NATURAL
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WIN! I RED SACKVILLE S i DM i : 1 1
CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH SERIES
THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
NATURAL EDUCATION
NATURAL EDUCATION
By
WINIFRED SACKVILLE STONER
CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH SERIES
EDITED BY M. V. O'SHEA
Professor of Education, The University of Wisconsin
JD27
INDIANAPOLIS
THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY
PUBLISHERS
COPYRIGHT 1914
THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY
PRESS Ot-
BRAUNWORTH & CO.
BOOKBINDERS AND PRINTERS
BROOKLYN, N. V.
Ed. - ?sych.
Library
EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION
During the last three or four years, the newspapers
and magazines of the country have given much space
to the discussion of a group of so-called precocious
children. Probably no one in this group has received
more attention than Winifred Sackville Stoner, Jr.
Her reported abilities have been analyzed by teachers
and students of child development; and there has
been a wide-spread desire to have more accurate and
intimate knowledge of her actual attainments and her
education than could be obtained through the public
press. The writer of these lines, in projecting this se-
ries of volumes on Childhood and Youth, determined
to secure a book, if possible, describing the training
and abilities of Miss Stoner. With this end in view,
he, in company with Dean Chambers of the University
of Pittsburgh, paid a visit to the Stoner family in
Pittsburgh, during the summer of 1913. Contrary
to their expectations, they found young Miss Stoner
far above the typical child of her age in physical vigor
and stamina. At first glance she looked more like a
child of nature than an intellectual prodigy. During
the interview, and at the request of the visitors, she
gave an exhibition of her linguistic, musical and
artistic ability. She also recited some of her original
jingles, constructed for the purpose of helping her
remember dates and facts in history, rules in language
and mathematics, and so on.
The visitors were so favorably impressed with the
child's development, which seemed entirely natural
although exceptional, that they both thought an ac-
count of her training should in some manner be put
into print, so that parents, teachers and students of
EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION
child nature and education could have access to it.
So the writer proposed to Mrs. Stoner, who has been
the girl's chief teacher, that she should write this
book. She was told that what was wanted was a
simple, informal, concrete and unbiased statement of
just what methods she employed in the training of her
daughter which had produced such unusual results.
"Tell the story in your book just as you are telling it
to me," said the writer. "Be perfectly frank about
it, even if you do rebel against bringing your do-
mestic affairs into such publicity. Your daughter has
already been discussed in the papers anyway, and it
has really become necessary for you to describe how
she has been trained in order to correct erroneous
impressions, and to put a stop to certain wild conjec-
tures which are circulating through the press."
So after some urging, Mrs. Stoner agreed to pre-
pare this volume. She has succeeded in doing what
was requested of her. She has given an intimate and
detailed account of the methods she has used with her
daughter, from the cradle up to the ninth or tenth
year. She has done this in a wholly unaffected man-
ner, and in an optimistic, cheerful and gracious spirit.
During the last few years, several persons who have
trained precocious children have appeared in print in
condemnation of prevailing methods of education in
the home and in the school. There appears to be a
strange influence which a precocious child exerts upon
his parents and teachers. They contract an almost
morbid hostility to existing educational institutions
and those who administer them. Their books are full
of denunciation and bitterness. But there is not a
word of this sort of thing in the present volume. Mrs.
Stoner's book is wholly constructive and suggestive.
She is writing on natural education, and she has made
EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION
her treatment illustrative of the thing that she is
writing about. She has had very unusual opportuni-
ties for travel and for reading in educational and gen-
eral literature, which fact will be readily apparent to
any one who may read this book.
Probably every reader of these lines is familiar with
Rousseau's mile. The plans for the education of
this mythical boy have exerted an extraordinary in-
fluence upon educational theory in many countries.
But Rousseau's book is purely theoretical. It was
probably written behind a desk, without any actual
contact with children. Mrs. Stoner's book is written
in as attractive a style as &m&e; and it has the ad-
vantage of being an account of what has actually been
accomplished, rather than an exposition of what an
educational philosopher thinks would be desirable in
bringing up a child. It is not beyond reason to expect
that the present volume will do for the practise of
teaching in home and in school what Iimile has done
for the theory of education.
Natural Education will be found to be a treasure
house of practical devices for getting children to
master useful knowledge in the play spirit. It would
not be appropriate here to enter into a psychological
analysis of Mrs. Stoner's methods and results; but it
will be appropriate to point out that she has shown
exceptional resourcefulness in devising captivating
games of a competitive kind, to carry on which in-
volves the learning of facts of educational value. The
present writer has no doubt that Winifred Stoner's
rapid learning of the usual branches of education has
been due in large part to the fact that her play life
has involved the use of subjects of educational value,
while the typical child does not have an opportunity
to play games in which he can utilize his geography
EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION
or Latin or history or geometry or spelling, or any-
thing of the kind.
There is no attempt in this volume to discuss the
question of the desirability of early mastery of the
formal subjects of study. There will probably be
some readers who will doubt the wisdom of teaching
certain things as early as Mrs. Stoner taught them to
her daughter. But it is not at all vital to the success
of the methods employed whether they are used the
first year of age, or deferred to the fifth year. The
problem of the age at which a particular thing should
be taught is relatively immaterial, as far as the mat-
ters presented in this book are concerned. The pur-
pose has been to describe these methods, and to indi-
cate how they have worked out in the case of a par-
ticular child. They would in all likelihood work out
in much the same way with any child, though they
might have to be postponed to a somewhat later age,
and employed oftener and impressed by more fre-
quent repetitions. Again, the question of inherited
ability has not been considered in this volume. Doubt-
less some persons will think that Winifred Stoner's
development has been due, in considerable part, to
inherited genius. The settlement of this question
would be of relatively little value for the parent or
teacher, because the methods which have proved suc-
cessful with the subject of this book would unques-
tionably be of value in the training of all children,
though they might not profit by them as fully or as
readily as has Winifred Stoner.
M. V. O'SHEA.
Madison, Wisconsin.
PREFACE
At the beginning of this century benevolent people
were supposed to be engaged in building churches and
founding universities for young men and women, but
outside of helping to maintain asylums nothing was
ever done for children. Now the young child is a
topic of interest to philanthropists as well as to all
mothers. Children are being guarded not alone from
physical dangers, but wise men and women are look-
ing into the child's intellectual and moral welfare.
The subject of early child training through en-
vironment and play methods seems to be one of vital
interest to most parents. Mothers who realize that
the glory of their country, as well as the happiness of
their children, depends upon the child's earliest train-
ing, are giving up bridge parties and pink teas while
striving to direct their little ones into paths leading
to happiness and success.
During the last five years I have received hundreds
of letters from mothers living in all parts of the
world, who have asked for information concerning
the methods used in training my little daughter, Wini-
fred Sackville Stoner, Jr., so that she was able to
write jingles and stories for newspapers and maga-
zines at the age of five years.
I have devoted many hours in striving to answer
these letters so that the inquiring mothers could have
some idea of natural educational methods, but it has
been impossible to give full explanations to each
mother.
In response to the plea that I give my ideas to the
world in book form, I hesitated, not wishing to use
PREFACE
my child as an illustrative example of an educational
system. All mothers can sympathize with Mere Cor-
beau who thought her own crowlets so wondrously
fair, and as mothers they can realize my difficult posi-
tion in striving to speak of the apple of my eye as a
psychological problem.
However, as mothers continue to ask me for infor-
mation, I feel it is my duty to help them make the
pathway to knowledge one of pleasure rather than
drudgery. With this object in view and because I
dearly love children and long to see them happy in
the pursuit of knowledge, I am trying to tell how I
trained my little daughter, who is not a genius (as
some believe) but only a healthy, normal, happy child
possessed of unusual physical strength and more
knowledge than most children of her age through the
help of living close to "Mother Nature," and in the
company of the great giants "Observation" and "Con-
centration," and the spritely fairy "Interest," assisted
by mortals' best friend, "Imagination."
W. S. S.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF THE EARLY DIRECTION OF
TENDENCIES OR TALENTS 1
Every child born with a talent Retarding
mental development The temperamental and in-
tellectual genius "Insanity of genius" Modera-
tion in all things Great men show talents in
youth Educational ideas of Professor James
Thomson Fate of precocious children Mental
work and physical strength Opinion of Doctor
Boris Sidis What Spencer says New products
of early education Cooperation of parents
How Winifred learned to compose jingles in the
cradle.
II EARLIEST DEVELOPMENT . '". 13
Observation, concentration, interest, imagina-
tion Losing powers from disuse Parents must
lay foundation of observative and concentrative
powers "Just as the twig is bent" Senses to be
keenly developed Vergil a baby pacifier The
effect of classic poetry on a six-weeks-old baby
Effect of early impressions Developing sound
and sight Remembrance of babyhood days
Making the child acquainted with its surround-
ings Learning art in the cradle Harm done by
comic supplements Developing color sense
Boys particularly need color training Develop-
ing sight memory Game of "Little Sharp Eyes"
to protect children A balloon best for baby's
first toy Teaching the baby to keep her hands
out of her mouth Every baby should have a
brightly colored ball Keeping baby busy Effect
of change in surroundings.
III LEARNING TO TALK 27
The harm done by using "baby talk" Pro-
fessor Berle on teaching babies five-syllable
words Expressions learned in childhood cling
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PACT
to us How to talk to the baby Word building
Learning English first A secondary language
Esperanto best auxiliary tongue easily learned
in the cradle A diploma in Esperanto for a four-
year-old We know that which we impart A dire
prediction Interest in foreign lands The Junior
Peace League of America Esperanto mission-
aries Bringing the world to "shut-ins" Wini-
fred translates Mother Goose into Esperanto
Professor Guerard's opinion of this translation
The youngest teacher in Pittsburgh Old-time
airs to learn new words University students
adopting Winifred's plan to study philology
Esperanto helps to learn other languages.
IV LEARNING THROUGH NATURE'S NURSE PLAY . . 41
Child training as viewed by Professor William
James Play for a purpose Work and play de-
fined How Winifred learned the English alpha-
bet The joy of service to be learned in the
cradle A child needs self-confidence Wini-
fred's lack of conceit A stab to mother-pride
Learning to read Each child should have a li-
brary of his own Reading for a purpose Pro-
fessor M. V. O'Shea on reading Proof of this
theory Early musical training Playing "Finding
Notes" Gaining ideas of rhythm and tone
Feeding the ear on melody Music in nature
Hawaiians never tone-deaf Cordelia voices
Learning to dance.
V Music AND SPELLING . . . . . . . 56
Usual method of learning music Interesting
ways to learn music Melodies as exercises
First violin lessons The mother should cooper-
ate with her child in practising Why we should
all study music A man known by the music he
likes Bismarck's regret Learning to spell
through games Making rhymes to help in spell-
ing Learning to spell by using the typewriter
The typewriter a good fairy A hope that type-
writers may take the place of pens The pen an
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
instrument as well as the typewriter How Wini-
fred learned to write Keeping a diary Teach-
ing children to write real letters to real people.
VI LEARNING ABOUT NATURE 69
Dame Nature best teacher How Reverend Mr.
Witte taught his famous son An interesting way
to learn botany Walking in paths trod by Au-
dubon Interest in caterpillars Stories of ants,
bees, etc. Learning about beetle* A lecture on
spiders Spiders compared with insects No
great lover of nature a villain Nature used to
save children from reformatories A fund for
outings Luther Burbank on nature as a teacher
Winifred's garden Camping Mrs. Mary V.
Grice on nature Our friends in the woods The
ugly duckling and the swan Stories about
strange plants A story of the oak Largest
oaks Most famous oaks Uses of oaks The
wishing oak Children should have pets Visits
to zoos and aquariums Science through natural
play Boy Scouts and Camp-Fire Girls Playing
in the sand Playing with a globe A day in
Holland A day in England Gaining knowledge
while teaching Dolls of all nations Modeline
as a help Traveling on a map Studying physical
geography Never learned definitions Games in
the bath tub Geography card game Corre-
spondence with foreigners Teaching a lesson
about the sun and his children Winifred's ge-
ography fact book Still continues to study ge-
ography Learning geography through travel A
knowledge of God's and man's works.
VII LEARNING THROUGH STORIES, GAMES AND RHYMES 97
Stories help to educate children Acting out the
stories Use of knowledge of mythology Expe-
riences with a doubting Thomas Game to re-
member characters in mythology Learning his-
tory Rhymes help A sample history lesson No
examinations Pageants and plays without re-
hearsals Telling, instead of reading stories
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
The bones in rhyme All young children should
be taught anatomy and hygiene Facts to teach
reasoning Characters in literature made real
Making thoughts of great men her own Visit-
ing homes of noted men Other games Profit-
able knowledge.
VIII THE LEARNING OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES . . Ill
Four factors of education Reasoning powers
developed by different languages Latin in the
cradle Latin as taught in schools Prussian
method Natural method Interesting way to
study etymology Tools : a pen, blank book and
dictionary Other information thus gained
Mother Superbus wins Using live sentences
Verb life of sentence Learning English gram-
mar through Latin Game of building to show
how to construct a language Cicero's orations
and Latin songs Professor Gros' method of
teaching French Learning through teaching
Favorite books The story "Les Trois Ours"
used to teach French An original French rhyme
used to teach the use of X Reasons why pupils
use bad grammar Simple rules Games to teach
grammar Rhymes about vowels and consonants
A grammar star Useless information Prac-
tical knowledge An "Anti's" opinion of my
child Winifred's opinion of tiddledywinks.
IX EXPLORATIONS IN THE REALMS OF MATHEMATICS . 128
The study of arithmetic not interesting Wini-
fred refuses to learn "the tables" Professor
ftornbrook comes to the rescue What Professor
Hornbrook has taught Winifred Games played
to learn the relation and use of numbers Learn-
ing to add quickly through throwing dice Never
playing for more than fifteen minutes A chart
to help teach the tables Game of two step, three
step, etc. Tin soldiers in battle Playing knights
Addition and subtraction with a Japanese com-
puter A chart to learn odd and even numbers
Game of "Witch" to learn these numbers Learn-
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
ing prime and composite numbers from Eratos-
thenes' sieve Learning tables of weights and
measures by practical games Constant use of
knowledge gained Book called Explorations in
the Land of Arithmos Story told by Professor
Hornbrook put into rhyme The Giant Arithmos
Playing games with real money Playing store
Earning money to learn its value Questions in
compound interest Stop games while interest is
intense No quizzing Winifred's methods of
teaching arithmetic Cancelation as a short route
and also interesting game Gaining practical
knowledge of the price of food stuffs Foreign
currency Learning historic data concerning the
science of arithmetic Learning Roman numbers
Winifred's Roman number chart No use to
study geometry by rote Professor Hornbrook's
Concrete Geometry Winifred's description of
the Land of Matematiko.
X EDUCATIONAL AMUSEMENTS 151
Play the chief end of man Mothers amusing
children Glamour of fairy lore The dramatic
sense Moving pictures Games for sense devel-
opment Developing the bump of locality Color
games Games of chance Control of muscles
Resources within How to make things A treas-
ure box Using money to draw pictures A gift
box Short intervals for Dewing Playing with
many children rather than with one Good for
girls to play with boys Every child should have
a garden Mothers to play with children Econ-
omy in labor Learning from the Japanese Card
games Children too old to play Danger in mak-
ing mud pies Pets for playmates Each child to
have a hobby The mother to be interested in her
child's hobby The kodak as a hobby Music as
amusement Singing for long life Social clubs
Books the best amusement Directed reading A
doll-house book Sabbath the glad day Story-
telling Red-letter days in the home.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
XI CULTIVATION OF THE IMAGINATION .... 177
Imagination makes happiness Biology and
botany poor substitutes for fairy tales Imagina-
tion a help in practical affairs and in gaining hap-
piness What happens when fairies are banished
Imagination's help to great men Sir Herbert
Tree on imagination Fairy reared children more
successful than children reared on plain facts
Fairies in our home Winifred's opinions of fair-
ies Fairies as disciplinarians Stimulating the
imagination through stories and theaters Mak-
ing an egoist into an altruist Games with imag-
inary children Mechanical toys and talking dolls
stifle the creative faculty Creative toys Ha-
waiian kindergartens Castles and hopes de-
stroyed by good housekeepers Mothers complain
about children's imaginative qualities Thinking
concretely Study of astronomy develops imag-
ination Making paper gods Ignorance of fairy-
land Imagination and enthusiasm child's treasure
box An imaginative child The Montessori sys-
tem does not develop imagination What fairy
imagination does for us Even salvation depend-
ent on imagination.
XII DISCIPLINE 194
Education development of character Begin-
ning moral training in infancy Each one a trin-
ity Prolonging infancy period The parents'
power of suggestion Bad examples The influ-
ence we exert on those around us Idleness
mother of all evil No one voluntarily wicked
Self-control one of the first twigs to be bent
Temper the sign of energy The spoiled child
Self-restraint Courage Encourage sympathetic
feeling through training your child as a knight
or lady All knights must control their tongues
Parents must be knightly also The need of good
manners Babies born egoists Belief that chil-
dren are not sympathetic A story of egoism A
young knight who is not an egoist Commands
without explanations When Winifred did not
obey Lord Chesterfield on manners Habits are
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PACK
clinging Is it right to tell "white lies"? Oliver
W. Holmes on a lie The unvarnished truth
sometimes hurts Sometimes best to give indirect
answers Unselfishness Each child should work
for some purpose Genius is eternal patience
When self-respect is lost all is lost In disciplin-
ing a child never use physical punishment Her-
bert Spencer on child-training The mother and
hysteria Havoc wrought by shrill voices Re-
ligious belief in the rod Injuries to children
from corporal punishment Gives birth to re-
sentful spirit Children not naturally bad A
cure for mischievousness Never scold Our
many scolds Scolding at bedtime Only peace
angels should hover around a child's bed Harsh
words that sting Scolding mothers lose the con-
fidence of their children.
XIII PUNISHMENT THROUGH NATURAL CONSEQUENCES 218
A child understands that he brings punishment
on himself Unfulfilled promises A record chart
to help children be good Golden stars and black
marks Examination of chart Rewards and dep-
rivations Experiments have proved effective
with this chart All children must be disciplined
Never say "Don't" to a child Never say
"Must" to a child The true mother a diplomat
Solitude instead of harsh words Never allow a
child to lose respect for his parents or himself
A daughter ashamed of her mother Slovenly
women Good clothes Respect of person Van-
ity Athletics an antidote Younger children not
to wear cast-off clothes Dining with his parents
Showing a child that you trust him Respect
for property of others Never frighten a child
Case of melancholia caused by hell-fire stories
The trustful age Giving courage by example
and suggestion Taught not to be rash Fear
caused by physical condition Thoughts can make
one brave Thoughts as life companions Child
who fears his parents and God Striving not to
be a cry baby No set of prayers or man-made
creeds Teaching broad-mindedness Never al-
CONTENTS
CHAPTER pAG
low a child to say "I can't" Teaching perse-
verance through examples Showing examples of
patience to teach patience Parents make pup-
pets of children Parents' fear makes weaklings
Never refuse to answer a child's questions Do
not ridicule a child Do not deceive your child
Never tease a child Never allow any other
place to become more attractive than your home
A mother's duty to make the home pleasant
No tyrant should rule in the home Mothers
are builders of next generation.
XIV HEALTH FIRST OF ALL 245
Best food for babies "The man is what he
eats" Stomachs ruined in babyhood "Whether
life is worth living or not depends upon the liver"
No one naturally depraved Healthy individ-
uals make a healthy nation Schools to teach
mothers hygiene A genius supposed to look
sickly Many great men and women of strong
body and mind How I tried to make my child
strong Holding to a stick while being lifted
In the open Games of the bath Keeping the
twenty white horses clean Washing her dolls
Keeping a clean nose Benefits of deep breath-
ing exercises, singing and whistling Keeping
down excessive energy through exercise Cases
for the doctor and for well-directed play Hands
out of mouth No dangerous toys or amuse-
ments A home gymnasium Healthful and
amusing exercises make backbone Effect of
fear, anger, etc. Allotted life one hundred fifty
years Go to bed with a smile and smile on
awaking.
XV EUGENICS, PRENATAL INFLUENCE, ENVIRONMENT 258
Education founded by mothers Why many
great men have had inferior sons Training in
public schools Eugenics to make better citizens
Eugenics defined True eugenists Prenatal in-
fluence A rightful heritage of love and cheer
Endowing a child with good tendencies Banish-
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
merit of Demon Fear Improper clothing Hap-
piness sacrificed beneath wheels of Fashion Jug-
gernaut Quality not quantity Motherhood
should not make a woman forget her wifehood
duties Hirelings can not give a child his proper
early training Animals better parents than some
mothers Better training for horses than children
Vicious traits result of improper early training
Effect of smiles and frowns upon babies En-
vironment Preparing the nursery Are we grow-
ing uglier? Enlightened motherhood our vital
need All should be teachers Greatest purpose
to educate a child Chinese advancing since
women are being educated Destinies of nations
in hands of mothers Prosperity of a country de-
pends upon the homes Upon early training de-
pends happiness in old age.
HELPFUL LITERATURE 275
I MAGAZINES FOR CHILDREN ...... 275
II MAGAZINES FOR MOTHERS AND TEACHERS . . 275
III BOOKS WHICH HAVE HELPED WINIFRED . . 275
IV EDUCATIONAL BOOKS WHICH HAVE HELPED ME . 281
INDEX 289
NATURAL EDUCATION
NATURAL EDUCATION
CHAPTER I
NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF THE EARLY DIRECTION OF
TENDENCIES OR TALENTS
I BELIEVE that every normal child is born with
some distinctive tendency or talent. Probably the
only reason why this talent does not always bear fruit
is because it is not discovered and
Every child born cu i t i va ted in babyhood. Some-
with a talent . *
times the talent is so strong that
it forces its way through choking weeds of neglect
and the world is made happier or better with its exer-
cise, but usually an undeveloped talent is smothered
by these weeds. It is to the mother we must look to
discover her child's talent and to watch it until it
grows into a marvelous, joy-giving flower.
Many mothers take excellent care of their children's
bodies. They see that the little ones are kept clean,
are well-nourished and are given plenty of fresh air
so that they may grow physically. Their sole wish is
a NATURAL EDUCATION
to see their babies large, fat and strong. They do not
strive to develop them mentally, being content to have
their children healthy animals.
Some educators believe that children should be al-
lowed to run wild until their seventh or eighth year.
Retarding mental The y **&** that children allowed
development to grow like weeds until this age
have made wonderful progress when they entered
school with boys and girls who had been study-
ing for several years. It is true that some of these
children, mentally retarded purposely, have become
successful men and women, showing that they were
born with good minds, but not one of them to my
knowledge has risen to the highest pinnacles of
fame. To me this seems deplorable, for if they had
received early training it is possible they would have
grown into men and women who would have given
great works to the world.
So-called geniuses may be divided into two classes
the temperamental and the intellectual. Most mu-
-,. sicians belong to the tempera-
The tempera-
mental and intel- mental order, and as they are gen-
lectual genius erally developed along only one
line they are likely to be eccentric. For this reason
people have been led to think that there is a narrow
line between the genius and the fool.
Herbert Spencer was an intellectual genius, sane
and well-balanced, though excelling to greatness*, only
along certain lines, and not in all fields. No one can
become exceptionally great who divides his forces,
EARLY DIRECTION OF TENDENCIES 3
but the "J ac lc of all trades" is usually happier than
the specialist who, while sitting on the housetop as
an authority in one line, knows nothing of the many
other interesting matters of which the world is full.
So we should not envy the so-called genius. A human
being may be compared to a tree. He is most perfect
when all his limbs are evenly developed, rather than
when several branches grow to enormous proportions
and the rest remain dwarfed twigs.
This over- and under-development in great people
has led some writers to speak of the "insanity of
"Insanity of genius." In a recent number of
genius" The Medical Record it is sug-
gested that no writer dares aspire to literary distinc-
tion without incurring the likelihood of being forced
to submit to pyschological dissection by alienists.
They speak of his emotional instability, which lifts
him to the clouds one day and drags him to hell the
next. They consider his works in literature, music
and art as outlets of his abnormal feelings and pas-
sions. If there is any truth in this idea, why then
does not our best literature of the present day come
from the asylums?
That the real genius is necessarily crazy is ridic-
ulous, but it is true that any quality or talent cultivated
Moderation in all to its highest pitch goes beyond be-
things ing a pleasure and becomes a 'tor-
ment to its owner. To be happy we must be moder-
ate in all things. Even generosity can become prodi-
gality. So, in training her baby, the mother should
4 NATURAL EDUCATION
seek to develop his talents, but not at the expense of
all other powers.
In looking into the history of nearly all distin-
guished men we find that they showed their various
Great men show talents in early youth. It is true
talents in youth that some great men have been
looked on as dullards in school because they did not
take interest in their lessons. But children whose bud-
ding tendencies have been early recognized and culti-
vated have rarely failed to show great subsequent de-
velopment. We read of Caius Julius Caesar per-
haps the greatest of all warriors riding to war be-
hind his Uncle Marius at the tender age of three. Na-
poleon at the same age played with a toy cannon and
marched imaginary troops to war. Alexander the
Great, when but three years old, went out to meet
ambassadors and talked to them in the absence of his
father.
The three-year-old Confucius played on the lute
and talked with his mother's friends on filial piety.
When only four years old Milton wrote creditable
Latin verse and Pope composed Greek stanzas while
the latter wrote his famous Ode to Solitude when he
was but twelve. At five little Hannibal held a sword
heavier than himself and vowed eternal vengeance
against the Romans; Frederick the Great commanded
a troop of soldiers, Saint-Saens wrote waltzes and
galops, Mozart composed and played on the violin,
Titian painted pictures with a juice squeezed from
berries and wild flowers, and Landseer made remark-
EARLY DIRECTION OF TENDENCIES ^
able sketches. Millais won his first prize at nine.
Pope Leo X received the tonsure at seven and held
benefices at eight. Garibaldi when a lad of eight saved
a poor washerwoman from drowning. Huxley, who
astounded the world with his learning at seven, in-
herited his genius for work from his energetic mother
"who did things while others were thinking about do-
ing them." Goethe, who condemned public schools
because he had been fortunate enough to receive his
early education from a clever father, did a consider-
able amount of writing before he was fifteen.
At seven Immanuel Kant, "the little fellow with the
big head," began to teach those who were willing to
be taught. He was "such a small potato" that he had
to stand on a box to be seen, but being a teacher by
temperament he held the attention of all who heard
him.
Paul Morphy, greatest of chess players, was a
champion at nine. Moliere, whose genius was awak-
ened early by going to the theater with his jolly grand-
father, wrote plays at ten.
John Stuart Mill knew his Greek alphabet when
three, and at five could correct his elders in Latin and
Greek. He was his father's constant companion and
carried a note-book with him whenever he went for
a walk. During these walks he asked all manner of
questions and thus gained the greater part of his
early education.
Herbert Spencer received his education by being
taught to observe things when he was a tiny boy. He
<5 NATURAL EDUCATION
toddled after his father into the schoolroom, and ac-
quired knowledge by the natural method of imitation
and seeking knowledge through inquiry while walking
with his father, or learning mathematics through in-
teresting puzzles.
Professor James Thomson, of the University of
Glasgow, believed that a child should be educated as
, soon as it showed an intelligent in-
Educational ideas
of Professor James terest in the world and that this
Thomson education should be along lines
shown by the child's tendencies. With this idea in
view he began to teach his two boys in the cradle.
His friends protested that he would strain the chil-
dren's minds and break down their intellects, but Pro-
fessor Thomson replied: "Stuff and nonsense. It is
precisely because the education of children begins too
late that they find it hard to learn and strain their
minds in the attainment of knowledge. Let a child
get accustomed to using its mind in early childhood,
and study will never tax it, but will be a perpetual
joy. At any rate this is the way I intend to bring up
my boys."
He did, and possibly as a result of this, both boys
became famous men and lived to a ripe old age. The
elder boy entered Glasgow University at the age of
twelve and led his classes there. He died after living
more than threescore years and ten, leaving a reputa-
tion as a great teacher and an authority on engineer-
ing. The younger brother did even better. As Lord
Kelvin of Largs he is known as the greatest of nine-
EARLY DIRECTION OF TENDENCIES 7
teenth century physicists, and is ranked with Newton
and Faraday and other intellectual giants who have
advanced mankind in knowledge of the laws of nature.
He lived to be eighty-three, showing that his early
education had not done him physical harm.
The Reverend Karl Witte, a German minister, tried
similar methods with his son Karl, and attained the
same excellent results. His boy entered college at
ten, was a doctor of philosophy at fourteen, and when
he died at the same age as Lord Kelvin he was ac-
counted one of Germany's greatest scholars.
We have many other examples of great men whose
talents were discovered and developed in infancy.
Fate of precocious And in this century we have a
children number of children who have sur-
prised the world with the knowledge they have gained
at an early age along certain lines. Some people seem
to think that the precocity of these children is abnor-
mality, whereas it is simply the right of all children to
have a good educational foundation in the days when
everything in life is new and interesting.
Some old-fashioned folk believe that all these chil-
dren must become physical wrecks before they reach
the fiftieth mile-stone. Others predict a still more
terrible fate, and say that they will become insane
"from too much learning." They bury the names of
all great men who have been precocious in youth and
physically strong throughout a long life, and hold up
as examples the great men who have been invalids.
Or, even more terrible warning they speak of the
8 NATURAL: EDUCATION
many prodigies who have crossed the Styx before
reaching maturity. It is true that a number of preco-
cious children, particularly in the musical class, have
died in their youth, and why ? Many of these so-called
child-wonders have been taken on "display tours"
around the world and compelled to work as hard as
adults ; to lose sleep and often to get along with food
taken at irregular intervals, while being subjected to
undue excitement. If these children had been kept in
the wholesome surroundings of a comfortable home
where they could have lived as most children live,
they might have reached a ripe old age and have done
much enduring work.
The argument that early mental work prejudices
physical strength is about as groundless as the old
Mental work and argument that a woman who has
physical strength beauty can not have brains. Sim-
ply because some great women have not been pos-
sessed of beauty, "fogies" argue that God does not
give both brains and beauty to one woman. I believe
that beautiful women as a rule are blessed with as
much brain power as their plainer sisters; but the
"beauty," being petted and worshiped from babyhood,
thinks only of receiving adulation and does not at-
tempt to develop her mental gifts so as to make her-
self even more attractive, as does her plainer sister.
Professor Berle's four marvelous children are all
blessed with handsome faces and sound physiques, as
Opinion of Doc- wel1 as unusually well-developed
tor Boris Sidis minds. Norbert Wiener, who was
EARLY DIRECTION OF TENDENCIES 9
graduated from Tufts College at fourteen, and was
recently given the degree of doctor of philosophy at
eighteen, is another sample of all-around develop-
ment. William James Sidis, who entered Harvard
University when he was but eleven years old and lec-
tured to the faculty upon the Fourth Dimension, one
of the most abstruse problems in mathematics, has
never been a weakling. The father of this marvelous
boy, Doctor Boris Sidis, who is an eminent specialist
in mental and nervous diseases, says : "We are under
the erroneous belief that thinking, study, cause nerv-
ousness and mental disorders.
