly unselfish in their daily intercourse1 and then as frankly and clearly demands her own share of freedom and consideration1 the child gets a fairer view of human rights than if he simply absorbs his mother as a natural victim4 ,little ,mary has a visitor4 ,her mother is most polite and entertaining1 is with them when they desire it1 and lets them alone when they prefer4 ,then her mother has a visitor4 ,mary1 she says1 ,i am to have company this week4 ,i shall of course have to give a good deal of time and attention to my friend1 as you did to ,hattie when she was here4 ,so you must not feel badly if you do not see as much of mamma as usual4 ,there must be the previous polite conduct of mamma to point to4 ,the childish mind needs frequent and conspicuous proof that mamma is forgetting herself for his pleasure2 and then he should be rationally called upon to forget himself for her pleasure1 when it is plainly fair and necessary4 ,the beautiful principles of kindergarten teaching are frequently misapplied in the too conciliatory and self-denying methods of the well-meaning mamma4 ,kindness1 politeness1 constant love1 and all due consideration the child should have2 but justice is as important to him as affection4 ,it must always be remembered that the mother's love is not an end in itself1 nor the expression of it a virtue in itself4 ,it is to be measured1 like every other natural function1 by its use4 ,when a child is reared in an atmosphere of unreasoning devotion and constant surrender1 he grows up to expect it1 and to carry a sense of grievance if he does not get it4 ,the natural tendency of the mother to love her own young is strong in us1--the maternal passion2 but1 like all passions1 it needs conscientious and rational restraint4 ,the human soul has grown to such a stage of development that we are capable of loving and serving great numbers of people4 ,the woman1 who is still confined to the same range of interests which occupied her in the earliest grades of human life1 inherits her share of this socially developed power of loving1 and concentrates it all upon her own immediate family4 ,like an ever-enlarging burning glass1 still focussed upon one spot1 the healthy1 natural affection of the animal mother for its young has grown to what is really an immense social affection1 too large for one family to profitably sustain4 ,the child will get a far more just and healthful idea of human relation when he finds himself lifted and led on by a mother whose life has a purpose of its own1 than when he finds himself encompassed and overwhelmed by a mother who has no other object or interest than himself4 ,the whole question has to be constantly measured by comparing it with the rest of life4 ,are our methods with children those which best fit men and women for doing their share to maintain and develope human life8 ,does not the most casual survey of life to-day show people practising much amiability and devotion at home1 strenuously loving their own immediate families and friends1 and most markedly deficient in that general love for one another which is not only the main commandment of our religion1 but the plainest necessity for social progress8 ,and is not this deficiency to be accounted for1 not by any inability on our part for social devotion1--for every day's list of accidents shows the common fund of heroism and self-sacrifice to be large1--but by the training which makes it the habit of our lives to love and serve only those nearest to us8 ,the mother is the strongest formative influence in the child's life4 ,if he sees that she thinks only of him1 lives only for him1 what is he to learn by it8 ,to think only of himself8 ,or only of her8 ,or only of his children8 ,does the best care of a child require the concentrated and unremittent devotion of an entire mother8 ,a larger intelligence applied to the subject may show us that there are better ways of serving our children than those we now follow4 ,the woman who grows up in the practice of considering the needs of people in general1 and of so ordering her life as to benefit them1 will find a new power and quality in her love for her own dear ones4 ,with that widening of the soul-range of the mother will come a capacity to judge the child as one of the people of the world1 besides being her own especially beloved4 ,a study of what all children need will help her to understand what her own child needs far more accurately than when she thinks of him as the only one4 ,the continuous application of the mother to the child is not so advantageous as the quality of her companionship and influence1 and her sacrificial devotion too often weakens his sense of justice and makes him selfish4 ,,xi4 ,,six ,,mothers4 ,broad-minded mothers of this time are keenly interested in child-study1 in that all too familiar and yet unknown field of infant psychology4 ,they are beginning to recognise not only the salient fact that all children are different1 but the equally important one that all children have points in common4 ,the need of union and discussion among mothers is resulting in the mothers' clubs and parents' congresses1 which form so noble an example of the progressive thought4 ,but so far1 with all the kindly interest and keen desire for improved methods of child-culture1 the mother has to return and grapple with her individual problem alone4 ,here are one or two simple and practical suggestions1 the careful pursuance of which1 with some clear record of proceedings1 would not only be of immediate assistance to the mothers concerned1 but to all the other mothers yet to be aroused to the importance of such action4 ,let us suppose six mothers1 to take a very low number1--six mothers in one town1 one village1 or one city1 even in the open country1 so that they could reach each other easily2 six mothers1 who were friends and social equals1 and who were willing to admit the deficiencies of our general present methods of child-culture1 and also willing to improve those methods4 ,it is permissible for each mother to imagine that her own methods are superior to those of the other mothers1 as this will give her a beautiful sense of helpfulness in allowing these superior methods to be observed and studied by the less able4 ,a conscious sense of inferiority is also no obstacle1 for a mother having that feeling would be eager to improve by study of the better ways4 ,these six mothers divide the working days of the week among them1 agreeing that each shall on her chosen day take charge of the children of the other five4 ,this might be for a part of the day or the whole day1 as is thought best1--let us suppose it merely for the afternoon2 and it could be limited1 as desired1 to children of a certain age1 and still further reduced1 as a mild beginning1 to one child apiece from each family4 ,this would give1 as a minimum1 five extra children on one afternoon a week to each mother4 ,the maximum would be of course uncertain2 but1 if all the children of each mother were thus to go visiting for any part of the day1 it would give to each one day in which that larger responsibility was undertaken1 and five days free4 ,there would remain ,sunday1 in which each family1 complete1 would be at home4 ,now let us take a hypothetical case1 and suppose that our six mothers1 with considerable trepidation1 have chosen one child apiece that they were willing to intrust for the afternoon to the watchful care of these familiar friends4 ,the children1 be it rigidly insisted1 are to know nothing whatever of the purposes or methods involved4 ,all that little ,johnny ,black knows is that ,mrs4 ,white has asked him to come over on ,monday afternoon and play with ,alice and ,billy ,white1 and some other children that he knows1 too2 that presently ,mrs4 ,green has them come to her house on ,tuesday1 and ,mrs4 ,brown on ,wednesday2 that his mamma lets them all come and play with him on ,thursday1--in short1 that his afternoons have become full and rich and pleasantly exciting1 like some wonderful procession of parties4 ,not like regular parties1 either1 ,johnny would explain4 ,you don't have to dress up--much1--just be clean1 to begin with4 ,and they don't have ice-cream and macaroons1--only just milk and crackers when you get hungry2 and--well1 'tisn't so much regular games and p'r'aps dancin'--like a party1--we just play4 ,and ,mrs4 ,white1 or whichever one 'tis1 she generally has some nice young lady in with her2 and they sort of keep things going1--as if 'twas a real party4 ,it's nicer some ways1 ,i think4 ,and which place do you like best1 ,johnny8 ,oh1 ,i do' know6 ,billy ,white has the biggest yard4 ,but ,jim ,grey has the best swing2 and there's a pond at ,susy ,green's1--a real pond1--and nothing but girls live there6 ,then it's lots of fun when they come to our house1 'cause ,i can show 'em my rabbits and make ,jack do all his tricks4 ,yes1 the children all enjoy it4 ,it means variety1 it means company1 it means a wider and closer acquaintance and all the benefits of well-chosen association and larger environment4 ,it fills a part of the day4 ,there is no more aimless asking1 ,what shall ,i do now8 with the vague response1 ,oh1 run away and play6 or the suggestion of some well-worn amusement4 ,it means1 too1 a little more sense of company manners and behaviour1 and1 on the other hand1 a better appreciation of home life4 ,and to the mother1--what good will this do her8 ,each mother would have one day in the week in which to carefully observe children1--not her own specially beloved children1 but just children1 as such4 ,her observation and care should be absolutely unobtrusive3 the moment the little ones knew they were being watched1 the value of the plan would be greatly impaired2 and1 to stop at a minor detail1 from the palpable necessity for doing this work without the child's consciousness1 mothers would learn to cover the machinery of government at home4 ,it is one of our grossest and most frequent errors in the management of children that we openly discuss our efforts and failures4 ,they know that we are struggling to produce certain results in their behaviour1 usually in a futile manner4 ,with1 however1 a large and definite purpose resting so absolutely on the child's unconsciousness1 more wisdom in this line would soon develope4 ,the mother who now says1 ,what would you do with a child like that8 or ,i'm sure ,i don't know what to do with that child6 before the child in question1 would soon perceive that such an attitude in an educator does not produce confidence in the object of the education4 ,quietly and unostentatiously1 and often with the assistance of some keen girl-friend1 these mothers would soon learn to observe accurately1 to generalise carefully1 to reduce cautiously1 and then to put the deduction into practice and observe the results4 ,as beginners1 pioneers1 they should make their first steps very modestly4 ,for the first season some one trait should be chosen for study1--say self-control or courage or consideration of others4 ,having decided on their line of observation1 let each mother make a little note of how high each child in the group stands in this line4 ,how much self-control has my ,johnny1 as measured by his age8--as compared with others of his age8 ,when did ,i first notice self-control in ,johnny8 ,when have ,i seen it greatest8 ,does he gain in it8 ,what should be done to help ,johnny gain in self-control8 ,and then go over the same questions with regard to the other children4 ,then1 with self-control as the characteristic1 the natural development and best education of which they wish to study1 the afternoon parties begin4 ,at first the children might be left absolutely free to play in ordinary lines4 ,then1 after the first observations were recorded1 delicate experiments could be introduced1 and their results added to the record4 ,it is very difficult for the individual mother to rightly estimate her own children4 ,every crow thinks her babe the blackest4 ,yet the character of the child is forming without regard to any fond prejudice or too severe criticism2 and his life's happiness depends on his interaction with people in general1 not simply with beloved ones at home4 ,the measure of ,johnny's self-control may not seem important to the parental love which covers or the parental force which compels2 but to ,johnny's after-life its importance is pre-eminent4 ,when one sits for a portrait to a fond and familiar friend1 and sees all fondness and familiarity die out from the eyes of the artist1 feels one's personality sink into a mass of values1 it brings a strange sense of chill remoteness4 ,so1 no doubt1 to the mother heart the idea of calmly estimating ,johnny's self-control and comparing it with ,jim ,grey's seems cold enough4 ,to have ,mrs4 ,grey estimate it1--and perhaps 7terrible thought67 to estimate it as less than ,jim's1--this is hard1 indeed4 ,yet this is precisely what is to be obtained in such a combination as this1 and in no other way1--the value of an outside observer1 through ,mrs4 ,grey's estimate4 ,nobody's opinion alters facts4 ,the relative virtues of ,johnny and ,jim remain unchanged1 no matter what their respective mothers think or what their irrespective mothers think4 ,but each mother will derive invaluable side-lights from the other mother's point of view4 ,each opinion must be backed with illustration4 ,instances of observed behaviour must be massed before any judgment has value4 ,i think your ,jim is so brave1 ,mrs4 ,grey4 ,when the children were with me the other day1 the cow got loose2 and the girls all ran4 ,some boys ran1 too2 and ,jimmy drove her back into the cow-yard4 ,but ,jimmy was the oldest1 says ,mrs4 ,white4 ,perhaps1 if he'd been as young as my ,billy1 he wouldn't have been so brave4 ,and he is afraid of the dark1 says ,mrs4 ,brown4 ,at my house he wouldn't go into the back cellar after apples1 even with the other children4 ,isn't he afraid of the dark1 ,mrs4 ,grey8 ,mrs4 ,grey admits this1 but cites instances to show courage in other directions4 ,and always five dispassionate observers to the one deeply loving and prejudiced4 ,if it should happen that ,jimmy is generally admitted brave beyond his years1 with the one exception of fearing darkness1 and that exception traceable to a nurse-maid's influence1 the mother of ,jimmy is rejoiced2 and a strong light is thrown on the nurse question4 ,if it prove that by general opinion there is a lack of courage such as should belong to his years1 there is cause for special study and special action in this line4 ,most valuable of all1 the habit of observing a child's behaviour as an expression of character is formed4 ,the six mothers would of course meet to compare notes1 preferably in evenings1 when children were all in bed and fathers could be present2 and the usual difficulty of leaving home in the evening could be met in such an important case as this by engaging some suitable person to come in for an hour or two and stay with the sleeping little ones4 ,all such details would have to be arranged according to personal and local conditions2 but the end to be attained is of such enormous value that considerable effort is justified in reaching it4 ,even in the beginning1 a usefulness would be found in the united interest1 the mutual helpfulness of the combined women1 drawn together by the infinite and beautiful possibilities of their great work4 ,in the light of other eyes1 they would see their own children in new lights1 and1 by careful following of agreed lines of treatment1 soon learn with some finality what would and what would not be useful in a given case4 ,the observations and experiments of one earnest group of mothers like this would be a stimulus and help to uncounted thousands of ungrouped mothers who are struggling on alone4 ,it is by such effort as this1 such interchange of view and combined study1 and the slowly accumulating record of established facts1 that humanity progresses in any line of similar work1--in floriculture or horticulture or agriculture1 or what you will2 and this greatest of all our labours1 humaniculture1 sadly lacks the application of the true social law1--in union is strength4 ,the child needs not only love1 but wisdom and justice2 and these grow best in the human soul through combination4 ,,xii4 ,,meditations ,,on ,,the ,,nurse-,,maid4 ,the trouble with these household problems which vex women so much is that we do not give our minds to them sufficiently1 said earnest little ,mrs4 ,blythe4 ,now ,i mean to give my mind to this nurse-maid problem1 and work it out4 ,it is high time that somebody did4 ,and it is not only on my own account3 this is something which affects us all1--all who have nurse-maids1 that is4 ,i suppose the mothers without nurse-maids have their problems1 too2 but ,i must consider mine now4 ,now what is the matter with the nurse-maid8 ,she does not suit me4 ,she has palpable faults and deficiencies4 ,i want a better nurse-maid4 ,so far ,i have trusted to the law of supply and demand to produce her1 but it does not seem to work4 ,i demand her1 just as ,i have demanded a better housemaid for some time2 but the supply is not forthcoming4 ,so now ,i mean to think it out1 and see if ,i cannot find a way to the invention1 discovery1 or manufacture of a better nurse-maid4 ,and ,i mean to be very clear and logical in my thinking about it1 so as to come out in the end with proof4 ,i want to prove what is the matter with the nurse-maid and how to make her better4 ,in