,,american ,,home ,,series ,,norman ,e4 ,,richardson1 ,editor ,,the ,,dramatic ,,instinct ,,in ,,children ,prepared originally by ,,the ,,literary ,,staff of the ,,american ,,institute ,,of ,,child ,,life ,,fourth ,,edition 7,revised7 ,illustration3 ,the ,abington ,press ,,the ,,abingdon ,,press ,,new ,,york ,,cincinnati ,copyright #aiad1 by ,,american ,,institute ,,of ,,child ,,life ,,introduction ,,the development of the dramatic instinct in children is the special responsibility of parents4 ,the public school and church school programs are gradually including dramatics and the teachers in many of these schools can go far in sharing this responsibility4 ,but it is in the home where room and time1 equipment and motive1 suggestions and cooperating friends are found4 ,parental skill is revealed in helping a child to try on a new character or virtue as well as a new blouse or pair of shoes4 ,social and moral imagination in the child can be realized under the direct guidance of father or mother4 ,voyages are taken1 investigations made1 treasure islands discovered1 animals subdued1 robbers put to flight1 the plans of sly ,indians frustrated1 and fierce battles waged by the child whose parent-teacher is versatile and imaginative4 ,the dull1 uninteresting parent1 whose chief virtue is that of routine1 long-faced fidelity1 narrows his children's world and correspondingly limits the range of their moral development4 ,what faith is to the adult the dramatic instinct is to the child3 it is the substance1 the substantial realization of things hoped for4 ,it is the power to make things happen4 ,it is the victory that overcomes the prosaic1 saw-dust affairs of life4 ,if this pamphlet1 carefully studied1 helps parents to see and properly awaken the sleeping dramatic powers of their children and give them a new motive in guiding its various expressions1 the purpose of the writers will have been realized4 ,,norman ,e4 ,,richardson4 ,,the ,,dramatic ,,instinct ,,in ,,children#a #a ,the material included in this pamphlet1 together with other practical studies of the subject of play1 is included in 8,a ,manual of ,play10 by ,forbush1 and published by ,jacobs and ,company4 8,and sometimes for an hour or so ,i watched my leaden soldiers go1 ,with different uniforms and drills1 ,among the bed-clothes through the hills1 8,and sometimes sent my ships in fleets1 ,all up and down among the sheets2 ,or brought my trees and houses out ,and planted cities all about40 --,robert ,louis ,stevenson4 ,i4 ,,the ,,nature ,,of ,,the ,,dramatic ,,instinct--#a4 ,,its ,,expression ,,in ,,early ,,childhood4 #b4 ,,its ,,expression ,,in ,,middle ,,childhood4 #c4 ,,its ,,expression ,,in ,,later ,,childhood4 ,,ii4 ,,educational ,,value--#a4 ,,the ,,moral ,,value ,,of ,,this ,,instinct4 #b4 ,,its ,,inspirational ,,value4 ,,iii4 ,,summary--,,references4 ,i4 ,,the ,,nature ,,of ,,the ,,dramatic ,,instinct ,,the dramatic instinct finds expression in the impulse to make playful use of the imagination4 ,it is based on certain fundamental instincts of childhood--imitation1 construction1 and motor activity4 ,its expression has been called by ,gesell 8a vital spark of life dropped into the lap of formalism and routine40 ,this impulse is found among the earliest and lowest races4 ,in the individual it is felt from early childhood throughout life4 ,if neglected1 it may fade away in maturity until it is hardly noticed2 but1 if properly developed1 it is one of the greatest sources of human joy and strength4 ,imagination is said to be of two kinds--passive and active4 ,passive imagination is that which dominates all other mental factors1 making them subordinate4 ,active imagination is that of which the individual himself takes charge4 ,an illustration of passive imagination is daydreaming4 ,play and dramatics are examples of active imagination4 ,both have their place in a man's life4 ,passive imagination enables the individual to transfigure commonplace circumstances or surroundings in the glamour of beauty and to forecast ideal situations yet to be4 ,it thus fills the present with sunshine and the future with hope4 ,active imagination begins where passive imagination leaves off1 and comes forth to play and work with actual materials or circumstances in an imaginative fashion1 and sets about making the fanciful future actual4 ,with young persons under fourteen active imagination is uppermost4 ,says ,stevenson3 8,we grown people can tell ourselves a story1 give and take strokes until the bucklers ring1 ride far and fast1 marry1 fall and die1 all the while sitting quietly by the fire or lying prone in bed4 ,this is exactly what a child cannot do1 or does not do1 at least1 when he can find anything else4 ,he works all with lay figures and such properties4 ,when his story comes to the fighting1 he must rise1 get something by way of a sword and have a set-to with a piece of furniture1 until he is out of breath4 ,when he comes to ride with the king's pardon1 he must bestride a chair1 which he will so hurry and belabor and on which he will so furiously demean himself that the messenger will arrive1 if not bloody with spurring1 at least fiery red with haste40 ,w4 ,w4 ,newell1 in ,games and ,songs of ,american ,children1 says3 8,observe a little girl who has attended her mother for an airing in some city park4 ,the older person1 quietly seated beside the footpath1 is half absorbed in reverie2 takes little notice of passers-by1 or of neighboring sights or sounds1 further than to cast an occasional glance1 which may inform her of the child's security4 ,the other1 left to her own devices1 wanders contented within the limited scope1 incessantly prattling to herself2 now climbing an adjoining rock1 now flitting like a bird from one side of the pathway to the other4 ,listen to her monologue1 flowing as incessantly and musically as the bubbling of a spring2 if you