"In my practise, I can say without hesitation that
I have not met a single case of nervous or mental
trouble caused by thinking or overstudy. This is at
present the opinion of the best psychopathologists.
What produces nervousness is worry, emotional ex-
citement, and lack of interest in the work.
"But those are precisely the conditions that we
cause in our children. We do not take care to develop
a love of knowledge in their early life, for fear of
brain injury; and then, when it is too late to acquire
the interest, we force them to study, and we cram
them and feed them and stuff them like geese. What
you often get is fatty degeneration of the mental
liver."
As Herbert Spencer says: "The brain should not
be starved any more than the stomach. Education
should begin in the cradle, but in
What Spencer says . ,,
an interesting atmosphere. The
io NATURAL EDUCATION
man to whom information comes in dreary tasks
along with threats of punishment is unlikely to be
a student in after years, while those to whom it comes
in natural forms at the proper times are likely to
continue through life that self-instruction begun in
youth."
Recently another product of early education has
come into the lime-light. He is Edward Hardy, the
New products of five-year-old son of Professor
early education Hardy, of New York University.
His mother is a remarkable woman, who is a member
of the New York bar and also practises medicine, but
she has taken time to help her little son gain aston-
ishing proficiency in language, while developing all of
his muscles so as to make him something of an ath-
lete.
In England and France are a number of children
well equipped mentally. Miss Daphne Allen, when
only thirteen years of age, had drawings exhibited in
the Dudley Gallery of London, which received enthu-
siastic praise. Fitzgerald Villiers-Stuart, the seven-
year-old author of The Biography of a Brownie, and
Byron Cade, the remarkable young pool player, are
all examples of the early development of innate tend-
encies.
In the training of nearly all of these children there
was cooperation between the father and mother. Doc-
Cooperation tor and Mrs. Berle began the
of parents training of their four children in
the cradle, placing the little ones in a proper environ-
EARLY DIRECTION OF TENDENCIES 11
ment and striving from the outset to turn their
thoughts "to matters worth while," and teaching the
children to use only the best of English, believing that
correct speaking is an invaluable aid to correct think-
ing. There was no baby language heard in the Berle
home because, as Doctor Berle truly says: "There
are many persons of mature age at this moment who
will never pronounce certain words properly since
they became accustomed in childhood to a false pro-
nunciation because somebody thought it was 'cute.'
There are many persons who will never get over cer-
tain false associations of ideas, because somebody
thought it was very amusing and funny to see the
child mixing up things in such a beautiful childlike
way."
Professor and Mrs. Wiener, like Doctor and Mrs.
Berle, have followed Froebel's adage and have lived
with their children. In addition to the well-known
Norbert Wiener there are three younger Wieners,
who will no doubt become as remarkable as their
brother. In speaking of his methods of training these
children, Professor Wiener says : "I have not sought
to 'force' my children, to cram their minds with facts.
But I have sought to train them in effective thinking
and to give wholesome food for the strengthening of
the intellect. And I have always tried to present this
food in an appetizing way that is, to make the
studies to which I wished them to devote themselves
really interesting. It is the things in which children
are most interested that they most readily learn."
12 NATURAL EDUCATION
'* /,
Through prenatal influence I did all in my power to
make my little girl love good literature in many lan-
guages, and as soon as she was
How Winifred T , , ,
learned to com- born I brought environment to
pose jingles in bear in strengthening this first in-
fluence, believing that no child can
constantly see works of great minds without being
subconsciously trained in perception and logic, even
without words. I also began to recite the classics to
my baby, and through hearing lines of perfect meter,
the work of reason and logic as applied to time and
sound, I attribute Winifred's ability to compose jin-
gles when she was in the cradle.
CHAPTER II
EARLIEST DEVELOPMENT
I CAN not say too much in praise of the great
character builders, "Observation," "Concentra-
tion," "Interest" and "Imagination." It is they who
~. make wide-awake men and wom-
Observation, con-
centration, inter- en, traveling along life s road-
est, imagination wav w j tn seem g eves an( j hearing
ears. Mortals who have not become acquainted with
these joy givers remain in a lethargic condition, blind
to the wonders of nature and deaf to the beauty of
sounds.
It is well known that any power loses its strength"
from disuse. The story is told of a foolish Hindu
Losing powers who vowed to keep his right arm
from disuse in one position for seventy-two
hours. He fulfilled his vow but could never again
move his arm.
Surgeon W. C. Rucker, U. S. P. H. S., in a most
interesting article on the cimex lectularlus (dare I
give the common name of bed-bug?), tells us that this
loathsome insect once had wings but lost them when
it no longer worked for its daily food but became a
parasite upon human blood. How fortunate for us
13
14 , .NATURAL EDUCATION
that it does not now possess wings! We are glad to
know that nature has so punished this pest by cur-
tailing its speedy powers of motion, but from its evo-
lution we may take warning that if we do not use
the powers "Mother Nature" has bequeathed to us,
our children will suffer even as this naughty insect's
progeny.
Many teachers are censured because their pupils
do not seem able to concentrate their minds on any-
thing. But the teachers are not
Parents must lay , , , ,p, , ,.
foundation of ob- wholly to blame. The foundation
servative and con- for observative and concentrative
centra tive powers . , < .,
powers must be laid by parents in
a child's infancy. Mothers should remember that they
can not begin too early in training their little ones.
It is the mother who can plant the seeds which will
grow into good habits tending toward mental, physi-
cal and moral strength, and there is nothing like ma-
ternal love to mold a child's wax-like mind into the
best form. We mothers are the potters and our chil-
dren the clay, for, as Plato said, "The beginning is
the most important part, especially in dealing with
anything young and tender. For that is the time when
any impression which we may desire to communicate
is most readily stamped and taken."
In fact a mother can almost be certain as to the
kind of man or woman her child will become if she
MT 1 _. trains him properly while he is a
Just as the twig f J
is bent" tender sapling, easily shaped by
EARLIEST DEVELOPMENT 15
her guiding hand. "Just as the twig is bent the tree
is inclined."
First of all, the senses must be keenly developed,
since through them the child gains his observative and
Senses to be keen- concentrative powers which make
ly developed work a pleasure and life a joy.
Man, as a savage, depended on his senses as well as
his muscles to protect him from the enemy. There-
fore his powers to see, hear, smell, touch and taste
were highly developed. There is no reason why civ-
ilization should make our senses dull.
The sense of hearing is first of all the senses to be
developed. Therefore my first attempts to train Wini-
fred lay in the direction of sound training. I have
always pitied helpless babies who were compelled to
hear discordant sounds made by mothers who could
not sing, but thought it necessary to put their babies
to sleep with so-called melodies. I knew one mother
who screeched at her child until the poor infant
actually cried itself to sleep.
Not having been blessed with musical vocal cords,
I resolved that my child's tympana should not suffer
Vergil a baby from non-dulcet notes. I con-
pacifier ceived the idea of putting her to
sleep by scanning portions of Vergil's ^Eneid. I also
taught the baby's black mammy to scan the first ten
lines of Book I, and we both found that Vergil was
more than a great poet, he was a baby pacifier. I
have since experimented with many babies, and find
i6
that there is no better method for carrying a little
one into the realms of sleep. In singing most songs,
there are always notes that startle rather than soothe
a sleepy child; but in the even meter of "Arma
virumque cano, Troue qui primus ab oris," there are
only soothing sounds.
When Winifred was only six weeks old, I began re-
citing selections from the great poets to her. I found
that poems of various meters af-
The effect of clas- ,. , , . ,. ,
sic poetry on a fected her in different ways. She
six-weeks-old would lie very quietly and wear
almost an angelic expression when
I was repeating Tennyson's Crossing the Bar, but
Horatius at the Bridge seemed to inspire her to go to
war as best she could with kicking feet and waving
hands.
By thus training the child's ear to hear the classics
in infancy, such an impression was made upon her
Effect of early mind that at the age of one year
impressions she could scan the first ten lines
from Book I of Vergil's JEneid, and repeat Crossing
the Bar. Winifred loves this great poem, and repeats
it almost every evening as a sort of prayer. She also
enjoys playing "Vergil-Ball." In this game I throw the
ball to her while saying "Arma" She returns the ball
to me with "virumque" and in this way we often scan
a whole page from Vergil. Before the little girl
reached her fifth mile-stone she knew the first book of
the JEneid, and friends who heard her scanning pre-
dicted an early demise. But she was not exerting her-
EARLIEST DEVELOPMENT 17
self any more to learn these magnificent lines than if
she had committed to memory a lot of silly rhymes.
In years to come I am sure she will be glad that she
learned poems of worth in babyhood.
To develop Winifred's sense of sound, I let her
hear good music every day. And in order to
Developing sound teacn her difference in sounds I
and sight hung bells of different tones at the
bottom of her bed. Through these bells I also at-
tempted to teach her the idea of color. One bell was
red and attached by a red ribbon. When I rang this
bell I would say "red bell" and so with each bell hav-
ing a different color. Before Winifred was six months
old she knew the color of each bell and could ring the
red, blue or green bell at my request. I also used
prisms to throw reflections on the walls and these
dancing sprites of rainbow colors made the child kick
with delight, and wave her hands trying to catch the
pretty lights. I called these lights "vibgyors" because
of their colors, and even before my baby could talk
she would cease crying if I would promise to make the
pretty "vibgyors" dance.
From the very first day of Winifred's birth, I
treated her as if she were a thinking being. Vol-
Remembrance of taire claimed that he could remem-
babyhood days ber events from the moment of his
birth ; and other great men have claimed to remember
happenings in the very first months of their existence.
As a rule, people are told that they just imagine they
have remembrance of infant days, but I have reason to
18 NATURAL EDUCATION
believe that Winifred can remember something of her
life since she was six months old.
The first objects which confronted this little child
were fraught with educational value. On the walls of
the nursery were hung highly colored copies of great
paintings, and there were a number of plaster of Paris
copies of great works of sculpture in various parts of
the room.
When Winifred was a tiny baby I carried her about
the room and pointed out everything to her. I would
Making the child sa y " chair " as I pointed to a chair
acquainted with its and "table" while pointing to the
surroundings table> Then j stQod before tfae pJc _
tures and spoke of each picture, the color of a robe or
some other attractive point, and in passing before the
bits of sculpture I would call each by its proper name.
I also read to Winifred from illustrated books which
I held so she could see the pictures and the reading
matter, and either the sound of my voice or the pic-
tures amused her, since she would be very good while
I was so engaged.
It seems unfortunate that children often learn noth-
ing of the world's greatest pictures until they enter the
higher grammar grades, when their eyes should be
trained to know and love these pictures in babyhood.
At first, Winifred was attracted only by the bright
colors in paintings, but gradually she began to study
Learning art ^ e picture as to form and mean-
in the cradle ing. It is wonderful what pictures
can do to teach lessons. We might talk for years in
EARLIEST DEVELOPMENT 19
favor of international peace, and little impression
would be made on a child's mind; but show him a
famous war painting like one of Verestchagin's, and
he realizes war in all its horrors.
In addition to showing my baby pictures on the wall
and copies of great paintings in books and magazines,
I also showed her brightly colored pictures of animals,
flowers and birds, which I pasted on white sheets of
cardboard, and made into books.
One of the most destructive forces of a child's ap-
preciation of true art is the comic supplement of to-
Harm done by dav - A g reat Italian artist, who
comic supplements visited the United States a few
months ago, was horrified on seeing some of the chil-
dren in our neighborhood gazing at a crude Sunday
supplement. He looked at the atrocious pictures, and
asked, "Is art dead in America ?"
Mothers should not allow these supplements to enter
their homes, and they should do all in their power to
stop their publication. Perry prints or home-made
books such as I have suggested, with brightly colored
pictures, will take their place if the mother makes the
pictures interesting by telling stories about them.
Mothers who can draw original pictures can always
make their children happy by little humorous sketches
and stories. Winifred and I often spend hours mak-
ing up stories and illustrating them. Sometimes I tell
the first part of the story, and illustrate it. Then she
takes up the thread of my tale, and weaves a second
chapter which she illustrates, and so on until we leave
20 NATURAL EDUCATION
our hero or heroine happy forever and ever. I be-
lieve that all children as mere babies should be trained
to try and represent objects as they see them, or to
produce something with pencil or brush that repre-
sents beauty.
The comic supplements are devoid of the beauty-
developing powers, and they even stifle real humor.
Not long ago an Englishman in talking with me about
American children said: "What will become of the
Americans? They are growing worse each year and
their children are perfectly intolerable."
Knowing that he had not met any American chil-
dren, I asked him how he had arrived at such a dread-
ful conclusion, and he replied: "I've read all about
them in the Sunday papers. The tricky disrespectful
child who mocks his parents and friends is a hero in
America." I tried to reason with him that he should
not judge American children by these characters, but
he had already formed his opinion, and when I met
him a month later he told me that he had seen a num-
ber of children, and they were all counterparts of the
characters they loved so well in the comic supplements.
It lies with American mothers to do away with these
supplements in the home, as they certainly have a
tendency to teach grossness and disrespect.
In training Winifred to develop a keenness in color
sense, I used a box of test yarns for the color-blind.
Developing She had already become acquaint-
color sense e( j W j t j 1 t h e co i ors o f the rainbow
through the bells and prisms, so it was very simple
EARLIEST DEVELOPMENT 21
lor Her to pick out the distinct shades of red, blue,
green, etc. We played various games with these yarns.
Sometimes to make us speedy, I would be "Mother
Red" and Winifred, "Mother Green." Then we set to
work to see who could collect all of her children
(meaning the shades of these colors) in the shorter
space of time. At other times the object of the game
was to see which "Mother Yarn" had the most babies
( (or shades). Through playing these games Winifred
gained an idea of distinct colors and various shades
when she was a mere baby.
I particularly recommend the use of sucK a box of
yarns for all boys. Usually the sense of touch seems
Boys particularly to be keener in b ?y s than in & rls >
need color while visual detail is stronger in
training the ^ than j n ^ boy> p or t y s
reason, if boys are untrained, they generally de-
velop their sense of touch at the expense of visual de-
tail and consequently are often lacking in chromatic
powers.
Books containing colors as used by advertising paint
firms are generally amusing to babies and highly in-
structive in teaching color sense. Different colored
balls and blocks always delight the little ones and
serve the same purpose. Winifred's dolls were dressed
in the brightest hues, and as a tiny baby I called her
attention to the color of these dresses and to the shades
in a rainbow shawl which her godmother knit for her
couch. I also taught her to say the names of the colors
in the rainbow (violet, indigo, blue, green, orange and
22 NATURAL EDUCATION
red) and later on she learned to spell them. Thii
knowledge of the colors made the "vibgyor" in our
nursery, or the real rainbow, more interesting to her,
and the interest was increased tenfold when I told her
the story of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge which reached
from Asgard, the city of the gods, down through the
air to the lower worlds.
We played another game to help the color sense
with colored crayons. I would make a red mark on
a large piece of manila paper, and Winifred had to
select the same colored crayon to make a mark just
like mine. We called this game "Going to the Castle,"
and if Winifred put down a wrong color she could go
no farther on her journey and I won the game. Gen-
erally we both reached the castle gate together, leav-
ing a double trail of red, blue and green marks be-
hind us.
As soon as my little daughter could walk for any
distance we took walks together and talked of the
Developing sight colors in forest, sea and sky. We
memory also noticed the colors of houses
and of people's dresses. To train the child's memory,
as well as acuteness of vision, or to give her sight
memory, we would keep our eyes open to see certain
things along the way. We called this game "Little
Sharp Eyes," and when we came to a store window
where many things were displayed we would glance
at the window, hurry past and then see who had ob-
served the greater number of objects. By training
the eye in this way Winifred is now able to tell at a
EARLIEST DEVELOPMENT 23
glance almost everything displayed in any window, or
she can describe the way a room is furnished after
taking a mere glance at the room. Through her well-
developed observative and concentrative powers she
has no trouble in reading a whole page of prose or
poetry and repeating it verbatim. When she was but
five years old, she repeated The Battle Hymn of the
Republic before a number of college professors at
Chautauqua, New York, after having read the poem
but once.
She still enjoys her games of "Little Sharp Eyes,"
and teaches all the children who play with her to use
their eyes. One evening not long ago when we were
out motoring, she and a tiny friend were busy through-
out the ride in playing "How many dogs do I see?"
The one who first caught sight of a canine and called
out "Jen estas hundo" or "Here's a dog," counted
that dog in her list.
All children should be taught to observe their sur-
roundings, but it is particularly necessary to develop
G f "L'ttl observation in a city child, who
Sharp Eyes" to may be injured by street-cars or
protect children automobiles unless he has his eyes
and ears ort the qui vive, being able to scent danger
like the first Americans.
Besides, observation of surroundings is one of our
greatest educators. As a baby, Winifred not only
gained some idea of art from the pictures about her,
but she learned to know the names of some of the
greatest works of sculpture. When she was but two
24 NATURAL" EDUCATION
years old, she astonished an art dealer by asking him
why he didn't have a Venus de Milo in his shop as
well as a Venus de Medici. This was no sign of great
intelligence on the part of Winifred, since she had!
been familiar with these two works of art since her
first days on terra firma, and distinguished between
them as most children of two years would know the
difference between a straight chair and a rocker.
The toys which we give our children can also be
used as educators. Winifred's first toy was a bright
A balloon best for red balloon. Her father brought
baby's first toy it for her when she was but six
weeks old. He tied it to one of her wrists, and as
she waved her hand in the way all babies do, the bal-
loon would go up and come down, causing the baby
to coo and kick with delight. Each week for many
following months she was given a new balloon, and
learned from my talk about this toy that it was round,
light, red or green and that it would go up and come
down.
To give the child new adjectives, and to teach her
through touch ideas of smoothness, roughness, etc.,
I placed her on the beach and let her play in the sand
m t. u when she was still in the so-called
Teaching the baby . ,
to keep her hands long-clothes period. Most mothers
out of her mouth are a f ra id to let young babies lie
in the sand, for fear the little ones will get sand in
their eyes, nose or mouth. From the first, we held
Winifred's hands whenever she attempted to turn her-
EARLIEST DEVELOPMENT 25
>
self into a sand-pile, and thus she learned to keep her
hands away from her face. The impression that she
should not put things into her mouth was so strongly
made that at the age of six months when I was at-
tempting to teach her the difference in qualities of
roughness and smoothness, through playing with sand-
paper blocks, tacks, buttons, etc., I had no fear that
she would put these baby-killers into her mouth.
The habit of never putting anything into her mouth
without asking my permission brought about many
amusing episodes. At one time when Winifred was
nearly two years old, a maiden lady, who prided her-
self on baking delicious cookies, gave the child one of
her cakes. Winifred turned to me and asked, "May I
put it into my mouth?" Naturally the donor felt
somewhat chagrined at the child's question.
Every baby should have at least one brightly colored
ball as an educational toy. Winifred received her
Every baby should first bal1 when she was but a f ew
have a brightly months old. It was a bright red
colored ball gas ball> and the color p i ease d her.
She also seemed to enjoy watching me throw it up and
catch it as it came down. Then I tried to teach her
to play with the ball by placing her on the floor, sur-
rounding her with pillows so she could not fall, and
throwing the ball to her. As I threw the ball I called
out "Red ball for baby!" At first she allowed the
ball to remain in her lap, trying to hold it, but after a
few days she began to kick it back to me. Later on
26 NATURAL EDUCATION
she learned to throw it, and all the time I was train-
ing her ears to become familiar with the sounds of
numbers from one to twenty.
I tried never to excite unduly the child's nervous
system, nor yet to leave her in such uninteresting sur-
Keeping roundings that she would be corn-
baby busy pelled to suck her thumb for
amusement. I realized that every child generates an
excessive amount of energy, and from babyhood I
tried to direct this energy into proper channels. I did
this by keeping the little one busy with well-directed
play in her waking hours, and if she were in pain
which could not be immediately relieved by medical
treatment I attempted to make this pain subjective by
attracting the child's attention to things outside her-
self.
It has been proved that a sudden change in sur-
rounding conditions changes the mind entirely and
Effect of change makes one for S et disagreeable sen-
in surroundings sations. The story is told of a man
who went to drown himself, but climbed a lamp-post
when attacked by a mad dog. So, if a baby is crying,
attract his attention to something new, and if there is
nothing serious the matter with him he will generally
cease his lugubrious complaints.
CHAPTER III
LEARNING TO TALK
A 5 sound makes a great impression on babies there
is no reason why any child can not be taught to
talk when it is a year old, if the mother talks to her
The harm done by baby as if the little one understood
using "baby talk" her. Many mothers seem to think
that the English language as spoken by "grown-ups"
is not suitable for their "eetle, weetie, teetie, tootsie,
wootsie babies." While embracing a baby they call it
"muver's own tootsums, wootsums, toadie, froggie,
pumpkin, honey, lovey, duckie, squeezicks." In talk-
ing to the baby they speak of a locomotive as a "choo-
choo," and call a cow "a moo-moo." I pity the unfor-
tunate child who must learn that there are two words
for almost everything he sees one for his special use,
and one for the "grown-up." In this way he is hin-
dered from gaining a good vocabulary.
Professor A. A. Berle, of Tufts College, father of
the three remarkable Berle children, says that any one
Professor Berle on can teach a bab y five-syllable words
teaching babies and sensible English construction
five-syllable words as early as baby talk> He says:
"The most important period after birth is early baby-
27
28 NATURAL EDUCATION
hood. Every one rubs the little body and pulls the
limbs of a baby to make it grow physically, yet the
minute you try to develop its brain people hold up
their hands in horror. The instrument of thought is
language. If you use baby talk to the child you are
not only giving him a false notion of speech but of
sound. If you take pains to use correct language to a
child up to his sixth year, he will be so far ahead of
the average child that they will never come in sight of
each other."
It is certainly true that men and women who are
college graduates, but who were not taught to speak
. good English in infancy, find it dif-
Expressions * '
learned in child- ficult to refrain from using expres-
hood cling to us s ; ons heard j n childhood. I know
several college professors and two well-known authors
who sometimes drop into their early habits of using
"ain't" for "isn't" and "don't" for "doesn't." Habits
acquired in youth are never easily discarded.
It is much more simple to learn English by imita-
tion than it is by rule. This is the reason children may
be able to sing off all the rules in grammar, and break
them at the same time.
As soon as Winifred was born, I began to speak to
her in the best English I could command. I do not
How to talk intend to give the impression that
to baby so-called "slang" was always ta-
booed. Some slang words are most expressive, and
we must remember, that perhaps three-fourths of the
LEARNING TO TALK 29
four hundred fifty thousand English words now in
existence belong to this class, having been coined in
moments of excitement to express thoughts for
which there was no proper vehicle in our language.
We need new words in English, just as we need
change of style in dress. Therefore it is not ob-
jectionable to use so-called slang phrases which are
generally accepted in polite society, while talking
to little ones. But never lapse into the Chaucerian
plan of putting an ie or y on the end of words in
order to make them "swootie" to the baby. When
I spoke of a dog to Winifred he was a dog and not
a doggie. A friend of mine was greatly surprised
on one occasion when he called to my year-old baby,
saying, "Oh, Cherie, see the goosie," and was reproved
by the child's saying, "Oh, no, that is a goose."
I tried Reverend Karl Witte's plan adopted in teach-
ing his boy, who was ready for college at ten, and a
doctor of philosophy at fourteen, by talking to the
little one while playing with her, and in pointing out
all the objects in her surroundings, and saying their
names in a clear distinct voice. As a consequence,
my baby talked like a grown-up when she was a year
old; but when people expressed surprise to hear her
talking, her father said : "How can the child keep from
talking ; she's been talked at ever since she was born ?"
Believing that if I taught Winifred to speak correct
English in the cradle, she would continue its use to
the grave, I was very particular in the selection of
30 NATURAL; EDUCATION
every word and its pronunciation, as well as in the
construction of my sentences. But as she grew older,
I did not torture her with rules of grammar and dia-
graming. Until her eighth year she knew nothing of
grammar, since I believed with Herbert Spencer that
grammar is as unnecessary to a child as q to the alpha-
bet, or the proverbial two tails to a cat. This great
educator had a perfect command of English, but
boasted that he never looked into a grammar until
he was sixty years old and then only out of curiosity.
Concerning grammar, he said: "It is the etiquette of
words and the man who does not know how to salute
his grandmother in the street until he has consulted a
grammar is always so troubled about his tenses that
his fancies break through language and escape."
Every baby longs for words to express his thoughts,
and he should be shown how to use these tools of
thought as early as possible. All
Word building *
children love to repeat the words
they know, and also enjoy building up words into
stories like those of "Dame Wiggins of Lee," "The
House That Jack Built" and "Old Mother Hubbard."
I have translated these stories into a number of lan-
guages, and found them most helpful in developing a
child's memory, as well as constructive powers.
Children from the age of one year to five can learn
languages much more easily than at any time in life,
because they learn through the natural method of hear-
ing sounds before seeing printed words.
LEARNING TO TALK 31
I determined that Winifred should have a founda-
tion in most of the well-known languages before na-
Learning ture began to work overtime in
English first lengthening the child's arms and
limbs ; but with the exception of scanning Vergil to
her I spoke only English until she could speak Eng-
lish. Some language professors believe they can teach
a child two or three languages at one time ; but in the
cases where I have seen this experiment tried, the
child suffered, not being able to speak any language
without an accent.
As soon as Winifred could make all her wants
known I began to teach her Spanish through conver-
A secondary sation and the same direct methods
language I had used in teaching English. I
chose Spanish as her first secondary tongue because
it is the simplest of European languages. By the time
that Winifred reached her fifth mile-stone she was able
to express her thoughts in eight languages, and I have
no doubt that she could have doubled the number by
this time if I had continued our games of word con-
struction in various languages. But at this time I be-
gan to think that Esperanto would soon become the
international medium of communication, and outside
of developing linguistic ability a knowledge of many,
many tongues could be of no great benefit to my little
girl.
If I could begin my child's education again I would
teach her English first, and then supply her with
32 NATURAL EDUCATION
Esperanto, the auxiliary tongue
Esperanto best ,. , T , ,. . ,
auxiliary tongue which I believe is of more assist-
easily learned in ance to its owner than any one
the cradle j i 1,
modern language, since it can be
used as an international medium of communication.
Tolstoi was able to write a letter in Esperanto after
studying it for only one hour, and any baby can learn
this simple language in the cradle.
Winifred received a diploma for being able to read,
write and speak in Esperanto when she was but four
A diploma in Es- y ears old At this . a S e she con '
peranto for a four- ceived the idea of giving a play in
year-old t h e auxiliary language, and through
the assistance of Miss Julia Bierbower, a most pro-
gressive teacher in Evansville, Indiana, the playlet was
given as a benefit for the "poor outing fund." This
was the first Esperanto play to be given in this coun-
try.
The following year Winifred began to teach all her
playmates Esperanto, and she could not have found a
better way to impress the knowledge she had gained
upon her mind. We certainly know that which we
impart.
In order to make Esperanto doubly interesting to
her playmates the little girl invented a number of
We know that games which were full of action
which we impart an( j enjoyed by all the children.
She also made many new words her own by playing
my game of t\o (meaning everything) which is a con-
structive game consisting of the names of things to
LEARNING TO TALK 33
eat, clothes to wear, objects in the home, street, etc.
I have used this game in teaching other languages, and
found it a great help in giving the student a vocabu-
lary.
When Winifred was five years old I lectured at a
number of Chautauqua assemblies in behalf of Esper-
anto, my little girl demonstrating the simplicity of this
language through reciting long poems, and showing
the audience how to ask for the ordinary things to eat.
At each of these Esperanto demonstrations Winifred
and I taught the members of our audience to sing and
talk in Esperanto. Thus the little girl converted hun-
dreds to become "ge-samideanoj" (followers) and she
is accredited with having made more converts for the
peace tongue than any one in America.
When we were at Chautauqua, New York, during
the first National Esperanto Convention held in this
country, in 1907, Winifred read a poem written by
Professor George Macloskie, of Princeton University.
So that she could be seen by the audience, Professor
Macloskie placed her on top of a table on the rostrum,
and he stood beside her. It was a very pretty picture
to see this child and the white-haired professor, who
had passed the threescore-and-ten mark, talking in
the international language together. These two Es-
perantists inspired many young and old people to study
Esperanto. Winifred taught all of her converts their
first lessons through Helen Freyer's Reader and my
game of tio. I remember seeing her sitting on the
porch of Mrs. Spencer's cottage while teaching Pro-
34 NATURAL EDUCATION
fessor John McFadyen, of Knox College, Toronto, his
first Esperanto lesson. An old-fashioned professor
who was talking with me said, "Oh, madam, you are
making such a sad mistake ! You are depriving your
child of her childish joys. She will never live to. at-
tain womanhood."
"Does she look delicate ?" I laughingly asked.
"Oh, no," he replied, "but looks are often deceiving.
The flush in her cheek may be fever. She can not keep
a sturdy body with such marvelous mental develop-
ment."
Just then a little Texas boy passed the Spencer cot-
tage, and called out, "Cherie, come on and play ball !"
"In a minute!" she cried, and giv-
ing the learned professor-pupil in-
structions to read over and over "Mia patro estas bona,
Mia patrino estas bela" she came running to ask my
permission to play with Tom. Permission was grant-
ed, and I insisted that Professor X should accom-
pany me and watch my poor child (destined to an
early grave) as she used the medicine ball. He was
astounded to see her throw a ball in true boy fashion,
and declared she was a regular tomboy. He sat be-
neath a tree with me and watched her outdo her boy
companion (two years her senior) in wrestling, run-
ning and jumping matches. But so set was this "old
fogy" in his ideas of mental training that he still ex-
pressed fears for her sanity if I persisted in "cram-
ming her head with knowledge only fit for grown-ups
to know."
LEARNING TO TALK 35
When Winifred and I returned to Evans ville, In-
diana, where my husband was then stationed, the little
Interest in for- S^ began to write letters in Esper-
eign lands anto to many children whose
names were in the Jarlibro. When she received let-
ters from Russia she was interested to learn more
about Russia; and her interest being awakened, we
studied many books about this country together, and
also studied how we could travel to the czar's realm,
should we desire to visit our Russian friends. In the
same way, a great interest was awakened in Japan,
India and all other countries. In my opinion, there is
no better way to awaken a love of geography than
through teaching children Esperanto, and allowing
them to correspond with foreigners. Through such
correspondence more good can be done to bring the
peace angel on earth than so-called peace conferences
can do. In fact we must look to our children for the
bringing of peace into this world, and Esperanto may
be the fairy which is to pacify nations.