the first place1 what are my objections to the nurse-maid now8 ,she is careless and irresponsible4 ,she is ignorant4 ,she is ill-mannered4 ,she is often deceitful4 ,i can't trust her4 ,now it doesn't seem right that my child should be placed in the care of an ignorant1 ill-mannered1 careless1 and irresponsible person1--even if not also untrustworthy1--does it8 ,and it does not relieve me of the care as it ought4 ,i have to take care of the child and the nurse-maid1 too4 ,what ,i want is a careful1 responsible1 wise1 well-mannered1 honourable young girl4 ,she ought to have special training1 too4 ,it is really dreadful the way these ignorant girls undertake to care for children4 ,we need schools--training schools--and diplomas4 ,they could have practice classes on the children of the poor--or in institutions2 and yet that idea does not quite suit me1 either4 ,my child is very individual and peculiar1 and ,i don't believe that practising on poor children would fit a nurse-maid to take care of my child4 ,but nice people would not want their children to be practised on4 ,they would have to take the poor ones3 it would do them good1 anyway4 ,they get no care now3 their mothers are shockingly ignorant and neglectful4 ,but1 after all1 ,i don't have to arrange the training schools4 ,i only know that she ought to have special training1 and it ought to be practical as well as theoretical2 and that means practising on some children somewhere1 somehow4 ,and they certainly would have to be poor1 because rich people would not let their children go to be practised on4 ,maybe the poor people would not1 either4 ,then it would have to be orphans1 ,i guess1 combining nurse-training schools with orphan asylums1 and foundlings1 too4 ,well1 now these nurse-maids would go to these training schools to improve themselves1 would they6 ,come to think of it1 they only go to nursing because they need the pay2 and1 even if the training schools were free1 they'd have to wait longer for their money4 ,and1 if they got no more with training than without1 they would not go1 ,i'm afraid4 ,we should certainly have to pay them more trained than untrained4 ,that is perfectly logical1 ,i'm sure4 ,and1 of course1 that would be an obstacle4 ,if the training schools were not free1 we should have to pay them more yet1--enough to make it worth while to study the business of caring for children4 ,a short course might do1--six months or a year4 ,i've heard my mother say that she knew something about taking care of children by the time ,charley was born4 ,but that was1--well1 ,i was eight1 and ,i'm the third1--that was about twelve years4 ,oh1 but she wasn't in a training school6 ,that would teach them faster4 ,there would be more children to practise on4 ,let me see3 if it took my mother twelve years to learn by practising on five children 7,charley was the fifth1--four children71 how many children would it take to learn on in one year8 ,i'll get ,john to do that for me3 ,i'm not good at figures4 ,besides1 it's different1--altogether different2 for my mother was a mother1 so she knew how1 to begin with1 and nurse-maids are not4 ,so--to be strictly logical--it ought to take nurse-maids longer1 ,i'm afraid4 ,the training schools will have to be free3 ,i'm pretty sure of that4 ,and that means public or private endowment4 ,we might as well think it all out clearly4 ,should it be added to the public-school system1--open to all girls1--perhaps compulsory8 ,why not6 ,why wouldn't it be a good thing for all girls to know something of the care of children8 ,but could we do that8 ,public schools are in politics2 and that is awful4 ,it would take forever to get it that way2 and my child wants a nurse-maid now6 ,private endowment1 ,i guess4 ,so many rich people want to help the masses4 ,this would furnish employment1 raise wages1 and give us nurse-maids4 ,i'm sure it would appeal to any philanthropist4 ,yes1 some rich person must endow a training school for nurses1--that sounds like hospitals2 for child-nurses1--that sounds like wet-nurses2 for nurse-maids1--why need they be maids1 though8 ,well1 if they were married1 they would have children of their own of course1 and couldn't take care of ours4 ,one would think1 though1 that motherhood would give them more experience1--that they would know how to care for children better4 ,but1 then1 they wouldn't want to leave their own children to take care of ours4 ,and they couldn't take care of them together4 ,a mother would naturally do more for her own3 she wouldn't be fair4 ,a training school for nurse-maids4 ,after all1 maid does not mean unmarried in this connection3 it means simply servant4 ,and nurse comes from the time when mere nursing was all that was required1--a kind of a survival of old customs4 ,how these things do open up1 when one thinks about them6 ,why nurse-maid at all6 ,why not have a new and attractive name3 that would help make them go to the training school1 too4 ,nurse1 nursing1--it isn't nursing our children want4 ,they are not sick1 and they don't stay babies all the time they need this person4 ,what is it that our children need8 ,of course1 they do need direct1 personal care2 and1 when they are babies1 they need real nursing1--just somebody to--to--well1 they have to be fed1--and that only needs a knowledge of infant physiology and nutrition2 to keep the bottles clean1 of course1 and be very accurate1 and follow directions4 ,they don't need to know so much after all3 the doctor tells what to give it to eat and what not to4 ,and the mother understands the child's needs6 ,still1 even for babies1 they need some kind of training1--the nurses1 ,i mean1--not the mothers3 it is divinely implanted in the mother4 ,and1 then1 mothers are studying these things now4 ,i know ever so many young mothers who are taking child-study now2 and about nutrition1 too4 ,but the trouble is they can't depend on the nurses to carry out instructions4 ,if they were only trustworthy6 ,will the training schools make them honourable8 ,i suppose so4 ,they would get some sense of the importance and dignity of their work4 ,they would be graded and marked1 of course1 in their diplomas1 so that one could pick out the dependable ones2 and that would gradually elevate the standard4 ,the trouble is1 of course1 when they go out4 ,children must be out of doors2 and1 in cities where we have no yards1 they cannot be under the mother's eye1 so they must be out with the nurse-maid4 ,that's perfectly logical4 ,then there are the other nurse-maids4 ,one cannot keep them isolated3 that's out of the question4 ,and if they have admirers1 as they do1 of course1--young girls always will have admirers1 and training schools will not alter that1--why1 if they meet their admirers1 it has a tendency to make them careless4 ,that is natural4 ,we must allow for such things4 ,and it is a perfectly natural temptation to take the baby to see their own families4 ,we forbid it1 of course2 but ,i admit that it is a temptation4 ,and there are all those awful risks of diseases and things4 ,now1 if their families were nicer people and lived in nicer places1--but then they wouldn't want to be nurse-maids6 ,but if the training school raises wages and standards1 that will have an effect on the class of people who take up the work4 ,it certainly is the noblest1 most beautiful1 most important work in the world1--the training of children4 ,i wonder why our own girls do not take it up1--our college girls4 ,but then1 of course1 they wouldn't be nurse-maids4 ,perhaps1 if it had another name-- ,now let me think1 and be fair4 ,would ,i want my sister ,jessie to be a nurse-maid8 ,she is taking a kindergarten course1 and we all approve of that3 it does help one so in all those problems that perplex a mother6 ,but1 if she went to ,mrs4 ,mac,adoo's as a nurse-maid-- ,the ,mac,adoos are nice people1 too2 and the children are as nice as any ,i know4 ,they have a ,swedish nurse-maid now1--a big1 hearty1 wholesome-looking girl1 but stupid4 ,why1 she cannot answer the simplest questions ,harold asks1 hardly2 and he's always asking them4 ,jessie has him in the kindergarten where she is4 ,i don't mean that she's the principal1 but she is training there2 and she tells me what a bright child he is1 and what stupid things ,christine has told him4 ,and you see he has ,jessie only three hours a day1 and ,christine all the time he's awake4 ,jessie is taking a special course in infant psychology1 and she says ,christine is doing him a world of harm4 ,but she is so good-natured and faithful that they keep her4 ,they don't realise that her being stupid is any harm to the children1 ,i suppose4 ,but1 if ,jessie had him all the time1 ,harold certainly would develope more rationally and more easily4 ,and yet ,i am sure ,jessie would not take ,christine's place4 ,you see we visit the ,mac,adoos1 and it would be so awkward4 ,now1 ,i think1--logically1--,i am approaching a--,i forget the name of it1 but it's a thing there's no way out of4 ,we would like our nurse-maids to be ladies1 but ladies are not willing to be nurse-maids4 ,now will the training school make ladies--or1 at least1 partial ladies--of our nurse-maids8 ,and1 if it does1 will that make them disinclined to be nurse-maids8 ,or can we arrange the position of the nurse-maid1 so that ladies will be willing to take it8 ,what is the real difference between ,jessie's position and ,christine's8 ,why1 ,jessie has a lot of children come to her part of the time2 and ,christine has a few children1 and goes to them all the time4 ,and ,jessie has1--or will have when she's graduated and has a kindergarten of her own1 as ,i daresay she will1--she has control of the children while they are with her1 and can carry out her principles4 ,the mothers even consult her sometimes4 ,but ,christine has to carry out the mother's orders4 ,she does what she is told--or ought to4 ,no1 ,jessie never would be willing to take ,mrs4 ,mac,adoo's orders about the children4 ,mrs4 ,mac,adoo is exceptionally stupid about children1 ,i do think4 ,she doesn't think ,christine's telling them stories about things to frighten them is any harm1--says they'll outgrow it4 ,and anybody who knows anything of infant psychology knows how dangerous it is to frighten children4 ,and yet1 of course1 to be perfectly fair1 ,i wouldn't want a nurse-maid to dictate to me about my child4 ,it is out of the question--absolutely4 ,why1 it would destroy the mother's influence and authority altogether6 ,and--come to think of it--,i suppose a trained nurse-maid would have views of her own1 and they might conflict with the mother's-- ,now1 where ,i have got to so far1--it is beautiful1 thinking things out clearly1--we want our children taken care of by ladies1 honourable1 intelligent1 educated1 refined1 and specially trained for the business4 ,i'm quite certain about that4 ,like ,jessie1 for instance4 ,she is just born for it1--always did love children1 and knew how to manage them from the time she was a little girl4 ,and she's studying all the science of it and practising in the kindergarten1--on the same kind of children1 too4 ,jessie is the ideal4 ,it is really wonderful to see her with them4 ,they love her1 and they do what she says1 too2 but she never seems to be making them do anything3 they just do it4 ,those ,mac,adoos behave very much better with her than they do with their mother4 ,i believe most of the children do1 for that matter4 ,except little ,cassie ,wells4 ,she has the most devoted mother ,i ever saw4 ,it is a lesson to us all4 ,she never lets her out of her sight1 ,i do believe4 ,often comes to the kindergarten1 just to be with her4 ,and1 you see1 ,cassie just depends on her for everything2 and nobody else can do anything with her4 ,it is beautiful1--such absolute dependence and absorption4 ,yes1 as ,i said1 ,jessie is the ideal4 ,but1 then1 ,jessie is not a nurse-maid1 and never would be4 ,of course1 if there was any way that ,jessie could have the children with her and have her way with them1 as she does in the kindergarten--,but you can't do that with little children1--you cannot separate the child from its mother6 ,when they are older1 they go to school1 of course2 and1 when they are older yet1 they go to college1 and so on4 ,but the little child needs its mother every hour4 ,and1 as its mother cannot possibly give it every hour1 we have to have the nurse-maid4 ,if mothers had no other claims1 then1 of course1 you would have the highest ideal relation4 ,cassie ,wells's mother has given up everything else4 ,she doesn't go out with her husband at all4 ,says that society has no claim beside that of the child4 ,of course1 he stays at home with her--mostly4 ,i'm sure a man ought to value his wife's society more than any other1 especially when she is such a devoted mother4 ,she takes all the periodicals about children1 and reads all the books2 and then she modifies it all to suit her particular child4 ,i never knew any mother so conscientiously given up to the care of a child4 ,she really talks of nothing else4 ,and1 when that child is sick1--and she is extremely delicate and always having dangerous illnesses1--her mother is simply glued to her bedside3 they can't drag her away4 ,it is a pity that the child is not better material2 for she isn't particularly bright1 nor very well behaved1 ,i think4 ,but1 then1 her mother is doing everything that can be done4 ,jessie says that child is being mothered too much1--that she needs more freedom and an impartial outside management4 ,but1 then1 ,jessie is a good deal of a theorist2 and1 after all1 she isn't a mother4 ,nothing can really equal the mother's care for her own child6 ,still1 we simply can't do it1--all of us1--as families increase4 ,we owe something to our husbands1 ,i am sure2 and we have our social duties2 and our health is not always equal to such a strain4 ,no1 the mother must have help2 and that means the nurse-maid4 ,it's no use talking about ,jessie4 ,even if she would do it1 there's not enough of her to go around6 ,we never can expect that faculty with children in everybody3 they simply don't have it4 ,most girls don't care much for children1 nor know anything about them4 ,of course1 after they become mothers1 it is different4 ,then it all comes to them4 ,now1 if nurse-maids could be mothers first-- ,but ,i argued that out before4 ,if they were1 they wouldn't be mothers of our children2 and motherhood only teaches how to do what is best for one's own children4 ,besides1 we couldn't hire them then1 because we would not separate mothers from their own children2 and1 if they had their children and ours1 too1 they would not treat them fairly4 ,and we would not want them brought up with ours1 either4 ,no1 they've got to be maids1 that's sure4 ,now the average young girl does not know or care much about children4 ,therefore1 she has to be trained4 7,what a comfort it is to be really logical67 ,and1 as there is no place to train them now1 we have got to make a place4 ,it all comes round to the training school for nurse-maids4 ,that's the logical outcome4 ,again1 since we must have private nurse-maids under our orders1--really a servant1--we cannot expect ladies to take such positions4 ,and--this ought to be bracketted with that last--since we cannot1 of course1 pay more than so much1 that is against ladies doing it1 too4 ,some people can1 ,i know4 ,jessie told me of a very nice girl she knew1--a classmate in college and a trained kindergartner1--who was unable to get such a position as she wanted1 and took a place with some very rich people as a sort of lady nurse-teacher to the children4 ,but she said it was perfectly horrid1 especially in travelling1 having to eat with servants and be treated as such4 ,i can see that it would take a kind of heroism1 and we cannot really count on heroic nurse-maids4 ,no1 it has to be from the lower classes that we take our nurse-maids4 ,i think that is proved4 ,the average employer simply couldn't pay them enough to attract a higher class of labour4 ,these are really questions of political economy in part1 you see4 ,the ordinary young girl of the lower classes1--that is the raw material of our nurse-maid4 ,naturally1 she is ill-mannered or unmannered1 and careless and ignorant and all those things4 ,therefore1 we must train her4 ,in order to do that1 we must first provide the training school1 and1 second1 make her go to it4 ,now ,i wonder how we could do that4 ,the higher wages would be an object of course3 that would have to be insisted on4 ,and we might create a sentiment4 ,that's it6 ,that's what we must do1--create a sentiment4 ,but it's no use doing anything till we've got the school4 ,and ,i worked that out as having to be done by private endowment4 ,that involves agitation1 of course2 and we must set about it4 ,we can get teachers plenty1 there is so much interest in child-study now2 and it will be a splendid thing for the lower classes to take their young girls and train them thoroughly in the theory of child-culture4 ,it will make them so much better mothers afterward1 when they do marry1 after spending some years in taking care of our children1--putting their theories in practice6 ,but wait4 ,that looks queer4 ,looks as if the rich people were furnishing elaborate instruction free1--to young women of the lower classes1--and then paying them good wages for practising on the children of the upper classes1 so that the poor women might be better mothers afterward4 ,i must have made a mistake somewhere4 ,i'm going to