can catch enough to follow her thought1 you will find a perpetual romance unfolding itself in her mind4 ,imaginary persons accompany her footsteps2 the properties of a childish theatre exist in her fancy2 she sustains a conversation in three or four characters40 ,the expression of the dramatic instinct may be observed on every hand1 not only among children1 but grown-ups as well4 ,it animates the group conversing on the street corner1 arousing the observer to imagine what the topic of conversation may be4 ,it also enlivens the drawing-room1 thus helping to make the social function a success4 ,his observation of it may well have stirred the poet to say1 8,the world's a stage1 and we are players all40 ,and as our parts on the world stage change with the changing years1 so the expression of this instinct is different in each of the three periods of childhood4 ,,its ,,expression ,,in ,,early ,,childhood ,during very early childhood little folks express the dramatic instinct entirely by imitation4 ,they imitate people1 birds1 animals1 noises2 they try to enter into every experience which is within their reach by gesture1 speech1 or repeated action4 ,as ,joseph ,lee tells us1 8,the mind first learns things by getting inside them1 by being what it studies40 ,the child's imagination is not capable of creating new situations1 it simply enables him to reproduce the actions of other people in familiar ones4 ,he mirrors the world as he understands it4 ,these expressions are entirely individualistic and usually unconscious4 ,this endeavor to mirror and imitate the life about him is a most important means by which the child educates himself4 ,evidently1 the more varied the life which he sees1 the more variety will enter into his play1 and the broader will be the child's intelligence4 ,from three years to about six1 the dramatic impulse expresses itself largely in the form of make-believe4 ,the individual creates a play-self living in a play-world4 ,he begins now and continues with increasing power to imitate the idea rather than the thing4 ,the baby could imitate the gestures and tones of his father4 ,a child in this period plays that he is a father4 ,when playing with dolls or soldiers1 the child of this era transforms not only the dolls or soldiers and the nursery into an imaginary world full of the people which the dolls or soldiers represent1 but he transforms himself into the parent of the dolls or the captain of the soldiers4 ,the following list of the plays of the larger boys of a ,california kindergarten during their recreation period illustrates how the play-world enlarges by the time the child has reached his fourth or fifth year3 ,october #bdth1 ,policeman2 #beth1 ,policeman and ,hunters2 #bfth1 ,wild ,horses1 ,hunters1 and ,salvation ,army2 #cjth1 ,butcher and ,house2 ,november #ast1 ,butcher1 ,jail2 #b;d1 ,hunting1 ,cars1 ,circus2 #c;d1 ,butcher1 ,band1 ,procession2 #fth1 ,band1 ,ladder1 ,steamer and ,circus2 #gth1 ,ladder1 played with as ,steam-engine1 and ,circus-train2 #hth1 ,ladder1 played with as ,pipe-organ1 and then ,wood-saw2 #ajth1 ,ladder1 as a ,steamer2 #acth1 ,dragon2 #adth1 ,wild ,pig2 #aeth1 ,wild ,hog2 #afth1 ,wild ,hog1 ,train1 ,indians2 #agth1 ,wild ,hog1 ,indians2 #bjth1 ,merry-go-round2 #bast1 ,cars2 #bb;d1 ,circus and ,menagerie2 #bc;d1 ,policeman2 #bdth1 ,cars2 #bhth1 ,horse2 ,december #eth1 ,electric ,light ,men1 ,noah's ,ark2 #fth1 ,electric ,light ,men1 ,circus2 #gth1 ,wild ,horse1 ,bear1 ,robbers and ,policeman1 ,electric ,launch1 ,steamer and ,boats1 ,indians2 #hth1 ,indians2 #aath1 ,santa ,claus1 ,wild ,horse1 ,store1 ,street-watering ,carts2 #abth1 ,teams of ,horses1 ,telephone4 ,this list of things that children can do without adult guidance may be helpful to some mother who is called upon to kindle the imagination of her young child by suggestions4 8,making believe10 says ,stevenson1 8is the gist of his whole life1 and he cannot so much as take a walk except in character4 ,i could not learn my alphabet without some suitable mise-en-scne1 and had to act a business man in an office before ,i could sit down to my book40 ,and he gives this thoroughly boyish illustration from his own childhood3 8,when my cousin and ,i took our porridge of a morning1 we had a device to enliven the course of the meal4 ,he ate his with sugar1 and explained it to be a country continually buried under snow4 ,i took mine with milk1 and explained it to be a country suffering gradual inundation4 ,you can imagine us exchanging bulletins2 how here an island was still unsubmerged1 here a valley not yet covered with snow2 what inventions were made2 how his population lived in cabins on perches and traveled on stilts1 and how mine was always in boats2 how the interest grew furious1 as the last corner of safe ground was cut off on all sides and grew smaller every moment2 and how1 in fine1 the food was of altogether secondary importance1 and might even have been nauseous1 so long as we seasoned it with these dreams40 ,in another place he says3 8,we need pickles nowadays to make ,wednesday's cold mutton please our ,friday appetite2 but ,i can remember the time when to call it red venison1 and tell myself a hunter's story1 would have made it more palatable than the best of sauces4 ,to a grown person cold mutton is cold mutton all the world over2 not all the mythology ever invented by man will make it better or worse to him2 the broad fact1 the clamant world1 of the mutton carries away before it such seductive figments4 ,but for the child it still is possible to weave an enchantment from eatables2 and1 if he has but read of a dish in a storybook1 it will be heavenly manna to him for a week40 ,the thing that is behind this making-believe seems to be a certain hunger to realize life to its fullest4 ,sully gives this winsome anecdote to illustrate the realizing power of play3 8,one day two sisters said to