At the present time Winifred is at the head of "The
Junior Peace League of America," which was formed
solely to introduce a feeling of
The Junior ' *
Peace League friendship among children of all
of America nations with the hope that seeds of
good-will sown in childhood would ripen into friend-
ships for life, break down barriers of race hatred and
bring peace into the world. Each member of this
league promises to learn Esperanto, and to correspond
with at least one foreign child. At every meeting of
36 NATURAL EDUCATION
the league these letters are read, and then we talk
about the native land of each correspondent, generally
showing lantern slides of one particular country at a
time. Some of the league children are exchanging
postals, others stamps, and still others wild flowers,
or curios, with their far-away correspondents. Wini-
fred is the proud possessor of curios sent to her from
every country under the sun (even from supposed-to-
be-unexplored Thibet). Among this collection she
prizes most highly a five-thousand-word history of
China written in Esperanto upon one long sheet of rice
paper, and explaining the little Celestial's opinion of
his native land. Usually the histories one reads of for-
eign lands are written by people who are themselves
foreigners to these lands, and therefore scarcely com-
petent to express unbiased opinions. How would we
enjoy a history of the United States written by a
Chinaman who traveled in this country for a few
weeks or even months? And yet many of the Japanese
and Chinese histories have been written by Americans
or Englishmen who spent but a few months in these
lands.
Realizing that Esperanto can never become an inter-
national language until we all help to make it one, since
Esperanto mis- there is no use to know a language
sionaries unless others know it, just as a
telephone is useless unless others have telephones, I
have asked all of the league members to become mis-
sionaries and teach their friends Esperanto. We are
particularly eager to help the "little shut-ins" by
LEARNING TO TALK 37
bringing the world to them through this magic tongue.
One poor little cripple boy to whom life was a
dreary blank before Winifred taught him Esperanto
Bringing the is now . deli g hted with arranging a
world to herbarium containing flowers from
"shut-ins" a u the corners o f t h e earth col-
lected through Esperanto correspondents. His mother
is compelled to leave him alone each day, but he is
never lonely, as he busies himself arranging his flow-
ers, postal cards, stamps, curios and so on, which he
receives each day in the mail, and also answering the
letters from foreign friends. Like Winifred, he finds
great delight in reading stories about the countries
where these friends live, and thus being kept busy and
interested he is always happy. The children in the
league supply him with postage to carry on his cor-
respondence, and they have arranged some of his
postal cards in a large screen and hung others on the
wall, while they have given him a number of scrap-
books in which to put the cards he most prizes. I can
only hope that the day is not far distant when all the
little "shut-ins" can be made as happy as this small lad.
When Winifred was five years old I tried to make
an Esperanto translation of Mother Goose, as I thought
that children all over the world
Winifred trans- , . ,, j u 1
lates Mother would en Jy these g od old Jingles.
Goose into I made very poor rhymes, how-
ever, and one day while attempting
to put "Baa ! Baa ! Black Sheep" into Esperanto, Wini-
fred began to beat her hands and feet in keeping time
38 NATURAL- EDUCATION
and sang: "Bleku, bleku nigra fa/. Cu lanon havas
in? Jes Sinjoro, jes Sinjoro havas sakojn tri." I
showed her how she could cut off final syllables for
the sake of euphony and within a few days the child
had translated all of these rhymes through her own
interpretation of their meaning.
These jingles were published by the Esperanto As-
sociation of North America in book form, and have
Professor Guer- been a S reat hel P in makin Es ~
ard's opinion of peranto converts. Concerning Pa-
this translation trino Anserino Professor A. Guer-
ard, of the Chair of Romance Languages in Stanford
University, says : "These nursery rhymes would be a
creditable achievement even if their author were a
professional linguist and a poet of standing. It is al-
most impossible to believe that they are the work of a
charming little girl of five."
At the present time Winifred is known as the young-
est teacher in Pittsburgh. She teaches a large class of
_,, children ranging in age from five
The youngest & s &
teacher in Pitts- to fourteen years. Her class meets
burgh ^ t h e Teachers' Rooms of Car-
negie Institute and she teaches through playing games,
singing songs and taking trips through various depart-
ments of the museum and telling her pupils short
stories about the things on exhibition. Very often the
little teacher has to do a great deal of studying about
the different prehistoric animals, etc., before she feels
that she can give instruction, and thus she gains in-
formation for her knowledge storehouse.
LEARNING TO TALK 39
One of the airs which Winifred finds very helpful
in impressing certain words upon the minds of her
Old-time airs to P u P ils is that of " P{ S m the Par-
learn new words lor." In teaching the word Belu-
lino (beauty) her pupils sing:
Vi estas belulino (You are a beauty)
Vi estas belulino
Vi estas belulino
Kaj mi tre amas vin (And I very much love you)
Kaj mi tre amas vin
Kaj mi tre amas vin
Vi estas belulino
Vi estas belulino
Vi estas belulino
Kaj mi tre amas vin.
Needless to add, every child will remember the word
for a beautiful lady and the expression, I love you,
after singing this song several times.
I have had great success in using this same method
of impressing words upon the minds of my students
in the University of Pittsburgh. Translating old songs
with familiar airs into any language and teaching these
simple songs to pupils is a great help in giving them
vocabularies.
Students in this class have adopted Winifred's plan
of studying philology through Esperanto roots. Glanc-
ing at Winifred's book I find on
studen^dopting the first P a S e the word Patro, or
Winifred's plan to Esperanto for father. Beneath it
study philology
40 NATURAL EDUCATION
;
this root a number of Esperanto words, formed ac-
cording to certain rules, such as patra (paternal),
patre (paternally) and with the feminine ending
patrino (mother). With bo, showing relationship, is
made bo-patro (father-in-law), etc. In the second
column is shown the root from which our word was
derived, the Latin pater. This noun is declined in
Latin, and its derivatives given. In the third column
are placed all the baby English words derived from
this stem.
On one page of this interesting book I find that the
Esperanto word sano (health) has fifty-three words
Esperanto helps formed fr m the r 0t f H ' Thus
to learn other Ian- one can see that outside of the
practical benefits derived from Es-
peranto in saving the need of interpreters and trans-
lators, and its wonderful help in traveling, it can be
used to gain a knowledge of other languages, since it
is not a Frankenstein tongue, but is founded on two
hundred of the most aristocratic and best roots, from
which in turn all other words are formed by sixteen
simple rules.
CHAPTER IV
LEARNING THROUGH NATURE'S NURSE PLAY
HHHE late Professor William James, of Harvardj
JL to whom I am indebted for my first ideas of early
childhood training, believed that every child has hid-
/,..,. , . . den ideas which can be brought to
Child training as
viewed by Profes- life through properly directed play
sor William James j n the cradle>
Instead of fearing taxation of the baby's mind, he
believed that the sooner a child is given mental train-
ing the better for him, as he will thus be able to throw
aside obstacles supposed to be insurmountable in
childhood and walk unhindered toward broad fields
of knowledge.
In educating a child through natural methods it is
necessary to arouse the child's interest in something
through "Nurse Play" who can keep us youthful from
the cradle to the grave. We need play to save us
from becoming ossified or turning into human ice-
bergs.
Instinctively all forms of beings play. Puppies de-
light to play with small objects which they can hold
Play for a * n their teeth ; kittens love to chase
purpose their own tails; colts and lambs
run in glee across the meadows. But if you study the
42 NATURAL EDUCATION
character of animal play you will notice that it is for
a purpose. Nature does not intend that any of her
energy waves should be wasted. The kitten is taught
by its mother to try to catch its tail, so as to strengthen
the muscles which will help it in cathood days to catch
mice. And children should have their play directed
so as to develop their mental, physical and moral
growth. Therefore they should not be permitted to
play alone, but parents should take part in childish
games, thus keeping themselves young as well as
showing the little ones how to play to a purpose.
Through play I have led my little daughter to journey
along roads usually traveled only by "grown-ups,"
and to carry out all tasks in the play spirit.
Professor Kirkpatrick, in his Fundamentals of Child
Study, says: "Physiologically work requires the use
Work and play ^ tne same parts of body or brain
defined in the same way, for a consider-
able time, while play exercises many parts of the body
in a variety of ways, and usually no one part for very
long without a change. In work, the least available
energy is often used and the action is always directed,
while in play, parts having the most utilizable energy
are in free action. For this reason, work is much
harder and more wearisome even when the amount of
action is less. Therefore play becomes one of the
most effective means of learning to work."
Winifred owes everything to the good "Play Fairy"
who is always in our home. Unlike the gnome
"Work" he is accompanied by the giants "Observa-
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY 43
tion," "Concentration" and the "Fairy Interest." He
has given us the key to many interesting facts in
"Wisdom's Realms," and through his aid Winifred
gained her first knowledge of "the three R's."
When my baby was six months old I placed a bor-
der of white cardboard four feet in height around
How Winifred ^ walls of her nurs ery. On one
learned the Eng- side of the wall I pasted the let-
lish alphabet ters of the a l p h a bet, which I had
cut from red glazed paper. On another wall I formed
from the same red letters simple words arranged in
rows as bat, cat, hat, mat, pat, rat ; bog, dog, hog, log.
You will notice that there were only nouns in these
lists. On a third wall were the numbers arranged in
ten columns, one to ten in first column, ten to twenty
in second, etc. On the fourth wall there were pictures
of notes in the musical scale.
As babies pay more attention to hearing things than
to seeing, I wished to give her a first impression of
the alphabet through sound, but was handicapped by
not being able to sing. Fortunately the child's "mam-
my" had a sweet voice, and as I would point to the
letters of the alphabet she sang them to the air of
Lauterbach. Do not imagine that the baby paid any
great attention to our first attempts to teach her the
alphabet, but hearing the letters sung day after day
made an impression upon her ear, while the bright
colors attracted her eye and almost unconsciously she
thus learned to know the English alphabet.
After singing the letters I would point to the big
44 NATURAL EDUCATION
j.
red "A" on the wall and then show her "A" on one
The joy of service f her blocks tellin her that l had
to be learned in two Misters "A." From a box of
the cradle anagrams I would take all the "a"
letters and place them beside the block "A." For
several days I played "Seeking A" and then I asked
her please to give mother one of the little baby ana-
gram "a's." From earliest infancy I tried to teach
my child the joy of service, and it gave her great
pleasure to "do something for mother." Therefore,
when I expressed a great desire to have a little "a"
which I could place by big Mr. Block "A," the baby
tried very hard to find the small "a" "for mother."
We continued to play this letter game for weeks un-
til Winifred could pick out all the letters as I asked
for them. This gave her a feeling of pride. Self-
conceit is an abomination in an older person when it
leads to self-worship, but the child in whom egoism
is not strong will never develop into a brilliant man
or woman because ambition must be aroused through
confidence in one's self. At the present time I know
of no other ten-year-old girl so totally lacking in
childish conceit or big-headedness as is Winifred, since
she seems to understand how little she knows in the
wide fields of knowledge, but as a baby she believed
she could do whatever her mother did, and through
praise and rewards I encouraged her self-confidence.
Such confidence is necessary in the human make-up
for self -enlargement and development, as the useful-
ness of mortals depends not alone on having knowl
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY 45
edge, but the confidence in one's self to use this
knowledge. The man who knows how to save lifei
and does not act is a nonentity in the world's ma-
chinery.
It requires a great deal of self-confidence in a child
to make his first step, and so it is with all other first
A child needs acts ^ childhood. The little one
self-confidence looks to us for praise and encour-
agement and if he does not receive this help he loses
his ambition.
As the child grows in years he should still be en-
couraged in all his attempts; but as regards showing
off his knowledge to outsiders he should be taught,
as Lord Chesterfield said, "To wear his learning like
a watch in a private pocket, never pulling it out merely
to show that he has one."
I am very happy that Winifred has none of the
"would-be-show-off quality" in her make-up. When
Winifred's lack playing with children who know
of conceit nothing of Latin, Greek or the
many subjects she has studied she never mentions
these subjects. She only consents to recite her origi-
nal poems or to play on the violin, dance or speak in
various languages as a "great favor to mother" when
I ask her to help entertain some of my friends. But
she delights in playing on the stage, particularly if
the play be given to help some poor children, since
the altruistic spirit seems to be very strong in this
little girl.
Her father has expressed some fear that this lack
4 6
of desire to get ahead of others may retard her in the
race of life, but I am glad that she loves knowledge
for its own worth and does not work simply for the
purpose of getting ahead of other children.
Winifred's Sabbath-school teacher told me that she
was much impressed with my daughter's considera-
tion of other pupils, since she would never attempt to
answer a question addressed to the whole class unless
the others failed.
On several occasions this quality in Winifred's
make-up has caused me a great deal of chagrin. I
A stab to remember on one occasion when
mother-pride we were staying in a hotel at Padu-
cah, Kentucky, when Winifred was two and a half
years of age, she gave my mother-pride a terrible blow.
An ex-school-teacher who had married and was the
proud mother of a delicate, undersized six-year-old
was living in the same hotel. The children played
together and Winifred, not yet three, could outrun
and outwrestle the six-year-old Marian. The fond
mother on one occasion apologized for her daughter's
physical weakness by saying that she feared she had
begun to train "the poor little thing too soon, men-
tally." She then called Marian to her and proceeded
to tell me all the marvelous things that the child could
do, such as reading in the first reader, spelling a num-
ber of one-syllable words and reciting nearly all the
Mother Goose rhymes. Marian listened to her
mother's praise with apparent satisfaction and, with-
out any request, stood on a chair and began to sing
47
off Mother Goose's delightful melodies in a monoto-
nous, non-expressive manner. She also spelled cat,
rat, dog, hog, pig, etc., to show her prowess in spelling.
My mother-pride being thus challenged, particularly
when the little Marian turned to Winifred and said,
"You're only a baby. You can't read and spell like
I can," I called Winifred away from her dolls and
asked her to spell Nebuchadnezzar, hippopotamus
and a few such simple words for Miss Marian who
thought she could not spell. Imagine my chagrin
when the apple of my eye cried out, "Oh, let Marian
spell; I am having such fun playing dolls just now."
Marian's mother smiled with a superior air and of
course believed that Winifred knew nothing of spell-
ing. I could have insisted that the child obey me, but
such insistence would have ruined further plans in
keeping interest in our school work, so I swallowed
my chagrin and let Marian have all the honors of the
occasion.
Quite recently almost a similar experience happened
when several boys were visiting in my home. I asked
all of the children for some information concerning
Charlemagne. Winifred kept silence, and finally one
of the boys stammered out a reply. That evening I
asked my little girl why she kept silence when she
could have answered my question. She replied:
"Oh, mother, you know that I have studied all about
Charlemagne, so why should I answer when it gave
Tom such pleasure?"
After Winifred had learned all of her letters, I be-
48 NATURAL EDUCATIONS
gan to teach her the words on the wall by spelling out
cat, rat, etc., and making rhymes
Learning to read T , , , '
about them. I had large scrap-
books full of pictures and letters, and after showing
the child a picture of a cat, I would point to the letters
CAT and spell out the letters which represented cat
on the wall or on her blocks. Then we played with
our anagrams and had great fun picking out all the A's
for one pile, the C's for another, and T's in a third
pile. With these letters we then made a whole page of
cats, placing them around a cardboard representation
of her catship. I found a Noah's ark, and cardboard
representations of both wild and domestic animals
were of much use in many educational games.
Through these games of word-building, and the im-
pression made upon Winifred's mind by reading to
her, she learned to read at the age of sixteen months,
without having been given a so-called reading lesson.
Four of my friends have tried this method and have
met with success, as the children who were taught in
this way all could read simple English text before they
were three years old.
As soon as Winifred could read, the portals to
great fields of knowledge were open to her, and from
that time I have had little trouble in amusing my
daughter. I put good books in her way, and through
these books she is helping to fill her mind with knowl-
edge which will be a pleasure to her in the evening
of life.
Some parents seem to think that it is not necessary
LEARNING THROUGH. ?LAY^ '49
for children to have books of their own, since they
w u I.MJ t. u can get reading matter in public
Each child should
have a library of libraries, but as the Philadelphia
his own North American has said, editori-
ally: "The real joy of books is lost when we don't
have them about us as our friends, to dwell with us,
to amuse, to entertain, to instruct, to comfort, to in-
spire us when we feel the need of amusement, enter-
tainment, instruction, consolation or inspiration. No
one ever came to know a book intimately unless it
were part of his household, unless he lived with it in
friendship, sympathy and understanding."
It has been said that Lincoln's reading, until he had
begun the study of law, was restricted to the Bible
and Shakespeare. But he dwelt with these marvelous
books. They were his most intimate companions. No
living individuals were so much so. They became part
of his life. Their influence is apparent in his words,
thoughts and actions throughout his whole career.
I have always directed Winifred in her choice of
books, and taught her that reading without a purpose
is the idlest of amusements. There is nothing so de-
structive to muscular and mental tissue as aimlessness
in reading, work or play.
Every book that my child reads is with some ob-
ject in view. Last winter, when a Japanese boy lived
Reading for w * tn us > s ^ e s P ent most of her
a purpose spare moments reading books
about Japan so she could talk with him about his
country. When she wrote her book, Journeys With
50 NATURAL EDUCATION
Fairy Christmas, sne read thirty books descriptive of
Christmas customs in various lands, and when writing
her book, Journey With Easter Rabbit, she searched all
the libraries in Pittsburgh for books on Easter cus-
toms. Again, when she wrote a series of stories about
My Friends in the Zoo, which were syndicated by the
Pittsburgh Sun, she not alone visited the zoo and
studied the animals as she saw them, but she read all
of the books she could find describing animals and
their habits.
Last year Winifred joined the Chautauqua Literary
and Scientific Circle, and she hopes to be graduated
in the class of 1916.
She believes that reading is one of the greatest joys
in the world, and in an altruistic spirit teaches all of
Professor M V. ^ er little playmates who express a
O'Shea on reading desire to read. She has grasped
the idea expressed by Professor M. V. O'Shea, of
the University of Wisconsin, when he said that, "What
really interests the child makes the best material for
his reading lessons. He learns quickly when the con-
tent of his reading is attractive. He willingly digs
his way through the words to their meaning when he
finds he is getting something he likes."
Recently Winifred proved this theory with a little
five-year-old who was visiting at our house. She be-
Proof of came grdatly interested in the book,
this theory Six Nursery Classics, as edited by
Professor O'Shea, and when Winifred had to stop
reading to her at an interesting point in The House
That Jack Built, she spelled out the words and actually
dug out the meaning of that ever-interesting child's
classic.
As I believe that next to the power to read, the
ability to appreciate good music gives mortals the
Early musical greatest pleasure, I began to teach
training Winifred something of musical
sounds in the cradle. Her ears were trained to love
good music by hearing it, and she learned to dis-
tinguish tones by means of the bells which were hung
at the foot of her bed.
I taught her the names of the notes as soon as she
knew the letters of the alphabet, and her nurse would
Playing "Find- s ' m & certain notes while pointing
ing Notes" to them. The baby learned to do
likewise and later on, when she was a year old, she
loved to play "Finding Notes." I would hide some-
thing in the room and she would start to find it.
When she came near to the hiding-place, instead of
calling out "hot," as some children do, I struck a low
note. If she should go away from the hiding-place,
I struck a high note. Thus she learned to distinguish
between high and low notes on the piano, and I knew
she would never suffer from the dreadful mental de-
formity of being tone-deaf.
Before she could talk, I played "pat-a-cake" with
her hands, keeping good time to develop idea of
Gaining ideas of rhythm. I also held her hands on
rhythm and tone the drumsticks while I beat out
certain measures, or I directed her baby fingers to
S3 NATURAL EDUCATION
strike certain tones on the piano. She had a sweet
toned xylophone with the notes printed above each
key, and sometimes I would point to certain notes on
the wall and she would strike them on her xylophone.
At the age of three years, Winifred knew all of her
notes and could play simple airs in the treble on her
play piano.
There are very few children who do not naturally
love rhythm as the motive in telling them stories. They
love to hear us say, "Long, long time ago there was a
little boy who lived far, far away in the dark, dark
forest." Repeating and drawing out words to give
rhythmic effect always delights childish listeners.
If the child shows no appreciation of rhythm, and
does not distinguish one tone from the other, his
mother should begin early to play the game I have
suggested of "Finding Notes," and continue playing
games each day until he finally grasps the significance
of high and low tones.
As a further help in rhythmic education, I began
to teach Winifred simple dances as soon as she could
walk. Each day she was given an opportunity to
hear good music and was encouraged to give expres-
sion, with both her hands and feet, to feeling aroused
by this music. I believe that there should be music
in the very air that children breathe, and if a mother
can not give expression to this music she should fall
back on the best so-called "canned music" in the
market, as furnished by records for the Victrola,
piano-player or even graphophone.
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY 53
As we train the eye in infancy to appreciate the
beauty of color, so we should train the ear by feed-
Feeding the ear ' m S it: on melody and keeping it
on melody as much as possible out of the
range of discordant sounds.
Babies all listen intently. That is how they learn
to talk. When they hear good music their bodies
vibrate to rhythmic sounds. That is why tiny babies
have always loved musical rattles since days imme-
morial. At least rattles have been found in Egyptian
tombs, showing that the babies of thousands of years
ago loved these toys.
Most babies will crow with delight when they hear
sleigh-bells, and I have often amused Winifred by
tying a long string of sleigh-bells across her bed and
letting her kick at them so as to make them ring.
To the baby there is rhythm in the pattering rain,
songs borne on the wind, and majestic music in the
waters as they dash in waves against the rocky cliffs,
chase one another on the beach, flow in gentle brooks
or dash themselves down over mighty precipices.
The child's love of music in nature, as well as his
imitative power, may be developed by taking him into
the woods and teaching him to
imitate the songs of the birds
through whistling. Winifred began to whistle as a
baby and has derived great pleasure from this accom-
plishment.
The Hawaiian child grows up with a love of music,
and he is never tone-deaf, because his parents sing at
54 NATURAL EDUCATION
Hawaiians never tneJr work and he s ' m S s at his
tone-deaf play. It is quite an unusual phe-
nomenon to find a Hawaiian child who can not sing,
but in our country almost one-third of the adults
rarely try to hum a tune. This is because mothers
do not begin early enough to teach their children how
to sing as well as to talk. I believe that babies should
be encouraged to sing just as soon as they have the
power of speech. All mothers who can sing should
sing songs each day to the little ones. Those who
are not so fortunate should let them hear others sing
at every opportunity.
All mothers should strive to keep their voices as
sweet as possible, and should never use harsh tones
in speaking to their little ones. It
Cordelia voices . , , , ,, , , u ,. c
is a sad fact that the proportion of
Cordelia-like voices "ever gentle, soft and low" is in-
deed small.
I have one musical friend who never allows her
voice to show any harshness, even when she is angry,
and in calling her little girl, Josephine, she uses the
three notes mi-sol-do.
An aeolian harp in the nursery pleases the baby
as does a set of Japanese wind bells. Winifred also
loved to hear me repeat melodious poems while we
marched around the room together. A favorite was
Poe's Bells, but for marching purposes we found noth-
ing better than James Whitcomb Riley's The Circus
Day Parade.
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY 55
Sometimes Winifred did interpretative dances to
poems which I repeated for her, and she learned to
do the waltz, three-step and two-
Learning to dance , r . ,,
step before she was six years old.
She delights in dancing Hindu, Japanese and Indian
dances, and dances with the castanets, tambourine,
cymbals and shawl. She often whistles her own ac-
companiments or sings simple French opera airs when
interpreting them. Some mothers think that dancing
leads to immorality, judging all dancing from the re-
sults of public dance-halls. There is no better exer-
cise for big or little people and, as Doctor G. Stanley
Hall, President of Clark University, recently said:
"Dancing in itself as practised in ancient times is what
kept the Greeks and Romans healthy and graceful.
Rhythm is the basis of all physical movement, and I
am convinced that this form of amusement under
proper supervision will become, not alone an adjunct
to the church, which is proper and right, but to the
schools also."
CHAPTER V
'"MUSIC AND SPELLING
THE musical education of many children is en-
tirely neglected in infancy. Then when the
child reaches his seventh or eighth birthday, the am-
Usual method of bitious mother sends him to any
learning music music teacher to make a musician
out of him. The child whose ears have not been
trained finds these lessons a torture, particularly as
he is made to hurry home from school so as to prac-
tise stupid exercises on the piano. Many nervous
troubles have been traced to a child's being compelled
to sit at the piano and practise against his wishes.
I do not believe in the method of teaching chil-
dren only exercises in beginning music. We must
have technique, but we need not sacrifice all expres-
sion on this altar. Great musicians never began with
an unusual display of technique. They first ex-
pressed their musical feelings.
All children enjoy trying to pick out on the piano
simple melodies that they have heard. This should
be encouraged, and the child should also be helped in
making original compositions. Winifred has a blank
book (one of our note-book library) in which she has
56
MUSIC AND SPELLING. 57
written down all of the simple melodies that she has
composed since infancy. In days to come, this book
will be very interesting to her. In this book also
she keeps all notes concerning musical technique, the
names of compositions as she learns them, and all
facts relative to musical matters that she collects.
When the child begins to learn piano technique, the
mother should play with him and encourage him to
Interesting ways master this great instrument. She
to learn music can teach him little rhymes about
the sharps and flats. Winifred has always remem-
bered the lines in the treble by the sentence "Every
good boy does finely," the spaces by "f-a-c-e, face."
In the bass the lines may be represented by "Good
boys do finely always," and the spaces by "A cow
eats grass." We often had spelling lessons on the
piano, Winifred pretending that she was the Mrs.
Piano and talking in treble tones as she struck the
notes in the treble, and I played I was a big man
with a bear-like voice talking in the bass.
I can not understand why children can not be given
melodies as exercises, since they are but exercises in
Melodies as pleasing form. A little boy of my
exercises acquaintance studied for one year
with a teacher of the violin before he was given the
simple melody of Home, Sweet Home. His teacher
was cross and his mother insisted that he should con-
tinue to practise each day, so the child learned to hate
the best of all musical instruments.
My daughter was so fortunate as to receive her
58 NATURAL EDUCATION
first instruction on the violin from a teacher who
First violin knew how to make her pupils love
lessons the violin as a fairy of melody.
She gave Winifred simple melodies as exercises and
promised her others when she should master certain
motions of the bow.
I have helped Winifred to practise on the violin
by playing her accompaniments on the piano. Simple
The mother should melodies the first position sound
cooperate with her very "thin" when played on the
child in practising y j olin alon6j but with the help o
the piano they sound as Winifred says, "like real
music." I have always played duets with her on the
piano or played some other instrument while she ac-
companied me. In this way she felt that she and
mother were working together. Cooperating with
a child in practise helps him in keeping time, and
also makes the practise time a pleasure instead of a
task.
We can not all be musicians, and some people think
it is a waste of time to teach a child anything of music
Why we should unless he shows tendencies toward
all study music musical greatness ; but I believe
that every child should have some knowledge of music
in order that he may appreciate the music of others.
It is also true that we can not all be great artists, but
we can learn enough of art to appreciate the work
of masters and thus gain much more enjoyment in
life than if we remain in the dark as regards the
works of great artists and musicians.
MUSIC AND SPELLING 59
Some one has said: "A person may be more fully
known by the music he likes than by the coat he wears
A man known by r th e books he reads." We study
the music he likes good books to enjoy the style or to
gain knowledge therein contained. Why then should
we not study music to enlarge our capacities for en-
joyment, as well as to give pleasure to others, when
we have the power to produce these melodies?
Bismarck, when he was old and had retired from
political life, expressed deep regret that he had not
learned to play some musical in-
Bismarck's regret , . , ,1 ,
strument m his youth, so that he
could have found pleasure in its companionship during
life's twilight hours.
Did you ever stop to think what life would be with-
out music? It is music that inspires soldiers on the
march to victory. Love has employed this goddess
to help win his suits. It is music that helps us in
hours of sorrow and carries us away to happier
worlds.
Through music a child gains rhythm, which is
necessary for a graceful poise of body. He also gains
powers of observation, memory, order and self-con-
trol. The man who hath no music in his soul may
not be fit for all the terrible crimes attributed to him
by Shakespeare, but he is not a fully developed man.
He who loves music hears glad notes in all forms of
nature and forgets life's trials when he hears heaven-
born musical sounds.
As a child learns to read letters he should learn to
6o
read music, and as he learns the meaning of word
pictures he should learn to dissect these words and
know the letters that compose them.
I found it very easy to teach Winifred spelling by
building up words with anagrams after she had
Learning to spell learned the letters. We called this
through games game "Building Word-Castles,"
and even to-day we enjoy playing it. We both be-
come greatly interested in seeing who can build the
greater number of castles or the larger ones. A few
days ago, Winifred formed the word transcontinental,
and declared that she had made the longest word in
the English language because there was a whole con-
tinent between the first and last syllables. I tried to
catch up with her by making interoceanic and having
a big ocean between my first and last syllables.
Another spelling game that amused Winifred as
a little girl was that of "Bee-Hives." We arranged
the alphabet in a perpendicular line. Then we be-
gan to see how many AT buzzing bees we could
make. From a to d we could make a buzzing bee
each time, but nothing could be done with d so we
drew a parenthesis by its side and called it a drone. E,
9, t> j> k> l> n, o, q, u, w, x, y and z were all drones,
while a, fc, c, f, h, m, p, r, s, t and v were workers,
forming at, bat, cat, fat, hat, mat, pat, rat, sat, tat, vat.
We counted our workers and found there were but
eleven, while there were fifteen drones. Therefore,
we called our AT Bee-Hive no good. The next day
we tried the AD bees and again found more drones
MUSIC AND SPELLING 61
than workers, but on the third day, in an IT Bee-
Hive, we were successful in finding fourteen work-
ers and only twelve drones. In most of the hives
there were more drones than workers and Winifred,
judging of life from the lazy men she saw on our
reservation, remarked that it was only natural to find
more drones than workers in everything. Unfortu-
nately, this seems to be true in all walks of life.
With the members of our bee-hives we also amused
ourselves in making rhymes or singing p-a-t, pat, c-a-t,
Making rhymes to cat > and so on - The following
help in spelling nonsense rhyme was Winifred's
first attempt to compose a jingle :
Miss Kitty Kitty Kitty Cat
Lived with a man named Pat
And slept upon a mat
Did Miss Kitty Kitty Cat.
Miss Kitty Kitty Kitty Cat
Each day would eat a rat
And soon she grew so fat
Did Miss Kitty Kitty Cat.
Miss Kitty Kitty Kitty Cat
Looked lovely in a hat
Trimmed with a fuzzy bat
Did Miss Kitty Kitty Kitty Cat.
But Kitty Kitty Kitty Cat
Grew cross with Mister Pat
She humped her back and spat
Did Miss Kitty Kitty Kitty Cat
62 NATURAL EDUCATION
Then said this Mister Pat
I'll give her tit for tat
So he drowned her in a vat,
End of Kitty Kitty Kitty Cat.