reverse that position1 and see how it would work4 ,suppose young girls of the upper classes took elaborate instruction in child-culture1 and then practised on the children of the lower classes1 in order to be better mothers afterward4 ,that seems more satisfactory1 somehow2 yet it means a lot of work4 ,it would do our girls good--,i can see that--and do the children of the lower classes good1 and1 no doubt1 make the girls better mothers4 ,besides1 ,i'm wasting time1--arguing in a circle1 ,john would say2 for that upper-class-girl hypothesis wouldn't give us nurse-maids4 ,now where was ,i8 ,mothers have to have help2 i4e41 nurse-maids4 ,these have to be private servants at low wages3 therefore1 ladies would not do it4 ,therefore1 we must have our children taken care of by girls from the lower classes4 ,they are not suitable persons to take care of children as they stand3 therefore1 we must train them4 ,now ,i mean to really work for this thing1--to create a sentiment4 ,i'll begin early in the autumn1 as soon as we get back4 ,and ,i'm so glad ,i'm going to have such a lovely summer to make me fit for it4 ,you see ,i'm very much pulled down4 ,little ,john has been such a care1 and the nurse-maids ,i've had have been so unreliable4 ,why1 the child has been sick again and again just through their carelessness4 ,i'm sure of it4 ,and mother said ,i simply must go away and build up1 for the child's own sake2 and ,john agreed with her--for once4 ,and there's such a lovely arrangement for the summer3 nothing ever happened more conveniently4 ,you see ,jessie is such an enthusiast about children4 ,and she has planned to be at home this summer4 ,our home is perfectly lovely1 anyway1 and very healthy1--quite in the country1 and yet within easy reach of town4 ,they're going to have the ,summer ,school of ,child-study there at ,seabay this year1 and ,jessie has several of her class visiting her4 ,and she said1 in her solemn1 funny way1 that they must have specimens to work on1--first-class specimens6 ,she insisted on little ,john1 of course1 and she's persuaded ,clara and ,george to let her have their three for a while2 and the little ,mac,adoos are to be there1 too4 ,it will be a regular picnic for the children4 ,it took a long time to bring me round to it4 ,but1 then1 it's my own lovely home4 ,i know how healthy it is4 ,and mother will be there4 ,and one of ,jessie's friends is a doctor1 and in a children's hospital1 too4 ,she ought to see that everything is right for their health4 ,so1 if they are happy in that lovely old place1 and healthy and well taught and safe1 why1 ,i suppose ,i can leave4 ,of course1 ,i wouldn't for anything on earth but health4 ,mrs4 ,wells was perfectly horrified when ,i told her4 ,they asked ,cassie1 too2 but she wouldn't hear of it4 ,she said nothing but death should ever separate her from her child4 ,and1 dear me1 ,cassie looked so white that it really seemed as if it would4 ,she made me feel guilty again2 but ,john can't come to any harm with my mother's experience and ,jessie's knowledge and natural talent4 ,that's the main thing4 ,jessie always cared more for children than ,i did1--except little ,john1 of course4 ,they've fixed the place up on purpose for children4 ,such arrangements for bathing and digging and mud-pieing and gardening and so on you never saw4 ,there is something for those chicks to do all the blessed time1 and these nice girls--my own friends--to be with them every minute4 ,you see they take turns and relieve each other1 so they are always fresh for the children4 ,and1 then being so enthusiastic and scientific1 it isn't drudgery to them4 ,they are studying all the time4 ,and how glad ,i shall be to get back in the fall6 ,then ,i can work up that training school for nurse-maids4 ,,xiii4 ,,children ,,and ,,servants4 ,in the growing discontent with our present methods of household service1 while we waver between long-held prejudice1 old and dear1 and the irresistible pressure of new conditions1 it is worth while to weigh well the relation between this present method of house-service and our present method of child-culture4 ,the home is the place in which we rear young children4 ,it is also the place in which we perform certain kinds of labour1 mainly cooking1 cleaning1 and sewing4 ,in the vast majority of our homes1 fully nine-tenths of them1 as shown by the ,united ,states ,census ,report1 giving the number of domestic servants in proportion to the number of families1 these industries are carried on by the mother4 ,she is the domestic servant4 ,in the remaining one-tenth of our homes the labour is performed by hired servants1 the maid-of-all-work still greatly predominating4 ,the questions here suggested for consideration are3 first1 is a mother1 who is also a house-servant1 able to supply proper conditions and care to young children8 ,and1 second1 is the company of domestic servants1 other than their mothers1 and constant association with their industries1 a desirable condition for the education of young children8 ,it is1 of course1 difficult to consider with any clearness of perception facts which have been always familiar4 ,the association of child and servant is so old that it makes no impression on our consciousness4 ,it will1 perhaps1 bring out the relation more vividly to change the sex of the servant4 ,suppose a man is left with boys to educate4 ,suppose he engages a tutor for his boys4 ,he is willing to pay well for a man with the proper ability1 character1 and training to come and benefit his children by instruction and association4 ,would such a man be willing to engage a tutor who was also a janitor8 ,would he be willing to spare the time required to fill the janitor's position from the time required to fill the tutor's position8 ,or would he be willing to engage a man who had so little fitness for the profession of tutor as to be content to act as janitor also8 ,again1 in sending his boys to school to be educated1 would a man be willing to have that school also run as a restaurant1 a laundry1 and a tailor shop8 ,would he think these industries and the society of the persons engaged in them good educational influences8 ,it is clear that a man would not be willing to do these things4 ,yet all men cheerfully intrust their children1 during their most impressionable years1 to the society and care of domestic servants and the constant association with domestic industries4 ,in most cases the servant is also the mother4 ,in other cases the servant is not the mother4 ,in either case the child grows up in association with domestic servants and service4 ,let us not too readily conclude that this is an evil1 but examine it carefully1 in its physical and psychical effects4 ,physically1 the child is born into a certain kind of shop or factory4 ,the conditions of any labour in the home are particularly open to criticism2 our sweat-shop investigations show that in glaring instance4 ,intimate associations with a trade1 and especially a dirty or dangerous one1 does not seem advantageous to a child's health and progress4 ,in nine homes out of ten the child is directly associated with the trades of his mother1 who is a cook1 a laundress1 a cleaner in general2 and the baby is early accustomed to the fumes and heat of the kitchen1 to grease and ashes and dust1 to all the kitchen-work1 laundry-work1 chamber-work1 and endless miscellaneous industries of his mother4 ,in the other tenth of our homes the child grows up a little removed1 but not far1 from these same industries4 ,they go on under his eyes none the less1 but with a certain ban upon them1 as servant's work4 ,any mother and housewife knows the complications continually arising between children and servants4 ,early associations are deep and lasting4 ,domestic servants are not1 as a rule1 either at all trained in the right treatment of children or in such personal development of character and manners as would make them desirable companions for the young4 ,yet companions they are1--incessant1 intimate1 unavoidable4 ,the formative influence of a nurse-maid or of a maid-of-all-work is of varying weight in different cases1 but always a factor in the child's development4 ,the education of a child consists in every impression received by the growing brain1 not merely those received when we are instructing it4 ,we might give an hour a day to careful instruction in good manners3 we might ourselves be models of propriety2 but1 if the child is also in the society of conspicuously ill-mannered persons every day1 an effect will surely be produced by them4 ,it may be suggested that an end is to be attained through exhibiting the deficiencies of servants1 and exhorting the child to despise them1 as the ,spartans used the ,helots for an awful example2 but1 even if this were gained1 there would follow with it a spirit of scorn and contempt for fellow-creatures most injurious to true social development4 ,a little child should be surrounded with the best influences of all sorts1 and with behaviour not to avoid1 but to imitate4 ,the long period of immaturity1 which is one of our human distinctions1 has its value in the accumulated improvements which may be built into the race in that time4 ,it is a period of enrichment1 of clear growth4 ,to expose the young to disadvantageous conditions1 especially the very young1 is a method of education finding no precedent in nature and no justification in reason4 ,the adult1 with developed powers1 may find in some degree of difficulty a stimulus to further effort2 and1 if confronted with injurious conditions1 may strive the harder to escape or change them4 ,but the new person1 the child1 has no background4 ,he can make no comparisons4 ,he accepts his first environment unquestioningly as the world2 it is all the world he knows4 ,for the very reason that we were all born and reared in the domestic factory1 we find it hard to imagine any other conceivable surroundings for a young human being to meet life in4 ,we have accepted it without dream of criticism4 ,yet in physical conditions alone the household industries furnish a large and constant element of danger to the child4 ,a most casual retrospect of the accidents common to childhood1 which so shock us in the daily press1 show this with startling clearness4 ,children suffer from accidents by fire1 by boiling water1 by sharp instruments1 by injurious substances taken into the stomach4 ,the industry of cooking alone involves the free use of fire1 a constant succession of hot products1 many sharp instruments for cutting and stabbing1 and various food elements healthful in combination1--but often injurious when taken separately by one ignorant of their nature4 ,the kitchen and the laundry are responsible for many horrible and sudden deaths among young children1 and many more painful accidents4 ,given the essential ignorance and as essential experiments of childhood1 and we may well wonder how it has so long seemed good to us to bring up our babies among such large chances of danger4 ,if we reared them in stables1 we should expect them to be kicked occasionally2 if we placed them in saw-mills1 we should look for some deficit in fingers2 and a child in a cook-shop has his steady average risk of injury by fire1 steel1 or poison2 in the laundry1 the added chance of drowning4 ,apart from these main sources of danger1 he finds in sweeping1 dusting1 and all the uncounted activities of household toil much that is detrimental to health and safety4 ,to avoid these dangers1 our first effort has been to train the child to a prompt and instant obedience1 such as conditions of imminent danger and military rule alone can justify1 and also to check his natural and most valuable tendency to investigate and experiment4 ,the labours of the household must go on3 economic laws are peremptory2 and the servant1 who is educating the baby so unconsciously1 cannot stop work to explain or illustrate4 ,on the contrary1 the very presence of the child is inimical to the proper performance of these imperative industries2 and the flushed and hurried servant cries3 ,run away now4 ,mamma's busy6 ,where is the child to run to8 ,this is home4 ,when is mamma not busy8 ,to properly perform the household labour of an average family1 which is of five persons in an average house1--say of six rooms1--takes ten hours a day of swift1 intelligent1 skilled labour4 ,during what part of this time can the household labourer give due attention to the child8 ,or is it sufficient education to watch a servant at work1 and to help a little when one is old enough8 ,if the industries involved were properly divided1 specialized1 and developed1 much that is valuable might be gathered from their observation1 and from guarded experiment1 by children who are old enough4 ,a child can receive valuable instruction in a woollen-mill or a blacksmith shop1 but it does not follow that these places are suitable as nurseries4 ,the lack of any true educational value in the position is sufficiently shown by the ceaseless centuries of ignorance in these very trades4 ,all women1 for all time1 reared in this intimate association with domestic service and domestic servants1 have failed to work out any better grade of performance than that which still furnishes the staple of conversation among them4 ,it is quite evident1 from the results so painfully visible around us1 that the education of our children by house-servants developes neither general intelligence nor special proficiency4 ,the intellectual progress of humanity has shown close connection with the extension of industry in larger lines1 with a growing specialisation1 a wider distribution1 and1 of course1 with the beautiful growth in special methods of education4 ,but this kitchen education1 though we have enjoyed its advantages for so long1 does not seem to show good results4 ,the educational value of the mother seems not to be in proportion to her occupation as a house-servant1 but the reverse4 ,it would seem that our children grow in intelligence and good behaviour rather in spite of the domestic industries than because of them4 ,any mother who is awake to the limitless possibilities of child-culture1 and who begins to work out some well-considered plan for its pursuance1 knows the ceaseless interruptions of her efforts1 and the peremptory monopolisation of her time1 by the demands of household labour4 ,so far1 with true womanly patience1--a patience which ceased to be a virtue some years ago1--she has accepted the condition as inevitable1 and plodded on1 consoling herself with a day unto day philosophy1 and with doing the best she could2 and many moralists consoled her1 saying1 ,blessed be drudgery6 ,drudgery has a certain value1 no doubt4 ,it developes certain characteristics2 namely1 those of a competent and contented drudge4 ,the question raised here is merely whether this kind of work and the characteristics developed by it are suitable educational associations for young children4 ,what are the qualities developed by house-service8 ,let us suppose that we are all1 fathers as well as mothers1 occupied solely in household labour4 ,the effect may be studied from one point of view in those countries where there are more men-servants than with us1 and where the profession is sometimes followed for generations4 ,the typical character of a butler or footman1 a parlour-maid1 cook1 or general servant1 may be traced through all personal variation4 ,given any sort of person1 and put him or her through a lifetime of domestic service1 and certain characteristics appear1 modified to a large degree by personality1 but typical none the less4 ,this palpable result of house-service is familiar to us all1 and not desired in ourselves or our children4 ,admitting all personal good qualities in the individual servant1 that in his bearing which distinguishes it from the bearing we call soldierly or gentlemanly or even business-like is the natural result of his form of labour1--of personal domestic service4 ,where the purpose of action is to serve one individual or a very few individuals1--and this not so much in ministering to general needs as in catering to personal tastes1--those who thus labour are checked in development by the measure of the tastes they serve4 ,that is the restrictive tendency1 resisted according to personal power and ability1 but always producing some result4 ,a race of men who were one and all contented to be butlers and footmen would not give as noble a fatherhood as the world needs2 and a race of women who are contented to be cooks and housemaids do not give as noble a motherhood as the world needs4 ,sharp exception will1 no doubt1 be taken to the use of the word servant to designate the nine out of ten women who do their own work4 ,there is a difference1 we freely admit4 ,they do the same work in the same way1 but they have different motives4 ,they do it from a sense of duty1 oft-times1 instead of a desire for wages2 for they get no wages4 ,they do it simply because they have to1 sometimes1 feeling it to be merely a disagreeable necessity4 ,they do it from a more direct self-interest than the servant1 as well as from a greater self-sacrifice4 ,few1 very few women love it1 and continue to do it a day beyond the time when their husbands can afford to hire another woman4 ,whatever the moral quality of intention and the value of one's frame of mind1 the reactive effect of one's daily labour is inexorable4 ,no matter how high and holy the purpose of the toiling housewife1 no matter whether she