one another1 #8,let us play being sisters4' ,this might well sound insane enough to hasty ears2 but is it not really eloquent8 ,to me it suggests that the girls felt they were not realizing their sisterhood1 enjoying all the possible sweets of it as they wanted to--perhaps there had been a quarrel and a supervening childish coldness4 ,and they felt too that the way to get this more vivid sense of what they were1 or ought to be1 one to the other1 was by playing the part1 by acting a scene in which they would come close to one another in warm1 sympathetic fellowship40 ,this kind of play is individualistic at the beginning and gradually becomes social4 ,by and by the little child wishes for comradeship4 ,if he has no human companions1 he usually engages in the pathetic make-believe of inventing an imaginary playmate1 with whom he often lives continuously4 ,this sort of expression is as ancient as it is universal4 ,the toys with which children have rebuilt an ideal world have been discovered in the ruins of every buried city4 ,children show this faculty of imagining themselves other persons in other circumstances not only in play1 but in story-telling4 ,it seems to be true that a child imagines himself the hero of every story that he hears or reads1 and every normal child acts out afterward most of the stories he hears or the drama he witnesses4 8,something happens as we desire to have it happen to ourselves10 says ,stevenson2 8some situation1 that we have long dallied with in fancy1 is realized in the story with enticing and appropriate details4 ,then we forget the characters2 then we push the hero aside2 then we plunge into the tale in our own person and bathe in fresh experiences2 and then1 and then only1 do we say we have been reading a romance40 ,many children go even further and perform continuations of such dramas of their own invention1 or play for an entire winter successive chapters of a favorite story4 ,another way of creating a world of fancy is by playing grown-up4 ,this is1 of course1 a reproduction1 as far as the child's powers permit1 of literal adult activities1 with1 however1 somewhat more of the imaginative element4 ,dr4 ,g4 ,stanley ,hall calls attention to the fact that1 while little children will imitate animals1 there soon comes a time when they cease to do so and imitate only human beings3 during childhood those who perform the more active occupations2 during adolescent those who express what are to them the ideals of character4 ,the little child rolls up a piece of paper1 and imitates the action of his father when smoking a cigarette4 ,but the growing boy smokes a real cigarette1 so that he may feel himself a man4 ,this expression of imagination is sometimes innocent and pleasant2 but1 where it is a copying of adult follies1 an endeavor to enter adult experiences too soon1 it gives us a race of blas young-old persons who have no laid-up treasures4 ,,its ,,expression ,,in ,,middle ,,childhood ,during middle childhood1 from six to nine1 the interest in dramatic play continues to be strong4 ,but the comparative meagerness of the imagination during this period makes the playmate more of a necessity than in preceding years4 ,in early childhood the tendency to create playmates is so strong that the child enjoys playing alone4 ,during the self-assertive years between six and nine1 however1 the child plays1 more or less quarrelsomely1 with others1 taking them in as characters of his mimic world and enriching his own play by their conjunct imaginativeness4 ,this explains why the leader of the gang is usually the most resourceful individual in the group1 since he is the one who is depended upon to successfully conduct their imaginative play4 ,the welcome occasionally extended to adult leadership in youthful gangs has this same explanation3 the adult keeps thinking of something new to do when the resourcefulness of his juniors runs dry4 ,but adult supervision should not prevent the child from using his constructive instinct which is fast developing during this period4 ,it can aid the expression of the dramatic impulse in the creation of costumes1 properties1 etc41 for the representations of characters and scenes from myths and stories4 ,the reading should now be made wide enough to include many models for the child's dramatic play4 ,a certain amount of dependence upon himself for the construction of his playthings assists in calling forth ingenuity4 ,some years ago1 in ,chicago1 an ,italian boy is said to have invented the 8pushmobile0 or 8autoped10 as it is variously called1 which1 though repressed then by the city authorities1 is to-day such a delight to our boys and girls4 ,this invention has been described as follows3 8,he took a board1 about four feet long1 and fastened half a roller skate to each end4 ,to one end of the upper side he fastened a soap box4 ,then steadying himself by means of the box and putting one foot on the board and propelling himself with the other he went zip6 ,the speed attained was almost incredible4 ,the boy next door caught sight of him in his flight and looked about for a board1 a roller skate and a soap box4 ,then the boy across the street caught the idea1 and before many days there were #aj1jjj pushmobiles in the city of ,chicago4 ,the advantage of the pushmobile was 7we are obliged to use the past tense for it has been suppressed7 that it was invented1 manufactured1 and perfected by the boys themselves4 ,it was distinctly the creation of the city boy1 the offspring of cement walks and asphalt pavements4 ,it could not have come into being in the country4 ,it represented ingenuity1 resourcefulness1 industry1 and progress40 ,the writer might have added1 it represented in most distinct form the dramatic instinct4 ,one reason why playground leaders have begun to add theatricals to the play-shelters connected with the ,chicago playgrounds is because they