As a help in learning to spell, I would recommend
these games ; but better than any rhyme or letter game
Learning to spell is the use of the typewriter. Wini-
by using the fred's desire to do whatever she
typewriter saw fo tr mo ther do led to my
adopting the typewriter as a substitute for the spell-
ing-book. One day when I was busy typewriting,
Winifred came to me and asked me to come out-of-
doors for a game of ball. I told her to have patience
for just a few minutes so that I might finish writing
a .story, and thus get a lot of nice pennies to buy
pretty new books and dolls.
This fired Winifred's ambition to write stories on
the typewriter and make lots of money. She begged
me to teach her how to write on the money-making
machine, but I had no opportunity that day. The next
day, when I returned from market, I was greatly sur-
prised by the little girl who presented me with a type-
written copy of the first page of Peter Rabbit. There
was no spacing or capitalization in this copy, but I
did not discourage the baby by telling her of her mis-
takes. Faultfinding and criticism often discourage a
child so that she loses ambition to try again.
The little girl had looked at the letters forming
Peter, etc., and then she had picked out the same let-
MUSIC AND SPELLING 63
ters on the typewriter. After I showed her how to
space and make capitals she took great delight in
copying poems of the masters and in striving to write
original rhymes, letters and stories. This was before
she was three years old.
A short time after she began to write upon the type-
writer, I had to undergo a serious operation in a Chi-
The typewriter a ca g hospital. I could not have
good fairy my baby with me, and the type-
writer proved a good fairy in bearing daily messages
to my bedside. Each day the little girl wrote me let-
ters telling of her love and describing all the hap-
penings at home. These letters helped me to keep
up my courage in the struggle to live, and are still
treasured by me.
Winifred continued to write on the typewriter each
day and by copying works of great poets, she not
only learned how to spell the words and something of
punctuation, but she made these poems her own. No
one can truly appreciate a great poem until he has com-
mitted it to memory, and through the typewriter Wini-
fred has learned over a thousand of these gems, put-
ting them in her memory storehouse to give pleasure
not alone in youth but in old age.
When the little girl was three years old she had
attained such a remarkable proficiency in spelling that
her father often invited visitors to give her any word,
having the assurance that she would never fail. She
made use of this spelling knowledge whenever we
54 NATURAE EDUCATION
took walks or rides in the street-cars by spelling tfie
signs, and she pretended to teach all of her pets and
dolls how to spell everything in her nursery.
If I were a multimillionaire, I would make a bon-
fire of all the spelling-books used in public schools
and would introduce typewriters so that every child
could learn to spell in this practical manner. The
child not only learns how to operate a mechanical in-
strument, but a word picture is made on his mind
each time that he writes a certain word. He learns
construction and punctuation, and through its aid he
may memorize literature worth remembering. I have
also found that using the typewriter developed the
muscles in Winifred's fingers and thus helped her in
playing the piano and the violin.
I am hoping that the day will come when we shall
have small typewriters easily carried in our pockets,
but which we can use instead of
A nope that type-
writers may take the pen as the instrument to ex-
the place of pens press our thoughts. In that day
there will be no poor spellers, and we shall all be able
to read one another's letters. Poor penmanship is
sometimes said to be a sign of brains (judging from
the writing of Horace Greeley and other prominent
men), because the thoughts come faster than the pen
can write legibly. With the general use of type-
writers, thoughts need not be lost through illegible
pen scratches.
Winifred now uses the touch system on the type-
writer and often acts as my secretary, writing long
MUSIC AND SPELLING 65
_. . letters with ease. She writes all
1 he pen an in-
strument as well of her stories, jingles, etc., on the
as the typewriter typewriter and uses a pen only
when compelled to write letters to friends who still
cling to the old idea that a pen-written letter is more
characteristic of the writer than one written on the
typewriter. As Winifred truly says: "The pen is
an instrument, as much as the typewriter. Both are
tools to use in expressing thought, and if I write my
letters myself and do not dictate them I can not see
how it is more courteous to use the pen-tool."
Had typewriters of my dream been in use when
Winifred was a baby, I would not have attempted to
teach her how to use a pen, but such instruments are
still in Utopia. It was Winifred's simian instinct of
imitation that led her to learn to use a pen in baby-
hood as she afterward learned the typewriter. This
desire to imitate is nature's method of teaching her
young.
When little ones see their mothers writing, they
also wish to write, but usually the mother gives her
child a pencil and, without directing the little one,
allows it to scribble ad libitum on everything in sight,
thus working destruction and reaping no benefit from
energy exerted.
When Winifred expressed a desire to use a pencil,
I gave her a bright red crayon and asked her if she
How Winifred would write her name and surprise
learned to write daddy? She danced with delight
at the thought, and day after day the seventeen-
66 NATURAL EDUCATION
month-old baby tried to write her pet name, Cherie
Stoner, from samples that I made for her. Thus, be-
fore she was two years old, she astonished hotel clerks
by asking permission to write her name in the regis-
ters beside that of daddy and mother. She also
learned to associate a pen or pencil as useful instru-
ments, to be used only in writing her name on a nice
white piece of paper, and not given to her to make
marks all over the furniture and walls.
I taught her the gliding motion of pen writing by
holding her hand as she wrote hen, pen, etc., and she
amused herself by, printing the letters of the alpha-
bet and making up stories concerning these characters.
According to Winifred's ideas, "A" was a house
with an up-stairs and down-stairs, "B" had two
humps, "D" had one big hump and "P" a little one.
"S" was a snake, "T" wore a hat, "Y" was a "V"
with a tail and "W" was two little "Vs." We put
all the slanting letters together, calling them cousins
"a," "m," "n," "v," "w," "x," "y," "z." Then we
looked for all the letters related to Mr. "I" and found
"E," "F," "H," "J," "K," "L" and "T." Then we
tried to write all of these letters as neatly as possible
in both capital and little letter form, and afterward
we looked for all letters with curves and tried to copy
them. We found "B," "C," "D," "G," "J," "O," "P,"
"Q," "R," "S," "U," in this class, and came to the
conclusion that the curved line, or "line of beauty,"
was a favorite in letter formation.
As soon as Winifred could write simple sentences,
MUSIC AND SPELLING 67
I gave Her a nicely bound diary and told her to write
down what she did each day.
From the age of two years until
the present time she has always kept a diary, and it has
been of great service in teaching her neatness and ac-
curacy, as well as giving amusement on rainy days.
She often passes happy hours in reading the diaries
written in past years. In years to come, I imagine
that these little books will give their owner much
pleasure, and they will undoubtedly prove most inter-
esting to children or grandchildren who may come to
her.
Mothers should also keep diaries with accounts of
their children's progress, as such books always prove
interesting to these children when they have children
of their own.
Winifred's 1913 diary is a model of neatness. Each
day the child takes pleasure in writing an account of
the previous day's doings, and up to date no blot has
found its way through careless haste to mar the
escutcheon of neatness.
If your children have not the diary habit, I would
recommend that they acquire it at once. It is an old-
fashioned custom, but one that should always remain
with us.
Another way in which to arouse a child's interest in
writing is to allow him to write real letters to his
Teach children to friends In other P arts of the coun -
write real letters try. The chief reason that chil-
to real people dren dislike wr j t i ng j n schoo i j s be _
68 NATURAL 1 EDUCATION
cause they know that any letters they write are simply
exercises which do not convey their ideas to real
people.
Trying to write little stories for prizes or joining
the St. Nicholas League is another way to arouse the
child's desire to express his thoughts in writing.
Winifred became a member of this league when she
was five years old and has won both the silver and gold
badges as prizes for her stories.
CHAPTER VI
LEARNING ABOUT NATURE
THERE never was and never will be so interesting
a teacher as good old Dame Nature. But it is a
lamentable fact that few of her present-day children
Dame Nature come often in contact with this
best teacher great instructor.
The life-stories of birds, plants and the like are al-
ways interesting to a child. Reverend Mr. Witte used
How Reverend these natUre studies tO ? ive his SOn '
Mr. Witte taught Karl Witte, his early information.
his famous son He told him the history of a loaf
of bread as he ate the bread at the table and he de-
scribed the growth and development of various forms
of nature while he walked with his boy.
He taught him about the birds ; how they care for
their little ones and their assistance to man in his
struggle for life. He showed him how these winged
workers destroy moths that would kill our trees and
deprive us of fruit and how they free the world of
troublesome insects. He explained why some birds
walk and others hop, and told interesting stories
about the birds of all climes.
Through nature this wise teacher explained to his
69
70 NATURAL EDUCATION
son the Resurrection and the fact that nothing is ever
lost or destroyed. In his walks during the spring
months he showed him the miracles performed in the
clothing of supposedly dead plants in new glory, the
awakening of insect life and the new growth of roots
and seeds that had been buried by the winter's frosts.
He explained to him the various relationships of
vegetables and flowers and made the study of botany,
ornithology and biology a delight to this boy who
afterward became a famous scholar.
I attempted to use the same methods in teaching
Winifred geography, botany, geology, ornithology,
zoology, physics, chemistry, astronomy and miner-
alogy.
Winifred has found great delight not alone in an-
alyzing flowers after we have studied them beneath a
An interesting microscope and in pressing speci-
way to learn mens for her herbarium, but in
botany studing relationships of plants.
When I told her that the potato, the tomato and the
bull nettle were cousins and all related to the deadly
nightshade her imagination was awakened sufficiently
to write a very interesting plant story about these un-
like cousins.
As in all branches of study, she kept a note-book in
which to preserve interesting facts of plant life, and
this botany book is full of queer stories written about
Cousin Potato, Tomato and so on. She has also fol-
lowed the history of a sprig of wheat, until it became
a loaf of bread and finally part of a nice little girl who
LEARNING ABOUT NATURE 71
did so many good deeds that the wheat was glad to
have given up its life so that she could have the
strength to work.
Winifred still continues her research in plant life,
and she is making a collection of flowers from various
lands, getting her specimens from Esperantist friends
living all over the world. She has one book that
she prizes most highly, containing flowers plucked
from the graves of great men or from historic spots.
Another book she calls her Audubon book because
all of the flowers it contains were plucked from old-
Walking in paths time haunts of the great naturalist
trod by Audubon near Henderson, Kentucky. In
this wood Winifred gained much knowledge of plant
and bird life and learned to love the great writer who
has told us so much of nature's wonders as he saw
them beneath these majestic oaks and elms entwined
with great ropes of wild grape-vines.
When Winifred was a tiny baby she showed great
dislike for caterpillars, but when I told her that the
Interest in ugly worms would develop into
caterpillars beautiful butterflies she saw Mr.
Caterpillar in a different light and was careful not to
harm him when he came in her pathway. On one
occasion I heard her telling a little playmate not to
molest a great ugly green tomato worm because he
would some day be a lovely fairy horse (as she called
butterflies) and would perhaps be ridden by Titania
herself.
I told the child stories of ants and their ways of liv-
72 NATURAL 1 EDUCATION.
ing and these stories served not alone to interest her
Stories of ants, but to awaken her imagination in
bees, etc. making up other tales about these
wonderful insects. She showed an equal interest in
bumblebees, hornets and wasps and tried to make
friends with them until she learned through pain that
they would not be friendly. Then we made a little
class of friends and enemies in the nature world and
resolved not to go too near those which were deter-
mined to wage war against us.
After an unpleasant encounter with a bumblebee
she wrote the following rhyme as a warning to her
little friends :
"LET THE BUMBLE BE"
"One day I saw a bumblebee, bumbling on a rose
And as I stood admiring him he stung me on the nose.
My nose in pain, it swelled so large it looked like a
potato,
So Daddy said, though Mother thought 'twas more
like a tomato.
And now dear children this advice I hope you'll take
from me
And when you see a bumblebee just let that bum-
ble be."
But despite the stings she received from several
bees Winifred did not learn to Dislike them. She
thought they were very handsome and could make
such a nice buzzing sound. Nearly all children cling
to the habits of their ancestors in affiliating with all
LEARNING ABOUT NATURE 73
forms of life. Babies will play with snakes and toads
as if they were beautiful toys. One of my little friends
was so fond of everything of the creeping and crawl-
ing order as a baby that he delighted in the compan-
ionship of centipedes.
During the last year Winifred and I have made a
specialty of studying beetles. In the winter, when we
Learning about could not find these insects in the
beetles woods, we went to Carnegie Insti-
tute and studied the collections there displayed. In
learning something about nearly everything there is no
better school for children than a museum. We spend
several days out of each week in the Carnegie mu-
seum, sometimes sketching the great works of sculp-
ture or studying the different forms of animals as well
as races of men and the tools or clothes they have
made.
Winifred is now studying about the beetle's rela-
tives. She has learned to know an insect by its six
legs and seeks with a microscope to discover the four
wings that nature originally gave it. She has learned
that there are a hundred and fifty thousand varieties
of beetles, but she is ambitious to discover a new one.
She has read all the books she could find in the library
about beetles, has written a number of beetle stories,
and studies his beetleship whenever she meets him.
She is also greatly interested in spiders, and not long
ago I was amused to overhear a lecture she was giving
A lecture to a boy who thirsted for spider
on spiders life. She told him that spiders had
74 NATURAL EDUCATION
brains and were superior to insects, who neither had
hearts nor brains. She also expressed admiration for
spiders because they were never discouraged and
would begin to weave a web just as soon as their old
one was destroyed. The boy, who was older than
Winifred and had studied something about spiders
at school, laughed at her, saying that they were not
superior to insects, since, as he said, "They're insects
themselves."
Winifred then proceeded to enlighten this young
man as to the difference between spiders and real in-
Spiders compared sects - She told m ' m that insects
with insects have three parts to their make-up
and real heads, while spiders have two parts, as their
heads stick down in their chests. "Insects," she said,
"have six legs, but spiders have two extra ones. In-
sects always have feelers but spiders have none, while
most insects are argus-eyed, but spiders never have
more than eight round eyes. Besides, spiders have real
poison-fangs like a snake, which insects never have."
I speak of this little conversation to show you how
she has learned to compare the different forms of
No great lover of ^ e m nature, and I believe there
nature a villain i s no better way to make a child
happy than by such study. A child who is brought
close to nature becomes so interested in life about
him that he has no thought for mischief, which is
solely misdirected energy. True students of nature
who drink in plenty of ozone and are constantly seek-
LEARNING ABOUT NATURE 75
ing to know more of the world's wondrous truths have
no time to plot against their fellow men. I have never
known a great lover of nature to be a villain.
Every child loves to go to the woods, and there is
no reason why parents and teachers should not gratify
this desire at frequent intervals. The city child has
little chance to become acquainted with nature, which
really is to be found only in sweet solitude away from
the haunts of man, while the call to visit nature in
her beauty is ever strong within him.
A very small proportion of the money spent each
year in striving to reform bad children could save
Nature used to these children from need of ref-
save children from ormation if used to provide
reformatories weekly outings for them in beau-
tiful woods or parks. A child who lives in the soot-
laden atmosphere of a large city, breathing all sorts
of poisonous fumes, even to sulphureted hydrogen
(the property in a rotten egg) can not have a per-
fectly healthy mind and body if he never comes in
contact with pure air and nature's surroundings.
During the last summer a number of kindly dis-
posed Pittsburgh ladies volunteered their services to
A fund for direct the play of children in the
outings parks. But they could not find
children with whom to play. My poor laundress, who
has six children, laughed bitterly when I asked:
"Why don't you send your little ones to the park?
They would have a fine time and learn a great deal."
76 NATURAL EDUCATION
She explained that sixty cents car-fare was "big
money" which she could not afford to pay for her
children's enjoyment. Ergo, they continue to play
in the dirty alley back of her home while the play-
grounds in the parks are empty.
1 am hopeful that school directors may soon see
that an outing fund is necessary for the transporta-
tion of children who can not afford to pay car-fare
when there are school outings.
Luther Burbank says that any child who has been
deprived of rocks to roll, acorns and mud-pies, grass-
T , , , hoppers, mud-turtles, huckleber-
Luther Burbank . ^
on nature as a nes and hornets has been deprived
teacher o f t ^ e b est p art o ^j s education.
He believes that every school should have a farm
divided into sections and each child be given a plot
of ground to make a garden of his very own. Every
mother should also have some kind of a garden for
her baby to cultivate.
Winifred has had a garden in every place where
there has been ground near our home to make one,
and we have had great fun in dig-
Winifred's garden . , < ,. , ,, a *
gmg and planting both flowers and
vegetables. We play that the weeds are dragons and
must be killed, but the flowers are fairies. We have
often played with the potatoes and made babies of
them, and sometimes after we were tired of garden-
ing we lay under a tree and tried to see how many
green vegetables people ate, how many brown ones
and so on. Sometimes we used this spur for a writing
LEARNING ABOUT .NATURE 77
Of ' >
lesson and eacK of us wrote on a piece of paper the
number of red, green, brown, etc., vegetables or fruits
that grew. We have tried this game with flowers
also.
As I believe that nature inspires us, giving us faitK
in higher powers and uplifting us above the common-
place, I try to spend a few days
in camp each year with my little
girl. We have camped under the great trees in Cali-
fornia and under shaggy bushes on the prairie, but
have always felt great pleasure in being close to
nature, where we have found "tongues in trees, books
in running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in
everything."
We wished to forget the noise of cities, and as Mrs.
Mary V. Grice in one of her beautiful and clever ser-
Mrs. Mary V. monettes says: "Lie down flat in
Grice on nature the deep clover blooms and get ac-
quainted with the 'little world in the grass,' as Goethe
calls the insect life. There are wonderful lessons for
the children in the habits of the little creatures on
every side."
We were fortunate to live near a beautiful piece of
woods for several years and I could have had no bet-
Our friends ter text-book from which to teach
in the woods my little girl. Nearly every pleas-
ant day when Winifred's father was not at home our
good faithful maid, Victoria, Cherie and I went to the
woods and found quiet, good air and food for
thought. As we walked along I would tell my daugh-
78 NATURAL EDUCATION
ter the names of the trees we were passing, and gen-
erally orj our return home she could tell me each name
correctly.
We carried our kodak with us and took the pic-
tures of favorite trees and lovely flowers, and after
I had developed and printed them the little girl found
delight in painting them the proper colors. In this
wood I taught her many beautiful poems of nature
and told her fairy tales, to which she added others,
and like Hiawatha, "she learned of every bird its lan-
guage." She saw also that all forms of nature (ex-
cept human nature) are always busy, as no birds or
insects sit in idleness, and the little squirrels are ever
busy collecting their winter food.
In this wood was a pond where a few sad-looking
ducks were accustomed to swim. Sitting by the pond
The ugly duckling I ^ rst to ^ Winifred Hans Chris-
and the swan tian Andersen's story of The
Ugly Duckling. A few days later while visiting in
Indianapolis I had an opportunity to show her a real
swan and I explained that this beautiful bird had once
been an ugly duckling. On our return home I was
greatly amused to hear Winifred consoling one of the
orphans, whose asylum was close to our reservation
and who often came to the fence for cookies, by say-
ing : "Oh, don't worry about your looks. It is a good
thing to be ugly when you are little, for if you are
good you will grow up to be very pretty like the swan
birds. But if you are too pretty in your baby days
people will pet you so much and make you so vain
LEARNING ABOUT NATURE 79
that when you grow up you will be punished for your
vanity by getting the smallpox or the erysipelas, which
will ruin your looks."
In Winifred's nature book she writes interesting
facts concerning new plants and trees and draws pic-
Stories about tures of various flowers, clothing
strange plants them in their rightful raiment.
She often visits the Phipps Conservatory and
studies the plants of various countries and sometimes
writes stories about them. She has written a very
amusing tale about the devil's pincushion cactus,
causing a lot of trouble in the present Mexican up-
heaval, and another of her stories recently written for
the Evansville, Indiana, Courier tells of plants that
catch insects and others that are armed with bay-
onets.
She tells of a great band of Indians being kept from
a certain settlement in Florida by means of a Spanish
bayonet hedge. She has stories about the beautiful
rose which protects itself with thorns, the cactus
which wears a formidable armor of prickle and dag-
gers, the sun-spurge which has a poisonous juice that
kills any insect which approaches, the bladder-wort
which holds insects fast to its sticky stems if they try
to climb up and steal the plant's honey, the rattlesnake
iris which gives a rattling noise like a rattlesnake, and
many other curious plants. There is much material
for interesting tales about these marvelous plants and
all our children friends love to hear Winifred's plant
tales. The little girl also writes stories about trees.
8o NATURAL 1 EDUCATION
In one of her diaries I find a description of a day
spent with the pupils of Miss Pape's school in Savan-
nah, Georgia, in exploring a beautiful piece of woods.
At this outing we played a game called "Guess What"
with all the wild flowers we had collected and a prize
was offered for the best drawing of a live-oak tree.
After lunch each child wrote a description of a par-
ticular tree or a number of trees. The following is
Winifred's description of
"THE KING OF THE FOREST"
"As the lion is king among beasts so the oak is
monarch of all trees. Of course all oak trees are not
A story kingly in appearance but neither
of the oak are all kings who rule over people.
But the best members of the oak family have always
ranked ahead of all other trees. In fact the very word
oak means tree, so I suppose in the beginning of the
world oaks grew to be tall trees while elms and syca-
mores were mere bushes.
"There are about seventy-two kinds of oak trees.
Too many for little girls to remember and as I have
so many things which I wish to store in my cranium I
am not trying to use up all the spare room with the
names of every known oak tree. I only wish to re-
member that there are oaks of eight different colors,
blue, chestnut, green, red, scarlet, yellow, black and
white. There are also oaks named for the duck, cow
and bear. Don't you think these are strange names
LEARNING ABOUT NATURE 81
for oak trees? I never saw an oak which resembled
a duck. Did you? Oak trees are also named for
many places. There are British, Jerusalem, Spanish,
African, American, Indian, Turkey, New Zealand
and Valparaiso oaks. The last named is the same as
our beloved live-oaks.
"These trees of the oak family grow almost every-
where except in the high mountains. The largest ones
grow in England and in Portland,
Largest oaks Oregon. Some of the English oaks
are so old that they were on earth when William the
Conqueror came to 'Merrie England.'
"Some of the oak's family are almost as famous as
great people. We often read of Abraham's oak in
Most famous Palestine under which the old pa-
oaks triarch pitched his tent; the Royal
Oak in England where Charles the Second hid for a
day after his defeat at Worcester in 1551 ; and the
Charter Oak at Hartford, Connecticut, in which was
concealed in 1687 the Colonial Charter which had been
demanded by Governor Andres.
"In olden times there were many gospel oaks in
England, so called because religious services were held
beneath their spreading boughs. All of these oaks are
now dead, but many children in England still wear
oak leaves on May 29th and call it 'Oak Apple Day'
in honor of the oak tree which once sheltered an Eng-
lish king.
"Oaks are used for many purposes. They are so
strong that their wood makes excellent houses, boats,
82 NATURAL' EDUCATION
ships, furniture and wheels. Their
Uses of oaks , . . , .
bark is used for tanning and also
for medicine. Their acorns make excellent food for
piggie-wigs, who grow to be large and fat on such
diet and furnish us with delicious hams for sand-
wiches when we go to the woods for picnics. In an-
cient times the Romans used oak leaves to crown their
victors and the Druids in England worshiped the oak
tree and the mistletoe growing on it. They had one
favorite oak called the 'Druid Oak,' and beneath this
tree they would often offer human sacrifices.
"Of all the members of the oak family I love the
live-oak best. It keeps its limbs covered with beauti-
ful green waxy leaves all the year
The wishing oak , , . . ., ,, ,.
round, and it is said that fairies
love these trees better than any others. Queen Ti-
tania always lives in a live-oak tree.
"For many years she was supposed to have her
home in a large live-oak which grew on Granby Street
in dear old Norfolk, Virginia. The roots of this an-
cient oak grew under the sidewalk and its branches
hung over the heads of passers-by. This tree was
called 'The Wishing Oak/ and people in Norfolk
could not tell how old it was nor how it received its
name, but nearly every one took pleasure in making
wishes under its green leaves, and many people said
that their wishes came true.
"Some people said that the tree was called 'The
Wishing Oak' because when a little girl had once
made a wish under its branches Titania heard her and
LEARNING ABOUT NATURE 83
whispered the wish to the child's aunt. The aunt
gave her niece the much-wished-for ring and ever
after, during this little girl's life, she and her friends
came here to make wishes. It was believed that many
marriages were brought about by lovers wishing un-
der the tree and children often received lovely dolls
and toys after whispering their wishes to the good old
oak. After having made a wish, however, they were
compelled to keep silence while walking for two
blocks or the wish would not be granted.
"I shall always feel kindly to the memory of this
dear old tree because the fairies, brought me to my
mother after she had made a wish for a little baby
while standing beneath the green branches of Ti-
tania's home. It is true that she asked for a boy and
Titania's messenger, Madam Stork, made a mistake
in delivering the goods, but at the present time mother
is glad that the mistake was made and I feel so grate-
ful to the fairy queen that she sent me to my mother
instead of to some cross lady.
" 'The Wishing Oak' was cut down at the time of
the Jamestown Exposition to make room for pass-
ers-by, but mother loved the tree so dearly that she
picked many barrels of its leaves and put them in
little books telling of the good oak's history. She
believed that the leaves would grant wishes if people
had faith in them and I have written several verses
and fastened some of the leaves on cards to send to
all my friends. I tell them to kiss the leaf at night
just after they have been kissed and tucked into bed
84 NATURAL EDUCATION
by their mothers and then not to speak a single word
but to believe that their wishes will be fulfilled, and
generally the wishes come true. Of course we must
not think that wishes will come true unless we help
Titania, but if we wish and work our desires will
come to us."
I am copying this little oak story to show mothers
how much interest may be awakened in trees. In this
story Winifred shows that she studies etymology and
has read books about trees as well as observed their
characteristics. She shows her love of the forest
monarchs, her knowledge of interesting facts concern-
ing trees from the historical standpoint, and an in-
tense interest in these children of nature in connection
with fairy lore.
Last winter Winifred had several bird boxes that
were inhabited by a number of birds. She fed them
Children should each da y and the 7 became so tame
have pets that they would perch on her
shoulder. In her nursery she has two tame canaries
called Okikusan (or Oh, the Honorable Mr. Chrysan-
themum in Japanese) and Ninita (baby in Span-
ish). Okikusan is really a remarkable bird. His little
mistress has taught him to dance on her hand and
sing in perfect time when she plays certain airs on
the violin. He perches on her shoulder when she
plays on the piano, winks either the right or left eye
as requested, like Audubon's crow, and eats bits of
bread or corn at lunch-time with Winifred. When
LEARNING ABOUT NATURE 85
she reads from a book he often perches on the top of
the leaves and when she wishes to turn a page he
jumps as if jumping the rope and lands on the fresh
page, perching his head from side to side as if he
understood the text of the book.
I believe that all children should have pets that they
can train or care for. It teaches little ones to think
of others and also makes them happy.
Of course there is the fear that dogs and cats may
carry disease, but if animals are kept clean and chil-
dren are taught never to kiss them or to put their
hands in their mouths after fondling the pets, I be-
lieve the danger is slight.
When Winifred was very ill with pneumonia, while
living in the far north, she almost forgot her pains by
watching the antics of her three kittens, the Graces,
Aglaia, Thalia and Euphrosyne. Her dog Rowdy is
always a source of delight to her.
While watching the tricks of pet cats and dogs
Winifred has become interested in the habits of all
their wild relatives.
We make frequent visits to the zoos, watching the
unfortunate caged animals while Winifred tells them
Visits to zoos and the y wil1 soon be free - Then we
aquariums return home and study their char-
acteristics in all the interesting animal books we can
find. Through these studies Winifred gained knowl-
edge so that she was able to write a series of syndi-
cated newspaper animal stories, and she is now writ-
ing a large book containing conversations with most
86 NATURAL EDUCATION
of the animals in the zoo, called Chats with My
Friends in the Zoo.
We have used the same plan in learning about
fishes. We have an aquarium in the nursery and
watch the scaly water sprites as they swim or float,
and we have visited nearly all of the large aquariums
in the United States.
A naturalist who recently talked with my Cherie
said that she was undoubtedly another Audubon. I
explained to him that the child was simply an ordinary
little girl who kept her eyes and ears open to nature's
calling and who gained knowledge by seeing, hearing
and doing, rather than by simply reading of what
others had done.
I have pursued the same plans in teaching the child
mineralogy, chemistry, geology and astronomy, seek-
ing for knowledge direct from nature, but using lab-
oratories, museums and interesting books to help me
in leading to these paths of knowledge. The fairies
and interesting stories in mythology have also been a
great help in keeping up intense interest in these
branches.
I can not see how astronomy can be made interest-
ing to any child unless he is told of these old-time
myths and is allowed to study the stars from nature
rather than books.
Winifred has been fortunate also in being able to
obtain much information by gazing through some of
the largest telescopes in the world and being told of
the celestial wonders by great astronomers. One of
LEARNING ABOUT NATURE 87
her astronomer friends, Professor Edgar Lucien Lar-
kin, of Mount Lowe Observatory, says that Winifred
inspired him to write his book Within the Mind Maze.
The little girl says that he must be mistaken since she
can not understand everything in this book, but she
considers this astronomer one of the most interesting
wise men it has been her fortune to meet.
The friendship of great star-gazers and the use of
telescopes is not accorded to every child, but the sky
is free to all and every mother should take her children
beneath the starry canopy and tell them stories of
Orion, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor and interesting facts
that astronomers of all ages have given to us.
There are always bits of woods where she may go
with her little one and while playing Indian with him,
Science through teach him to tell the hour of the
natural play day by the shadows cast on the
tree-trunks, teach him direction by gazing up through
the trees to the stars, and thus not alone give him a
strong body and happy spirit, but teach him science
through the happy medium of play.
During the last few years two excellent organiza-
tions have been formed whereby boys and girls receive
Boy Scouts and practical knowledge from nature
Camp-Fire Girls and are trained for the battle of life.
I refer to the Boy Scouts and the Camp-Fire Girls.
Through introduction to Mother Nature these boys
and girls are learning to love studies that they one
time hated.
Geography, which was once a nightmare of maps
88 NATURAL; EDUCATION
and cities, has become a delight to children taught by
natural educational methods.
Winifred never learned any definitions about the
five different kinds of geography, but she began to
Playing in learn about the earth and its in-
the sand habitants when she was a tiny baby
playing in the sand on Virginia Beach. As we sat
watching the great Atlantic Ocean I told her stories
of this watery giant and of his brothers in distant
lands. I told her stories also of the shells we found
on the beach and described the lives of the mollusks
that once used them as homes. We watched crabs
crawling in the sand and learned many of their funny
ways. I talked of ocean life in the many forms that
were washed upon the beach, and fortune favored us
one day in stranding a huge whale high and dry on
the sand where we could watch the great monster.
Some days we collected bits of seaweeds, and I gave
Winifred little talks about these flowers of Neptune's
realms and also told her facts about the plants growing
along the seashore. Often I found my curiosity
aroused about plants, fish, etc., and I would seek for
information, thus gaining knowledge while striving to
educate my little daughter. People often give me
credit for possessing a mucH better memory than I
own. They forget that I am constantly refreshing my
mind in order to teach my little daughter.