glories in her task or hates it1 her brain is daily modified by its kind of exercise as surely as her fingers are greased by the dish-water1 cracked by the soap-suds1 and calloused by the broom4 ,the amount of labour and care required to run a household comfortably is not small4 ,it takes no mean intelligence to administer a home4 ,so does it require intelligence1 labour1 and care to run a retail dry-goods shop or a railroad train4 ,the point to study is whether this particular species of labour and care is conducive to the best child-culture4 ,can the average woman successfully manage the mingled industries of her household and the education of her children8 ,it may be replied at once1 with some triumph1 ,yes1 she does6 ,to which we merely rejoin1 ,does she8 ,we know that the household industries are carried on in some fashion2 and that children grow up amid them 7such of them as do not die71 and are--when grown--the kind of people we see about us4 ,people did live and rear children in caves1 in tents1 in huts1 in feudal castles4 ,it is a question not of the bare possibility of maintaining the race1 but of the relative advantages of methods of culture4 ,our rate of infant mortality is shamefully large1 and due mainly to what physicians term preventable diseases4 ,it is quite open to discussion whether those diseases are not often traceable to the insanitary conditions of household labour1 and their continued prevalence to the limitations of the kitchen-bred intellects of nine-tenths of our mothers4 ,no human being1 be she never so much a mother1 can be in two places at once or do full justice to several varied functions with one distracted brain4 ,that the mother comes so near it in many cases is a splendid tribute to the power of love2 that she fails in such degree is no reproach to her1 so long as she is unable to alter the industrial conditions under which her motherhood is restricted4 ,now that economic progress makes it possible to introduce new and wide improvements1 the mother does become responsible1 if she fails to see and take advantage of the change4 ,our complex and ill-developed household labours tend to produce certain special mental capacities in those who perform them4 ,the housewife must hold in mind the entire contents of the home1--all its furnishing1 decorations1 utensils1 and supplies4 ,she must keep a running account of stock1 and make good the incessant and irregular deficiencies of linen-closet1 wardrobe1 cupboard1 and pantry1 as well as the wear and tear on the machinery and furnishings4 ,this developes one order of brain1--the administrative4 ,the house-servant must exhibit skill in several distinct trades1 and a swift facility for disconnecting the mind and readjusting it as promptly4 ,this developes another order of brain1--the executive1--the development seriously hindered in special perfection by the attendant facility for disconnection4 ,neither of these mental powers is that of the educator1 especially the educator of babies4 ,the capacity for subtle1 long-continued1 nicely balanced observation in lines of psychic development2 the ever-present1 delicate sympathy which knows the moment to suggest and the hour to refrain1--these mental attributes belong neither to the administrative nor to the executive ability4 ,we find in the maternal dealings with children1 when conspicuously efficient1 precisely what should be expected of the expert manager and skilful servant4 ,the children are well managed and well served1 but they are not well educated4 ,when the mother--the housewife-mother1 the servant-mother--begins to look into educational processes1 she is appalled4 ,it is easy to show her1 if she has a clear and at all educated mind1 what conditions would be best for babies1 what kind of observation and treatment2 but she knows full well that she cannot furnish these conditions4 ,she has neither place1 time1 strength1 skill1 nor training for this delicate and careful method4 ,her work--her daily1 hourly inexorable work--fills the place1 consumes the time1 exhausts the strength1 does not develope the skill1 and prevents the training of the educator4 ,many mothers do not even recognise the possibility of better methods1 and strenuously resent the suggestion that they are not doing all that could be done4 ,they resent even the kindergarten1 many of them4 ,the relatively slow progress of the kindergarten method is as good a proof as could be offered of the lack of educational perception among mothers4 ,they are willing to serve their children endlessly1--wait on them1 wash1 sweep1 and cook for them4 ,they are willing to manage their children carefully and conscientiously1 and do not recognise the need of better educational treatment for babies4 ,this attitude is a perfectly natural result of the reaction of the absorbing household industries on the mind of the mother4 ,her interest is eager and alert in all that concerns the material management of the family1 from wall-paper and carpets to some new variety of hose-supporter1--down to the least detail of decoration on an embroidered muslin cap for the baby4 ,in any matter of greater beauty or economy1 or in some cases of sanitary improvement1 the housewife-mother's mind is open4 ,in indefatigable zeal in direct service--no task too difficult1 too long1 too tedious--the servant-mother's hand is ever-ready4 ,but the same devoted1 loving1 conscientious mother will fail appallingly to keep in touch with the mind-growth of the baby2 will often neglect and even seriously injure its development in what is1 after all1 the main field of human life4 ,the young human being needs far more than to be fed and clothed and waited on1 however lovingly2 or even than to be taught in schools in a few set lines of study4 ,we have made splendid progress in external things1 in material forms and methods of production and distribution4 ,we have travelled far and deep in scientific study1 climbed high in art1 and grown through grand religions4 ,our one great need--a need that grows daily greater in the vivid light of these swift-moving years--is for a better kind of people4 ,the progress in human character does not keep pace with our external improvement4 ,we are not trained in the right management of our own faculties2 and come out of the home into the world well fed enough1 well dressed enough1 but with such unkempt1 unbuttoned1 dangling strings of neglected character as bespeaks the orphan soul4 ,ask any mother to describe her children's complexion1 costume1 and tastes in eating4 ,she will do it glibly1 profusely1 and with feeling4 ,johnny would never touch meat till he was ten2 ,maud would eat nothing else2 ,jessie could never bear potatoes4 ,maud was very near-sighted4 ,she had early taken her to an oculist4 ,she would probably have to wear glasses always4 ,jessie was so hard on shoes4 ,she used two pairs to ,maud's one1--even worse than ,johnny4 ,now ask her to describe the distinctive mental characteristics of each1 at what age they developed1 and what measures she has taken from year to year to check ,jessie's personal vanity1 to increase ,maud's courage1 to develope patience in ,johnny4 ,ask her what she has tried for croup1 and she will discourse freely4 ,ask her what she has tried for the gradual reduction of self-consciousness1 and she looks puzzled4 ,the human race is capable of beautiful development in character1 as we see in occasional instances4 ,that such beautiful development is largely assisted by right education1 especially in the very first years1 is proven by a thousand experiments4 ,that most of us grow up without any intelligent psychic training1 without wise attention and skilful care in soul-growth1 is but too evident4 ,better education for the young of the human race1 that education which the child never knows of1 but which surrounds him with helpful influences from his first consciousness1 is an imperative need4 ,some attempt at this work is made by all conscientious mothers1 and wonderful success is sometimes attained by a mother of special genius for child-culture 7and who1 by the way1 is seldom distinguished as a housekeeper72 but our general average in humaniculture is low4 ,nothing in the range of human effort is more important than the right education of children1 which means the improvement of the race4 ,the first years are of special value1 the first influences and associations of pre-eminent importance4 ,if the household industries are incompatible with the best child-culture1 they should be withdrawn from the household1 specialised and professionalised like all the other industries once considered essentially domestic4 ,when a broader intelligence is brought to bear on our infancy1 when we do not grow up under the unavoidable assumption that the principal business of life is to keep house1 there will be a better chance for the growth of those civic virtues so pitifully lacking in us now4 ,so many marks of progress in these lines are now evident that any intelligent woman can see the way open before her4 ,the public laundry is sapping the foundations of our domestic industry2 the ,domestic ,service ,bureau is beginning to furnish skilled labour by the hour2 the ,prepared ,food ,association is solving another problem4 ,the way out of these household difficulties is opening fast4 ,it needs only a fuller recognition among women of the value of this change to bring it in with greater rapidity and success4 ,for the sake of our children let us free the home from its archaic industries4 ,,xiv4 ,,mothers1 ,,natural ,,and ,,unnatural4 ,we use the word natural in many senses1--sometimes with warm approval1 as indicating that which is best2 sometimes with disapproval1 as low and discreditable4 ,natural affection is one familiar phrase1 and unnatural monster another1 which show a firm belief in the rightness of the working laws of the universe4 ,on the other hand1 the whole story of human development lies in changing those conditions and habits which were once natural to the slow1 laborious1 hard-won advantages of civilisation4 ,the natural man or man in a state of nature is a remote ancestor2 and we do not allow unchecked freedom to animal passions and appetites among us on the ground that they are natural4 ,it is natural to take revenge for injuries2 it is natural to eat too much2 it is natural to be too careless in youth and too cautious in old age4 ,natural means according to the laws of nature2 and the laws of nature have a wide and long range4 ,in applying the word to any one creature1 we have to limit it by time and circumstance4 ,it is natural for an absolutely wild creature1 which has never seen man1 not to be afraid of him4 ,it is natural for the same creature1 when hunted1 to fear man1 and shun him4 ,if long tamed1 like the cat and dog1 it is natural to come trustfully to the well-known friend4 ,nature is essentially changeful4 ,its laws remain the same1 but the interaction of those laws produces ever-varying results4 ,the nature of any given creature varies with its circumstances1--give it time1--as in the above case of the dog and cat2 but the whole scale of behaviour is natural in its place and time4 ,a state of nature is not a period with an exact date1 nor any one grade of conduct4 ,that conduct which is most advantageous to a creature under given circumstances is natural4 ,the only conduct which is unnatural would be that which was exhibited in contradiction to the laws of nature1 if such were possible4 ,in this sense an ascetic life is unnatural1 as meaning destruction to the individual and race2 but1 in the sense that the ascetic fondly believes he is acting for his ultimate benefit1 his conduct is natural1 after all4 ,a wild rose is natural1 a garden rose or hot-house rose is cultivated1 a velvet rose on a bonnet is artificial4 ,yet it is as natural for man to cultivate and imitate for his own good pleasure as for a bee to store honey4 ,when we were in what we usually call a state of nature1 we did not keep clean1 wear clothes1 go to school or to church4 ,yet cleanliness and clothing1 education and religion1 are natural products of human nature4 ,when we apply the word to human conduct1 we ought to be clear in our own minds as to whether we mean natural--i4e41 primitive1 uncivilised1 savage--or natural1--suited to man's present character and conditions4 ,primitive man did not send his children to school1 but we do not consider it unnatural that we do send ours4 ,primitive woman carried her naked baby in her arms2 modern woman pushes her much-dressed infant in a perambulator4 ,but there is nothing unnatural in preferring the perambulator4 ,it is natural to do what is easiest for the mother and best for the baby2 and our modern skill and intelligence1 our knowledge and experience1 are as natural to us as ignorance1 superstition1 and ferocity were to our primal ancestors4 ,with this in mind1 let us look at the use of the term natural as applied to mothers4 ,what sort of mother do we praise as natural1 and what sort do we blame as unnatural8 ,is our term used with reference to a period of development1 natural motherhood1 meaning primitive1 savage motherhood8 or is it used with reference to the exercise of that intelligence1 acquired knowledge and skill1 and array of conveniences1 which are natural to civilised man to-day8 ,i think it will be found that in most cases we unconsciously use it in the first sense1 natural meaning merely primitive or even animal1 and with but too good reason1 if we study the behaviour we are describing4 ,motherhood is pre-eminently a natural function in both senses4 ,it might almost be called the natural function1 as reproduction seems to be more important in the evolution of species than even self-preservation4 ,it would seem as if the instinct of self-preservation were given merely to keep the creatures alive for purposes of reproduction2 for1 when the two forces come into conflict1 the reproductive instinct is the stronger4 ,the reproductive functions are performed by both male and female2 but1 as species developes and more conscious effort is applied to the great task1 the female has the larger share4 ,in furnishing nutrition to the young1 order mammalia gives the entire task to the mother2 and their care1 protection1 and defence are mainly hers4 ,with the human species1 in proportion to its development1 the scales have turned the other way4 ,with us the father furnishes food1 shelter1 and protection1 save for the first period of suckling4 ,in many cases the mother fails even to provide this assuredly natural contribution to the child's nourishment4 ,this would be a good opportunity to call her unnatural2 but1 if she is sufficiently assiduous with the bottle or wet-nurse1 we do not4 ,beyond that period the human mother merely waits upon and watches her children in the shelter provided by the father1 and administers to them such food1 clothing1 and other supplies as he furnishes4 ,her educational office1 too1 has largely passed from her1 owing to the encroachments of the school and kindergarten4 ,she still moulds their morals and manners as far as she is able1 and has command of their education during the earliest and most important years4 ,now is it natural for a mother to take no part in getting food for children8 ,if ever there was a natural function pertaining to motherhood1 that seems to be one4 ,if we use the word in its primitive sense1 she certainly is an unnatural mother for relinquishing this primal duty4 ,but1 if we use it in the other sense1 she is quite natural in accepting the conditions of civilised life as far as they are advantageous to the child4 ,is it natural for a mother to submit her children to the instruction of other extra-maternal persons8 or to call the doctor when they are sick1 engage the dentist to fill their teeth1 and hire persons to help take care of them8 ,these things are not primitive surely1 but neither are they unnatural4 ,the nature of motherhood is to provide what is best for the child2 and the multiplied services and facilities of our socially developed lives are as natural to us as our smooth white skins1 once naturally brown and shaggy4 ,in all fair thinking1 speaking1 and writing1 we should decide clearly upon our meaning1 and see that it would be very unnatural for modern women to behave as was natural to primitive women4 ,the main duty remains the same1--to benefit the child4 ,methods and materials are open to choice and change4 ,motherhood is as open to criticism as any other human labour or animal function4 ,free study1 honest criticism and suggestion1 conscientious experiment in new lines1--by these we make progress4 ,why not apply study1 criticism1 suggestion1 and experiment to motherhood1 and make some progress there8 ,progress in motherhood is a strange phrase to most of us4 ,we would as soon speak of progress in digestion4 ,that shows how we persist in confounding the physical functions of reproduction with the elaborate processes that follow2 and yet we do not apply our scornful term of unnatural mother to the weak1 unhealthy woman who cannot compete with a cow in this stage of motherhood4 ,we should think fairly one way or the other4 ,success in the physical functions of maternity we shall do well to keep up to a level with the performance of the lower animals4 ,the ensuing processes are the ones open to progress4 ,no bottle is as good as the breast4 ,you cannot improve on nature6 ,but you can improve in methods of clothing1 feeding in later years1 house and