believe that the origination called forth by story-playing will overcome the dead inertia of the oversupervised and overdictated playgrounds4 ,it is through environment and the adequate supply of implements1 rather than direction1 that the dramatic impulse of these years can best be developed4 ,there is 8imitation of nearly every occupation or custom known to children10 says ,johnson in ,education by ,plays and ,games4 ,he lists 8such plays as firemen1 expressmen1 conductors1 soldiers1 ,indians1 cowboys1 store1 school1 house1 doll play of infinite variety1 traveling1 calling1 party10 as typical of middle childhood4 ,they suggest to us an important use of the dramatic impulse during the period when the child is becoming acquainted with the world outside his home4 ,,its ,,expression ,,in ,,later ,,childhood ,there comes a time in the life of most children1 at about the tenth year1 when they take pleasure in expressing dramatic ideas to an audience4 ,the earliest expression of this instinct in the two previous eras was individualistic2 this is social4 ,the other two were quite unconscious2 this is self-conscious from the beginning4 ,such expression of the dramatic instinct would seem to have a close relation to and be a preparation for the theatrical profession4 ,on the contrary1 however1 the desire for dramatic expression belongs to children who have the very slightest dramatic ability4 ,its organized expression1 instead of encouraging young people to become professional actors1 usually quite satisfies that fever and is somewhat of an antidote for it4 ,the plays1 therefore1 include attempts at circus-playing1 minstrel shows1 wild ,west shows1 etc4 ,the constructive instinct is now so well developed that rather elaborate 8properties0 can be made to help stage these productions4 ,the intense physical activity of this 8,big-,injun0 age makes such imitative plays as ,indian1 hunter1 trapper1 etc41 especially appealing4 ,though the main ideas for these plays and for those given before an audience have been gained from observation and reading1 there is much originality and creativeness exhibited if the dramatic instinct has been allowed to develop in previous years4 ,in later childhood and youth young people begin to organize themselves into clubs and societies1 which represent the people and customs of another age or the social organizations of adults4 ,this instinct is seen even among grown people in the secret lodges1 where men1 who have apparently outgrown the play spirit1 find a genuine satisfaction in being known as 8knights10 engaging in secret rites reproductive of magic and mystery1 and banding themselves into fraternities which bring down the names1 traditions and ideals of medival guilds and chivalric orders4 ,while this third era is later than the second1 it does not supersede it1 but lives alongside of it4 ,the desire to appear before an audience persists usually only as there are easy opportunities for doing so1 but the youth of unspoiled fancy continues all his life long to create imaginary people and to live in a world of ideals4 ,it is thus that he is able to keep the spirit of youth by which he can sympathize with those of the younger generation1 and continue to hope and have faith even when the world appears to be too much for him4 ,the matter of actual dramatic impersonation is but a small and temporary part of the range of the dramatic instinct4 ,this paper touches upon it1 but does not emphasize it4 ,the dramatic instinct is too large1 too useful1 too inspiring to be confined to occasional forensic or theatrical performances4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,educational ,,value ,,of ,,this ,,instinct ,two thirds of all play is dramatic play4 ,those who believe in the educational value of play must1 therefore1 not neglect this phase of it4 ,the child who engages in dramatic play reproduces and enacts1 and so realizes the ideas around him4 ,he so focuses imagination that what would otherwise be vague pictures are made real by his own activity4 8,dramatic work10 says ,gesell1 8organizes the child's thinking4 ,the simple and imperfect images of childhood are vivified and crystallized by being transformed into the movements which express them1 and a child emerges from dramatic representation fortified in his mental imagery40 ,a child who tries to 8act a horse10 as ,mrs4 ,gruenberg tells us1 will be much more apt to notice all the different activities and habits of the horse than a child who observes passively4 8,the child10 says ,dr4 ,gesell1 8does not smile when he is glad1 but fairly dances with joy4 ,he does not shed a few tears when he is unhappy1 but kicks and shakes with his grief4 ,the opportunity to make use of his whole body in the expression of his feeling1 which he is compelled to do in dramatic interpretation1 will serve to equalize and conserve his moral strength4 ,emotional expression1 although dependent upon instinct1 must not be left to chance4 ,instinct and emotion are as capable of organization as motor and mental processes40 ,one writer 7,anne ,throop ,craig7 suggests the use of the dramatic impulse instead of the usual school gymnastics as a means of relaxation1 since it involves the use of the child's whole body4 8,let them act a little play10 she says4 8,let them make it up on the spur of the moment40 ,what we remember best is that which we learned dramatically4 8,the fact acted out is the fact remembered10 says ,mrs4 ,herts4 ,what we remember out of books is that which we have in some fashion ourselves reproduced4 ,our memories of the ,bible even are chiefly those related to some dramatic event1 such as the ritual of the church1 a revival or some dramatic method which was used incidentally or purposefully in our ,bible study4 ,letting the children act out such stories as those of ,moses1 ,joseph and ,samuel1 as is being done in many of our