While playing in the sand we formed rivers, seas,
bays and- mountains, while we used tiny sprigs to
cover the mountains with forests and employed little
89
celluloid dolls as mountain climbers. When we wished
to have snow-capped mountains we put white cotton
on top of the sand.
Sometimes we carried our big globe to the beach
and tried to draw pictures of the continents in the
Playing with sand. This globe has always been
a globe a delight as well as an educator to
my baby. At first she looked upon it as only a nice
big ball that would turn round and round. But soon
she learned the position of Norfolk, Virginia, on this
great globe, and took pleasure in pointing with her
chubby finger to the place of her birth.
Even on rainy days we had our sand geography
lessons, as I kept a large flat box of sand in a store-
room handy to the nursery. We
A day in Holland would wt ^ sand slightly> tum .
ing it into all sorts of molds, and form marvelous vil-
lages. Winifred never tired of hearing about far-dis-
tant lands and of making representative villages. She
was particularly fond of playing that we were in
Holland, and she spent many hours striving to make
sand windmills and tiny canals. I had dolls dressed
to represent all nations, and my little daughter in-
sisted that her best Dutch lady should wear eighteen
petticoats so as to look truly Dutch-like and prosper-
ous. We used brightly colored paper tulips to adorn
the banks of our canals and stuck Dutch flags into
the sand windmills, while our dolls were made to
act as the Hollanders in smoking pipes, skating and
scrubbing.
90 NATURAL EDUCATION
On another day we turned our sand-pile into merry
England and pretended to hold pageants and tourna-
ments as in olden times. We had
A day in England , , , ,. . . ,
a large box of knights in varied ar-
mor and they made quite "a glad array" as we ar-
ranged them in the field. We had castles with moats,
and forests where the knights would go to hunt paper
boars, or other wild game.
Thus each day my little daughter learned something
new and interesting; and as I was continually reading
Gaining knowl- books t0 hel ? me make this P la y
edge while study interesting, I was constantly
teaching adding to my storehouse of knowl-
edge. Mothers often say to me "I am, oh, so willing
to give up my life for my child, but I simply don't
know how to go about teaching him." Of course, a
mother must have an educational foundation in order
to give her child proper instruction, but it is wonder-
ful how every mother learns of new ways specially
adapted to the training of her child and how she can
enlarge on any ideas given her and so help to broaden
her own sphere of knowledge.
After Winifred had learned something about most
of the world's great countries we tried to make a sand-
Dolls of Pi* 6 world. For this we used dolls
all nations dressed to represent all nationalities
and also a number of toys that I picked up in various
parts of the world. Our little brown Eskimo doll, in
her real sealskin robe (the gift of Prince John, a Si-
wash 1 chief), was seen emerging from her cayout,
LEARNING ABOUT NATURE 91
which we covered with cotton to represent snow. Our
African friend reposed in his twig jungle sans raiment,
but ruling over all of these peoples was Queen Lucy
(named for Winifred's beloved godmother), who al-
ways received first prize as the most beautiful lady
in the whole world.
Sometimes instead of playing in the sand we made
tiny villages out of modeline, forming mountains for
Modeline backgrounds and even making
as a help modeline rivers. The tiny inhab-
itants were most interesting specimens of my play-
mate's imitative ability. Some of them were really
quite remarkable, and I have preserved a Fiji Islander,
made by the little girl when two years of age, as a
memento of our modeline geography lessons.
As another means of learning about the different
places in this great world, Winifred and I have taken
Traveling many a jolly trip on a big map
on a map spread out on our library table.
We would stop at certain places, pretend to talk with
peoples of various countries and continue our trip by
rail or boat. Sometimes we took motor trips and had
all sorts of dreadful accidents. Once we slid down a
glacier and on another occasion we nearly fell into a
crater. We were constantly delayed by punctured
tires and had to stay in desolate places where we lived
like Robinson Crusoe and made good use of knowledge
we had gained from his experiences.
When we wished livelier sport we would turn
chairs up-side-down and Winifred, pretending to be
92 NATURAL EDUCATION
engineer or conductor, would guide me and her pet
dog or dolls to many places, calling out the stations
as we went along. Sometimes we had accidents and
then Winifred turned into a doctor, giving first aid
to the injured in putting on bandages and splints as
her father had taught her.
When we were stationed at Port Townsend, Wash-
ington, Winifred had an excellent opportunity to
Studying physi- study the various formations of
cal geography land and water. Along the sides of
the steep stairs leading from our home to the down-
town district, there were huge rocks covered with
flowers and grass on top, but showing the different
stages of rock decay forming soil. One morning when
we were taking a walk I told Winifred to pull some
grass from the top of these rocks and to feel the dirt
around its roots. She rubbed the dirt in her hand
and in reply as to how it felt, she replied, "It has a
gritty feeling." I then explained that all of this dirt
was once solid rock, as she could see below, and that
it still contained tiny grains of this substance, which
was hard enough to scratch glass. On our way home
the child noticed some roots of clover blossoms buried
several feet in the rock, while their blossoms were at
the top. This gave rise to a new question as to why
the roots were away down in the rock.
I told her that plants are often thirsty just as little
girls are wont to be and, therefore, they send their
little roots down into the damp part of the rock to
get moisture.
LEARNING ABOUT NATURE 93
v x
When Winifred returned home she wrote a story
about the soil and the clover blossom, and she has
never forgotten our illustrated lesson on soil forma-
tion.
In studying geography my child has not been
forced to bound states or to name all the rivers, bays
Never learned an ^ sounds along the entire coast
definitions of Africa (a lesson recently as-
signed by a school-teacher to one of my young
friends). We made little charts in our geography in-
formation book concerning the largest lakes, rivers,
islands, etc., and sometimes represented these great
bodies of land or sea in our sand map. In showing
the tallest mountains Winifred would put the flag of
the nation to which it belonged on top, but the pret-
tiest French flag always adorned her favorite Mont
Blanc, concerning whose beauty she never tires of re-
citing Byron's famous lines:
"Mont Blanc is the monarch of mountains,
They crowned him long ago
On a throne of ice, in a robe of clouds,
And a diadem of snow."
We made all of the great river systems in the sand
and showed how one stream ran into another. When
Games in the tne ^ tt ^ e S^ to k a bath she would
bath tub play that she was Tom the Water
Baby. She would amuse herself by pretending that the
water in the tub was the Mississippi, the Amazon,
Volga, Lena, Ob, Mackenzie or some other great river.
Sometimes a tiny celluloid doll would start at a cer-
94 NATURAL EDUCATION
tain position in the tub to ride in a birch-bark canoe
from Pittsburgh down the Ohio to Cairo, Illinois,
from there into the Mississippi and on down to the
Gulf of Mexico.
I have invented a geography card game with up-
to-date questions concerning the happenings in various
Geography countries and we often play this
card game game with her father in the eve-
nings. There is always some nice prize waiting for
the winner, and we all play with zest. Her father
tries to win the game from me and I from him, while
Winifred strives to get ahead of both parents.
I have made a number of games to teach nearly all
branches after the plan of this geography game and
have found that pupils take pleasure in playing them.
There is a great deal of chance in these games, and
if played with the pupil the teacher can do no more
than the pupil, so he feels that she is simply cooper-
ating with him and not "bossing the game."
We have found additional pleasure in geography
as a study since we began to correspond with foreign
Correspondence children through Esperanto, and
with foreigners every week we gain new items of
interest for our geography note-book. Whenever
Winifred teaches a geography lesson she consults this
scrap-book to find items of interest. Just yesterday I
saw her reading her notes on The Sun and His Chil-
dren before she attempted to tell a little girl, who had
inquired, as to which of the planets was farthest away
from the sun. To illustrate her lesson she drew a
LEARNING ABOUT NATURE 95
round sun in the middle and then made paths showing
how Mercury, the nearest to the sun of all planets,
travels around, followed by Venus, the Earth, Mars,
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and last of all old Father Nep-
-, , . tune. She put pebbles in each
Teaching a lesson
about the sun and circle to show how many moons
his children t h e pi ane t s had, and she explained
to her pupil how long the years of each planet are
supposed to be. When Regina the pupil was told
that it took Neptune one hundred sixty-five years to
travel around the sun she expressed great joy that she
had not been born on a planet where she might not
have lived for a whole year.
Glancing through this book I find items concerning
the coldest place in the world, the hottest, the smallest
Winifred's geog- race of people, the largest, the
raphy fact book seven ancient wonders, the seven
modern wonders and many facts culled from travels.
I am amused to see the statistics concerning California
as the child has jotted down information given by
guides, who claim that every place in California has
at least one of the greatest or largest or best things in
the world. There is the largest grape-vine, the largest
pigeon farm, the largest ostrich farm, the biggest trees,
the largest hot pool, the longest roller-coaster, etc.,
found in the whole wide world.
The names of all the states are arranged in alpha-
betical order, and after all of the states come their
capitals. Thus Winifred can name the states and cap-
itals at any time, with no effort.
96 NATURAL EDUCATION
Although my little girl passed a satisfactory ex-
amination in geography when she was seven years old,
Still continues to we do not consider that our work
study geography on this particular branch is ended,
but we continue to study geography every day of our
lives.
Winifred has had great advantages in travel, and
while going from place to place she has inquired from
Learning eo a ^ t ^ lose wnom sne met concerning
raphy through matters of interest relative to each
*****! city and town we have visited.
When we reach a town she takes delight in gathering
local data. It seems to me that every teacher should
teach her pupils data about the town in which they
live. It is sometimes surprising to see how little chil-
dren know about the factories, public buildings, city
officials, etc., of their own home cities.
Children should be taken to visit all of the busy
marts in cities, gaining thereby a knowledge of the
A knowledge of WOrks f man > but to nature they
God's and man's should go for a knowledge of
works God's great works which inspire
mortals to higher and purer deeds.
CHAPTER VII
LEARNING THROUGH STORIES, GAMES AND RHYMES
THERE is no better way to strengthen a chilcf
memory and to stimulate his imagination, as
well as to broaden his intellectual range of vision, than
Stories help to through telling him interesting
educate children stories. Facts which, if given to
the pupil in straight doses, would be most distasteful,
can be administered like sugar pills through delightful
tales. A mother may work all day for her child and
he fails to appreciate her labors ; but let her tell him an
interesting story and she is "just the dearest mother"
even if his stockings must go with holes in them be-
cause the story took mother's time.
Before Winifred could talk, I told her stories of
Grecian, Roman and Scandinavian mythical heroes.
Acting out When she acquired the art of
the stories speech she looked on all these
myths as her old friends and we played games with
our rag and celluloid dolls as Jupiter, Juno, Pluto,
Persephone, Neptune, Aegir, Baldur, Freyja, Thor,
Odin, etc. We acted out all of the interesting and
familiar tales concerning these myths and had great
fun together.
I also told Winifred Bible stories, which we staged.
\
97
98 NATURAL EDUCATION
Even at the present day Winifred never reads a new
book but she insists on making a play out of it. Such
games are interesting and they impress the plot of the
story on a child's mind so that he never forgets it.
I was eager to have Winifred well versed in myth-
ology as a help in studying astronomy and a pleasure
Use of knowledge wnen looking at great works of
of mythology sculpture and art so often associat-
ed with the ancient myths. The little girl became so
familiar with these characters that she spoke of them
as most babies talk about the people with whom they
come in daily contact.
When the child was five years old, an old-fashioned
professor, who had doubts as to her knowledge of
Experiences mythological characters, tried to
with a doubt- give her an examination by asking
ing Thomas fe r ques tions about Jupiter. The
doubting Thomas laid himself open to the ridicule of
several companions when the child answered him
pleasantly: "Oh, I am so sorry for you, poor man.
You have lived such a long, long time and yet do not
know about Jupiter and all the wonderful gods and
goddesses. Didn't your mother tell you anything
about them when you were a little boy? Well, never
mind ; you come to see me real early to-morrow before
my engagement to play ball with Tom Chesney and I
will tell you a lot of exciting tales." The professor
kept his engagement and went away convinced that
Winifred knew all the famous myths handed down by
the Grecians, Romans and Vikings.
STORIES, GAMES AND RHYMES 99
A knowledge of these tales has made the study of
astronomy a delight to Winifred, has helped her in
her art studies, and has made her grasp the meaning
of many beautiful passages in literature that would
otherwise have been meaningless to her.
At the present time, in order to keep facts concern-
ing these myths fresh in our memory, we play a card
game with questions referring to
Games to remem- &
her characters in mythological characters at least
mythology once or twice a week. And in
playing with little children we often present Pegasus,
the winged steed, the Graces, Fates, etc., in exciting
games.
I taught Winifred the histories of all countries and
peoples in the same way. First there were stories,
then we acted out the stories, and
afterward we played games with
questions and answers. We also read many interest-
ing books together, looked at pictures relating to his-
torical matters, made note-books of Facts in Nutshells,
and above all Winifred helped to stow away historical
facts for further use by putting them into her little
j ingles.
We are never at a loss to say how many days
there are in September. If we forget, we sing over
our little rhyme about the days of the months and
through this jingle keep open our memory drawer to
the fact we wish to know.
Winifred salts down all bits of information which
she wishes to keep by transforming them into jingle
ioo NATURAL EDUCATION
form. Recently she has published
Rhymes help , f ^ , . ,. ,
a number of these jingles in a little
book entitled Facts in Jingles.
For the benefit of mothers who have written asking
me about the stories I have told Winifred, I shall try
to repeat one of my stories about Roman history:
"To-day my little chum and I are going to talk
about a very interesting place in Italy called Rome.
A sample ^ ut before I begin my story please
history lesson bring me our geography so that
we may find this wonderful city on the map. You see
it is on the Tiber River which was once a yellow
stream like our Ohio. It belongs to Italy, where our
friend Tony used to live, and which country looks like
a big boot kicking the island of Sicily.
"The early story-tellers of Italy tell us that long,
long ago a famous Trojan Prince named ^neas was
compelled to flee from his burning home when the
Greeks captured Troy. (You know about the de-
struction of Troy, but let us look at the pictures again
so that we may imagine that we can see ^neas fleeing
from the burning city while carrying his father An-
chises on his back, his household gods wrapped in a
piece of dogskin, and leading his pet pig by a leash.)"
I sketch a picture of JEneas and his burden and
Winifred laughs in glee, remarking with some pride
that she is sure the father of her country never looked
so ridiculous as Rome's founder.
After a talk about the cause of Troy's fall and how
it was brought about by the wily Greeks, Winifred
STORIES, GAMES AND RHYMES lor
telling the story while looking at illustrations of it, I
continue my story about ^neas :
"This Trojan must have been a very strong man,
as he carried his father and his household treasures
over a long rough road to the seashore. There he
found a number of friends who chose him as their
leader and all embarked in a ship and set sail. The
star Venus guided them because this goddess was sup-
posed to be the real mother of yEneas.
"On this journey JEneas met with many adventures
of which we shall some day read in two wonderful
books called the Iliad and the 2Eneid.
"The star Venus guided ^Eneas until he came to
Italy's shores. Then it disappeared and he knew that
this was to be the place where he should build a city.
But while he was helping his father off the boat, his
pet pig broke loose and ran away. He ran after her
and after a long chase found her surrounded by thirty
baby pigs. This find was as good as a gold-mine to
hungry ^neas since it meant breakfast, dinner and
supper for many days. But as he stood gazing with
delight upon Mama Pig and her babies he heard a
strange voice from heaven saying: 'The thirty young
are thirty years ; when that time has come thy children
shall remove to a better land; meanwhile build thy
city here.' This message delighted the travel-tired
^Eneas, who had no desire to remove to a better land
even if it flowed with milk and honey.
"A king called Latinus already lived in this country,
but he was a kind old fellow and, taking a great fancy
102 NATURAL EDUCATION
to ^Eneas, he offered him his daughter as his bride.
This lovely maiden named Lavinia was the promised
bride of her cousin Turnus, and naturally he was
furious when Latinus gave her to a stranger. He
therefore persuaded a fierce people called Rutuli to
fight ^Eneas and Latinus. Both Turnus and Latinus
were killed in this war, leaving ^neas to be the king
as well as to wed Lavinia. For a long time he lived
happily with his beautiful queen and the stork brought
many fine boys and girls to his palace, but the Rutuli
were still angry with him and they persuaded a great
king named Mezentius to fight against him.
"In this battle Mezentius won the victory, but
^neas was saved from being killed by his goddess
mother who carried him on her beautiful wings to
heaven. There he became a god and lived on ambrosia
and nectar, while the people on earth built a fine tem-
ple in his honor and kept three priests busy offering
white pigs as sacrifices to him.
"Now we will play a Roman history game asking all
about the story I have told you and if you win ten
points the fairies will have something nice for you."
"But, mother," interposes Winifred, "you haven't
told me anything about the children of yEneas or the
babies in this picture with a wolf. Do tell me about
them."
"Not to-day, darling," I reply. "We must talk about
the ^Eneas story. Let us play that I am ^Eneas and
you are Anchises and put a string around Rowdy's
STORIES, GAMES AND RHYMES 103
neck to change him into a pig. We will put a lot of
small toys in a bag as our 'Lares and Penates' and use
daddy's big chair as a boat and here we go sailing
along to Italy."
After this sport we play our Roman history card
game and I am sure that the story of ^neas will never
be forgotten.
History as taught in school is generally a bare
chronicle of condensed and date-encumbered facts.
No wonder that the pupils do not love this fascinating
study from which the school-teaching method has
taken all its brightness. Historical scenes could be
acted in schools each day by the pupils after hearing
stories told by the teacher, and thus the story of past
events would become a great pleasure to all children.
Instead of giving examinations each month, a
Roman history game such as I have invented, could
be played and there would be no
dread of any examination. In
this game one of the pupils always takes the part of
teacher and the rest are pupils. All are busy, all must
be on the qui vive if they would win and if some little
prize be offered for the pupil who wins the greatest
number of points no one will be uninterested. All will
strive to win the prize and at the end of this examina-
tion the teacher can grade her pupils according to the
general knowledge they have of the subject-matter in
hand by the number of points won in the game.
School pageants and plays open to the public should
104 NATURAL EDUCATION
be given by the pupils each month. Teachers gener
Paeeants and a ^ ^^ on ^ ese entertainments
plays without re- as Herculean tasks, but they need
hearsals not represent any great amount of
energy. Each month two or three of the best actors
should be selected to manage the play and the others
do what the leaders tell them. In this way the
plays never drag, as they are always novel and no
time is wasted in repeated rehearsals. I gave three
plays last winter in Pittsburgh without a single re-
hearsal and they proved a great success. The plays
were given with the help of Winifred and a friend as
leaders and the others did just as we told them. They
had no fear of forgetting their lines and, having faith
that I would keep the ball rolling, there was no stage-
fright.
In order to arouse the keenest interest in the study
of history I believe that teachers should always tell
Telling instead of * ne stories instead of reading them.
reading stories Certain good books dealing with
historical subjects should be given to the pupils to
take home and read and these pupils should be asked
to tell the stories they have read. Any pupil should be
permitted to ask questions about any historical charac-
ter, there should be moving-picture scenes displayed in
the schoolroom showing the events as they were sup-
posed to have happened and pupils should be encour-
aged to write original stories about historical charac-
ters. In this way I believe every boy and girl would
love the word "history," and to make mental impres-
STORIES, GAMES AND RHYMES 105
sions of certain facts the children should learn rhymes
which tell of these facts in a few lines. Space does
not permit or I would quote the rhymes used by my
little girl to keep in mind all of the kings of England,
France, Spain, Italy and other countries, the presi-
dents of the United States, the great men buried in
Westminster Abbey, Shakespeare's plays, important
people in Biblical history, the parts of speech, mathe-
matical facts, and even the bones in her body. Be-
lieving that the last-named jingle will perhaps do the
most good in helping boys and girls to learn the namee
of their bones I shall quote A Bony Song for an ex-
ample of putting facts into jingles:
"A BONY SONG"
"Eight and twenty bones 'tis said
Are located in my head.
In my trunk are fifty-four
That I add to my bone store.
While my limbs have plenty more,
Full one hundred twenty-four.
"In my skull, the strong round box
Which protects my brains from knocks,
There are eight bones in its wall
Glad I have them when I fall !
Occipital there is but one ;
One ethmoid and wedge-sphenoid one,
One frontal bone not very long
Compared with oak just twice as strong.
Parietals there are but two;
Two temporals will also do.
io6 NATURAL EDUCATION
"Fourteen bones are in my face
To know them not is a disgrace.
One lower jaw and upper two
Help me each day when I must chew.
Two turbinated, shaped like cones,
Two nasal, malar, palate bones.
Two lachrymals and vomer one,
But very large bones there are none.
"The smallest bones are in my ear,
And help me when I want to hear.
These bones so small are hard to see
The mallet, anvil, stapes wee.
"My bony trunk it takes good care
Of all the organs hidden there.
Its spinal column, very long,
Has six and twenty bones so strong.
Small bones just seven it doth take
A neck or cervical to make,
With dorsals twelve and lumbars five,
I surely need if I would thrive ;
With sacrum one and lots of ribs,
Fourteen true and ten called 'fibs.'
One coccyx, sternum, hyoid small,
With two big hip bones that is all.
"Now in my limbs just let me see,
I own a clavicle or key,
A scapula or shoulder-blade,
And which for gold I wouldn't trade,
A humerus not meant for fun,
A radius and ulna one.
STORIES, GAMES AND RHYMES 107
"Eight carpals help to form my wrist,
Five metacarpals in my fist,
While all my fingers have each three
Phalanges that are strong but wee,
But my poor thumb can only boast
Of two phalanges at the most.
"My lower limbs are proud to own
A sturdy thigh or femur bone;
This useful bone is very long
And joined by a patella strong
To two stout bones within my leg;
One like a flute, one like a peg,
One as the fibula is known,
The other's called 'tibia-bone.'
"My instep has just seven tarsals,
Shaped a la the eight wrist carpals,
While the five bones in my feet
With fourteen more the toes complete.
Thus each perfect person owns
Just two hundred and six bones."
This rhyme was written by Winifred when she was
eight years old, to help her remember the names of
her bones so that she could surprise her father when
she should see him after an absence of three months.
Her father taught her anatomy by giving talks illus-
trated by a skeleton and she learned something of the
blood, muscles, etc., by micro-
All young children . ,. 01 . ' ,
should be taught scopic studies. She has rhymes
anatomy and about her muscles and joints and
hygiene ,. , , ,,.
finds great pleasure in adding new
facts to her "made-book" of physiology and hygiene.
io8 NATURAL EDUCATION.
Through this study she has learned how to take care
of her body and to protect herself from pathogenic
organisms. She knows the value of certain foods and
the injurious properties of others.
Such an education I believe should be given to
every child so that he may zealously guard the body
God has given him and thus save himself from suffer-
ing and perhaps early death.
Whenever we desire to interest Winifred in some
certain point in hygiene, her father and I talk about it
in her presence and having aroused her curiosity she
uses the question-battery nature gave her to gain her
wall of information.
We have tried the same plan in history, literature,
etc. I never give her lists of facts or dates to learn,
Facts to teach t> ut the people in history and liter-
reasoning ature are made to be real com-
panions to her and the days when they lived are im-
pressed upon her mind in connection with other hap-
penings. In other words, believing that mere facts
are deadwood unless they stand in relation to other
facts I teach her related facts leading to the rudi-
ments of reasoning.
All of the characters of whom we have studied in
literature are real breathing people to Winifred. I
Characters in lit- have made lar e scrap-books
erature made real with descriptions of the early life
of most great people and these scrap-books are a per-
petual delight to my daughter. She likes to compare
the lives of Byron. Milton, Longfellow and other great
STORIES, GAMES AND RHYMES 109
poets when they were just her age. We have pictures
of nearly all these famous poets and she has made
notes comparing the noses, eyes, foreheads, etc. Some
of these notes are very amusing, but they show the
power of observation which is such a help to Winifred
in gaining useful knowledge.
Whenever we study the life of any poet or other
great writer, the little girl always commits to memory
Making thoughts at least one word-painting of the
of great men author in question and thus she
her own j ias g rea tly enriched her mind with
beautiful literature.
In our travels we have visited the homes of many
great men and the child looks upon them as sacred
Visiting homes s P ts - We are now livin onl y a
of noted men few blocks from the former home
of Robert Carr Foster and Winifred talks about the
great song writer every time we pass his old house.
To impress facts in history and literature upon her
mind we play games of authors, of knights and of
historical points. A game which
Other games amuse d Winifred as a little girl
was to put the pictures of authors in one box and flags
of all nations in another. We would draw out one
author at a time and one flag. If the flag belonged to
the author then the player had one point ; if not he had
to wait until he could find a flag belonging to the
author's native land on his side or on the other player's
lines.
In all knowledge given to my little girl I have tried
i io NATURAL EDUCATION
to give her profitable knowledge that she could use in
Profitable varied walks in life and not to
knowledge make her mind simply a storehouse
of other people's lumber. I know a man who has
committed to memory great volumes of knowledge but
who can produce nothing original, nothing worth giv-
ing to the world. I have tried to teach Winifred that
she must be a useful factor in society and to instil
into her mind the altruistic doctrine that she must do
something to help her fellow men if her life would be
a success. After the motto of the Saint Nicholas
League she has been taught to, "Live to learn and learn
to live."
THE LEARNING OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
IN all walks of life there are four important things
to learn. First, what to do ; second, how to do it ;
third, the time to act ; and fourth, the instruments to
Four factors use - ^ n equipping Winifred with
of education knowledge I have always thought
of these points, and believing that most college boys
hate Latin because they have not received a founda-
tional knowledge of this mother of tongues in infancy,
I began to teach Winifred Latin in her cradle.
We need to know different languages to aid in
broadening our avenues to paths of information so we
may cull thoughts from great men
Reasoning powers *
developed by dif- of different nations; and we need
ferent languages L at j n to ne i p us with all Romance
tongues.
There is no reason why Latin can not be taught in
the cradle just as Mother Tabby teaches her kittens
to say "Meow!" As the impres-
! sion of sound is developed earlier
in children than sight, it is easy for them to acquire a
speaking knowledge of many languages in infancy
III
ii2 NATURAL EDUCATION
through nature's method of hearing a word before
seeing the characters that form the word.
The usual methods of teaching languages in school
through grammatical rules and translations have
Latin as taught proved an utter failure as regards
in schools the ability of pupils to use lan-
guages as tools for thought expression. Many college
students read French for years but when they go
abroad they can not ask in a readily understandable
manner for a glass of cold water. There are Latin
professors who have taught Latin for half a century
and do not really know colloquial Latin. When my
little daughter was four years old she lost faith in the
wisdom of some professors when talking with a Latin
instructor who did not understand the salutation Quid
Agis and gazed at her blankly when she spoke of the
courses at the table ab ovo usque ad mala.
When my baby heard me scan Vergil as she lay in
her crib, her ear was being trained to love good meter
and to grasp the sound of the Latin tongue. As soon
as she could speak English I taught her to say "Good
day" in thirteen languages as a game which we played
with our foreign dolls and also as a memory test. She
would begin with the Roman salutation of Quid Agis,
as supposed to be spoken by our doll Marcus Curtius,
and continue to make each doll speak in his native
tongue. Then the Roman doll would have a chance to
outshine all of the doll family by reciting a number of
short speeches and sayings. In this way we continued
to add Latin words to our lingual storehouse ; and we
LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES 113
learned new lines from Vergil each day while playing
ball to the time of our scanning ; and before Winifred
was five years old she knew over five hundred sayings
from great Latin authors and could scan from mem-
ory the first book of Vergil's JEneid. At the present
time she can recite portions of Caesar, Cicero, Sallust,
Livy, Horace, etc. She has also translated the works
of these great writers and knows the stories they have
told. The object of studying Latin I believe is not
the power of rehearsal, but an accurate knowledge of
the facts and comprehension of the principles of the
language.
Early in the last century Doctor Ernest Ruthardt,
of Breslau, seeing the failures college professors made
with their pupils, invented the so-
Prussian method n j r> *u j r j. u
called Prussian method of teach-
ing this mother of all tongues. I have tried to use
many of his ideas in teaching Winifred this classic
language. Professor B. Sears who tried to have this
method adopted in American schools, says : "It is not
the least of the advantages of this method, that it re-
quires the teacher to go through the same process with
the pupil. One of the principal hindrances to success-
ful teaching is the want of sympathy between teacher
and pupil. Where one's knowledge is of so long
standing and the ardor of acquisition is lost and the
processes by which it was made forgotten, some fresh
study, to revive old impressions and awaken new in-
terest, becomes indispensable. Other things being
equal, that individual who is himself making the most
H4 NATURAL EDUCATION
rapid progress in his studies, will impart the most in-
terest to his pupils. Fire can not communicate itself
after it has gone out."
Up to her sixth year Winifred could not read or
translate Latin text. She learned every thing by the
natural method of acquiring words.
Natural method m. r , , i ,
I hen I began to teach her to read
simple sentences and to translate them into English.
Through this method I taught the child all that she
has learned of English grammar, outside of being
taught correct speech from the cradle. She learned
the conjugations and declensions as singing exercises
before she was four years old. Now she can make
use of them in her translations.
As in all of our studies, we keep a note-book contain-
ing interesting facts culled in our Latin researches and
Interesting way to we have also made a "Baby Book,"
study etymology as Winifred calls her book on
etymology. Our game of "Finding Babies" has con-
tinued to be a pleasure to the little girl. Scarcely a
day passes that she does not add some new word to
the list of babies and I do not doubt that she will con-
tinue to add babies to the list for years to come. These
books will be a great help to her in the study of
philology.
To play this game one needs only a stout blank
book, a pen .and a dictionary. We began with the
-, . word Magna for our first Latin
JL oois '. 3 pen,
blank book and Mother. We then searched the
dictionary English dictionary for all the baby
English words, children of Mother Magna, that could
be found. Turning to Winifred's first etymology book
(she has filled twenty) I find that she discovered six-
teen Magna kiddies. The child did not write down all
of these words at once, but as soon as she found one
in the dictionary she wrote it down after learning its
meaning, and then sought another. In this way each
word and its meaning was impressed on her mind. In
her excitement of discovering Magnet-babies she would
cry out: "Oh, mother, here is another little Magna";
and she would write the name carefully without blots,
as if she had found a real treasure.
Some of these words were entirely new to the child
and she gained much information by reading the
Other information definitions and talking about them,
thus gained She was delighted to find that two
of these babies (the names of her favorite toys, a
magnet and magnifying-glass) were Madam Magna's
children, and she was so delighted with the sound of
the word "magnanimity" that she used it on every pos-
sible occasion during the dinner hour that evening
while conversing with her father. She found the
phrase Magna Charta among Magna's derivatives and
then we had a chance to talk about King John of Eng-
lish history. Thus the child not alone gained much
information but she acquired the dictionary habit, a
good habit for any one to acquire.