school building1 teaching1 and every other distinctly human process4 ,if the human mother does not compare favourably with other animals in the physical processes of reproduction1 she is therein unnatural4 ,if she does not keep up with the opportunities of her race and time in all the ensuing care of the child1 she is therein unnatural4 ,such care and culture as was natural to give a cave-baby would be unnatural to-day4 ,is not the average mother of to-day too prone to content herself with a very low-grade performance of a modern mother's duties1 on the plea that her methods are natural1--namely1 primitive8 ,the grade of care given by the mother of to-day is too often exactly that of the mother of many thousand years ago4 ,we depend almost altogether on what is known as the maternal instinct1 which is a natural instinct1 to be sure1 just as it is a natural instinct for the male to fight4 ,the right education of a child to-day requires more than instinct to produce the best results4 ,because we have not used the helpful influences of association1 study1 and experience in this most important labour of life1 we keep our progress as a living species far below the level of our progress in material improvements4 ,when anything is said of improving the human stock1 we instantly think of the methods of breeders of cattle1 and are at once convinced of the undesirability and impossibility of applying any such means to humanity4 ,but there remain open to us two immense avenues of improvement1 both free to mothers4 ,one is the mother's modifying influence upon the race through selection1--that duty of wise choice of a superior father for her children1 which is natural enough to the lower animals1 but which we agree to ignore in the bringing up of our young women4 ,careful and conscientious training to this end would have a great effect upon the race4 ,this does not mean the self-conscious forcing of a young heart to marry a superior man without the blessed leading of true love2 but such open knowledge of what constituted an inferior or positively injurious man as would lower the likelihood of nice girls loving the undesirables4 ,the other and far more practical road of racial advance is in improving the environment of our young children1 both materially and psychically1 by the intelligent co-ordinate action of mothers4 ,if we improve the individual as far as possible1 it is better not to meddle too much with the subtle forces which lead to mating4 ,these processes are not cerebral1 and ought not to be made self-conscious4 ,but educational processes are conscious1 and should be studied4 ,the natural mother gives no thought to her approaching duties during youth4 ,the animals do not1 the savages do not1 and our charming young girls do not4 ,is it not time for us to show a generation of mothers sufficiently unnatural to give honest thought and study to the great duty which lies before them8 ,clear-headed1 intelligent girls1 as yet unhampered by the blind brute instinct of maternal passion1 might be able to plan together for the good of the child1 as they never would be able to plan separately for the good of their own individual children4 ,a year or two of thorough study and practice in the arts and sciences of child-culture would soon convince the girl as to whether she was adapted to be an educator of little children or merely a mother4 ,i say merely a mother in this rather derogatory way1 alluding to the process of bearing young and perhaps suckling them4 ,this is an essential physical function1 common to all the higher animals1 and usually fulfilled by them much better than by us4 ,the continuous and subtle processes of education which come after1 and the wise care required for the physical health and comfort of the child1 do not come naturally to every mother4 ,it is here that the skill and training are needed4 ,maternity is one thing1 and education another4 ,it cannot be too strongly reiterated that maternal love does not necessarily include wisdom4 ,it is natural for every mother to love her children1 but it does not follow that she knows what is best for them4 ,the animal mother does know by instinct2 and we1 content to take our pattern of motherhood from the beasts1 have imagined that we needed nothing more4 ,the individual animal has the necessary knowledge of its kind lodged in each specimen4 ,one bear1 lion1 or sheep1 can teach its young all that any of them know1 and care for them one as well as another4 ,there is an immense difference between this natural condition and ours1 where individuals differ so widely in wisdom1 and where the material conditions essential to the good of the child are not open to every mother to select from as instinct dictates and procure according to her individual skill1 but are produced by us collectively1 and only to be secured by combined intelligence4 ,for our mothers to insure good conditions for their children requires more than maternal instinct4 ,the natural mother of to-day is reared without an inkling of what lies before her2 and no preacting instinct warns her of the effect of her girlhood's wasted opportunities4 ,she marries still by instinct1 which often leads her astray2 or1 when she uses her conscious reason1 it is generally in lines of financial advantage1 irrespective of the to-be-father's health or character4 ,she fulfils the physical functions of maternity rather reluctantly and with poor success1 being frequently much the worse for the performance1 and then rather boasting of her enfeebled condition1 as if it was in some mysterious way a credit to her4 ,then she brings to the care and education of her children merely her rudiments of maternal instinct1--an instinct so far painfully lacking in wise prevision of the event and preparation for it4 ,where failing health or social duties or any other causes prevent her constant attendance on the child1 the rich mother hires a low-class woman to take care of him2 and1 if the poor woman has too much work to be able to constantly attend upon the child1 she gets along as she individually can without taking much care of him4 ,or1 if she is of that small class who do really take care of their children personally1 the care she gives is the mere chance outcome of her personal character and conditions1 and may or may not be beneficial4 ,all this conduct we call natural1 and see no blame in it4 ,we assume that every mother knows how to care for her children2 and1 if we only see her keeping at it incessantly1 we never criticise the methods or results4 ,that is not1 in general1 a charge against motherhood4 ,we do criticise individual cases very freely1 yet make no deduction from our own wide observations4 ,now let us picture an unnatural mother4 ,as a young girl1 she thoughtfully considers her approaching duties4 ,she says to herself3 ,i am to be a mother2 to contribute my personal share to the improvement of humanity by bringing into the world some one better than ,i am4 ,i must do all ,i can to be better personally1 in character and physique1 for the child's sake4 ,whatever ,i may be able to do for it afterward1 ,i will give it good endowment at birth4 ,and then this unnatural young girl proceeds to train herself in all right living1 avoiding anything in dress or food or late hours that might injure her health1 because she hopes to be a mother some day4 ,she studies child-culture eagerly1 hoping that she may be fit for the splendid work1 but is disappointed here perhaps1 having a strong musical temperament1 or a good head for business1 or capacity for prompt and skilful manual labour1 but not the faculties that go to make the good educator4 ,this is a blow1 for she considers the training of little children as the highest work on earth1 but she recognises that only about one in twenty has the requisite capacity2 and the knowledge gained in her careful study in these lines shows her the importance of giving children the best conditions1 which involves association with those specially endowed with the teacher's power4 ,so she studies her own profession cheerfully1 resolved to make good progress there1 to be a mother her children can be proud of1 and to be able to guarantee them all they need4 ,she loves and marries1 led by the deepest force in organic life1 but governed by a clear and conscious wisdom even here4 ,if she has the misfortune to be attracted to a man diseased or immoral or defective1 she will not accept him1 for the sake of her children4 ,but marry she will1 for this is the law of life2 and the exceptions go to extinction4 ,this fair woman1 vigorous and beautiful1 with her well-trained body1 clear mind1 and tender spirit of mother-love waiting within her1 would not go unloved4 ,she marries4 ,she bears healthy1 beautiful children1 and nourishes them at her proud and loving breast4 ,she has provided beforehand for their care and training1 knowing from the study and experience she has given the subject1 and the reading she has kept up1 what are now the best obtainable conditions4 ,her home has been chosen with a view to its proximity to the best baby-garden and child-home she knew1 where some of the teachers were old friends of hers1 and all were known by reputation4 ,having chosen a profession with a view to the physical limitations of motherhood1 and prepared during her plentiful time of waiting such arrangement of hours and substitutes as shall enable her to meet the mother's duties properly1 she takes a complete vacation for the months that need it2 and then gradually resumes her work for part of the day1 as her hours between nursing the child lengthen4 ,she goes gladly to her work because she loves it1 is well trained for it1 and by doing it she serves her child4 ,she comes more gladly to the child1 the deep primal instinct coming out strongly2 and at night the healthy little one sleeps near her in the quiet home4 ,between the hours of nursing1 the baby sleeps peacefully or wakes happily1 in the beautiful home that his mother--working with the other mothers--have made for their children2 and is watched and cared for by the wise and tender women who have proved their fitness for this precious work4 ,his mother is not worried about him4 ,she knows that in that home there is no possible danger1 in that trained care no least neglect2 and that1 if any sudden illness smote him1 the visiting physician is there daily1 and others in instant call4 ,this place was made for babies1 and is not in charge of servants4 ,she is at ease about the child4 ,eagerly she goes to him when work is done4 ,no weariness1 no anxious uncertainty1 only the glad triumphant mother-love which is content in knowing that the best possible conditions are secured to the child1 and a constantly renewed delight in its health and beauty and good progress4 ,owing to her previous study1 she knows enough not to undo the good effects by foolishness at home4 ,she is in daily communication with the teachers1--and nurses and doctors1 if necessary4 ,she does not lose touch with the little life4 ,her untired affection surrounds him always1 and to the child she is probably the most agreeable of the several agreeable persons in whose society he finds himself4 ,unless she falls terribly below the common standard1 he will love her the best2 for the beautiful background of nursing won and held his dawning affection1 and the sweet home-coming every night is a constantly strengthening tie4 ,any clean1 comfortable1 human home should be suitable for a healthy child to sleep in2 but it is in his impressionable day-time hours that he needs more appropriate surroundings4 ,it will be seen that this unnatural mother has her child in her own care for sixteen hours out of the twenty-four1 and during the eight hours of a working day she herself places him in what she knows to be better conditions than her own home could offer4 ,if she does chance to possess that degree of educational genius essential to the best care of young children1 her eight hours of work will be spent in taking care of them1 and the remaining sixteen in still taking care of her own4 ,thus the exceptional mother1 who is also an educator1 will have her own all the time2 and her unusual ability will benefit many other little ones for part of the time4 ,the natural mother1 of course1 believes that her own care of her own child is better than any one's else4 ,she can give no proof of this1 and would be very unwilling to submit to any examination or competition4 ,she simply thinks she is the best educator because she is a mother4 ,the sickness and death of her children1 or the accidents which happen to them1 or their inferior development and disagreeable behaviour1 she never takes as proof of her incompetence4 ,where an experienced teacher could remove half a dozen bad habits in as many months without the child's knowing it1 the mother scolds and spanks along the years1 or resignedly lets the small people trample upon the rights of their elders1 in serene conviction that her methods must be right2 for is she not their mother8 ,the unnatural mother1 who is possessed of enough intelligence and knowledge to recognise her own deficiencies1 gladly intrusts her children to superior care for part of the time1 and constantly learns by it herself4 ,the mother-love1 which is so far strained by the difficulties of rearing children in the home as to frequently give way to irritability1 weariness1 and even bad temper1 would be kept fresh and unworn by the eight-hour rest2 and the child would never learn to despise his mother's irascibility and lack of self-control1 as1 unfortunately1 so many children do4 ,to the child1 happy and busy in his day hours of education1 the home-coming would be an ever new delight1 and the home--papa and mamma's house--a lovely place to respect and enjoy4 ,many will wonder why the mother is described as working during eight hours4 ,the able-bodied and able-minded human being who does not work is a contemptible object4 ,to take from the labour of others so large a share of human products as is necessary to our comfort to-day1 and contribute nothing in return1 is the position of a devouring parasite4 ,most women do work1 hard and long1 at house-service4 ,the natural mother is content to mingle her sacred duties of child-care with the miscellaneous duties of a house-servant2 but the unnatural mother1 for the sake of her children1 refuses to be the kitchen-maid1 parlour-maid1 and chamber-maid of the world any longer4 ,she recognises that her real duties are too important to be hindered in their performance any longer by these primitive inconveniences2 and1 with combined intelligence1 she and the others arrange their households on a basis of organised professional service1 with skilled labour by the hour1 and so each has time to perform some professional service herself1 and pay well for the better performance of the domestic tasks4 ,this subject is treated in a special volume on ,women and ,economics1 but here it is sufficient to present the position of the mother1 the unnatural mother1 who would refuse to maintain any longer our grossly defective system of household service 7either by herself or by a hired woman71 on the ground that it was not conducive to the best development of her children4 ,to those who for any reason prefer1 or are compelled by circumstances1 to pursue the profession of private house-servant1 it will1 however1 be of inestimable advantage to have their children taken out of the dirt and danger1 and placed in proper conditions1 while the mother follows her profession at home4 ,the natural mother cares only for her own children4 ,she loves and labours without knowledge1 and what experience she gains by practising on her own children is buried with her4 ,the unnatural mother cares for ,children1--all of them1--and knows that she can best serve her own by lifting the standard of child-culture for all4 ,we have urgent need of the unnatural mother1--the mother who has added a trained intellect to a warm heart2 and1 when we have enough of them1 the rarest sound on earth will be that now so pitifully common1--the crying of a little child4 ,,xv4 ,,social ,,parentage4 ,the mother does her duty by her children as best she can4 ,the father does his duty by his children4 ,but we do not do our duty by our children4 ,the relation of the ,state to the child is little thought of1 much less understood4 ,we have discussed it only as an alternative to the parental relation1 involving the removal of the child from the home and family1 and the substitution of civic for domestic care4 ,such a proposal naturally excites the hot opposition of parental love and instinct1 and cannot stand4 ,it has been tried more or less thoroughly1 as in ,sparta1 but does not appeal to the human heart or head1 and is not in the least what is here under discussion4 ,the true relation of the ,state to the child includes the parental relation1 and in no way controverts the love and instinct of those invaluable public functionaries4 ,it is not necessary1 or in any way desirable1 for the ,state to remove the child from the parent4 ,parents are evolved for the purpose of rearing children1 and possess highly specialised and urgent impulses in that direction1--far too useful forces to be ignored4 ,but the civilised human parent lives as part of an elaborate society1--a ,state2 and1 as a member of the ,state1 he holds a new relation to his child--she holds a new relation to her child3 they--and they are the ,state--hold a new relation to their children4 ,this is what we so generally ignore4 ,the individual parents do their individual duty fairly well2 but the collective parents1 who constitute society1 fail shamefully in their collective duties4 ,what is a society8 ,it is an organisation of human beings1 alive1 complex1 exquisitely developed in co-ordinate inter-service4 ,what is it for8 ,it is for development1 growth1 progress1 like any other living thing4 ,how does a society improve8 ,by combinations of individuals evolving social processes which react favourably upon the individual constituents1 and develope in them better social faculties4 ,for instance1 early combinations of individuals evolve low forms of legal protection for the citizens of the early ,state4 ,under those protective enactments1 citizens grow up in comparative peace1 and become capable of enacting further and superior laws4 ,in recent and particular instance1 our ,american forefathers established a system of public education under which many citizens were developed to a degree of intelligence sufficient to see the need and the means of extending and improving that education4 ,education is a social process1 impossible--in any human degree--among detached individuals4 ,the education of children is a distinctly social process4 ,much of it may be carried on by the parents1 but it is for social improvement and as a member of society that they do this4 ,here is where our parents1 who constitute society1 fail to see the nature and extent of their work4 ,they have an exaggerated idea of parental responsibility to the child1 and no idea at all of social responsibility to the child4 ,that social development which has enlarged the mind and soul of the beast-savage to our present capacity for love and service we still imagine to be purely parental1 and endeavour to concentrate it all on our own children1 failing utterly in our duty to each other's children4 ,no such gross error can work good results4 ,this disproportionate concentration of feeling on the individual child1 and neglect of the child in general1 produces a world full of people with a congested family life1 full of morbid sensitiveness and potential difficulty and suffering1 and a weak1 anmic social life1 full of mutual neglect and dereliction of duty4 ,the well-known illustration of education can be used again still farther to show this4 ,suppose a small community1 wherein the parents are all very anxious for the education of their own children and profoundly indifferent to the education of anybody's else children4 ,suppose these parents all labour religiously to buy books1 pictures1 statues1 music1 and to have the best of tutors for their own children4 ,it can be seen without much mathematical effort how inferior would be the supplies purchasable by the individual parent's funds compared to those purchasable by their collective funds4 ,separately1 they could not compass a good teacher to each family1 nor good pictures1 nor many books and instruments1 nor any statuary and music to speak of4 ,collectively and for less money1 they could have all these things in far higher degree of excellence4 ,it is social parentage1 such as we have1 which gives us the school as we have it4 ,it is the weakness and irresponsibility of our social parentage which leaves the school as it is1 and fails to push on to something far fuller and better4 ,what thought1 what care1 what service1 does the average mother give to other people's children8 ,none4 ,she does not imagine it to be her duty4 ,she imagines that her duty lies only toward her own children1 and that it is no faintest fault of hers if other children suffer4 ,if she sees little ones visibly neglected and injured1 she merely blames their individual parents1 and gives no further thought to the matter4 ,now1 once for all1 what is the advantage of living in a society instead of living alone8 ,it is that we do not have to spend all our time and strength in very imperfectly taking care of ourselves1 as the separate individual would be obliged to do1 but are more and more perfectly taken care of by one another4 ,we all share in the advantages of living together1--the protection not only of numbers1 but of our specialised defenders1 civil and military2 the vast accumulations of knowledge and skill acquired by many and transmitted to all2 the increasing measure of mutual love1 in which we thrive and grow4 ,the more perfectly a society can distribute these advantages to all its citizens1 the more swiftly and healthfully does it advance and improve4 ,public peace and safety1 public justice1 public education1 the public hall1 the public road1 the public library and gallery and museum and bath1--these are what react so favourably upon the individual1 and make better homes and citizens4 ,the father is1 to some extent1 awake to the duties of social parentage2 the mother1 hardly at all4 ,the difference is this3 the father serves his children by means of serving other people2 the mother serves her children personally1 with her own hands4 ,suppose a number of families 7we cannot call it a community1 because it would not be one71 wherein the fathers endeavoured to serve their children personally with their own hands only1 each man building1 weaving1 farming1 fishing1 blacksmithing1 making dishes and tools and instruments1 and trying in all ways to meet the family needs himself personally4 ,it will readily be seen how little the families of these men would have4 ,the time1 strength1 and skill of one man do not go far1 if he tries to do all things himself4 ,why do women imagine that their time1 strength1 and skill severally will serve better than in combination8 ,why are they content to give their children only what they can do themselves alone1 thus depriving them of the rich possibilities of civilised motherhood1 combined1 collective1 mutually helpful8 ,the term city fathers1 and its painful lack of companionship in city mothers1 shows the wide gulf between the development of social parentage in men and women4 ,the accidents to little children from electric and cable cars are pitifully numerous4 ,what mother has taken any steps to prevent these accidents8 ,individually1 each tries to protect her own1 as does the animal or savage4 ,collectively1 they do nothing2 yet it is the lack of this collective motherhood which makes our cities so unsafe for children4 ,the idea that1 if each takes care of her own1 all will be cared for1 is as false for women as it is for men4 ,if each man took care of his own1 and not of the others1 we should have no soldiers1 no policemen1 no government1 no society1 only that social chaos called anarchy4 ,social health and progress demand collective action1 the largest mutuality1 the care and service of all1 which is the only guarantee of safety and prosperity to each4 ,our fatherhood is to a considerable degree socialised4 ,our motherhood is flatly anarchistic1 refusing all co-ordination4 ,an earnest--hotly earnest--woman once disputed this suggestion of mutual service in motherhood1 thus3 ,when ,i make the bed for my child1 ,i put some of my personality between the sheets4 ,my child sleeps better if ,i make his bed for him4 ,i gazed at her calmly4 ,does your child walk better if you make his shoes for him8 ,i asked4 ,it is a pretty sentiment that the mother's love in some mysterious way makes all she does for the child superior to what another could do4 ,but apply the test of fact4 ,can she1 with all her love1 make as good a shoe as the shoemaker8 as good a hair-brush1 tooth-brush1 tumbler1 teacup1 pie-plate1 spoon1 fork1 or knife1 as the professional manufacturers of these things8 ,does mother-love teach her to be a good barber8 ,can she cut her darling's hair so as to make him happy8 ,can she make a good chair or table or book or window8 ,how silly it is to imagine that this personality inserted between the sheets makes the bed more conducive to healthy sleep than any other clean1 well-aired1 well-made bed6 ,let the mother put the child to bed by all means1 if she wishes4 ,in the last sweet words and the good-night kiss is truly the place for personality4 ,that is a mother's place1 and not a tradesman's4 ,but there is no more need for maternal personality between the sheets of a bed than between the leaves of a book or the bricks of a wall4 ,in our narrow-mindedness we have assumed that to care for any other children would mean to neglect our own4 ,as if the human heart1 the mother-heart1 could love but one or six1 and not more6 ,as a matter of fact1 we neglect our own by not caring for others4 ,that is1 we fail to take those general measures for the protection and development of all children which would so greatly benefit our particular children4 ,only to-day1 at last1 we see in some few advanced communities the mothers' club and congress1 the women's civic associations1 and other forms of union for the improvement of social conditions1 all helping to enlarge the application of mother-love1 and set that great force free to bring on the better day for children4 ,these clubs and societies are jeered at by the majority of mothers1 who proudly say that they are too busy taking care of their children to go to a mothers' congress and learn how4 ,imagine1 again1 a majority of men1 each saying he was too busy teaching his children to go to a school meeting and plan for the education of them all6 ,it is not a shifting of duty that is required1--to cease to take care of one's own in order to take care of others instead4 ,so ingrained are our primitive habits1 so unable are we to conceive of anything but the one-woman method1 that our only idea of change is a simple exchange of responsibility4 ,it is not exchanging that is needed1 but an enlarging1 an embracing of the less in the greater4 ,the mothers of the world are responsible for the children of the world2 the mothers of a nation1 for the children of a nation2 the mothers of a city1 for the children of a city4 ,we may ignore and deny this claim2 but it is there none the less1 and1 because we do not do our duty as social parents1 a corrupt society injures our children continually4 ,the diseases of other children infect ours4 ,what have the mothers ever done to prevent these diseases8 ,they nurse their own sick little ones religiously1 and bury them with tears2 but what do they do before or after to learn the cause and prevention of these family afflictions1 to spread their information1 and enforce measures to put a stop to them8 ,the bad habits of other children affect ours1--their ignorance1 their ill manners1 their sins4 ,our children suffer individually from bad social conditions1 but cannot be saved individually4 ,when the ,philadelphia water supply is so foul as to poison young and old1 mothers are responsible for not doing their share to make the city water fit for their families to drink4 ,it is not a private filter on a private faucet that will do it1 but public purity in the public works4 ,in ,boston in #ahii the ,society of ,collegiate ,alumn exposed a disgracefully insanitary condition in the public schools1--undisturbed filth in cellar and vault1 unwashed floors1 a slovenly neglect of the commonest sanitary decency worthy of an ,oriental slum4 ,any mother in ,boston would have been filled with shame to have such an exposure of her own private housekeeping4 ,there is room for shame at this exposure of their public housekeeping1 school-house-keeping1 city-keeping4 ,like an ostrich with his head in the sand1 the mother shuts herself up in the home and imagines that she is safe and hidden1 acting as if the home was isolated in space4 ,that the home is not isolated we are made painfully conscious through its material connections1--gas-pipes1 water-pipes1 sewer-pipes1 and electric wires1--all serving us well or ill according to their general management4 ,milk1 food1 clothing1 and all supplies brought in bring health or disease according to their general management4 ,the mere physical comfort of the home needs collective action1 to say nothing of the psychic connection in which we all live1 and where none is safe and clean till all are safe and clean4 ,how far does the duty of the ,state extend1 and how much should be left to individual responsibility8 ,this is the working point to which this discussion tends4 ,a more serious sociological question could hardly be propounded4 ,seeing that progress is the law of nature1 that the human race is under pressure of every force--conscious and unconscious--to go on1 to improve1 to grow better1 and that we1 as social beings1 move forward through social improvement1 the main weight of care seems to rest on society rather than the individual4 ,it is astonishing to see how far this has gone already4 ,whereas once the beast father and mother were the only ones to protect or serve the young1 now society does far more for the child than the parents4 ,the father does more than the mother1 and that by means of his social relation4 ,he provides for his child by being a carpenter1 lawyer1 mason1 or other social functionary4 ,in this social relation he is able to provide for it the comfort and safety of a modern society4 ,out of that relation he would be able to provide for it only with his bare hands alone1 and less competent than the hardy savage4 ,we need not be alarmed at some new overtures on the part of society1 if we but look at what society is doing now4 ,that we do not think of this is due to our tradition that we take care of ourselves4 ,we do not4 ,no civilised man takes care of himself4 ,we take care of each other4 ,but1 granting this to some degree1 we have heretofore supposed that the benefits of civilisation belonged only to adults1--for that matter only to adult males6--and were to be distributed to children through the individual parent4 ,thus1 if the parent was inferior1 the child was expected not only to inherit his inferiority1 but to suffer from it always through inferior maintenance1 breeding1 and education4 ,the gradual reaching out of society to protect and care for the child is one of the most interesting lines of historic development4 ,the parent had power to kill a child4 ,the ,state denied the right1 and protected the child against the parent4 ,the parent had power to sell the child4 ,the ,state denied that4 ,the parent might cast off and neglect the child4 ,the ,state compels him to maintain it1 if he can2 and1 if not1 the ,state supports the child4 ,the parent might teach the child1 have it taught1 or leave it untaught4 ,now the ,state orders that the child must be taught1 either at home or at school1 and furnishes the school free4 ,so far the line of advance has been from absolute parental control to a steadily enlarging ,state control1 from absolute parental support to more and more of ,state support4 ,the question of more or less in present details may be debated indefinitely to no conclusion4 ,the principle is what we should study4 ,the condition of childhood in our human sense1 the long period of immaturity1 is a social condition4 ,as we advance in social relation1 becoming more and more highly specialised1 the gulf between infancy and maturity increases4 ,the young animal and the adult animal are far more alike than a ,gladstone and his baby4 ,it does not take very long to mature the group of faculties required for maintaining individual life4 ,it does take long to mature the group of faculties required to maintain social life4 ,to rear a man--i4e41 an adult male of genus homo--is no very difficult task4 ,it is accomplished by ,bushmen1 ,hottentots1 ,eskimo1 every living kind of human creature4 ,to rear a physician1 an engineer1 a chemist1--this takes longer4 ,incidentally1 this is one reason why a girl's majority is placed at eighteen1 a boy's at twenty-one4 ,she is supposed to need only individual maturity1--physical maturity4 ,he is supposed to take more time to become a man because he is a member of society1 and so has to learn more things4 ,it is not a question of adolescence1 of physiological change4 ,the boy of eighteen could be a father as well as the girl a mother2 but he is not as well able to take his social position1 to serve mankind in his craft1 art1 trade1 or profession4 ,note here the early maturity and marriage of the less developed grades of society1 filling those simpler social functions which require less specialisation1 and the proportionate postponement of this period in the more highly specialised4 ,our long period of immaturity is a social condition1 and not an individual one4 ,that we may reach the full growth needed in the advanced member of society1 we must be minors longer than would be necessary if we were not members of society4 ,the exceeding childishness of the civilised child is also a social condition4 ,the nearer we are to the animals1 the more capable and bright the very little ones4 ,in the ,south it was common to set a little black child to take care of an older white one3 the pickaninny matures much more rapidly4 ,so1 again1 in our own lower social grades the little children of the poor are sharper1 better able to care for themselves1 than children of the same age in more developed classes4 ,it is no proof of greater intelligence in the adult4 ,it is retrogression1--a mark of bad social conditions4 ,civilised society is responsible for civilised childhood1 and should meet its responsibilities4 ,the sweet confidence of a modern child1 as compared to the alert suspicion of a baby savage1 shows what ages of social safe-guarding have done4 ,in the beautiful union