church schools to-day1 not only arouses interest but helps to fix the knowledge of the ,bible's wonderful hero stories firmly in their minds4 8,that which the child understands10 says ,gesell1 8must bear an intimate and personal relation4 ,just as he must take into his hands the concrete thing he studies1 and by physical contact understand it1 so1 to understand thought1 emotion1 character1 he must assimilate them1 lose himself in them1 and become for the time being that thing which he interprets4 ,through such interpretation the child touches heights and depths which otherwise might never enter into his experience4 ,life becomes larger as he learns to lay aside his own limitations and put himself in the other man's place4 ,he need not wait to enlist in the army to become a soldier1 nor carry a real gun to acquire a martial step4 ,he need not do wrong himself in order to know the remorse of wrongdoing40 ,a child who merely reads about a foreign people gathers only a dull catalog of external facts1 which he soon forgets2 but the child who puts on a foreign costume and endeavors to imitate the actions of its owner begins to get from his experiences the feeling which the other has4 8,recently ,i went into a practice school connected with the ,university of ,chicago10 writes ,president ,faunce1 8where ,i saw the children gathered round a teacher who was reading to them the poem of #8,hiawatha1' and their eyes were wide with wonder4 ,then they went over into the ,field ,columbian ,museum and saw the materials of ,indian life1 the tents and the wampum1 the feathers and the moccasins1 and all the utensils of the ,indian household4 ,then they returned and modeled in clay an ,indian village1 with ,hiawatha at one end of it1 and all over it the marks of the creative imagination40 ,in contrast1 ,dr4 ,faunce says3 8,i too learned #8,hiawatha1' side by side with ,mr4 ,colburn's ingenuities4 ,i could spell the name of every tree in ,hiawatha's forest1 but would not have known one of them if ,i had seen it4 ,i could pronounce the name of every beast on the ,american continent or in ,noah's ark1 but knew nothing about any one of them40 ,says ,o',shea3 8,every personality he assumes stretches his own in one direction or another1 enriches it perhaps1 or at least broadens it4 ,through personation one gets the point of view of others2 he discovers how it feels in a broad sense to do as they do1 and is put in a way to sympathize with them4 ,again1 when the child creates an environment1 and then reacts upon it1 he is really pre-adjusting himself to that environment40 ,the child who engages in dramatic expression not only visualizes more clearly1 but more practically4 8,a child with imagination10 as ,mrs4 ,gruenberg says1 8can picture to himself what he is expected to do1 and easily translates his instructions into action4 ,to the unimaginative child the directions given will be so many words1 and he cannot carry out his instructions so effectively40 ,this resourcefulness is important4 ,it is the unimaginative child who is always wailing1 8,what shall ,i do now80 ,the child who plays dramatically can be whatever he likes1 and have whatever he likes1 and always has something to do4 ,and in later life it stands to reason that it will be the men and women who have habitually seen with their imaginations1 who have visualized unexpected situations1 who will display 8faculty0 and effectiveness4 ,this is real education4 ,the dramatic instinct brings out a number of traits of very great value4 ,it develops initiative and ingenuity and resourcefulness4 ,it helps make clear the difference between the imaginary and the real4 ,it helps one to acquire unconsciousness of self1 grace of demeanor and the correct use of the voice4 ,it develops the power of action in groups and of ready and unselfish cooperation4 ,it relates itself to ,english1 elocution1 drawing1 and shop work1 and is as important in its inspiring effect upon craftsmanship1 in the making of costumes1 scenery1 and stage effects1 as upon the acting itself4 ,the portrayal of scenes from polite life helps politeness1 and to imitate a courteous character tends toward the habit of courtesy4 8,a book on manners and customs will be little used until the child needs the information which it contains to portray some character40 ,an interest in literature may first be aroused through the stimulation of the dramatic instinct4 ,robert ,browning1 in his poem 8,development10 tells how his father1 by acting out with him the story of the ,iliad1 and then suggesting that he might himself find out more about it through reading such and such a book in the library1 aroused in him the intense love of the classics which was his through life4 ,it has also an important part in helping to forecast a child's future4 8,i fancy an individual standing hesitant at the center of a great circle1 the circle of his possibilities10 says ,mrs ,howard ,braucher4 8,one small amount of that circle1 a part of his potential life1 he actually lives--the dramatic instinct is the key which admits him to at least a glimpse of what the rest might have been40 ,of what the rest may be1 she might have said1 because the full expression of the dramatic instinct has often inspired a child with courage to enter the entire circle of his possibilities4 ,like all human instincts1 the dramatic instinct may be misused4 ,it must not be confused with dramatic talent1 which is a special gift bestowed upon only a few4 ,the dramatic impulse in children1 as ,joseph ,lee says1 is 8not the impulse toward dramatics in the grown-up sense--toward representing to other people what is passing in the actor's mind4 ,it is1 rather1 the converse of this1 being the method whereby children make clear to themselves what they suppose to be in the minds of other people and of other things1 or of what is dimly passing in their own40 ,the educational