The next day we chose Parva for our Latin Mother
and found that she was not alone small but was a very
commonplace mother, not having a Rooseveltian fam-
ii6 NATURAL EDUCATION
ily. She did not gain as much information from this
word as from magna but the word parvanimity, pleas-
ing the child's fancy, was added to her every-day
vocabulary.
In Winifred's first etymology book, filled before she
reached her seventh birthday, I find "Mother Super-
Mother Super- ^ us " crowned with a golden star
bus wins because she was more prolific than
any other Latin Mother with whom Winifred was ac-
quainted at that time. This Latin word lady had two
hundred twenty-five children according to Winifred's
count.
We never learned Latin words without a knowledge
of those things to which they applied ; and in translat-
Using live m S simple sentences we tried to
sentences refrain from going to the diction-
ary for the meaning of words. The Latin Mother
whose descendants were sought on a particular day
was the chief subject of discussion in each day's lesson
and instead of giving Winifred sentences out of Latin
books to translate I made live ones, telling something
that could be done with the Latin Mother's help.
I have often noticed pupils studying Latin, who spent
their time in turning the leaves of a dictionary for al-
most every word and sometimes looking twice for the
same word. This practise, I believe, is a flagitious
abuse of the memory.
In these sentences Winifred learned first to find the
nominative and the verb. She learned to see that the
LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES 117
Verb life ver ^ is the life of a sentence, which
of sentence w fll die without it, and in translat-
ing the Latin sentences into English she made simple
diagrams showing the subject of the sentence, the verb
and attribute or objective complement and the qualify-
ing or limiting adjectives.
I firmly believe in teaching a child English grammar
Learning English throu & h . every-day conversation
grammar through and giving him Latin construction
Latin to show him how our language is
built.
Another way in which Winifred gains knowledge of
Latin words and construction is through playing a
game called "Building," which is
Game of building .... .
to show how to P artl y her invention and partly
construct a Ian- mine. In this game we never grow
tired, as we make new building
blocks for forming different word castles as soon as
we grow weary of old ones. This game is also most
interesting in all of the modern languages and I would
recommend its use to mothers who wish to acquire
good vocabularies in any tongue.
Let Winifred and me play a game for you and you
will see how amusing as well as instructing "Build-
ing" can be. In one box we have a number of slips of
paper upon which are typewritten the names of ad-
jectives, verbs, nouns, etc. (For the first game I gen-
erally use only the simplest words that a child knows.)
In another box we have short sentences, phrases or
ii8 NATURAL EDUCATION
idioms. First Winifred draws five slips from the first
box and finds the words, "puella, bona, pupam, habet,
est." She looks at these words and smiles with de-
light, for she has unusual good luck and can make a
sentence at once "Puella bona pupam habet." Not
being able to use the verb "est" she must put it into
the pot. Now I draw, but I am not so lucky. My
cards read, "belam, et, albam, rosam, sed," but I can
not make a sentence with these words, not having a
verb and not being able to use "est" in the pot with the
accusative form of rosa. I must therefore throw all my
words into the pot and Winifred has another chance
to draw and to build word castles. She draws five
more lucky cards "filia, parva, bela, poetae, magnae."
Better and better for her. She can now lengthen her
sentence by putting in "belam" and "et albam rosam."
This sentence now reads "Puella bona belam pupam et
albam rosam habet" (The good girl has a pretty doll
and a white rose.)
She can also build a new sentence as follows, "Filia
magnae poetae est parva sed beta." (The daughter of
the great poet is small but pretty.)
Having two sentences she is now entitled to draw
an idiom, sentence or phrase from the second box,
which is a sort of prize box, and sometimes one of
these phrases will fit in with the sentence and help to
make a little story, so that the player wins the game.
Otherwise we count the person who can make the
greater number of sentences or form the longer sen-
tence as the winner.
LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES 119
Winifred is now learning all of Cicero's orations
as a help in gaining knowledge of Latin classics and
Cicero's orations a ^ so as an elocution lesson. She is
and Latin songs particularly fond of his oration on
Contentment and often delivers it to her dolls or pets.
She teaches them also conjugations and declensions by
playing some rather queer airs on the piano and sing-
ing them to these ever well-behaved pupils. Some-
times we have marching games with the glorious old
Gaudeamus Igitur and again we play Latin tag, which
is one of Winifred's inventions. When she tags me
with the nominative case of a certain noun I must
reply with the genitive, she follows with the dative,
etc. If one of us makes a mistake in our declension
we are "it."
I am pursuing a similar course of tactics in keeping
up the other languages Winifred can speak, and in
Professor Gros' French l am receivin able assist -
method of teach- ance from Professor Raymond
ing French Gros at the head of "Pittsburgh's
New School of Languages." He knows how to impart a
knowledge of French grammar through playing games
with children. I am never present when he and Wini-
fred are together, as I am trying an experiment to see
how she will progress with another teacher rather
than myself, but I often find the two playing "tag"
when I come to take Winifred home with me.
Through playing exciting games in French where
there is quick action she learns to think and speak
quickly in this language, since she knows the game will
120
end and she will have lost if she makes any English
exclamations.
She writes little French poems and dedicates them
to her good French professor friend and she delights
in singing French songs with him, Au clair de la
Lune being her favorite. She reads simple and inter-
esting French books and plays ; and once a week she
and I give an original French play in the presence of
the Stoner doll family. The dolls are a great help in
all our studies and also in giving Winifred a chance to
learn how to teach, since she finds much pleasure in
imparting all knowledge given to her.
Just now she is teaching one of her little friends a
number of French words through playing a memory
Learning through ame - Winifred begins, "Une
teaching mechanic fille" The child repeats
this phrase. Then Winifred says, "Deux bons gargons
et une mechante fille." Again the child must repeat
what Winifred has said. Thus she continues to make
longer phrases and the game continues as long as the
pupil can repeat all that Winifred says to her, but
when she forgets a part of the phrase conglomeration
she is beaten and the game must begin over again.
This little teacher's favorite book for giving instruc-
tion is the first book of Guerber's Contes Et Legendes
and her favorite reading books are
those of Madame la Comtess De
Segur. Les Malheurs de Sophie is perhaps the sim-
plest of this series and I would recommend that it be
read first.
LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES 121
In all of this language study there is little mention
made of grammatical rules. We read good English,
Latin, French, Greek, etc., and through hearing the
best construction in all languages learn to know proper
from improper speech.
Winifred generally makes her pupils read the story
Les Trois Ours over and over again. She then applies
The story "Les certain expressions in this ever-in-
Trois Ours" used teresting tale to other objects and
to teach French after a few lessons her pupils are
able to tell her the story in French. She teaches them
the objects in the room by pointing to them and re-
peating their names in French and then asking, "What
is this and what is that?" There are no dreadful
rules to be learned, but this young teacher has invented
a number of simple rhymes to make the pupils remem-
ber certain word formations. To impress upon them
that the nouns pou, genou, hibou, joujou, caillou,
bijou, chou take x in the plural she has written the
following :
"Une fois un petit barbare pou,
'Echappe d'un gros, vert chou,
A donne grand mat au genou
Du tres sage et vieux hibou,
Qui vite jeta son joujou
(Un petit, mais dur caillou
Qui etait son cher bijou)
A la tete du mediant pou."
One reason that going to school and studying gram-
122 NATURAL EDUCATION
mar does not make a child speak correctly is because
Reasons why grammar taught ^ through rules
pupils use bad and diagraming is very difficult
grammar an( j uninteresting. Another reason
is that while the child hears correct speech at school he
very often hears incorrect language at home. For this
reason it is more necessary to teach the parents than
the pupils and there should be some means of giving
parents instruction through moving pictures or simple
talks.
One thing is certain: that if a mother teaches her
baby good English in the cradle he will always use
good English. There is no use to
Simple rules , , . , ,
teach him rule upon rule concern-
ing cases. Such rules are likely to be forgotten, but he
can be taught to know that the verb "seen" is such a
weak little fellow that he can never stand alone and
must always have a helper to support him, so we must
say "I have seen" and never "I seen," while "saw" is
a big strong verb who always stands alone and there-
fore we should never say "I have saw," and many
other simple rules.
I have used various games in trying to show Win-
ifred how the English language is constructed, as
Games to teach we ^ as by reading aloud from the
grammar classics and calling her attention
to the words or expressions used by great writers.
When she was a tiny baby she learned to distin-
guish between vowels and consonants by a little game
in which the vowels were cut from green cardboard
LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES 123
and the consonants from red. The object in this game
was to draw the most vowels. We took turns and shut
our eyes when drawing and we played the game un-
til all of the vowels had been drawn from the "pot."
Concerning vowels and consonants, Winifred says:
"Of consonants there are a plenty,
Altogether there are twenty.
In numbers vowels don't go so high
A, E, I, O, U and Y."
In order to learn the different parts of speech, we
played an English game similar to the Latin game
previously described, and sometimes we would play
other games called "Winning Nouns," "Winning
Verbs," adjectives, etc. We used only the first box
for this game, and as we each drew a card we would
put our nouns in one pile, verbs in another and ad-
jectives in a third. If we played "Winning Nouns"
whoever had the most nouns at the end of a certain
set time was the victor.
This game is amusing and certainly impresses on
the mind of a child the uses of all the nine parts of
speech without taxing his mind with definitions. He
thus becomes so familiar with a noun that he says,
as one of Winifred's pupils once said : "Of course it's
a noun. I know one when I see it."
Not long ago a little girl in the sixth grade at school
told me with great pride that she had made ninety-
eight per cent, in grammar, the
A grammar star highest
124 NATURAL EDUCATION
I congratulated her and, knowing the child's father,
I asked her, "What did your father say?" She re-
plied : "Oh, nuthin' ; he don't never say nuthin' 'bout
my school grades." I asked her if her teacher had
taught her to say "nuthin', he don't," etc. She re-
plied, "I dunno."
Out of curiosity I then asked this "Grammar star"
to diagram some difficult sentences for me. She did
this work correctly though using incorrect language
while explaining her work.
This child could tell me where all of the chief cities
of the United States were situated, but she had never
Useless been in Pittsburgh's historic old
information block house and knew nothing of
its history. She knew who was the king of England,
but could not tell me the name of this city's mayor.
She had learned something of civil government from
books, but knew nothing of practical politics.
I can not see the use of such information, which can
be of no practical use to its owner. A child should
Practical know how to use English rather
knowledge than to quote rules. She should!
learn local history before going abroad for informa-
tion; and as we expect that both our boys and girls
will some day cast a vote and become good citizens of
this great republic, they should be taught how to vote
and how a town, city or country is governed.
Last summer we had a little voting booth on our
reservation and played that a new president was be-
LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES 125
ing elected. The children enjoyed the game and they
learned how to vote.
An old lady who is a fierce "Anti," having watched
Cherie and her friends play "At the polls," said to
An "Ami's" opin- her " You P oor child > l know vour
ion of my child mother will just kill you with the
learned games she makes you play. You come over
to my house this evening and I'll show you how to
have some real fun playing tiddledywinks." The name
tiddledywinks aroused Winifred's "risibilities" and
she was very eager to accept this invitation. I gladly
gave my consent, but waited with impatience for her
return, as I wished to see how a silly game with no
real goal in view would affect Winifred.
The child came home sooner than I had expected
Winifred's opinion and > when I asked ner if she had
of tiddledywinks enjoyed the game of tiddledywinks,
she replied, "Oh, mother, it was too silly to be funny !"
"Did you tell Mrs. X that you thought her game
silly ?" I asked, fearing that Winifred in her outspoken
way might have hurt the poor old lady's feelings.
"Oh, no," she replied, "I tried to be polite and say
that I had spent a happy evening, but when she talked
about our games I told her how very interesting they
were and invited her to play with us some day in a
pageant or to go to the woods and see how many
things she could get for a nature book like mine, and
I added, 'Mother's games are so interesting and ex-
citing because they are about real things.' "
126 NATURAL EDUCATION
The next time that I saw Mrs. X she shook her
head and said: "That child of yours is ruined com-
pletely. She's queer. Poor little girl, she will nevef
know the joy of playing tiddledywinks."
There was no use to argue with her that play with-
out a purpose wastes energy just as steam uncontrolled
or mighty rivers unchecked work havoc, whereas they
might be directed to good purposes. She would not
listen to me. Neither would she believe that the
games played by Winifred were simple lessons needed
to make her grow healthy, happy and wise. When I
told her that Winifred loved her lessons because they
had never been given to he'r in castor oil doses and
that she looked on arithmetic, geography, etc., as good
giants or fairies she was confirmed in her belief that
my poor child was "queer."
I gave her a copy of the following rhyme written
by Winifred concerning her studies, and she said she
would keep it as a souvenir of this poor child who
would be laid in an early grave.
The rhyme read as follows :
"FIVE GOOD GIANTS"
"Arithmetic Giant so wise never slumbers,
His is the science which teaches of numbers.
His cousin, Geography, treats of Ma Earth
And all of her children to whom she gives birth.
His aunt, Physiology, brings to us wealth,
Describing our bodies and how to have health.
His grandma, called Grammar, tells how to use
Good language at all times in spreading the news.
LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES 127
Great Literature teaches of many a work
Written by authors who never would shirk
From learning a little just day after day
By listening 1 to what the wise giants would say,
Who led them to drink from the great Knowledge
Fount
And thus to Fame's Ladder helped them to mount/'
CHAPTER IX
EXPLORATIONS IN REALMS OF MATHEMATICS
OF all studies, parents and teachers generally find
arithmetic the most difficult to surround with a
halo of interest. I had no difficulty in teaching my
The studv of little daughter to know the numbers
arithmetic not as described in a previous chapter,
interesting gj^ a j so f oun( j pleasure in count-'
ing out real money when playing store, but when I be-
gan to teach her the multiplication tables as I had
learned them, she rebelled and for the first time in her
life showed a dislike for study. I tried to interest her
in singing her tables to musical accompaniment but the
airs did not please her and she refused to sing, "Two
ones make two, two twos make four," etc.
At the age of five years, when she could speak a
number of languages, had written stories and jingles
Winifred refuses for news P a P ers and magazines, and
to learn "the had a high-school knowledge of
tables" history, literature, mythology, etc.,
she could not recite her multiplication tables. I began
to fear that she was lopsided 1 , capable of being highly
developed along certain lines but not in others. My
128
MATHEMATICS 129
ambition was to make her into a well-rounded, evenly
balanced, happy woman and I felt very sad in my be-
lief that she had no mathematical tendencies.
Finally I gave up trying to teach her the tables, as
my instruction in this line always seemed to put her
in a cross humor and I did not wish to ruin the child's
disposition.
At this time I was giving lectures to spread the use
of Esperanto as an international medium of communi-
Professor Horn- cation ' and while doin missionary
brook comes to work for this cause at Chautauqua,
the rescue New Yo rk, I had the good fortune
to meet an able instructor in mathematics, Professor
A. R. Hornbrook, of Starrett School, Chicago.
When I told her of my fears concerning Winifred's
lopsidedness she assured me that the child was not de-
ficient in this line, but that I could not impart my
knowledge on this subject in such a way as to attract
her interest. She explained to me that I had met with
success in teaching my child music, art, poetry, history,
languages, because I loved these studies and knew how
to make them attractive to Winifred, but not loving
mathematics I had not brought the "Fairy Interest" to
play with us in learning "the tables."
I can not give too much praise to this great teacher
who consented to lead Winifred in her explorations of
mathematical realms and through whose aid I have
had my eyes opened to the relation of numbers and
their use in all walks of life.
She consented to give Winifred instruction in
130 NATURAL EDUCATION
mathematics by sending- weekly
What Professor * *
Hornbrook has outlines of study-play and allow-
taught Winifred j n g me to act as t h e director,
giving the exercise.
I have no right to give Professor Hornbrook's
thunder to the world, as she is
Games played to ... , ., . , , ,
learn the relation now putting her ideas into book
and use of num- form, but I can tell you of some
of my arithmetical games follow-
ing Professor Hornbrook's ideas.
We first played games with small objects like beans
and buttons. These objects were placed in a box and
we would take turns in drawing a handful from the
box and seeing who obtained the larger number at each
draw. We would take bites from apples or cakes and
count the bites. We counted seeds in grapes and when
helping Victoria shell peas we counted the peas in each
pod and after a while tried to see how many were in
two, three or even more pods. We learned our ten
table by putting bunches of sticks together in bunches
of ten sticks to the bunch and in the same way we
learned the relation of five, ten, fifteen, etc., to one
another.
We played parcheesi as a help in adding and, best of
all, used dice to learn to count quickly. We began by
Learning to add throwing two dice at a time. Win-
quickly through if red threw first and if the up-
throwing dice turned faces happened to be "six"
and "one" she would add the two together (at first by
actually counting the spots) and say she had seven
MATHEMATICS 131
spots. On a piece of paper were written the names of
Mother and Cherie at the head of two columns, and
after she learned that she had thrown seven she placed
the figure seven beneath her name.
Then I would throw and, if my spots happened to
be only "one" and "one," "two" was placed in my col-
umn. If I threw a "six," however, I not alone got the
benefit of adding this six to the other number thrown
but had a chance to throw a second time.
After three or four throws on each side Winifred
then drew lines beneath her spots and mine and added
XT . . , each sum. The winner always re-
Never playing for . . ,-
more than fifteen ceived a prize and generally Wini-
fred begged for a second game, but
her request was not always granted because mathemat-
ical play is the most strenuous of all educational games
and Professor Hornbrook advised that we should never
play at any of these games for more than fifteen min-
utes at a time.
After playing this game for a few weeks Winifred
could add two numbers together without any trouble
and we then played with three dice, four, five and even
six at one time, thus training the eye and brain to
alertness.
She learned the tables by playing with sticks ar-
ranged in bunches of twos, fours, etc., and by which
she could plainly see that two bunches of two sticks
in each made four, while two bunches of three sticks
made six, etc. As a further help in counting by twos,
threes, etc., we arranged a large chart on the wall and
132 NATURAL' EDUCATION
would play that we were giants jumping from two to
four, from four to six, or from three to six, etc.
The following chart will show you how a large wall
chart may be made :
123456789 10 11 11
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24
3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36
4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48
51015202530354045505560
6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60 66 72
7 14 21 28 35 42 49 56 63 70 77 84
8 16 24 32 40 48 56 64 72 80 88 96
9 18 27 36 45 54 63 72 81 90 99 108
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120
11 22 33 44 55 66 77 88 99 110 121 132
12 24 36 48 60 72 84 96 108 120 132 144
Further to impress these tables upon her mind I in-
vented a game called "Two Step," "Three Step,"
Game of two step, "Four Step," etc. I would count
three step, etc. while she was taking steps, but
could only say "Caught you," if she happened to be
moving when I reached a multiple of two, three or
whatever the game happened to be. Suppose we play
a game to make it clear to you. I stand at the base and
Winifred starts to run away from me. I say, "One,
two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight." If she hap-
pens to be walking when I call out eight, a multiple of
two, I say, "Caught you," and she has to take my place
at the base. If she is clever enough to reach a certain
MATHEMATICS 133
distance before I count up to eight she wins the game.
In this game the runner never knows when the base-
man is to stop in his counting but he must be very
quick in his motions to get any distance from the base
before the baseman stops on a certain number belong-
ing to the two, three, four, etc., series and cries
"Caught you," if the runner happens to be in motion
at the time.
Another help in table learning was a box of tin sol-
diers. We pretended that they were marching to bat-
Tin soldiers tie and placed them in rows of twos
in battle threes or fours according to
the tables we were trying to learn. These soldiers
were also used in fighting real battles of addition and
subtraction. We would select a number of soldiers
and using small jack balls take turns in rolling the
balls as imaginary cannon against the soldiers. First
Winifred would roll her ball, and having knocked
down several of my men, she counted those that were
left. If we should commence the battle with twenty
men on each side and she knocked two down at her
first attack then she knew that I had eighteen men left.
Then I had a chance to shoot my cannon-ball and if I
only knocked down one of her men she was delighted.
Thus we played until most of the soldiers were killed
and the army having the greater number of soldiers
still alive won the victory.
We played parcheesi, using these same soldiers, and
also many knightly games where our knights would
134 NATURAL EDUCATION:
travel for a certain number of
miles to do battle with other
knights. Castles were placed all along the way and
there was always a royal palace just half-way between
the starting-point of the attacking knights and their
opponents. If the tournament or scene of battle was
supposed to be twenty miles from the starting-point,
then the royal palace was ten miles from each point.
Another castle was midway between the palace and
starting-point, so when the knight reached this place
he had galloped five miles. Sometimes the knight
would stop at other places midway between these
points in order to get a cooling drink, or to rescue a
fair dame, and the distance was always estimated
so as to be put on the knight's book.
I found a Japanese computer of much use in teach-
ing Winifred to add and subtract quickly. We would
play that General Washington and
Addition and T j /~ i. j ^ ~i-
subtraction with Lord Cornwalhs had two divisions
a Japanese of soldiers and an invincible bullet
sent one of Cornwallis' soldiers
into oblivion (or right of the frame). Winifred would
quickly tell me how many soldiers remained and thus
we would add new men or take others away, keeping
her attention on the adding and subtracting process.
In order to remember the mathematical names applied
to the different parts in a question of subtraction, we
would make the great General Minuend fight with poor
Major Subtrahend and the men who were left on the
MATHEMATICS 135
battle-field were called the poor little remainder. Thus
Winifred's first ideas of addition and multiplication
came to her through working with real objects.
Professor Hornbrook made Winifred a chart from
which she learned to distinguish odd and even numbers
A , . and the dolls were also used to
A chart to learn
odd and even show these numbers, poor little
numbers Peter being always left behind as
an undesirable odd number.
With the chart we played a game called "Witch."
Winifred was given first chance to choose a number.
G f "W'tch" ^^ e ma( ^ e h er selection and wrote
to learn these it down on a piece of paper, giving
numbers me three chances to guess it. For
instance, if she should select nineteen she would say:
"Oh, clever, clever witch, which, oh, which, is the
chosen one ? It is in the second column and is an odd
fellow." If I guessed the number within three trials
I could, in turn, give her a number. If not, she could
select a second number.
Winifred learned the difference between prime
numbers and composite numbers by playing with the
Learning prime so-called sieve of the famous
and composite Greek mathematician, Eratos-
numbers from ,, , ~. , . ,, .. . .
Eratosthenes' thenes, who lived in the third cen-
sieve tury before Christ.
Professor Hornbrook suggests that this sieve also be
used in studying composite numbers, divisors and mul-
tiples.
136 NATURAL EDUCATION
This is the sieve :
n ?f 31 41 61 71
3 13 23 pf 43 53 ^ 73 83
*-" X X X >< X X X X
s
7 17 X 37 47 >T 67 ^ ^ 97
^^X^^^^ I* 2&
V 19 29 ^r r 59 ^ 79 89
This sieve seems to amuse all children, who like to
mark out the composite numbers with red ink, and it
impresses on their mind all prime numbers so that
they recognize a Mr. Prime whenever they see him.
One is not mentioned in this sieve because every one
knows his standing.
Winifred learned her tables of weights and measures
from really measuring things. When learning liquid
. measure she pretended to have a
Learning tables of . . JIT i
weights and meas- wine-shop and, when I came to her
ures by practical store, sold me pints, quarts or gal-
lons of water from the hydrant.
She charged me a certain sum for each pint of special
kinds of wines and would give me an itemized bill with
every sale she made.
In learning dry measure we played grocery store
MATHEMATICS 137
until the little girl was perfectly familiar with pints,
quarts, pecks and bushels. For practical knowledge
we used the regular market prices and thus the child
became acquainted with the cost of living as well as
dry measure and the ability to compute quickly.
When we wished to become acquainted with linear
measurements we armed ourselves with a tape line and
Constant use of went forth to measure certain areas
knowledge gained around our reservation. We came
home with a good appetite and with the linear measure
stowed away so securely in Winifred's mind that she
has never forgotten it. We do not, however, consider
that we know all of these tables so well that we need
never mention them again, as a little boy of my ac-
quaintance, who attends public school, proudly said
when asked how many rods in a mile: "Oh, that's
what the kids in number four learn ; I've forgotten all
about that long ago."
We are constantly making use of these tables in
working practical problems concerning live matters.
Sometimes we pretend to be surveyors and do their
problems ; sometimes we imagine that we have discov-
ered a great tract of land and must divide it into
townships containing thirty-six sections; again we
pretend that we are painters and must estimate how
much we will charge the government to paint our
quarters. We also play that we are plasterers, ma-
sons, paper-hangers, carpet-dealers and carpenters
shingling roofs.
Winifred keeps a little book called Explorations in
138 NATURAL EDUCATION
the Land of Arithmos and in this book she puts down
Book called "Ex- a ^ com P ut ations made and also in-
plorations in the teresting discoveries in the realms
Land of Arithmos" of this good giant p rofessor
Hornbrook has taught her to look upon arithmetic as
a good giant named Arithmos and this touch of fairy
lore adds interest to her study of arithmetical prob-
lems.
When the little girl was six years old her good
teacher told her a most interesting story about this
01. ^ u u T> giant and Winifred put it into the
Story told by Pro- *
fessor Hornbrook following rhyme which was pub-
put into rhyme li s hed in her first book of jingles :
"THE GIANT ARITHMOS"
"Great Jack-the-Giant-Killer brave, he killed all giants
bad,
But one good giant's life was spared by this bold war-
rior lad.
Arithmos was this giant great, and all bright girls and
boys
Should love the famous Giant-King far more than all
their toys.
He's very old, and very great, and also wondrous wise,
For he can count all things on earth and even tell their
size.
He knows how many birds there are; how high each
bird can fly ;
But never does he boast or brag or stoop to tell a lie.
He is so tall that he can reach up to the starry sky
And count the stars and meteors bright as swiftly they
goby.
MATHEMATICS 139
Tis he alone can tell you when a great eclipse will come
And darken the moon's lady or the old man in the sun.
He's always so good-natured and obliging to us all :
He'll help us with our lessons when for his aid we call,
And tell us just the number of right apples on a plate,
How far away Chicago is and if the train be late.
In fact he always answers us whene'er we ask 'How
many ?'
And for his work and trouble never thinks to ask a
penny.
Teachers and professors couldn't teach without his aid,
And men in every business know through him they will
be paid.
We can not sing in perfect time, nor even play a drum,
Divide an apple, buy a doll, nor do the smallest sum,
And even Bridge by ladies fair can not at all be played
Unless this mighty Giant-King will kindly lend his aid.
So as we can not get along without 'Arithmos lore'
We should learn his wondrous truths and love him
more and more."
As a baby, Winifred played with a few pieces of
sterilized money and thus became familiar with Amer-
Playing games * can currency. When she was only
with real money two years old I sent her to near-by
stores to make purchases for me and to bring me the
change. On several occasions when the clerks made
mistakes to the amount of one or two cents the baby
called their attention to the wrong change.
On rainy days we played store with cakes or gro-
ceries made from modeline and used real money to pay
for purchases. Sometimes we had
Playing store a ribbon store and Winif red meas _
140 NATURAL' EDUCATION
ured off yards of ribbon when I came to buy, did up
my purchase in a neat piece of paper and wrote out a
bill as if she were a real saleslady. Again she pre-
tended to be a druggist and with a pharmacist's scales
measured out all sorts of pretended poisonous com-
pounds.
Instead of giving the child a regular allowance we
decided to teach her the value of money by earning it.
Earning money to She receives prizes of pennies
learn its value when she has good lessons or in
payment for doing little chores or running errands.
She keeps an account of all the pennies earned in a
week and compares the past week's with each new
week's income. When she receives small checks in
payment for the rhymes she writes for magazines she
takes the checks to the bank and deposits them to her
own account.
After the scales had fallen from her eyes through
Professor Hornbrook's magic touch, she took great de-
Questions in com- % ht in working questions in com-
pound interest pound interest so as to find how
much money she would have at a certain age if her
income continued to increase at a certain per cent. We
are now studying financial conditions in banking, man-
ufacturing, etc., to give Winifred practical use for the
discoveries made in the realms of Arithmos.
We never work for lengthy periods on these sub-
jects but always stop while Winifred is intensely inter-
Stop games while ested. When I gave the child her
interest is intense first lesson in algebra and showed
MATHEMATICS 141
her the wonders that could be done with Mr. X, she
begged to learn more, but I closed the book after only
ten minutes' work with said Mr. X and on the morrow
she begged for more algebra and X puzzles.
I have never wearied the child by quizzing her about
problems and rules and have tried to make use of the
knowledge gained in all of her
No quizzing ,. T , .
studies. I also encourage her to
teach little children the truths she has learned, and
thus she keeps a knowledge of the fundamental prin-
ciples of arithmetic in her mind while she is working
problems in algebra and geometry. She and I believe
that there is no use in learning things only to be for-
gotten and that if we have the proper keys we can
bring forth from our minds any fact that we have
once learned.
One day, while the heavens were outdoing them-
selves in deluging the earth with showers, Winifred
Winifred's meth- P la y ed arithm *ic games with a
ods of teaching httle friend nearly the whole day.
arithmetic pj rst she taught her to draw a hex-
agon, and when the child grasped the meaning of this
figure the two children amused themselves by making
hexagon houses, boats, shoes, towers, picture- frames
and even ladies. They brought their hexagon pictures
to me and I was surprised to see the number they had
made. I am sure this little girl will never forget what
a hexagon is.
They also made pentagon shapes, others resembling
a rhombus, trapezoid, rectangle, square, circle, etc.
142 NATURAL EDUCATION
After they had drawn these figures they cut them out
and put them in a box. Then they played "What is
it?" Winifred would draw and give Mary a chance to
say what the figure was. If Mary could not guess,
Winifred named the figure and put it in her treasure
pile. In this way they played until all figures were
drawn and the one who had the larger number won.
They played "Tit-tat-toe" with a circle divided into
sections and each section numbered and as the players
shut their eyes and swung round the pencil to strike a
certain number they were compelled to add this num-
ber to the one previously tapped.
They had great fun with a game of cubes, making
them into geometrical figures, and with a number of
brightly colored cardboard angles, squares, etc., they
made some veritable cubist pictures. With bundles of
toothpicks Winifred showed her little friend the rela-
tion of ten, twenty and thirty to one another, and with
a box of shells she played many games of adding and
subtracting.
I have always taught Winifred to use cancelation as
a quick way to ascertain different measurements, and
she is very fond of playing cancel-
Cancelation as a ,. -n r TT
short route and atlon games. Professor Horn-
also interesting brook gave her the foundation of
the following game, though she has
changed it somewhat. In a box we place all sorts of
numbers not exceeding two figures. These are to be
our soldiers. Then we choose a name for ourselves,
Wellington being a favorite with Winifred and Napo-
MATHEMATICS 143
Icon with me. We draw a line of battle and we are
ready to begin. Winifred draws a number from the
box. Suppose it is ten and that she has chosen the
upper position above the line for her men. Then she
puts ten above the line. I draw and get only two men
but I place them below the line ready for battle and
feeling hopeful that my next draw will make my army
larger than Winifred's. She draws and gets only two
men, whom she places ready for action while I make
my second draw and win five. Again Winifred draws
and gains four. Now her line of battle is ten times two
times four. I draw another two and my men stand two
times five times two. At a glance you see that she has
beaten me in number but we fight the battle to see how
many of her men I can kill. My first battalion of two
advances against her ten and is wiped out of exist-
ence though reducing the ten to five. Then she uses
this five to kill my five but they die in the battle. My
two march against her two and both fall, but she still
has four men remaining and so Wellington has won
another Waterloo.