of our civilised growth1 even so far1 we have made possible the ,child2 and it is for us still further to protect and develope this most exquisite social product1--this greatest social hope and power4 ,society's relation to the child is impersonal4 ,it is not limited by parenthood4 ,the parental relation is lower1 more limited4 ,parentally1 we care only for our own3 socially1 we care for all4 ,parentally1 we are animals3 socially1 we learn to love one another4 ,we become1 approximately1 ,christians4 ,christianity is a social condition4 ,in our present degree of social progress1 we produce by our specialised co-ordinate activities that safe and comfortable material environment1 those comparatively developed virtues which we call civilisation4 ,but1 in applying this common product to the advancement of the child1--which is our best and quickest way to incorporate progress in the race itself1--we allow the incapacity of the individual parent to limit the child's advantages4 ,we deny to the child the conditions necessary to his best development1 unless his particular father is able to provide them4 ,our theory here is that the father would not work so hard if the ,state provided for his child2 some thinkers combating even the public school and public library on this ground4 ,this is an outworn economic fallacy4 ,the inferior father cannot work beyond a certain grade because he has not the capacity2 and1 if the child has only the advantages the inferior father can provide for him1 he grows up to be another inferior father and low-grade worker4 ,the most deadly result of this foolish neglect of the young citizen is seen in the ensuing action of the biological law1 ,reproduction is in inverse proportion to specialisation4 ,because we leave the child to grow up unspecialised1 untrained1 save for the puny efforts of his single low-grade parent1 therefore he1 in turn1 helps fill the world with very numerous and very inferior progeny4 ,we are hampered by the rapid reproduction of the very lowest classes of society1 weighted down by their defects and limitations1 forced to wait--the most advanced of us--for the great rear-guard of the population4 ,we must wait because a society is alive1 and includes all its members4 ,it cannot outstrip its own inferior parts1 however neglected and behindhand they may be4 ,and their numbers--numbers resultant from their low condition--complicate the problem hopelessly4 ,that is1 hopelessly on this old fallacious notion that the child can have no help from all the strong1 rich world1 save what his father and mother can filter through their personal limitations4 ,we are beginning to change this by our efforts at free public education4 ,we shall change it more and more as we grow consciously awake to our true social responsibility to the child4 ,we cannot afford to have one citizen grow up below the standards of common comfort1 health1 and general education4 ,to the scared cry1 ,but1 if you take the responsibility off these people1 they will simply flood the world with wretched babies6 comes the answer of natural law1 ,improve the individual1 and you check this crude fecundity4 ,it is because they are neglected and inferior that they have so many children4 ,make higher-class people of the children1 and you check this constant influx of low-grade life1 and gradually introduce a better-born population4 ,when the wise1 beneficent parental love of ,human ,society for its young really does its duty1 tenderly removing obstructions from the path of all our little ones1 we shall give to them those common human advantages without which they cannot grow to the happiness which is their right1 the usefulness which is their duty4 ,all parents who are able to do more for their children would be free to do so1 as those who can afford private schools1 or educate their little ones at home1 are not compelled to send them to the public schools4 ,as now society provides the school for the young citizen1 on the ground of public advantage1 without regard to the inability of the parent1 so we must learn to provide a far richer and more complete education1 and all else that the parent falls short in1 because it is necessary for the good of society1 and because we love our children4 ,index4 ,absence of mind1 #ed4 ,acquired traits not transmissible1 #i4 experiments with guinea-pigs1 #aa4 ,action1 bodily1 directed by mental processes1 #eg4 ,adult1 our houses built only for the1 #aba4 ,age1 the presumption of1 #aef4 not necessarily superiority1 #aei4 ,aged persons1 cause of the respect and care for1 #afj4 ,ambition of youth a force to lift mankind1 the1 #bc4 ,american ,revolution1 the1 mentioned1 #ce4 ,animal mother1 the authority of the1 #db4 ,animals1 obedience in1 #bi4 ,arbitrary punishment1 effect on the moral sense of1 #hd4 ,authority of the animal mother1 the1 #db4 effect of1 coming between the mind and action of the child1 #fj4 ,babies confided to the care of lower races1 #acd4 ,baby1 impressions of a1 #di4 considered as a plaything1 #age4 our disrespectful treatment of the1 #aga4 often neglected mind-growth of the1 #bej4 ,baby-garden1 a public1 #abd4 example of the advantages of a1 #aci4 a private1 #abe4 ,babyhood1 education not thought of in connection with1 #ace4 ,bible1 the1 #aad4 ,biological advantage of a longer period of immaturity1 the1 #ah4 law of reproduction1 #bif4 ,bodily action directed by mental processes1 #eg4 ,boston1 #bhi4 ,brain1 effect of obedience on the1 #da4 training of children1 the1 #df4 the office of the1 #dg4 in early forms of life1 #dh4 function of the child1 #di4 improvement1 progress of humanity made through1 #adi4 ,breakfast1 unpunctuality at1 #adi4 ,bushmen1 the1 #bic4 ,callous child1 treatment of the1 #ib4 ,casabianca1 #cj4 ,census ,report1 ,united ,states1 #bcc4 ,character1 comparatively small progress in the human1 #bea4 development of1 assisted by right education1 #beb4 ,chastity1 the virtue of1 #bf4 ,child1 importance of the first fifteen years of the life of the1 #ba4 exercise of the will of the1 in games1 #bb4 trained to obey1 #ca4 reasons why obedience is demanded from the1 #cg4 brain function of the1 #di4 the1 should be trained to presence of mind1 #ee4 advantage taken of the credulity of the1 #ef4 what the1 feels and thinks ignored1 #eg4 the mind of the1 #eg4 effect of authority coming between the mind and action of the1 #fj4 culture of the1 #fc4 table manners1 teaching the1 #fc4 early impressions of a1 #gg4 result of the deed of a1 dependent upon parental knowledge1 #hb4 the naughty1 #ij4 a group of growing faculties1 #ij4 treatment of the callous1 #ib4 games1 the daily lessons of the1 #ajh4 teaching generosity to the1 #aji4 delicacy of perception of the1 weakened by false impressions1 #aaa4 perception in the place of the ,state of the1 #aai4 mother and1 no separation of1 #abe4 treatment of the1 at home1 #agj4 attitude of the family towards the1 #aga4 personal rights of the1 #agd4 no excuse for contemptuous treatment of the1 #agg4 necessity for recognising the citizenship of the1 #ahb4 treatment at table of the1 #ahc4 teaching a1 consideration1 #ahg4 the need for consideration between mother and1 #ahg4 tendency to repetition of a1 #aia4 excessive sacrifice of the mother injurious to the1 #aic4 harmful effect of the mother's sacrificial devotion to the1 #aig4 effect of association with domestic servants on the1 #bce4 influence of surroundings on the1 #bcg4 physical conditions of the household a danger to the1 #bch4 duty of the mother to benefit the1 #bfa4 relation of the ,state to the1 #bgh4 social responsibility of parents to the1 #bhj4 gradual protection by society of the1 #bib4 ,child-culture and house service1 the relation between1 #bcc4 the study of1 #bfe4 ,child-training1 obedience in1 #cf4 honesty lacking in1 #aji4 ,childhood1 the condition of the brain in1 #di4 naturally inconsiderate1 #ia4 careless1 #ic4 clumsy1 #ic4 permanence of1 as a human status1 #aai4 the status of1 #ahj4 ,childish faith1 an expression of1 #ef4 ,children1 importance of the work of rearing1 #cg4 the most submissive1 not the best men1 #dc4 trained to act without understanding1 #ea4 present brain-training of1 discouraging to racial advancement1 #fb4 should be practised in reasoning1 #fh4 the punishment of1 #gd4 parents and the punishment of1 #ge4 over-indulgence of1 #ge4 learn before school-age1 what1 #gg4 code of ethics among1 #hg4 the injured clothing of1 #id4 lying to1 #ajb4 ethics of1 formed from the treatment they receive1 #ajb4 open to instruction in ethics1 #ajd4 sense of justice in1 #aje4 instruction of1 in ethics1 #ajf4 the teaching of ethics to1 #aae4 a permanent class1 #aah4 houses not built for1 #abj4 playgrounds for1 beginning to appear1 #abj4 in institutions1 #abd4 mortality of1 in institutions1 #abf4 expert care for1 #abg4 the care of1 not servant's work1 #abg4 trained care for defective1 #abh4 a place for1 to play in1 #abi4 a special house for little1 #abi4 the home as a place for1 #ahj4 the private nurse not the proper person to have the care of1 #acb4 the mischievousness of1 #acg4 orderly development of the faculties of1 #adf4 travelling parties of1 #aej4 the demands of parents on their1 #afb4 errors of little1 not grounds for humour1 #agb4 impertinence of1 #age4 mother's lack of respect for her1 #agh4 the confidence of1 not regarded1 #agi4 behaviour of women to1 #agi4 grown people and1 #agi4 discourtesy to1 #aha4 the balance of human rights should be understood by1 #ahh4 the questions of1 #aia4 our love for our1 #aib4 benefit of mothers observing other peoples'1 #bjd4 method of observation of1 #bjf4 the effect of the education of1 by house-servants1 #bdj4 improved environment of1 a road to racial improvement1 #bfd4 maternal instinct not sufficient to ensure good conditions for1 #bfg4 the duty of the ,state to1 #bij4 ,chinese1 the1 #ab4 ,christianity a social condition1 #bie4 ,citizenship of the child1 necessity for recognising the1 #ahb4 ,civic duties1 ignoring of1 by women1 #aed4 ,class1 children a permanent1 #aah4 ,clothing1 children's injured1 #id4 ,collegiate ,alumn1 the ,society of1 #bhi4 ,combined motherhood1 the possibilities of1 #bhd4 ,conduct1 all1 right or wrong1 #ajg4 ,confidence of children not regarded1 the1 #agi4 ,conservatism1 feminine1 #afi4 ,consideration between mother and child1 the need for1 #ahg4 ,consideration of others not identical with obedience1 #dj4 teaching a child1 #ahg4 ,consistency1 the desire for1 #eh4 ,constitution1 our inheritance of1 #ae4 ,courage1 the virtue of1 #bg4 ,credulity of the child taken advantage of1 #ef4 ,crime1 retributive punishment of1 #gc4 ,cruelty to ,children1 ,society for the ,prevention of1 #ge4 ,defective children1 trained care for1 #abh4 ,development1 arrested social1 #e4 race1 and environment1 #g4 of character assisted by right education1 #beb4 ,discipline1 the question of1 #gj4 domestic1 #gg4 ,discourtesy to children1 #aha4 ,discussion between mothers1 benefits of1 #bjg4 ,doctrine of sacrifice1 the1 #aid4 ,domestic discipline1 #gg4 relation1 the small change in1 #ajj4 ,service ,bureau1 #bed4 ,don't ,mary1 #ei4 ,education1 obedience in human1 #bi4 not thought of in connection with babyhood1 #ace4 advantages of unconscious1 #add4 nothing too expensive that improves1 #aej4 of children by house-servants1 the1 #bdj4 development of character assisted by right1 #beb4 better1 for the young an imperative need1 #bec4 a social process1 #bhj4 ,educational perception1 lack of1 among mothers1 #bdi4 ,emulation1 the love of1 #bc4 ,endurance1 the virtue of1 #bf4 ,environment and race development1 #g4 ,eskimo1 the1 #bic4 ,ethics1 code of1 among children1 #hg4 our knowledge of1 #ig4 the cause of our small growth in1 #ig4 and social evolution1 #ii4 influence of religious custom on1 #ajj4 children cannot learn1 from the treatment they receive1 #ajb4 a child open to instruction in1 #ajd4 the science of social relation1 #aje4 the instruction of children in1 #ajf4 sense of1 shown in games1 the1 #ajh4 self-control one of the first essentials in the practice of1 #ajg4 values1 long association of1 with religious text-books1 #aad4 the teaching of1 to children1 #aae4 necessity for the study of practical1 #aad4 necessity for mothers to be grounded in1 #aaf4 ,example better than precept1 #ea4 ,experience1 #afg4 ,faith1 a childish expression of1 #ef4 ,father1 the1 awake to the duties of social parentage1 #bhc4 the choice of a1 #bfd4 ,family1 attitude towards the little child of the1 #aga4 -life1 primitive mental habits fostered in1 #afi4 ,feminine conservatism1 #afi4 ,foolishness of youth due to our training1 #ba4 ,french ,revolution1 the1 #ec4 ,games1 the child's daily lessons1 #ajh4 ethical sense shown in1 #ajh4 ,generosity1 teaching the child1 #aji4 ,girl1 reason for the majority of a1 at eighteen1 #bic4 ,god1 ,hebrew traditions of1 #cd4 ,goths1 the1 #fa4 ,grown people and children1 #agi4 ,habit and tradition1 the home the stronghold of1 #ce4 ,hebrew traditions of ,god1 #cd4 ,home1 the1 the stronghold of habit and tradition1 #ce4 as a place for children1 #acj4 ,homes1 the mother the domestic servant in the majority of1 #bcc4 ,honesty lacking in child-training1 #aaj4 ,horse-training1 #ga4 ,hottentots1 the1 #bic4 ,household1 physical conditions of the1 a danger to the child1 #bch4 labour1 mental capacities developed by1 #bdg4 employment of skilled labour for1 #bgf4 ,houses not built for children1 #abj4 built for the adult only1 #aba4 ,house-service and child-culture1 the relation between1 #bcc4 qualities developed by1 #bdc4 ,housework1 few women like1 #bde4 ,human behaviour1 the whole scale of1 is natural1 #bef4 character1 comparatively small progress in the1 #bea4 conduct1 the word natural applied to1 #beg4 creature1 mental workings of the1 #ej4 a self-governing intelligence1 #dj4 parentage1 selfishness of1 #agh4 -parenthood1 prolonged1 #h4 progress1 youth the fountain of1 #ba4 rights1 children to understand the balance of1 #ahh4 status1 permanence of childhood as a1 #aai4 stock1 improving the1 #bfc4 being1 the1 a social constituent1 #ai4 who does not work contemptible1 the1 #bge4 ,humanity1 degrees of1 #c4 to improve1 #f4 the time to develop the inheritance of1 #ag4 progress of1 made through brain improvement1 #adi4 ,humour1 errors of the child not grounds for1 #agb4 ,impertinence of children1 the1 #age4 ,immaturity1 biological advantage of a longer period of1 #ah4 ,impressions of a baby1 the1 #di4 of a child1 early1 #gg4 ,improve1 humanity to1 #f4 ,improvement1 race1 transmitted1 #d4 all possible1 in the individual to be made before parentage1 #ba4 of the human stock1 the1 #bfc4 ,individual rights1 maintenance of1 by the mother1 #aie4 ,individuals1 social service must be given by1 #bj4 ,infant mortality shamefully large1 #bdf4 ,inheritance of constitution1 our1 #ae4 ,intelligence1 the human being a self-governing1 #dj4 ,instinct1 parental1 #agg4 our dependence on the maternal1 #bfc4 maternal1 not sufficient to ensure good conditions to children1 #bfg4 ,institutions1 children in1 #abd4 mortality of children in1 #abf4 ,jesuits1 obedience of the1 #cd4 ,justice1 sense of1 in children1 #aje4 ,knowledge and wisdom1 the difference between1 #ed4 ,koran1 the1 #aad4 ,labour1 the employment of skilled1 for household1 #bgf4 household1 mental capacities developed by1 #bdg4 ,law of parental love1 the1 #agg4 ,life1 the brain in early forms of1 #dh4 ,lifetime1 the most important decade of a1 #ah4 ,love for our children1 our1 #aib4 the law of parental1 #agg4 open to measurement by results1 #aib4 mother1 #aic1 #aig4 ,lying to children1 #ajb4 ,majority of a girl at eighteen1 reason for the1 #bic4 ,man1 the distinctive power of1 #ec4 ,mary ,don't1 #ei4 ,maternal instinct1 our dependence on the1 #bfc4 not sufficient to ensure good conditions for children1 #bfg4 ,maternal passion1 need for restraint of the1 #aig4 ,maturity1 early1 a sign of bad social conditions1 #bid4 ,mental capacities developed by household labours1 #bdg4 habits1 primitive1 fostered in family life1 #afi4 workings of the human creature1 #ej4 ,methuselah1 #aeh4 ,modification1 race1 and individual modification1 #aj4 ,moral sense1 effect on the1 of arbitrary punishment1 #hd4 ,mortality1 infant1 shamefully large1 #bdf4 ,mind1 effect of obedience on the growing1 #cg4 absence of1 #ed4 presence of1 #ed4 connection between the1 and behaviour1 #ed4 of a child1 the1 #eg4 effect of authority coming between the child's1 and his action1 #fj4 ,mind-growth of the baby1 the often neglected1 #bhj4 failure of the mother to keep in touch with the1 #bej4 ,mother1 the authority of the animal1 #db4 necessity for the1 to be grounded in ethics1 #aaf4 and child1 no separation of1 #abe4 the1 not trained as an educator1 #ace4 and child1 the need for consideration between1 #ahg4 excessive sacrifice of the1 injurious to the child1 #aic4 maintenance of individual rights by the1 #aie4 the domestic servant in the majority of homes1 the1 #bcc4 the natural1 #beh4 duty of the1 to benefit the child1 #bfa4 the unnatural1 #bfe4 ,mother's lack of respect for her little children1 #agi4 sacrificial devotion to the child1 harmful effect of1 the1 #aig4 personality1 the place for a1 #bhf4 ,mothers1 the need for union among1 #bja4 benefits of discussion between1 #bjg4 benefit of1 observing other people's children1 #bjd4 lack of educational perception among1 #bdi4 the term natural as applied to1 #beh4 necessity for enlarging the responsibility of1 #bhg4 public duty of1 #bhh4 ,mother's ,congress1 the1 #gf4 ,mother-love1 #aic1 #aig4 ,motherhood1 progress in1 #bfa4 