value1 therefore1 of the instinct1 lies not in producing finished dramatic products1 but in cultivating the child's imagination through expression4 ,,the ,,moral ,,value ,,of ,,this ,,instinct ,the moral values are even greater than the educational4 ,the dramatic instinct is1 in the main1 a wholesome outlet to a child's energies4 8,good imagination10 says ,kirtley1 8is good hygiene40 ,the child ceases to be an obstreperous nuisance who has some imaginative task to perform4 ,through taking his part1 perhaps a minor one1 in dramatic play1 he learns to cooperate unselfishly with others4 ,acting itself develops a sense of humor which tends toward a sympathetic philosophy of life4 ,dramatic play tends to make the sympathetic attitude continuous4 ,the adult whom you love because she is so sympathetic is sympathetic because she has imagination1 because she can put herself imaginatively in your place4 ,the only child or the child brought up by a private tutor lacks sympathy because he has had so few opportunities to put himself in the place of anybody else4 ,but the great moral value of the dramatic instinct is that it gives a child the opportunity to understand moral issues by having imitative experiences of them4 8,in life10 says ,mrs4 ,herts1 8youth could hardly discern the miser1 spendthrift1 liar1 hypocrite1 egoist1 prodigal1 swindler1 gambler1 patriot1 martyr1 and all the rest4 ,each quality is disguised and mixed with others4 ,but the drama presents a large repertory of such simplified1 elemental human qualities1 admirably adjusted to the educative or apprenticeship stage of life4 ,the primitive traits1 of which human nature is made up1 can be observed and studied as a mechanic studies a machine1 part by part1 before it is put together40 ,in her play with her doll1 the little girl learns self-control4 ,because to her the doll is as real as her baby brother or sister1 she can be made to feel that she1 as its mother1 must be a good example and not lose her temper4 ,working together with others1 in later childhood1 while dramatizing a story or playing a dramatic game1 further assists the child to gain control of self with all its conflicting impulses4 ,by making work pleasurable1 the habit of industry may be rooted early in the child's life through the use of the dramatic impulse4 ,in ,education by ,plays and ,games1 ,g4 ,e4 ,johnson tells of a father who succeeded in getting his boys to pick up all the stones in a field and pile them in one spot1 by placing a large stone in the center and suggesting it as a mark for the boys to pitch stones at4 ,mrs4 ,herts illustrates the character-making power which comes from performing a noble part in a drama by the following experience3 8,we counted the months of careful1 patient training well spent when it served to bring the soul of our boy of an ,east ,side tenement into points of contact with the soul and spirit of the chivalrous young prince1 and from these points of contact to stimulate him into action4 ,what has the playing of the character of ,edward done for this boy besides affording him some months of genuine happiness8 ,it has recovered and strengthened his own will power through the stimulus of ,edward's will2 the boy had lost and so found himself in the joy and sorrow of the young ,english prince4 ,the proper direction and control of his dramatic impulse had brought him into such intimate association with young ,edward1 ,prince of ,wales1 that the thrill of ,edward's valor will forever afterward be unconsciously a part of himself1 for something struggling in his starved soul has demanded and received expression4 ,in the last act of the drama1 when the young prince1 in the rags of ,tom ,canty1 the pauper1 makes sturdy claim to his righteous throne1 it was good to see this youth of the streets raise his hand with natural dignity1 and1 when ,lord ,seymour1 with selfish motive1 would oppose him1 cry out1 #8,hold1 ,lord ,seymour1 and stand not in the way when ,god brings right6'0 ,it is believed the occasional performance of even an unworthy character has a certain purgative moral effect4 ,referring to the influence of playing the unpleasant part of ,minna in 8,little ,lord ,fauntleroy10 ,mrs4 ,herts says3 8,a number of nice girls who had played ,minna formerly had fallen into the error of wearing plumed picture-hats and transparent waists to business4 ,one does not like to tell a nice girl that she cannot secure the respect of good business men while unsuitably dressed for her work4 ,the social worker who1 with the best intention1 intrudes personal advice because those he desires to help chance to reside on lower ,east ,broadway instead of upper ,fifth ,avenue merely displays poor taste and is inapt to alter a mistaken point of view in a matter so vital to all young girls as clothes4 ,the use of dramatic instinct to stir the girl's imagination to the realization that the quiet garments of ,mrs4 ,errol clothe the body of a woman whose qualities of mind and soul the girl desires to emulate1 while ,minna's gaudy apparel clothes the body of a woman whom the girl has grown to understand but not to admire1 proved with us to be a very legitimate use of the primitive impulse to truly educational ends40 8,in taking a part in which there is evil10 adds ,frederica ,beard1 8it is quite possible that a young actor will see the outcome of a bad deed1 as it is not possible for him to see it immediately in life4 ,he may discern the workings of conscience in the character he represents1 or he may have to bear the consequences of wrongdoing4 ,if neither of these things is depicted in the play1 then the character is not one to be played by young people40 8,the development of expression through the right service of the dramatic instinct 444 will serve to stimulate discrimination1 a quick eye and hand and heart with added taste for the beautiful1 while development