This is how the battle-field is arranged:
x 4 Wellington's men.
Napoleon's men.
= o
This is really a very interesting game for all children
to play.
144 NATURAL EDUCATION
As children of to-day seem to have a tendency
toward extravagance I am trying to teach my child to
have a real appreciation of the
Gaming practical . e , , . , , .
knowledge of the valu e of money by playing banking
price of food with her. We pretend to invest
stuffs , , ,
our money and see how much we
get for it in a certain time, and then we set out to see
how much it costs us to live and eat the things we like
and yet save a little money. The little girl has done
all my marketing for the last two years and is a
shrewd buyer. She examines everything she buys and
is always delighted when we praise her for having
made a good purchase.
She is also learning the value of money in other
countries as compared with her own and sometimes we
pretend to be traveling and have
Foreign currency . <
our money changed into francs,
pounds, marks, etc.
Professor Hornbrook gave Winifred not only
games which taught her the relation of numbers to
one another but she urged me to
Learning historic . , ,, ,. , < --t.
data concerning teach her the history of arithmetic
the science of as a science, bringing to her atten-
arithmetic .. ,, , . , . , ,
tion all historic data concerning
the invention, by the Arabians, of the numbers we now
use, displacing the more difficult way of expressing
numbers by Roman letters.
In learning these Roman letters we studied the clock,
looked at all the public buildings with dates Inscribed
MATHEMATICS
145
Learning Roman
numbers
on them and even went to the
cemetery, where we had an excel-
lent opportunity of studying many dates on tomb-
stones. To show one of her pupils how very thankful
she should be not to have been born in Roman times,
Winifred has drawn the following chart which she
says little Roman boys had to study in learning their
tables. The number enclosed in parenthesis was sup-
posed to represent the table to be sung but the Roman
teacher undoubtedly skipped all around, not taking the
numbers in their order.
II IV
III V
D L CC
VIII III
XI II
XO XI
IV VI
XII (H) X
(HI)
VIII X
XLL (IV) XL
IX V
XII XIV
XIX XX
VI XI
VII IX
M C
XXX XL
XV LXX
M CO
X M
XX XL
DC XC
LXXX(V) LXX
XXX (VI) L
DCC (VH) DCCC
CM XO
LX LXX
DXC DXL
L LX
LIX CX
DL DXC
146 NATURAL EDUCATION
Believing that geometry does no good for the pupil
who learns it merely by rote, we are studying this
No use to study science by observation of things
geometry by rote about us as well as by working
problems. Winifred began to be interested in circles
and angles by looking around the room and searching
for them. She was charmed to find that her plate was
a circle and that she could draw a perfect circle by
running a pencil around her glass. Generally geome-
try is a bete noir to a child, but through practical re-
search it may be made a delight. In taking walks we
study geometrical lines in buildings, and at home we
find them in the windows, the pictures, rugs, chande-
liers, table legs and other furniture.
We learn to see that the curved line is not only the
line of beauty, but of strength, and we have been trying
to draw some cathedral windows
Professor^ Horn- w ith the use of curves and angles,
Geometry" ncre ' and to discover geometrical lines in
the tail of a peacock. Winifred
began this work in studying Professor Hornbrook's
Concrete Geometry and I believe that it will continue
to be a source of pleasure and profitable information
throughout her life.
To show you how interesting all explorations in
mathematical lines have become to this little girl, who
evinced dislike for her tables in in-
Winifred's descrip- fancy, I shall quote Winifred's de-
tion of the Land , ,. i-^j TT/' j / r
of Matematiko scnption of The Wonderland of
Matematiko. (Matematiko is the
MATHEMATICS '147
Esperanto name for mathematics and Instruistino re-
fers to her good teacher, Professor Hornbrook.)
"THE WONDERLAND OF MATEMATIKO"
"In Matematiko, the wonderful land
Ruled over by giants, a most worthy band,
There all live together in kindness and peace
While helping Earth's mortals whose works never
cease.
And also I think that a strong helping hand
Is tendered Mars' children by this goodly band.
"But if from these giants their help we would seek
We should be very patient and humble and meek,
And go to their lands over roads smoothed in part
By labors of numerous foregoers' art.
Then back to the Daily-Life-Storehouse to stay
Bring all goodly treasures we found on our way.
"The first province reached when we go to this land
Is ruled by Arithmos with firm kindly hand,
His regions are frequented by little ones
When counting good candies or apples or buns
Or when Baby's mother cuts apples in two
And gives him "a one-half" and one-half to Sue,
His sister who travels each day in the week
In realms of Arithmos for knowledge to seek.
"The lands of Arithmos then being explored
And the wealth thereby gained being carefully stored,
Wise travelers go on following many a band
Of Pilgrims for Knowledge now seeking the land
Where, if they seek earnestly, surely they'll find
Truths known by Queen Algebra, gracious and kind,
148 NATURAL 4 ^EDUCATION
Whose roaas are lar sTlorterlhan Arithmos King owns
And freer from troublesome Mad-Hasty-Stones
That fall from Mount Error right down on our path
And so often cause us to court Demon Wrath.
"When first viewing guide-books of Algebra Land,
All new travelers fear that they can't understand
The queer little figures and X, Y's and Z's
Mixed up with the numbers and A, B, C, D's.
But after becoming acquainted with these
Good Algebra agents who help and who please
All seekers for Knowledge most gladly resolve
To use these good agents their problems to solve.
"Not far from Queen Algebra's realms may be found
King Geometrio's rich lands which abound
With Reason's clear rivers that flow everywhere
While watering the Earth and while cooling the air.
There are many high mountains, where travelers will
fall
Who heed not the warning that's given to all
By Geometrio, the giant benign,
Who near to the rugged cliffs puts up this sign
'To all who are traveling behold, now take heed,
If walking, go slowly be fearful of speed.
Be sure to inquire at my palace door
Of smooth winding pathways trod often before ;
But if you would ride in great haste to the top
Then take my good auto which never will stop ;
There's none like Intense Concentration, my car,
Which carries you safely sans skidding or jar.'
"To travelers obeying this giant's advice
No 'Haste- Wasting Goblins' will ever entice
To climb Error's Mountain from which they may fall
To Slough of Despond that is dreaded by all ;
MATHEMATICS '149
fee
Or maybe be led by 'Vain Confidence Elves'
Through seeming- short byways and flowery delves
To dread Doubting Castle where cruellest of fates
Through the Giant Despair the traveler awaits.
In Geometrio's most wondrous guide-book
At first we are puzzled if we only look
At guides of this giant who many forms wear,
Some angular figures and others quite square,
Some round like a bullet or like cubes or cones,
But each of these figures some great power owns
And Geometrio will tell all who ask
How each may be used for a wonderful task
As making dress patterns for ladies so fair
Or likewise for ribbons to bind up their hair.
We meet them each day in the rugs at our feet
And on the stone carvings we see in the street
Are subjects of Geometrio's wise land
For their useful service we mortals demand.
"Near Geometrio's broad regions there lies
The spacious rich country of Good Giant Wise,
Broad-minded and powerful builder and king,
Trigonometrio's loud praises we sing.
From his brother Geo materials he takes,
From which with his help frail mortal man makes
Tall, wonderful buildings, which, reaching so high,
We call them 'Sky-scrapers' as touching the sky.
He also builds churches, cathedrals, and schools,
And beautiful mansions are formed by his rules,
Through knowledge man found in this great giantV
home
He has built wondrous spires and many a dome,
And bridges o'er rivers, and tunnels through rocks,
And e'en chained the waters with wonderful locks.
150 NATURAL EDUCATION
, ' , -,. ; .&v
"And now with his help a marvelous feat
Of great engineering 1 will soon be complete
In building at Panama as you all know
A wondrous canal by which we may go
From Father Atlantic to Pacific's sands
Without traveling over Good Mother Earth's lands,
"In Matematiko one more giant lives,
And to all weak mortals much knowledge he gives,
'Tis good 1 Kalkuluso, philosopher King,
To him all philosophers loud praises sing,
For only through his aid they go to the fount
Of cause and effect that will teach them to count
The days that will pass before all men may see
A coming eclipse on the great Stellar sea,
Or comets, or new stars, or maybe new worlds
To true knowledge seekers this giant unfurls
Wide forecasting standards as things are to be
In days yet to come upon both land and sea,
And ever this giant wise carries in hand
The banner of Truth which he floats o'er his land.
"Now some people say that the great giants' lands
In Matematiko are mere barren sands,
So desolate, fruitless and hard to advance,
But we who have had even this little glance
Of these wondrous realms as described by the pen
Of Instruistino will go there again.
She gives us to guide us a good fairy wand
Through Matematiko to bright realms beyond.
This wand helps us journey so that we may see
Each road and each crossing and always to be
On straightest of pathways the Perfect Truth's Way,
From which glorious highway we never must stray,
For Truth leads to God in His bright realms above,
Surrounded by light of the Infinite Love."
EDUCATIONAL AMUSEMENTS
DOCTOR BUSHNELL says that work is for an
end, while play is the end itself and, there-
fore, the highest exercise and chief end of man. Life
Play the chief * s not ^ e where there is no amuse-
end of man ment or play.
The versatile and loving mother can always find
means of amusing while instructing her child, if she
cooperates with him in his play. From the animal
mother she can learn that this play must be whole-
hearted or the child will lose his interest. She can
also learn to direct her little one's play for a purpose.
Some mothers confine their baby's activity or play
in infancy to the movements of his jaw by putting a
Mothers amusing "pacifier" or "comforter" into his
children mouth when he cries and letting
him suck, suck, suck rather than amusing him with
games that develop all parts of his body and his senses.
These pacifiers ruin the shape of a child's mouth and
make him sluggish. Instead, give him something to
rattle or jingle, pound or bite. Tie a balloon to his
wrist and let him watch it go up and down. Use the
152 NATURAL EDUCATION
i
bells described in a previous chapter, to amuse as well
as develop a musical sense.
Give him a medicine ball to develop his muscles and
use it also to help count and learn other important
educational principles. As he grows older try to have
some corner in the home fitted up as a playroom or
gymnasium. Let him have a punching bag, a trapeze
and other paraphernalia which will amuse while
strengthening him. Do not let him waste energy in
games that do not help in mental, physical or moral
development, while there are so many interesting ways
of developing the child's powers.
In all of the games played with your baby, call in
the assistance of the good fairies and kind giants. Let
Glamour of ^ e glamour of fairy lore surround
fairy lore the child's cradle and brighten his
pathway through life. The game of "Let's Pretend"
has often kept up my courage in the darkest hours,
and no man or woman needs grow too old to play this
game. Colonel Sellers made himself warm and com-
fortable by playing "Let's Pretend" the appearance
of heat is heat. If we have not all the joys of life
we can play this joy-giving game and, helped by the
Imaginative Fairy, these joys will be ours.
Every child has an instinctive dramatic sense and
enjoys these "Let's Pretend" games. The dramatic
The dramatic sense may be developed not only
sense by playing games and imperson-
ating characters at home, but by taking the child to
good moving-picture shows and theaters. There has
EDUCATIONAL AMUSEMENTS 153
long been a need of children's theaters, and now that
such a theater has been opened in New York, it is
to be hoped that other cities will follow this good ex-
ample. Such theaters will serve as one of the best
and most interesting means of gaining knowledge, and
many great men will follow the example of Bernard
Shaw in using the stage as a lecture rostrum.
Much has been written against the baneful influence
of moving pictures on children's morals, but if only
good pictures are allowed to be
shown, and these pictures be ex-
hibited in large airy theaters, they will become one
of the best ways to amuse and instruct children of all
ages as well as grown-ups, through suggestion.
After attending these theaters or moving-picture
shows the little ones can find much amusement in act-
ing out the scenes they have just witnessed. And
they can also find great pleasure in impersonating the
characters in stories they have heard. Winifred and
I have had great fun in acting many stories we have
read. If we did not have enough characters to pre-
sent the play we would make paper men, angels or
animals.
All children seem to enjoy sense-developing games
such as were played by their savage ancestors to de-
Games for sense vel P keenness of sight, hearing,
development smell, etc.
To develop a keen sense of touch, Winifred and I
often played blindfold games. We would walk about
the room blindfolded and touch certain objects, see-
ing if we could guess what they were, or when a
number of children were playing with us we sat in
a row, all blindfolded but the passer who handed the
first child some object. If he whispered the correct
name of this object to the passer he would remain in
line and pass the object to his next neighbor. If he
gave an incorrect answer he must leave the "wise
line" and hand the object to the passer. In this game
I used bits of sandpaper, smooth paper, balls, cubes,
angles, etc., to teach the child difference of quality
and shape.
For sight development we played the game "How
Many?" This game we sometimes played in the
nursery with our chessmen, branches of trees, check-
ers, anagrams, beans or other small objects. At other
times we played it in the woods or in passing by shop
windows. When playing chess I would put a certain
number of chessmen on the board and give Winifred
a chance, during the time that I counted five, to tell
me how many men there were. We did the same game
with beans and other small objects, and at other times
we placed a number of objects on the table and each
of us would have a chance to see how many objects
we could remember having seen on the table after
one glance. When playing with tree branches or
leaves we tried to guess how many leaves, shapes, etc.
It was most amusing, however, when we took long
walks and tried to see how many objects could be seen
along the street or in shop windows.
EDUCATIONAL AMUSEMENTS 155
Another sight-training game was that of "Fly
Princess, Fly." We would take a few feathers to the
woods and one of us start the "Princess" on her jour-
ney. We both followed her, and whenever she alighted
on a bush or tree we sent her flying on her errand
once again. This was great fun, good exercise for
the muscles of our lower limbs, and tended to give
us keen sight
So few people grow up to be accurate observers,
because the games they played in childhood did not
Developing the ten( ^ to ma ^ e mental photographs,
bump of locality Playing Indian scouts is one of the
best games for this development, and bumps of lo-
cality may be enlarged by encouraging children to
go to places that they have previously visited, with-
out another's guidance. I frequently tell Winifred
that she may have some candy if she will take me to
Reymer's Fifth Avenue Candy Shop, and, despite the
intricacies of Pittsburgh's down-town district, the
young lady never fails to direct me to this interesting
spot. In the same way she has learned to locate other
stores, theaters, etc. When she was but eighteen
months old she found great delight in showing her
nurse how to get to the parade grounds at Old Point
Comfort or to the Old Dominion wharf, where she
could watch the incoming and outgoing boats, and she
not alone watched these boats as boats, but knew
which was a ship, yacht, steamer, brig, launch, etc.
Color games were also interesting to the child.
156 NATURAL EDUCATION
Some of these games we played with prisms as pre-
viously described, and again we
Color games p]ayed Green Art/ , Blue Aft/ ,
In these games I would select a certain green object
in the room and Winifred had three guesses to tell
me what it was. In this way she became familiar with
all green objects. Then we would play with blue, red,
yellow and other colored objects, taking turns in being
the "Chooser" and "Guesser" of these colors.
A spinning top whose coat was of many colors was
a delight to my baby. It had a musical tone and its
shining colors fascinated her. We sometiipes placed
it on a board divided into many sections and each
section of a different color. We would then guess
which color Mrs. Top preferred, and she was sup-
posed to show her choice by pointing with her peg to
a certain color when she stopped spinning.
Another color game we played like bagatelle. We
had small balls of various colors and the pockets in
the bagatelle board were painted these same colors.
In playing our game the object was to get a red ball
into a red pocket, blue into blue, etc. In order to
learn not alone the colors but shapes of certain geo-
metrical forms, I cut out spaces for angles, circles,
squares, etc., in a large sheet of cardboard and painted
the edges of certain squares blue, others red, etc. The
object in this play was to put a red cardboard angle in
the red angle space, a blue circle in a blue circle. The
cardboard angles, circles, and so on, were all placed
in a box. Winifred sat down in front of the large
EDUCATIONAL AMUSEMENTS 157
cardboard sheet with its many empty places. First,
she would draw, and she had the first opportunity to
place the figure she drew in its proper place. If she
failed, she must put it in the pot. Then I drew and
tried to put the figure drawn in its place. After the
large sheet of cardboard had all its vacant places filled
we often tried to make certain geometrical figures
with our angles and circles.
We had a set of beautifully colored paper butter-
flies and amused ourselves by each drawing a butter-
fly from a box and then seeing who could find the
greater number of colors in it, or who could discover
geometrical figures.
Games where cards or other objects are drawn from
a box are always amusing to children because of the
sprite "Chance" which haunts these
Games of chance T , . ^
games. I have used these drawing
games to help Winifred learn her tables quickly, and
sometimes she plays them with other children and
seems to find the games most amusing. In the box
of mysteries are placed a number of cards on which
are written two sevens, three eights, four nines and
so on. The first player draws a card and must im-
mediately give the answer. If he fails to answer
quickly or correctly the next player gets a chance to
answer and also to draw a card from the box. In
the end the player having the most cards wins the
game.
In teaching a child to have control of his muscles I
have found the game of "Statue" a great help. In
158 NATURAL EDUCATION
playing this game each child must
Control of muscles , , , , ., r
assume the attitude of some great
statue and hold this attitude without moving while
the other players count a certain number. The Greeks
believed that perfect conditions of balance, tension
and steadiness could only be gained in this way.
Some mothers seem to have no idea of how to
amuse their children. They are so unresourceful that
they actually bore themselves and
must always depend on outsiders
for their own entertainment. This is because they
were not taught to have resources within themselves
when they were children.
All little ones should be amused by learning how to
make things out of spools, modeline, paper, cloth,
How to make toothpicks, marbles, blocks, clay,
things beans, dice and colored pencils.
Winifred and I have had the j oiliest sport making
babies out of peanuts, putting white cotton on top
of the nut for hair, marking eyes, nose and mouth on
the peanut and dressing it in a neat paper dress and
coat. We put petticoats on these ladies and place
needles in them so the Peanut Fairies serve their pur-
pose in the world. Sometimes we use them to make
children in hospitals happy and again to decorate
Christmas trees or to play other games. We make
boats and other curious things out of English wal-
nuts, and when we have children's parties we make
funny pigs out of bananas and curious people out of
oranges and apples. We make wagons out of spools
EDUCATIONAL AMUSEMENTS 159
and cigar boxes and build castles, towers, bridges,
doll houses, etc. Our greatest spool building achieve-
ment is a representation of the Parthenon which we
have kept for exhibition.
The making of kites, pin-wheels, canes and whistles
has taxed our inventive ingenuity while giving us
amusement, and as for our scissors, paper and pencils,
we would be very sad if some wicked giant should de-
prive us of these joy-making tools.
We have learned to cut out all sorts of dancing dolls,
houses, furniture and animals from paper and, putting
them in walnut-shell fleets, have taken journeys around
the bathtub world. Paper castles have sheltered many
of our manufactured knights and ancient heroes.
A treasure box in which a mother can put small
toys, bits of ribbon and surprises is very useful to
amuse children when they must lie
in bed, or on rainy days. When
a child is ill he can find great pleasure in drawing out
something from this box at certain times during the
day. As he grows older another way to amuse him is
to fill a bag with so-called "Laugh Powders." These
powders consist of typewritten jokes or funny rhymes.
If the child feels cross, let him put his hand in the
bag and draw out a powder. The joke or rhyme will
generally make him laugh and drive the "Cross De-
mon" away.
A button box is a fine amusement for sick children.
With the buttons they can make different animals
and form a circus parade. Shells are equally amusing,
160 NATURAL EDUCATION
and sometimes the child may amuse himself by draw-
ing the outlines found in many shells and making
funny faces.
By using five cent pieces and fifty cent pieces
amusing pictures of cats, owls, frogs and the like may
Using money to be d ra \vn by the smallest children,
draw pictures In making the face of a cat, they
can learn the lesson of smiles and frowns, for when
the cat's mouth is turned up in a smile she looks
charming, and when turned down in anger she has a
foreboding look.
I also taught my daughter how to make dresses for
her dolls and to embroider little mats for people she
loved. Her first finished piece of
embroidery, consisting of a little
sunbonnet girl of many colors, done in outline on a
white mat, was finished when she was but four years
old, as a gift for her dear "Auntie Warren." She
learned to knit and crochet little bonnets for her dolls
and for Christmas gifts to her little friends, and found
it great fun to add gift after gift to her Christmas box.
I believe it is a good idea for all children to have such
a gift box, to learn to make useful things and to put
them away in the box until sucli a time when the
maker wishes to present them as gifts. On rainy days
it is a great pleasure to work for the gift box and to
examine the contents.
In Winifred's gift box for the present year, I find
many cunning doll hats made of raffia, a number of
little baskets, several bags ornamented with cantaloup
EDUCATIONAL AMUSEMENTS 161
seeds, half a dozen chains made from these seeds and
stained with red ink, so that from a distance they re-
semble coral, jumping- jack brownies made out of
bright cardboard and fastened with paper fasteners,
and with strings attached so that they dance about
and please babies, colored dolls made out of black
goods with red eyes and mouths (supposed to be pen-
wipers), numerous hand-painted paper dolls with large
wardrobes, many water-color sketches, dressed dolls
and many other bits of handiwork made in spare mo-
ments or on rainy days. They represent no strain on
the child's nervous system, but simply the use of sur-
plus energy, and they will make many friends happy.
I do not allow Winifred to sew for more than fifteen
minutes at a time, as too long periods of sewing will
Short intervals for make an y one nervous. One rea-
sewing, etc. son that so many mothers are cross
and impatient with their children is because they wear
out their nerves running the sewing-machine or making
marvelous pieces of embroidery that never repay them
for the energy expended.
The little girl paints sometimes for perhaps half an
hour without stopping, since work with the brush is
not so trying to the nerves, but she is never permitted
to continue work to the state of weariness.
On the same principle I do not allow her to play
with only one child. Two children who always play
Playing with many to ^ ether s meti s become tired
children rather of each other's company and one
than with one ^j^ j s a i ways sure to become
162 NATURAL EDUCATION
master of the other. Emerson says that if there were
but two people on earth one man would become the
slave of the other before night. A child needs variety
in diet, variety in forms of play and variety in com-
panions. It may be truly said in all walks of life,
"Jucundum nihil est nisi quod refecit varietas"
Some mothers do not believe in girls playing with
boys, but I believe a girl needs boy companions to
Good for girls to teach her courage and execution,
play with boys while a boy needs the girl's com-
pany to inspire him to do good deeds and to make him
more gentle. As a rule boys reason better than girls,
but girls are more quick-witted and imaginative.
Playing together thus gives help to the boy and the
girl, particularly in fencing, boxing, learning to bal-
ance by walking rope and playing croquet, tennis, roll-
ing the hoop, open-air pageants, original plays, play-
ing ball, running, etc. Some people do not believe that
girls should take part in these sports, but why should
they not develop their muscles as well as the boys?
Why, indeed, unless they are to be doomed to walk
with mincing gait, due to wearing hobble skirts, for
the rest of their lives ? Their Chinese sisters no longer
cripple themselves by binding their feet. They are
walking around in freedom, as the men, but fashion
chains the American woman so she can not enjoy the
use of the limbs nature has given her.
To amuse as well as to instruct and give health to
both boys and girls, every child should be given a
EDUCATIONAL AMUSEMENTS 163
Every child should & ar ^en as soon as he can toddle,
have a garden Provide the little one a health-giv-
ing wheelbarrow, spade and shovel. Show him how
to plant the seeds, to water them with his little sprink-
ling can, and to dig out the wicked "gnome-weeds"
with his hoe. When the flowers come, teach him to
be generous and to make others happy by giving them
the produce of his garden.
Let him also build himself a little garden house
where he can put sticks, stones, etc., that he finds on
his walks. This house should have a good cleaning
at least once a week, and the mother should join in
the sport of making the palace ready for the fairy
queen.
Few mothers seem to think that they can spare the
time to enter into any sports with their children. They
Mothers to play are so busy with their housework
with children or sewing that they do not stop to
notice the baby when he builds a tower and cries "See,
mother! See!" Naturally the child soon loses in-
terest in his play if his mother pays no attention to
him, and then the mother thinks she has a cross
naughty child who needs a spanking.
Children who are left to play by themselves are
constantly quarreling or, growing weary of one game,
they fight about the selection of another. Besides,
they often learn evil from their playmates. I do not
believe that children should be left to play alone any
more than we should leave them to the tender mercy
164 NATURAL EDUCATION
of the waves when they are learning to swim. An
older person should always be their leader, keeping
harmony in the game and inspiring interest.
Mothers should forget dust and their household
duties for a part of each day and enter with real spirit
into their children's games, taking
Economy in labor , ,. . ,
the little ones to the parks or other
places of amusement. The woman who makes all of
her children's dresses is not to be commended as much
as her sister who buys them ready-made. They are
just as cheap and the hours of nervous worry that
must be spent in making these garments can be used
to educate children through amusing games. I have
known women to worry themselves into a fever while
trying to make a dress for a child, and many a man
has been driven to suicide and the children made mis-
erable by a mother afflicted with the house-cleaning
mania.
There are many ways of saving work in these days
of inventions, and even the children may be taught to
help with the household machinery so that mother
may go out and play with them. Both girls and boys
may be given a dust-cloth and told to seek for wicked
gnomes of dust. They may shell peas, string beans,
crack nuts and do other tasks that require time though
they do not exert much energy. The mother should
work with the children, inspiring them with stories of
fairies or with some rewards, and the time will fly.
It seems to me that American mothers could learn
many lessons from the Japanese as regards housekeep-
EDUCATIONAL AMUSEMENTS 163
Learning from in g and child rearing. There is
the Japanese too much furniture and bric-a-brac
in most American homes, and children sometimes
learn to hate their homes because mothers are con-
tinually calling out, "Don't touch this don't touch
that !" Our furniture requires much dusting and clean-
ing, while the fashion of wearing the same shoes on
the street that we wear in the house carries death-
dealing germs to our very fireside. I have often
watched babies crawling gn rugs on which all of the
members of the house had walked after being in the
streets.
The Japanese mother never crowds her house with
ancestral furniture, portieres and bric-a-brac. She al-
ways has clean shoes for her house, and she knows how;
to manage housekeeping so that she has time to spare
for games with her little ones. It is said that Japanese
mothers never scold, and the mother who would strike
her child would be considered inhuman. Both Jap-
anese parents are often seen playing in the streets
with their children, flying kites, spinning tops and
bouncing balls. On the great holidays called "Feast
of Dolls," and "Feast of Flags," the first in honor of
little girls, and the latter for boys, both fathers and
mothers find as much enjoyment as the little ones.
All Japanese believe in card games to teach their
children; and one of these games, called "A hundred
verses from a hundred poets," is a marvelous game
to teach little ones how to read, write and recite Jap-
anese verse.
166 NATURAL EDUCATION
There are many card games which English speak-
ing mothers could play with their children to amuse
them as well as to develop mental
powers and ability to think con-
cretely. Professor Thorndike, of Teachers' College,
Columbia University, says : "I know that a half hour
spent by a group of children in playing a stimulating
game one that makes them think quickly, and attend
to every second, is worth two hours in studying a
dead language."
In a previous chapter I have described some of the
card games Winifred and I have played together.
Some other games that any mother can make to amuse
her child while giving him useful information are
games of flags, showing the flags of all nations,
games with currency of different countries, cards
showing the tallest buildings in the world, the great
inventors, the constellation, great authors, famous
kings, wild animals of all countries, birds, insects and
reptiles. We have games of Bible history, histories of
various countries, geography and physiology. In fact
we have card games of every branch of science we
have studied and all of our family enjoy playing them.
It always makes me sad to see young girls who no
longer like to play. I have recently met some twelve-
Children too year-old girls who were shocked
old to play when I suggested a game of bat-
tledore and shuttlecock. I may not look graceful when
I am running for the goal in Spanish soldier, but I
am enjoying the sport, and children who play with
me are happy.
EDUCATIONAL AMUSEMENTS 167
Some one has said that the child who has not eaten
his peck of dirt and spent half his time in making
Danger in mak- mu( ^ P' ies before he reaches his
ing mud pies tenth birthday will never know
the true joys of childhood. The child who is lucky
enough to be alive after having been exposed to all
sorts of pathogenic organisms while wallowing in filth
will be but the survival of the fittest. Dirt does not
make children healthy, and playing in filthy mud ex-
poses them to all kinds of disease. The idea that dirty
children meant healthy children originated in seeing
little ones, who were allowed to play in the open and
get their clothes soiled, looking healthy while un-
fortunate "house-plants," whose clothes were never
soiled, looked delicate.
All children get their clothes soiled while at play,
but they should be taught to wash their hands fre-
quently and never to put them to their mouths. Clean
clay should be substituted for filthy mud when the
child wishes to make "mud pies," but instead of
making only so-called pies his ambition should be in-
spired to model objects which he sees. We have often
played baker and grocery store with the prints of but-
ter, loaves of bread, etc., that Winifred has made out
of clay.
Pets also help to amuse and train a child. They
make good playmates and, through caring for them,
children may be taught to be kind
Pets for and thoughtful of the comfort of
playmates .
others.
To develop sources of enjoyment within a child,
168 NATURAL EDUCATION
each mother should encourage her little one to have a
Each child to hobby, such as collecting stamps,
have a hobby postals, minerals and flowers ; or
playing ball, tennis, golf or some other game. And
the mother should acquaint herself with these col-
lections or the way to play certain games.
If a boy is intensely interested in baseball his mother
should take special pains to learn the points of this
The mother to be ? ame so that she ma y be honestl y
interested in her interested when her son tells of a
child's hobby "Wonderful Circuit Clout."
At the present time Winifred is most intensely in-
terested in photography. She has a kodak and, in-
The kodak stead of shooting at birds with a
as a hobby shot-gun, she chases them with
the kodak. If mothers would interest their boys in
photography they might divert their thoughts from
firearms. Prizes are offered each month by the St.
Nicholas Magazine for the best pictures of animal life,
and both boys and girls may find these rewards in-
centives to get good pictures. Let the child learn how
to develop and print the pictures as well as take them,
otherwise there is little sport and much expense in
the kodak hobby.
All children should be taught to find amusement in
hearing good music, to experience the mysterious ex-
Music as altation which comes to those
amusement whose musical senses are devel-
oped when they hear exquisite melody. Goethe said
that every one should hear a little music, read a little
EDUCATIONAL AMUSEMENTS 169
poetry and see a fine picture every day of his life, in
order that worldly cares should not obliterate the sense
of the beautiful implanted in every soul.
Through rhythmic exercises, a love of music is in-
stilled into the child, while the muscles of his body are
strengthened and he gains control of both body and
voice. I believe that mothers should take time to teach
their children simple dances each day and also to sing
simple melodies with them.