preparation for1 #bfh4 work during1 #bga4 possibilities of combined1 #bhd4 ,natural law1 the wisdom of following1 #dc4 ,natural1 the use of the word1 #bee4 the word1 applied to human conduct1 #beg4 the whole scale of human behaviour is1 #bef4 the term1 as applied to mothers1 #beh4 ,nature1 a state of1 #bef4 ,nurse1 the private1 not a proper person to have the care of children1 #acb4 ,nursery1 a public1 suggested1 #abc4 isolation of the private1 injurious to the child1 #acb4 ,nursemaids1 difficulty of getting suitable1 #bab4 ,obedience1 #bg4 the use of1 #bh4 in animals1 #bi4 in human education1 #bi4 the reason for1 #ca4 our reverence for1 easily traced1 #cb4 in child training1 #cf4 of the ,jesuits1 #cd4 is demanded from the child1 reasons why1 #cg4 effect of1 on the growing mind1 #cg4 the injurious reaction from1 #ci4 consideration of others not identical with1 #dj4 effect of1 on the brain1 #da4 qualities developed by1 #de4 ,observation of children1 method of1 #bjf4 ,old1 the advantage of the young over the1 #aeh4 ,over-indulgence of children1 the1 #ge4 ,parent1 continued life of the1 #f4 ,parentage1 traits acquired before1 transmissible1 #ad4 all possible improvement in the individual should be made before1 #ba4 not a profession1 #afe4 selfishness of human1 #agh4 ,parental knowledge1 result of the child's deed made dependent upon1 #hb4 duty the gift of nature1 #afd4 instinct1 #agg4 love1 the law of1 #agg4 ,parenthood1 prolonged human1 #h4 the work of1 #cg4 ,parents1 want of publicity and community in the action of1 #ge4 the punishment of children by1 #ge4 duty of1 to children1 #afa4 demands of1 on their children1 #afb4 ,parents' ,congress1 the1 #gj4 social responsibility to the child1 #bhj4 ,penology1 the advance in1 #gc4 ,people1 need for a better kind of1 #bea4 ,perception1 delicacy of a child's1 weakened by false impressions1 #aaa4 ,personal example1 social duty shown by1 #aab4 ,personal rights of the child1 the1 #agd4 ,personality1 the place for a mother's1 #bhf4 ,philadelphia water supply1 the1 #bhi4 ,playgrounds1 childrens'1 beginning to appear1 #abj4 ,plaything1 a baby considered a1 #age4 ,precept1 example better than1 #ea4 ,prepared ,food ,association1 the1 #bed4 ,presence of mind1 #ed4 the child trained to constant1 #ee4 ,printing press1 main value of the1 #e4 ,profession1 parentage not a1 #afe4 ,progress born into the race1 #g4 ,protestant ,reformation1 the1 #ce4 ,public nursery1 a1 suggested1 #abc4 baby garden1 a1 #abd4 duty of mothers1 #bhh4 ,punishment1 retributive1 #gc4 of children1 the1 #gd4 by parents1 #ge4 arbitrary1 effect of1 on the moral sense1 #hd4 ,qualities developed by obedience1 #de4 house-service1 #bdc4 ,question of discipline1 the1 #ga4 ,questions of children1 the1 #aia4 ,race improvement transmitted1 #d4 development and environment1 #g4 progress born into the1 #g4 modification and individual modification1 #aj4 ,racial advance1 improvement in the environment of children a road to1 #bfd4 ,reaction from obedience1 the injurious1 #ci4 ,rearing children1 importance of the work of1 #cg4 ,reasoning1 children should be practised in1 #fh4 ,repetition1 a child's tendency to1 #aia4 ,reproduction1 biological law of1 #bif4 rapid1 of the lowest classes resultant from their condition1 #big4 ,respect to be commanded1 not demanded1 #aff4 ,results1 love open to measurement by1 #aib4 ,roman ,catholic ,church1 obedience in the1 #cd4 ,sacrifice1 the doctrine of1 #aid4 ,salisbury method1 the1 #cg4 ,savage1 the1 as a social constituent1 #ai4 ,schools1 the improvement of1 #adi4 ,school age1 what children learn before1 #gg4 ,self-control one of the first essentials in the practice of ethics1 #ajg4 ,servants1 domestic1 effect of association with1 on the child1 #bce4 ,shelley's ,skylark mentioned1 #ec4 ,skylark1 ,shelley's1 mentioned1 #ec4 ,skilled labour1 employment of1 for household work1 #bga4 ,social conditions1 early maturity the sign of bad1 #bhd4 constituent1 the human being a1 #ai4 the savage as a1 #ai4 development1 arrested1 #e4 duty shown by personal example1 #aab4 evolution and ethics1 #ii4 parentage1 the father awake to the duties of1 #bhc4 relation1 ethics the science of1 #aje4 service given by individuals1 #bj4 status1 a1 at the level of its main constituents1 #bj4 ,society for the ,prevention of ,cruelty to ,children1 #ge4 ,society of ,collegiate ,alumn1 the1 #bhi4 ,society1 gradual protection of the child by1 #bib4 ,species1 our power to improve the1 #c4 ,state of nature1 a1 #bef4 ,state1 perception of the child's place in the1 #aai4 relation of the1 to the child1 #bgh4 the duty of the1 to children1 #bij4 ,sunday-school1 the1 #aag4 ,surroundings1 influence of1 on the child1 #bcg4 ,table manners1 teaching a child1 #fc4 ,table1 treatment of the child at1 #ahc4 ,talmud1 the1 #aad4 ,teaching taken up only by women obliged to work1 #adh4 ,thompson's1 ,mr41 story1 #bi4 ,thought and action1 connection between1 #ef4 ,traits acquired before parentage transmissible1 #ad4 ,traits1 acquired1 not transmissible1 #i4 ,travelling parties of children1 #aej4 ,treatment of the baby1 our disrespectful1 #aga4 the child1 no excuse for contemptuous1 #agg4 ,unconscious education1 advantages of1 #add4 ,united ,states ,census ,report1 the1 #bcc4 ,union among mothers1 the need of1 #bja4 ,unnatural mother1 the1 #bfe4 ,unpunctuality at breakfast1 #ahi4 ,virtue1 all1 made of necessity1 #bg4 of chastity1 #bg4 of courage1 the1 #bg4 of endurance1 the1 #bf4 of obedience1 the1 #bg4 what is a1 #be4 ,weissman1 theory1 the1 #i4 ,will1 power of the1 #dg4 ,wisdom and knowledge1 #ed4 of following natural law1 #dc4 ,woman's brain modified by its kind of exercise1 #bde4 ,women1 ignoring of civic duties by1 #aed4 the care of children the duty of1 #aee4 behaviour of1 to children1 #agi4 few1 like housework1 #bde4 ,work1 the1 of parenthood1 #cg4 during motherhood1 #bga4 the human being who does not1 contemptible1 #bge4 ,young1 advantage of the1 over the old1 #aeh4 better education of the1 an imperative need1 #bec4 ambition of the1 a force to lift mankind1 #bc4 respect due to the1 #agb4 ,youth1 the foolishness of1 due to our training1 #ba4 the fountain of human progress1 #ba4 ,zend-,avesta1 the1 #aad4 ,,printed ,,by ,,morrison ,,and ,,gibb ,,limited1 ,,edinburgh 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,books ,,of ,,charlotte ,,perkins ,,stetson 7,mrs4 ,g4 ,h4 ,,gilman7 ,,women ,,and ,,economics ,a ,,study ,,of ,,the ,,economic ,,relation ,,between ,,men ,,and ,,women ,,as ,a ,,factor ,,in ,,social ,,evolution #ceh pages1 crown #hvo1 cloth1 #fs4 ,in writing this book it has been ,mrs4 ,stetson's purpose to point out1 explain1 and justify the changes now going on in the relations of women to society4 ,the subject is one which must inevitably come home to every household in the country4 ,no woman1 whatever her position or the conditions surrounding her1 can read the book and not feel that the whole argument applies to herself and her concerns almost like a personal appeal4 ,in brief1 the position taken is that women have for centuries been economically dependent on men2 that as a result women have been tending to become more and more feminine and less and less normal human beings4 ,even this bald statement of ,mrs4 ,stetson's thesis will serve to show the scope and importance of her book4 ,the argument is extended to every branch of social activity with remarkable originality4 ,it may safely be said that hardly any volume of recent years has treated a confused subject with so much real intelligence and in an attitude so singularly fair and high-minded4 ,it has been no part of ,mrs4 ,stetson's purpose to write a dull book4 ,on the contrary1 one of the surprising qualities of ,women and ,economics is its readableness throughout--the really absorbing interest of its argument even to the least scientific reader4 ,it is a book hard to lay down4 ,one hardly knows which to admire the more1--its clearness1 earnestness1 and courage1 or the keen wit and shrewd satire which keep its pages fresh and sparkling to the end4 ,whether one finally agrees with ,mrs4 ,stetson's position or not1 ,women and ,economics is distinctly a book one cannot afford to miss4 ,it is worth reading if only for its high ideals of a finer marriage1 a family better nourished and better bred1 a fuller life and opportunity for childhood1 and a more complete and better rounded womanhood in the house as well as in society4 ,,what ,,the ,,critics ,,say ,mrs4 ,stetson's polemical poetry has a force and vigour of its own1 which may perhaps serve to drive home the arguments lucidly stated in ',women and ,economics4' ,she differs from other advocates of women's rights1 chiefly in her estimate of women as they are4--,athenum4 ,there have been heard now and again whispers of feminine discontent1 hints that the relations of the sexes are on a not entirely satisfactory footing1 and suggestions that marriage from a woman's point of view1 comes near being a failure4444 ,in her book ,mrs4 ,stetson goes to the very root of the matter1 and turns hints1 as it were1 into italics4--,world4 ,the charm of the book lies in its evident sincerity1 its eloquent appeals to the higher side of human nature1 and its wholesale optimism4 ,these qualities will make the book a power for good among those who have hitherto given little thought to the position of women in society1 and the fearless exposure of many social evils will stimulate such readers to serious thought4--,fabian ,news4 ,when we pass to the book of the lady whose inspiration is derived from the expansive temperament of the great ,republic of the ,west 444 we recognise at once how much more hopeful one can be when one is not a citizen of a played-out ,european nation4444 ,mrs4 ,stetson's intention is to show that what she calls the 'excessive sex development' of women is responsible for some of the worst evils under which we suffer4444 ,with a great deal of what she says on this matter it is impossible not to agree4--,saturday ,review4 ',women and ,economics' is a book to be read and a book to be thought about1 whether you may agree with it or not4 ,if all the literature of the feminist movement had been half so cogent1 so accurately based on fact1 so sincere1 and withal so pure and modest as this1 the feminist movement of to-day would have been a great deal farther advanced than it is4--,hearth and ,home4 ,here is a book that1 whether we look on its teaching as wholesome or dangerous1 we are bound to acknowledge to be of exceptional ability4 ,it is the book of a woman of a clear and of a trained intellect1 and of great courage4 ,as such it demands attention and very likely will get it--of the hostile kind--from many quarters4--,bookman4 ,to-day it will meet with opposition and dispute--more or less great as we appreciate more or less truly the conditions of human progress4 ,ten years hence--perhaps five years hence--it will be accepted eagerly4 ,twenty years hence it will be a mere milestone of history4 ,these are the stages through which books must pass which contain true analyses of transient societies4 ,but the literary historian who somewhere towards the latter half of the twentieth century looks up ,mrs4 ,stetson's volume1 will find amid phrases grown old-fashioned1 and arguments long since admitted1 a sparkle of wit1 a lucidity of statement and an admirable spirit of justice and allowance1 likely even in those improved days to be still rare among controversialists4--,academy4 ,there is one thing at all events that may be predicated of this book4 ,it is admirably devised for the purpose of making a dust4444 ,there are some who will read ,mrs4 ,stetson's book with anger or will turn from it with repulsion4 ,i cannot put myself in their place4 ,to me it seems that the courageous and clear-headed ,american woman speaks as a rule the language of reason and sense4 ,i read her with pleasure and gratitude4444 ,it is an honest and stimulating book4 ,perfect in temper1 noble in intention1 and therefore it is to be cordially welcomed4--,sunday ,sun4 ,mrs4 ,stetson is such a specimen of the modern woman as it does one good to encounter4 ,she is strong and clear2 as free from noise as from flippancy4444 ',women and ,economics' is a book to read4--,echo4 ,mrs4 ,stetson's contribution to the woman question is a notable one1 but it is notable chiefly because of its logical conclusions1 its constructive ability1 its art of putting things in an arranging way4--,humanitarian4 ,,in ,,this ,,our ,,world ,,revised ,,and ,,enlarged ,,edition #afmo1 cloth1 ornamental1 gilt top1 with a photogravure frontispiece from a recent photograph1 #es4 ,this new ,edition1 following the little pamphlet volumes issued on the ,pacific ,coast1 should give her book a popularity as wide as the country4 ,certainly the vigour1 the verve1 the deep moral earnestness1 and the delightful humour and extraordinary talent for satire which she displays in these poems1 have hardly been surpassed4 ,the volume is divided into three parts4 ,the first1 entitled ,the ,world1 ranges in subject from ,similar ,cases and ,an ,obstacle 7to name only two of those satirical pieces by which ,mrs4 ,stetson has hitherto been best known71 to lyrics of nature remarkable for their tender sympathy and loving observation4 ,while the third part1 called ,the ,march1 deals with the forward movement of human brotherhood which has always been so dear to ,mrs4 ,stetson's heart4 ,,press ,,notices ,mrs4 ,stetson's civic satire is of a form which she has herself invented2 it recalls the work of no one else2 you can say of it that since the ,biglow ,papers there has been no satire approaching it in the wit flashing from profound conviction4--,w4 ,d4 ,,howells in the ,north ,american ,review4 ,mrs4 ,stetson has plenty to say1 especially when her theme is revolt4--,spectator4 ,she puts things in a new way and succeeds by sheer intensity of insight and directness of personal consciousness4 ,the book is too exclusively occupied with morals1 no doubt2 but this is an ,anglo-,saxon weakness--or strength1 and1 like everything else1 it is justified when it succeeds4444 ,we do not say that this is a volume of great poetry1 but we do say that it is an original and interesting book1 one of the best kind1 the kind that makes us stop and think4--,literature4 ,on the whole ,mrs4 ,stetson's little book is a refreshing proof of the spread of culture in ,california4--,manchester ,guardian4 ,the gospel which ,c4 ,p4 ,stetson preaches in her delightful verses1 ',in this our ,world1' is as original as it is well expressed4 ,it is not only in the novelty of the theme1 but also in the freshness and vigour of her diction1 that her charm lies4444 ,she is really a very remarkable writer1 and possesses a power of thought and expression seldom met with4--,gentlewoman4 ,,the ,,yellow ,,wall ,,paper #abmo1 paper boards1 #bs4 ,mrs4 ,charlotte ,perkins ,stetson's ',the ,yellow ,wall ,paper' is a conceit fantastical and gruesome enough to have emanated from the brain of ,edgar ,poe4 ,it is written with remarkable vividness1 as if the writer had experienced something very like the misery which she describes4 ,there is nothing extravagant or unreal in the narration4 ,wall-papers1 yellow and other coloured1 have had often a pernicious influence on people of defective nervous poise1 and quite unbalanced them4 ,mrs4 ,stetson's story has a purely literary justification1 but is none the worse for teaching a lesson which some loving husbands and parents would do well to heed4--,christian ,register4 ,,talks ,,with ,,barbara ,being an ,informal and ,experimental ,discussion1 from the ,point of ,view of a ,young ,woman of ,to-morrow1 of certain of the ,complexities of ,life1 particularly in regard to the ,relations of ,men and ,women ,by ,,elizabeth ,,knight ,,tompkins ,,author ,,of ,,her ,,majesty1 ,,the ,,things ,,that ,,count1 ,,etc4 ,crown #hvo1 cloth extra1 #fs4 ,miss ,tompkins sets forth in this volume certain striking opinions in regard to the problems which confront young men and young women of to-day4 ,she has drawn a bright and energetic girl1 whose breezy talks with her masculine friend include many bits of protest against the restrictions at present imposed by ,mrs4 ,grundy4 ,,the ,,things ,,that ,,count ,by ,,elizabeth ,,knight ,,tompkins ,,author ,,of ,,her ,,majesty1 ,,the ,,broken ,,ring1 ,,etc4 #abmo1 cloth1 #cs4 #f;d4 ,in her well-known graphic style1 ,miss ,tompkins has made a strong and vivid study of a character hitherto not delineated in ,american fiction4 ,her heroine is an indolent young woman of small means1 who lives by visiting the houses of wealthy friends4 ,the story of her regeneration1 through her affection for a man of strong character1 is cleverly told4 ,,household ,,economics ,a ,,course ,,of ,,lectures ,,in ,,the ,,school ,,of ,,economics ,,of ,,the ,,university ,,of ,,wisconsin ,by ,,helen ,,campbell ,,author ,,of ,,prisoners ,,of ,,poverty1 ,,women ,,wage-,,earners1 ,,etc4 #hvo1 cloth extra1 gilt tops1 #fs4 ,g4 ,p4 ,,putnam',s ,,sons ,,london ,,and ,,new ,,york 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,a few obvious printer errors were repaired1 but otherwise spelling and punctuation were retained as in the original1 including variant spellings on the same words 7for example3 color and colour74 ,the index is not listed in the original ,contents page4 ,in the original1 index entries for ,humanity1 degrees of1 and ,species1 power to improve the1 erroneously referred to page #a4 ,these entries have been corrected to page #c4