in responsiveness to the best and noblest people and things of all the ages will create taste and discrimination in the choice of individual surroundings1 deeds1 actions1 and ambitions0 7,mrs4 ,herts74 ,,the ,,inspirational ,,value ,,of ,,this ,,instinct ,mr4 ,lee says that 8the first really important shock that comes to a young man's religious sentiment in this world is the number of bored-looking people around1 doing right40 ,perhaps our greatest moral task with young folks is to persuade them that it is not only wise to be good1 but happy to be good4 ,if we are going to do this1 we must reveal to them larger sources of joy4 8,so many of our children to-day10 ,mrs4 ,braucher says1 8are somehow missing the childlike fancy1 the buoyant self-forgetfulness1 which comes from living in a half-real world4 ,perhaps they are poor rich children with mechanical toys and so many opportunities to see stupendous productions of the old fairy tales behind real footlights that the home plays seem crude4 ,perhaps they are rich poor children who live so close to the pain and the burden and the specter that the airy forms of fairy life have quite flitted away4 ,or1 perhaps1 they are just normal healthy children whose childlike realism1 for want of the suggestive touch of fancy1 has shut out the dim fairy figures--whoever they are1 wherever they are1 do you want them to lose this unreal1 very real part of their lives8 ,books and stories will help--will plant the seed--but only the appeal to the dramatic instinct will cause it to blossom as the rose40 ,dramatic play prevents the emotional nature from becoming inert1 and thus keeps the possibility of joyousness forever alive4 ,it retains the imagination and fancy that are so essential to perpetual youth4 ,it is the only possible door to romance and mystery that will remain open for many4 ,it satisfies the human craving to realize the meaning of life regardless of its environment4 ,it is the best way to have life and to have it more abundantly4 ,says ,mrs4 ,herts3 8,a majority of young people as well as children experience a hunger of the soul to live out impulses denied expression in their personal lives4 ,eternal ,personality restricts and shapes us into the limits of our environment4 ,youth chafes against such limit4 ,the impulses of humanity stir beyond the reach of mere personality1 time1 and circumstance4 ,johnnie wants to be a pirate1 ,miss ,smith a queen1 young ,harry a martyr4 ,this is nature's provision against spiritual isolation4 ,this hunger of the soul for experience is as elemental a demand for nourishment as the hunger of the body for food4 ,the dramatic instinct is an expression of this elemental hunger40 ,continuing she says3 8,it is the common1 ordinary1 free heritage of every child1 unconsciously operative in every human being from the cradle to the grave4 ,it is among the great basic forces whereby ,god shapes humanity4444 ,it is the force which makes the soldier on the battlefield grasp his country's flag1 and raising it high above his head1 cry out1 #8,on to victory1' even though that victory includes the death of his own body4 ,it sustains the monk in his vigils1 the statesman in his patriotism1 the preacher in his pulpit40 ,in short1 it is the power by which we make real our ideals4 ,the strongest moral influence of the dramatic instinct comes in adolescence1 when it shows itself in the form of aping the manners and copying the ideals of one's personal hero4 ,o',shea gives much attention to this4 ,he calls us to notice the fact that 8children of all ages normally choose for their companions those of a dynamic nature1 who are able #8to do things4' ,persons of a static tendency1 though #8good' and #8respectable1' are not commonly emulated by the young4 ,in any community it will probably be found that men of action1 whatever this may be--men who accomplish things--become dominant in the impersonations of the young40 ,cooley1 discussing this particular point1 illustrates it in an effective way4 ,speaking of the child's love of action1 he says that 8his father sitting at his desk probably seems an inert and unattractive phenomenon1 but the man who can make shavings or dig a deep hole is a hero2 and the seemingly perverse admiration which children at a later age show for circus men and for the pirates and desperadoes they read about is to be explained in a similar manner4 ,what they want is evident power4 ,the scholar may possibly be as worthy of admiration as the acrobat or the policeman2 but the boy of ten will seldom see the matter in that light40 ,now all this is dramatic4 ,it indicates the strong tendency to copy those who are most easily copied1 namely1 those whose ideals and actions lend themselves1 because of their vigor and theatric picturesqueness1 to outward impersonation4 ,the parent is performing the highest moral service to his children who can furnish them heroic dramatic examples1 if possible by his own activities and career1 or by entering heartily with them into dramatic play of such a character as to create the illusion of adventure1 or by exposing them to wholesome persons of an age a little greater than their own who are either spectacular in act or dramatic in play4 ,,iii4 ,,summary ,during childhood1 boys and girls pass through three periods in the evolution of the dramatic instinct4 ,little children imitate people and animals in real situations1 endeavoring to mirror the world as they understand it4 ,beginning at about the third year1 they commence to create a play-self living in a play-world1 and this power of making illusions1 as the expression of the hunger to realize life to its fullest extent1 lasts as long as people live4 ,from six to nine children are eagerly becoming acquainted with the world outside the home4 ,the dramatic impulse is then expressed in the imitation of every occupation and custom known to them4 ,the developing tendency to construct aids the dramatic play4 ,parallel with this1 perhaps at about the tenth year1 comes the period when they begin to take pleasure in impersonating dramatic ideas to an audience4 ,this expression of the instinct tends to fade away after adolescence4 ,the dramatic instinct is of great educational value4 ,it helps the child to realize his world and organize his thinking4 ,he remembers best what he has learned dramatically4 ,it enlarges his experiences and enables him to put himself1 both by knowledge and sympathy1 in the other man's place4 ,it is an important factor in mastering literature and history and in becoming familiar with the spirit of other races4 ,it is extremely useful in developing resourcefulness1 and the capacity for meeting novel situations4 ,it carries interest and enthusiasm into all school subjects and helps shape the child's ideals for the future4 ,the dramatic instinct has a great moral value4 ,it gives a wholesome outlet to a child's energies2 it develops unselfishness2 it creates a sympathetic imagination2 and it gives a child the opportunity to understand moral issues by having imitative experiences of them4 ,the dramatic instinct has great inspirational value4 ,it carries fancy through life1 is the only possible door to romance for many1 and furnishes through hero-worship1 the strongest possible incentives to keep noble ideals4 ,the final intent of the dramatic instinct is that it should minister to fullness of life4 ,we remember how ,pollyanna1 by finding something glad in every circumstance1 succeeded not only in glorifying1 but in actually transforming an existence that promised to be cheerless4 ,this is what the dramatic instinct may do for us4 ,not only does it conjure up illusions in which it is charming to live1 but it is so dynamic that it actually tends to change circumstances and helps reshape the world according to our dreams4 ,the stodgy soul without vision squats in the midst of literal realities1 but 8the dreamer lives forever40 ,,references#b #b ,books recommended in this pamphlet may be secured through the publishers of the pamphlet4 ,the principal sources for this monograph are as follows3 ,,studies ,,of ,,childhood4 ,james ,sully4 ,contains an excellent chapter upon 8,the ,age of ,imagination40 ,,child',s ,,play4 ,robert ,louis ,stevenson4 ,a wonderfully incisive little study of the imaginative play of childhood from his 8,virginibus ,puerisque40 ,,the ,,children',s ,,educational ,,theatre4 ,alice ,minnie ,herts4 ,contains an excellent series of chapters upon the dramatic instinct4 ,,the ,,individual ,,in ,,the ,,making4 ,e4 ,a4 ,kirkpatrick4 ,gives full recognition to imagination at each stage of the child's development4 ,,your ,,child ,,to-,,day ,,and ,,to-,,morrow4 ,mrs4 ,zidonie ,m4 ,gruenberg4 ,a good chapter on imagination4 ,,the ,,normal ,,child ,,and ,,primary ,,education4 ,arnold ,l4 and ,beatrice ,chandler ,gesell4 ,contains an excellent chapter on 8,dramatic ,expression10 showing how to utilize this instinct with children up to six years of age4 ,,problems ,,of ,,dramatic ,,play4 ,mrs4 ,howard ,s4 ,braucher4 ,a pamphlet emphasizing the value of this instinct and giving lists of story-plays and dramas for children4 ,,the ,,spirit ,,of ,,youth ,,and ,,city ,,streets4 ,jane ,addams4 ,a plea for the drama in the development of child life4 ,,play ,,in ,,education4 ,joseph ,lee4 ,an excellent characterization of childhood1 with special reference to the dramatic instinct in ,chapters ,,xvii to ,,xxi4 ,,education ,,by ,,plays ,,and ,,games4 ,george ,e4 ,johnson4 ,contains a list of dramatic games characteristic of each period of childhood4 ,,psychology ,,of ,,childhood4 ,norsworthy and ,whitley4 ,contains many good suggestions upon the development and value of dramatic expression4 ,,the ,,development ,,of ,a ,,dramatic ,,element ,,in ,,education4 ,anne ,throop ,craig4 ,a suggestive article in ,the ,pedagogical ,seminary for ,march1 #aijh4 ,,the ,,american ,,home ,,series ,,norman ,e4 ,,richardson1 ,editor #a4 ,,the ,,nation',s ,,challenge ,,to ,,the ,,home #b4 ,,how ,,one ,,real ,,mother ,,lives ,,with ,,her ,,children #c4 ,,parenthood ,,and ,,heredity #d4 ,,the ,,roots ,,of ,,disposition ,,and ,,character #e4 ,,the ,,first ,,year ,,in ,a ,,baby',s ,,life #f4 ,,thumb-,,sucking #g4 ,,the ,,education ,,of ,,the ,,baby ,,until ,,it ,,is ,,one ,,year ,,old #h4 ,,first ,,steps ,,toward ,,character #i4 ,,the ,,second ,,and ,,third ,,years #aj4 ,,the ,,education ,,of ,,the ,,child ,,during ,,the ,,second ,,and ,,third ,,years #aa4 ,,the ,,mother ,,as ,,playfellow 7,,years ,,one1 ,,two1 ,,and ,,three7 #ab4 ,,the ,,problems ,,of ,,temper #ac4 ,,the ,,problems ,,of ,,fighting #ad4 ,,the ,,government ,,of ,,young ,,children #ae4 ,,the ,,punishment ,,of ,,children #af4 ,,the ,,home ,,kindergarten #ag4 ,,the ,,religious ,,nurture ,,of ,a ,,little ,,child 7,,years ,,four ,,and ,,five7 #ah4 ,,the ,,nervous ,,child #ai4 ,,on ,,truth ,,telling ,,and ,,the ,,problem ,,of ,,children',s ,,lies #bj4 ,,the ,,government ,,of ,,children ,,between ,,six ,,and ,,twelve #ba4 ,,the ,,dramatic ,,instinct ,,in ,,children #bb4 ,,dramatics ,,in ,,the ,,home #bc4 ,,table ,,talk ,,in ,,the ,,home #bd4 ,,sunday ,,in ,,the ,,home #be4 ,a ,,year ,,of ,,good ,,sundays #bf4 ,,the ,,picture-,,hour ,,in ,,the ,,home #bg4 ,,story-,,telling ,,in ,,the ,,home #bh4 ,,music ,,in ,,the ,,home #bi4 ,,training ,,in ,,thrift #cj4 8,,what ,,to ,,say0 ,,in ,,telling ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,life',s ,,renewal #ca4 ,,sex ,,discipline ,,for ,,boys ,,in ,,the ,,home #cb4 ,,youth',s ,,outlook ,,upon ,,life #cc4 ,,building ,,for ,,womanhood #cd4 ,,rhythm ,,and ,,recreation ,,prices ,,will ,,be ,,furnished ,,on ,,application ,transcriber's ,note3 ,punctuation has been standardised4 ,page #bf remember how ,pollyana changed to remember how ,pollyanna