It is said that one may resist disease through song
and that nations given to singing have longer-lived
Singing for people than those where daily sing-
long life ing is not a custom. People sub-
ject to melancholy have been cured with music, and
it has been a great help in soothing nervous children.
A shrill-voiced mother will startle any child, but a
sweetly modulated voice will calm him. Howls of rage
injure the vocal cords of those who howl, and make
others suffer who hear these beast-like sounds.
Most children love to sing, and through song or
dance they find an outlet for pent-up energy. The
baby should be encouraged to sing, and no one should
make fun of him. If he is once ridiculed he will be
afraid to sing when he feels inspired.
To train Winifred's musical ear we played a sort of
musical cat-in-the-corner. We called the four corners
of the room C, G, B, E. I would strike chords with
each of these notes, and as I struck them Winifred ran
for the corner represented. If she ran to the right
corner she received a little golden note (cut out of gilt
170 NATURAL EDUCATION
paper), and after she had won ten of these notes she
received a prize.
Learning 1 to whistle is an amusement that helps to
while away many happy hours for boys and girls and
also develops their chests and helps their control of
the voice.
"A whistling girl and a crowing hen
Always come to some bad end."
So said a clown of long ago,
But this poor fellow did not know
That whistling girls as well as boys
Are the best of earthly joys.
Card games concerning the history of music and
lives of the great composers can be made most enter-
taining, especially if compositions from these great
men can be played by the mother, or if the children be
made familiar with the works by hearing them on the
Victrola or piano-player.
All children should be encouraged to form little
social clubs to meet at their homes and to which the
mothers should be invited. These
Social clubs 1 , t_ u * j f
clubs should be organized for some
good purpose as well as for amusement. Winifred
belongs to a sunshine club, whose members strive to
make sick children happy with gifts of toys and flow-
ers. She is at the head of the Junior Peace League
and, through the efforts of these young people, the
peace ball, we hope, may be started rolling. She or-
ganized the Junior Equal Franchise Federation of
EDUCATIONAL AMUSEMENTS 17!
Pittsburgh, so that she and her young friends might
work not only for equal franchise rights, but prepare
themselves to be able to vote when the franchise will
be given them.
These clubs meet only once a month, and after busi-
ness matters have been discussed we adjourn to the
kitchen to make fudge, taffy, or divinity, and play
various games.
But of all ways to amuse children, introduction to
good books is perhaps the best. Mothers must re-
Books the best member that children receive their
amusement taste for good or bad literature
from the first books that are read to them. As Doctor
Johnson said : "One is apt to live for the last half of
life on the memory of books read in the first half."
A great lawyer has said that his whole career has
been influenced by the books he read when a child.
Therefore, a mother can not be too careful in putting
good literature into the hands of her child so that he
may acquire a taste for that which is instructive and
wholesome rather than perverted. The boy need not
be deprived of Indian or cowboy stories, as many ex-
cellent tales have been written on these subjects, but
yellow literature, giving exalted ideas of cowboy deeds,
should not come to his notice.
He should be trained to read the daily newspaper,
but Sunday supplements should be debarred from
every home. At the end of this book I give a list of
magazines and books which have always been a de-
light to Winifred, and certain books which have
NATURAL EDUCATION
helped me in her education. Lists of good books for
children on varied subjects may be obtained in all pub-
lic libraries.
In my belief that reading without a purpose is the
idlest of amusements, I have directed all of Winifred's
reading so that she has never
Directed reading , , . , , , ,,.
wasted her eyesight for nothing.
In preparing food for children we sift out all that
we do not consider healthful and give them only the
most nourishing food. So, in the vast fields of so-
called literature I try to let Winifred taste only of the
best. Of course there are different opinions as to
what is the best, but I have accepted the opinions of
great men as to the truly great works of literature
rather than that of an old lady friend who told me that
I should make Winifred read all the "good books" in
a certain Sunday-school library if I wished to make
her into a moral woman. There were two hundred
books in this library and, in my opinion, only one was
worth reading. The rest savored of the old-time
Sunday-school book, which did nothing but preach
about the rewards given to good children and the
troubles coming to bad ones.
Fortunately this Sunday-school library is not a
model library for other Sunday-schools to pattern
after. Most Sunday-school libraries 'now boast of
many excellent fairy tales teaching morals in "can-
died" form, and instructive books about plants, ani-
mals, birds, as well as hero tales and stories of history.
Believing with Bacon, that a book not worthy of
EDUCATIONAL AMUSEMENTS 173
being digested should not be read, I take great pains
in directing Winifred's reading
A doll-house book 1 , . ,. ,
along certain lines so she can gam
something from every book she reads. I also encour-
age her to put her thoughts down on paper and make
little books of stories or doll-house books. I began
Winifred's first doll-house book when she was four
months old. It was made out of a large scrap-book
with water-color paper for its sheets. The first page
represented a garden where flowers grew and children
played. The second showed a porch where children,
pets and flowers were to be seen. The third page
brought us to a reception hall with a great English
stairway, big fireplace, cozy window with cushioned
seats beneath hanging plants, etc. Each room was
furnished in what I considered the best of taste and
there were all sorts of goodies in the pantry and on
the dining-room table.
I finished this book when Winifred was six months
old and wrote in it, "To my little daughter on her
sixth birthday," but when I showed it to the baby she
clapped her hands with delight and tried to take it
away from me with her chubby fists. She called it
my book and found the greatest delight in playing
games with her paper dolls and this book. The dolls
would have parties and eat all the good things in the
kitchen. They would play on the piano, dance, visit
all the rooms in the house, take baths and do every-
thing that Winifred did.
I would recommend such a book for all babies.
174 NATURAL EDUCATION
Mothers who can not draw the pictures can cut them
out of magazines and paste them in place. Winifred
has made dozens of these books for her friends and
they always prove a source of delight.
Some mothers believe that the Sabbath should be a
day of complete rest and quiet, when children should
Sabbath the to church and Sunday-school,
glad day eat cold dinners and sit quietly dur-
ing the rest of the day, studying Bible verses or looking
at religious books. This was the kind of Sunday that,
as a child, I was taught to believe God delighted in. As
a consequence I learned many verses of Scripture, but
hated the very day Sabbath even as the boy who was
told to be good and he would go to Heaven where Sab-
baths never end, but who replied, "I'd rather go to the
t'other place and keep hoppin' about on hot coals than
to sit all day studyin' Scripture or to play every minut*
on a golden harp."
Not long ago a little twelve-year-old girl was arrest-
ed after she had stolen two dollars from a neighbor
and had run away from home. The child was caught
and when the judge learned that it was her first offense
he told her he would not imprison her. Instead of being
glad the child began to cry piteously, "Please, Mr.
Judge, send me to prison or any place but home."
Through questioning the prisoner, the judge found
that the parents had preached "hell fire" to the poor
child since infancy and had made her life so miserable
on Sundays, forbidding her to play with her compan-
EDUCATIONAL' AMUSEMENTS 17.5
ions, to read, or even to smile, that she hated her
home.
We call Sunday the "Glad Day" in our home.
Titania always visits Winifred's pillow on Saturday
night so that some gift is found there on Sunday
morning. We have new games, a better dinner, a nice
drive or walk, and something every hour in the day to
make Winifred happy.
On rainy Sundays there are magic tricks, games
with planchette, checkers, chess (which has been Wini-
fred's favorite game since she was seven years old),
guessing contests, experiments with a magnet or
miscroscope, anagrams in various languages, and best
of all story-telling. Books and schools have robbed
the professional story-teller of his art, but any one who
can tell a story is always a welcome visitor among chil-
dren.
Some years ago while visiting in Iceland, where
there are few schools, the children being taught in the
home, I realized what an impor-
tant personage the story-teller of
the Middle Ages must have been. The Iceland story-
tellers are almost worshiped. They are welcome at
any fireside and as I listened to their wonderful tales
of the old Vikings (ancestors of many Icelanders), I
felt carried away to the olden times and could see the
scenes described by the story-teller far more plainly
than they had appeared to me in books I had read.
Nearly all Icelandic children learn to read before they
176 NATURAL EDUCATION
are five years old and they are well versed in history,
despite the fact that there are no public libraries.
They owe most of their knowledge to the story-tellers.
Mrs. Mary W, Cronan, who recently accepted the
position of official story-teller of the Boston Public
Schools, says that she does not tell stories simply to
amuse a child, but to lead him to see the best literature
in libraries. She says that story-telling bridges the
gap between the child and the library, and develops the
imagination while giving moral lessons without preach-
ing at a child.
I have often stopped telling Winifred a story in a
most interesting place and told her she could find the
rest of it in a certain book. Needless to say Winifred
hastened to get the book and read further.
Not alone Sundays but birthdays, anniversaries and
holidays are always red-letter days in our home. There
Red-letter days in are birthday cakes with good-luck
the home candles, gifts, games and surprises.
Thus time never hangs heavy on our hands and Wini-
fred finds home, that spot on earth supremely blest, a
dearer sweet spot than all the rest.
CHAPTER XI
CULTIVATION OF THE IMAGINATION
"O the days gone by ! O the days gone by !
The music of the laughing lip, the luster of the eye ;
The childish faith in fairies, and Aladdin's magic ring
The simple, soul-reposing, glad belief in everything,
When life was like a story holding neither sob nor sigh,
In the golden olden glory of the days gone by."
James Whitcomb Riley
A GREAT scientist has said that mortals can never
know true happiness until they make imagina-
tion their constant companion. What would life be
without any of imagination's magic beams ?
Some of earth's cold matter-of-fact people, who
were never introduced to imagination's fairies in their
Imagination makes youth, are determined that these
happiness sprites shall never enter their
homes. There shall be no fairies, no Santa Claus, no
Easter rabbit, and no birthday fairies to corrupt the
morals of their children, who must be reared on facts,
plain cold facts. They consider fairy tales untrue and
tending to immorality. I could wish that the shades
of Andersen and ^Esop might rise from their graves
and teach these stony mortals that there are real fairies
177
i;8 NATURAL EDUCATION
in every good person's heart fairies who whisper to
us to do good deeds and who keep us from doing evil.
But when these fairies are not allowed to enter our
hearts, ugly gnomes in the guise of discontent, selfish-
ness and envy cause us to do evil.
If fairy tales are banished from our homes what can
take their place? Some one suggests stories relating
to biology and botany. These
Biology and bot- . . ./
any poor substi- stones are very interesting to chil-
tutes for fairy rfren w hen fairies aid the teacher,
tales
but no child will find great delight
in analyzing a flower or learning of different forms of
animal life unless his imagination be awakened with
fairy lore. This fairy lore develops imagination or
creative power along with enthusiasm, "the God with-
in us." Through fairy tales the child gains a fellow
feeling with birds, flowers and animals. He is also
inspired to do great deeds and to undertake seemingly
Herculean tasks.
"A quick imagination," as Perthes tells us, "is the
salt of earthly life, without which nature is but a
skeleton." The man who tries to
kil1 this g ift of the g ds with
affairs and in gain- scientific facts sacrifices his spirit
for the flesh. He can not even be
a practical man ; and he knows nothing of great happi-
ness for, as Professor James Rowland Angell in his
Chapters From Modern Psychology, says: "Imagina-
tion is to be viewed, not only as the process whereby
the ordinary practical affairs of life are guided, in so
CULTIVATION OF IMAGINATION 179
far as they require foresight, but also the medium
through which most of the world's finer types of hap-
piness are brought to pass."
It is more cruel to keep fairies out of the home and
to starve imagination than to banish all toys and
goodies. The child who can not imagine seeing fairies
in the tree-tops, bushes and flowers will never love
nature like the little one who sees wee folk in all of
Mother Nature's handiwork.
Parents who decry fairy tales should be consistent
in banishing Mother Goose and all poetic creations, as
What happens thev are d ; sci P les of /airydom.
when fairies are What then is left to brighten the
banished child's imaginative life? If the
imaginative faculty is not developed early in a child's
mind he can not be a poet, a novelist, sculptor, artist,
architect, doctor, lawyer or mathematician. Some peo-
ple think that the study of mathematics deals only with
cut and dried facts, but the true mathematician re-
quires as much help from the "Fairy Imagination" as
from "Giant Reason." Without imagination no one
can be a great civil engineer, since the engineer must,
before he draws his plans, first see a picture, on
imagination's walls, of the bridge or ship he is to build.
Napoleon said: "Imagination rules the world."
Without this fairy's aid he could never have become a
world conqueror, as he fought all of his battles on
imagination's field before he gave orders to his sol-
diers.
George Watt saw a steam-driven locomotive travel-
i8o NATURAL EDUCATION
ing on imaginative plains as he watched the steam lift-
Imagination's help in f a teakettle lid. Fulton saw
to great men this same steam made to drive
boats on rivers and seas. Edison was shown pictures
of all his marvelous inventions through kindly "Imagi-
nation" long before he gave them to the world.
To the Wright brothers, and all other inventors of
air-ships, "Imagination" presented scenes of machines
flying through the air; and to Marconi she showed
messages floating on air waves and sounded off 'on
wonderful instruments.
She flashed beautiful scenes before Raphael so that
he might paint them and she even helps the dress-
makers and milliners by displaying new and strange
fashions.
Sir Herbert Tree in his latest book says, "I can con-
ceive no fate more terrible than that which befalls
Sir Herbert Tree tne art i st m watching with un-
on imagination diminished powers of self-obser-
vation, the slow ebbing of the imaginative faculty; to
see it drifting out to sea in the twilight of life. Better
to be deprived of sight than to feel that the world has
lost its beauty for the blind are happier than the
blear-eyed."
But there is no need to lose our imaginative facul-
ties throughout life if parents strengthen them in youth
and we continue to develop this divine spark within
us. In fact, imagination, like hope, is hard to kill.
The unfortunate child who never becomes acquaint-
ed with imagination's fairies can not fight the battle of
CULTIVATION OF IMAGINATION 181
life with great success. He is on a par with The Man
with the Hoe, bowed by the weight of centuries that
are never lifted by happy imaginings.
Imagination is worth more to a child than great
wealth. If he lacks this pleasing quality in his make-
up he must be a mere puppet, a nonentity, a nincom-
poop, since life without imagination is stagnation.
Our ancestors thrived on myths and in this material
age I certainly believe that children who are taught
Fairy reared chil- g od fair 7 stories grow into hap-
dren more sue- pier and more capable men and
cessful than chil- ,, , .,, ,
dren reared on women than children reared on
plain facts cold plain facts. It is an actual
fact that I have never met any one reared in a fairy-
less home who grew into a warm-hearted happy man
or woman.
Fairies have always lived in our home and kept it
Fairies in our cheerful whether in the far chilly
home North, or the sunny South ; whether
in cities teeming with life, or desolate quarantine
stations.
A few months ago, when writing for the New York
American on the subject Do You Believe in Fairies f
Winifred's opinion Winifred said : "Do I believe in
of fairies fairies? Oh, I couldn't live with-
out my fairy friends ! They are always with me, and
when I take walks in the woods I can see them smiling
at me from behind the bushes and trees. Fairies have
always been good angels to me. They watch over me
when I am asleep and put nice gifts beneath my pil-
i8a NATURAL EDUCATION
low when I have been a good girl. They have helped
me to travel in the land of good giants Arithmos,
Geometric, Trigonometrio ; their sister Algebreo and
cousins Geografio and Historio.
"The fairies never allow me to be lonely, for if I
have no other playmates they come to me and give me
ideas to write a story or rhyme and help me if my
'feet go lame.' They also aid me in making original
compositions for my art teacher and illustrations for
my jingles. I know that I couldn't write stories or
paint pictures without these good friends' aid, and it
is they who whisper to me 'Please be good' when I
am inclined to be naughty. Best of all they comfort
me when I am in sorrow."
Needless to add, fairies are indispensable to my
little daughter's happiness, and to imagination I looked
Fairies as disci- for hel P in training Winifred from
plinarians infancy. I taught her to love the
trees not alone for natural beauty, but for the wee
folk who might live in them. Fairy tales with a moral
were used as lessons to teach her obedience, self-
respect, neatness, promptness, gentleness, politeness,
truthfulness, unselfishness, courage and, above all,
self-control.
When Winifred did wrong in her early days, before
she had a clear perception of right and wrong, I dem-
onstrated to her, through a fairy tale descriptive of
a little girl who was her double, how very naughty
she had been.
CULTIVATION OF IMAGINATION 183
In order to stimulate the child's imagination I
found nothing better than fairy tales teeming with
meaning. Even at the present
fa^fratfoS * time Winifred and I find great de-
through stories light in looking at pictures of old
castles and making up stories about
them. Sometimes I tell Winifred a legend about a
certain castle and then she tells me a story about the
same castle. At other times she amuses herself by
writing stories founded on history but embellished
with fairy lore concerning historic places.
Further to stimulate the child's imaginative quality
we often play the stories, and sometimes improve the
plots in our amateur theater. Generally we must de-
pend almost entirely on imagination for our scenery,
but this does not dampen our enthusiasm. In fact I
believe that theaters would be more beneficial to the
general public if the scenes were not so realistic, leav-
ing much to the workings of imagination, as shown by
the acting of the Ben Greet Players. This is the be-
lief of Alice Minnie Hertz, the founder of the Chil-
dren's Theater. She says also that the greatest mis-
take in present educational methods is the tendency to
suppress imagination instead of employing it as the
chief factor in a child's mental and physical develop-
ment. The educator's task should be to help the child
in his struggle to emerge from his restricted world of
egoism to the larger and more satisfying realm of al-
truism.
184 NATURAL EDUCATION.
She believes that it is only through imagination that
a natural born little egoist can be taught to respect
Making an egoist the ri hts of others, and his imag-
into an altruist inative quality should be developed
through play, as the dramatic instinct is at the root
of his imaginative life.
When Winifred was very young we often played
that each of us had another little girl as our constant
Games with imag- companion. Winifred's alter ego
inary children was called Lucy and mine was
Nellie. We would have tea-parties together, and the
conversation between Lucy and Nellie was indeed
amusing. We played all sorts of games with our
non-visible friends. These games took place when
we were living on a reservation some distance from
the city, and Winifred could not have playmates each
day. But she was never lonely and always found
pleasure playing or talking with Lucy when her nurse
or I could not play with her. This nurse often re-
marked to me that Winifred was "queer." "Why,"
she said, "the child talks to spirits."
I never allowed perfected mechanical toys in our
home. In the first place, they are expensive and easily
broken, so it is a waste of money
Mechanical toys , ,, T ,, ,
and talking dolls to bu 7 them - In the next P lace
stifle the creative they leave nothing for a child to
do, and consequently stifle the im-
agination. The doll who has sewed-on clothes and
can not be undressed at night for fear of breaking
the machinery which makes her say "Pa-pa, Ma-ma"
CULTIVATION OF IMAGINATION 185
was not a favorite in our home. Instead, we had rag
or celluloid babies which could be put into the tub
with Winifred or go to bed in nighties like their little
mother.
Dolls or toys that can be used by a child to con-
struct other things stimulate the imagination. All
little girls love to have a pair of
Creative toys . , ... , , ,, r
scissors and bits of cloth out of
which they make clothes for their dolls. They delight
in tiny brooms, wash-tubs, cooking stoves and mini-
ature furniture which they can use to pretend keeping
house like grown-ups. The boys like tools to build
houses, and they play many imaginative games with
rocking horses as war chargers or race-horses.
In the Hawaiian kindergartens the teachers play
with children just as I have played with Winifred,
Hawaiian an d the brown babies make believe
kindergartens to do what they see those around
them doing. Thus they are taught to do household
work through play.
Some mothers never seem to enter into the wonder-
ful spirit realms guided by imagination. These moth-
Castles and hopes ers often ruthlessl y destroy castles
destroyed by good and fortresses built by imaginative
housekeepers children. With one sweep of her
broom a mother may destroy a castle which her little
boy has carefully built and peopled with knights vis-
ible to him alone. Thus he is cruelly brought away
from happy fancy's realms to the plain, cold, matter-
of-fact earth. How many castles, how many hopes,
i86 NATURAL EDUCATION
and how many seeds of creative greatness have been
destroyed by overzealous clean-housekeeping mothers !
No mother has the right to destroy the imaginative
quality in her child, since back of every step to prog-
ress must be the imagination or creative power.
Some mothers complain that their children are too
imaginative and that this quality leads them to be un-
truthful. One mother of my ac-
Mothers complain . . . ... . , ,
about children's quamtance thought her son John
imaginative wa s not altogether right in his
mind because he delighted in lying
on a rug in front of the fire and watching the burning
coals for hours. When his mother called to him he
would not always answer and on several occasions she
was compelled to shake him in order to arouse him
from his dreams. He often told stories of what he
saw in the glowing coals and his matter-of-fact mother
called him a "fibber" and threatened to punish him for
telling falsehoods. She could see nothing in the coals
so how could he behold such wonders ? In her opinion
this child's imaginative power was a noxious weed,
rather than a flower of Paradise to be nurtured and
cultivated. She sighed because her John was not like
practical James who saw things as they were. She did
not realize that the most efficient faculty mortals can
have is this broad vision, imagination or spirit.
I have tried to make Winifred think concretely by
training her imagination along with her reasoning cen-
Thinking ters - This was partly done through
concretely taking her to see good plays which
CULTIVATION OF IMAGINATION 187
have developed a love for dramatic art and also
through teaching nature's truth through fairy tales.
The stars never seem half so interesting to those who
know nothing of the mythological tales attached to
them. How much more Orion appeals to the child
than constellations not known in the realms of song
and story! Winifred and I spend many happy hours
studying the stars and making up stories about them.
We often imagine that we are in an air-ship on our
way to one of the great planets and we make plans of
how we shall live and act when we arrive at our des-
tination.
My little girl has been blessed with the friendship of
several noted astronomers from whom she has learned
more about the wonders of the heavens than most
children of her age learn, but mothers can make star-
gazing a delight to any child by telling the little one
the well-known mythological tales concerning many of
these far-off wonders.
To give children an idea of the wonderful size of
the universe and the immeasurable distances in space,
cu. . ,. I would refer mothers to Volume
otudy 01 astrono-
my develops imag- I of The Child's Book of Knowl-
ination edge (The Children's Encyclope-
dia). This volume contains a most interesting draw-
ing of express trains supposed to be traveling a mile a
minute, fast enough to go around the world in less than
twenty days, but despite their speed it would take them
one hundred seventy-seven years to reach the sun and
over forty millions of years to reach the nearest fixed
188 NATURAL" EDUCATION
star. In showing this picture to many children I have
noticed that the creative faculty was aroused to its
highest pitch. Some children begin to plan air-ship
voyages to these distant celestial bodies and others de-
light in reasoning as to how long it would take air-
ships going twice as fast as express trains to reach
certain planets. Other children, believing the planets
to be peopled, tell me their opinions of the strange
people living in these other worlds.
Roman, Grecian and Scandinavian myths concerning
planets and gods are also great imagination developers.
Making paper On rain y da y s Winifred and I
gods used to cut out Jupiters and Junos
from heavy manila paper. We also made paper repre-
sentatives of all the other most famous gods and god-
desses known in the ancient days of Greece and Rome.
With these paper puppets we had wars and marvelous
happenings. On other days we manufactured Norse
gods and their subjects. We often had some difficulty
in making Sleipnir stand even if he did have eight legs
and we never could make a paper hammer look pon-
derous enough to be wielded by Thor, but imagination
helped us to believe that the gods were before us and
we took great care to have Fenrer, the wolf, tied with
heavy twine so he could do us no harm.
Greville Macdonald, writing in the Living Age on
The Fairy Tale in Education, says: "Ignorance of
Ignorance of fairy-land is the punishment of in-
fairy-land tellectual vanity the vanity of the
average pedagogue, who has forgotten that education
CULTIVATION OF IMAGINATION 189
means leading forth and not stuffing in. To the fairy
tale we must look if we are to mend our ways with the
child and lead him forth to find that mighty world, the
true self."
Imagination and enthusiasm go hand in hand, acting
as keys to the child's treasure box of happiness. Often
this box is ruined by parents
Imagination and * r
enthusiasm child's throwing wet blankets on their
treasure box children's enthusiasm. A few
nights ago a little girl and her mother came to see me
and, while sitting on the veranda listening to the band
in our park, she exclaimed with delight : "Oh, mother,
do look at those gorgeous delicious pink clouds behind
the hills ! They look like strawberry ice-cream." The
scene was one of beauty and in my own mind I was
thinking that the English language lacked adjectives
to describe these gorgeously tinted robes of Mother
Nature, but the mother replied coldly: "Elizabeth,
what a silly child you are! The adjective delicious
applies only to eatables, and you can't eat clouds."
Naturally the child's ardor was dampened by her
mother's rebuke and she had little to say during the
rest of her visit.
Yesterday I was standing on the platform of a small
railroad station waiting for a train to Pittsburgh. It
An imaginative was not anc ^ ^ ^ e ^ irritable because
child the train was late. No doubt I
looked as cross as I felt, but in happy contrast to my
state of mind was that of a little boy who was hanging
to the back of a freight car on a side track. His mother
190 NATURAL EDUCATION
called: "Edgar, come here or I'll whip the stuffings
out of you." In the most earnest tone he replied : "I
tan't. I'ze on the way ter Buffalo and the train won't
stop." His mother called and gesticulated in vain.
The child imagined he was on his way to Buffalo and
held on to the car. Finally the mother angrily pulled
him away and slapped him for being disobedient. The
poor little fellow looked at her through his tears and
in an aggrieved tone said: "I'ze not bad. I touldn't
turn. De train was goin' ter Buffalo." "Don't tell
such fibs or I'll thrash you within an inch of your life,"
said the mother while shaking her child. She then
pushed him down on the edge of the station platform
and continued her conversation about a missionary
society with a saturnine-visaged woman who was ap-
parently her dear friend and coworker in saving the
souls of benighted heathen.
Not being particularly interested in missionary teas
I left the seat I occupied near these righteous church
workers and sat down by the sobbing youngster. We
soon got acquainted, and by playing games of fairies
and gnomes with pebbles and sticks we both forgot our
troubles and spent a happy ten minutes together.
Of late much has been written in books and maga-
zines concerning the Montessori system of education
and many mothers have bought the
Jy^temdoes S not apparatus simply because it was ex-
develop the imag- pensive and so must be good, and
particularly because it is the up-to-
date fashion just now to have children educated by
Montessori methods. Other mothers who could not
afford the apparatus and have had no opportunity to
send their children to Montessori schools have felt
that they were depriving their little ones of opportuni-
ties that every child should have. It is probable, how-
ever, that the children are no great losers in these cases.
I may be a Cassandra, but I predict that the Montessori
system will never give to the world any great men and
women, because it does not tend to develop imagina-
tion, the search-light of the intellect. Doctor Maria
Montessori is a remarkable woman, who has done
great good in the world for the mentally defective.
Her system will always be a help to these children, but
I can not see how it can be of any great benefit to the
normal child. A teacher who has experimented with
this system in teaching deaf and dumb children and
also perfectly normal children says that it is a great
help in developing the sense of touch in deaf students,
but he does not consider it the best system by which
to instruct a normal child.
Every educational system bears the stamp of per-
sonality. Doctor Montessori has genius and experi-
ence, but she is not imaginative and can not impart
this power of imbibing life's best joys to others. She
is full of sympathy for her pupils and believes that the
fundamental principle of scientific pedagogy must be
liberty for the pupil, but unfortunately she has not
lighted her pathway to knowledge with imagination's
I 9 2 NATURAL EDUCATION
brilliant rays and so I fear that the world will not see
any great lights produced by her system.
She teaches a child that a square is a square and a
cube is a cube. There is no touch of beautiful imagery
around these facts. Hence pupils of the Montessori
system will not be creative, inventing and producing
new wonders for mankind.
Doctor Montessori speaks quite ironically of "foolish
fairy tales," but if there are no fairies, then we mortals
must have killed them with our cruel doubts. Fairies
will not dwell with those who have lost faith in them.
But I can not see how any one doubts fairies' existence
when he stands by a sleeping baby's couch and watches
the smiles playing on his rosy lips. Surely the imagi-
native fairy hovers about the babe and whispers
stories which make him smile.
It was this fairy, in olden times, who held beautiful
scenes before the Grecian mother's eyes so that when
her babe was born he reflected the scenes of beauty in
his handsome countenance. Mothers of to-day could
have sons superior even to the ancient Greeks if they
courted this fairy's constant presence.
It is this same fairy who whispers happy thoughts
to lovers as they sit side by side talking of the future.
,,,. t , . It is she who lives in the bow of
What fairy ......
imagination the violinist, gives speed to the fin-
does for us gers O f t h e pianist, and guides the
hand of the artist and sculptor.
We need imagination to uplift and strengthen us in
all walks of life. Without it, life may be compared to
CULTIVATION OF IMAGINATION 193
Even salvation de- f &*? ^ where . there is no U ? ht
pendent on imag- m the sky. Imagination can give
matlon us more happiness than any other
faculty we possess. Through her magic wand, life's
pathway is strewn with roses. She enters into the
dark prison and paints beautiful scenes on the walls.
She goes to the bedside of the sick and brings helping
cheer. She makes tasks light and lifts the burden of
care from our backs, leading us to beautiful realms of
joy. And not alone happiness but our hope of salva-
tion lies in the cultivation of the imagination, since
faith itself, on which the basis of civilization rests, is
an imaginative product.
CHAPTER XII
DISCIPLINE
EDUCATION is not alone a knowledge of books,
but a development of character. Many mothers
realize their power to train a child in vocational lines,
Education devel- k*>ng dt if he is to become a
opment of great musician, artist, etc., his
character training must begin in infancy.
But all mothers do not realize that they have the same
power in character building. They forget that the
love of truth, unselfishness, justice, courage, sympathy
and cheerfulness must be implanted in the child's mind
just as a taste for music or art. There are no schools
for babyhood character building and this most impor-
tant foundation for a child's future depends on the
mother. If she does not assume this responsibility she
is recreant to her duty of true motherhood.
No mother can begin too early to plant the seeds of
moral training in her little one's mind and heart.
Beginning moral "Moral education," as Doctor Mor-
training in infancy ton Prince says, "should begin in
the cradle, since what the world really needs is not
more brains, but more character."
194
DISCIPLINE 195
It is just as important to give a child moral strength
as physical or mental. Every human being is a trinity
Each one a within himself. If we develop the
trinity one god of strength we become
merely powerful brutes. If we develop only the men-
tal we are liable to be physical weaklings and rascals.
If we develop the spiritual alone we have not the
strength to continue long on this mundane sphere.
Hence all three of our innate gods should be developed
in order that we be well rounded beings who can live
happily on earth in preparation for a life to come.
Infancy is to life what the foundation is to a build-
ing. It is longer in higher forms of life than in the
Prolonging in- lower; and among civilized races
fancy period than in the savage state. Fishes
which have no intelligence are never babies and the
chimpanzee, which is the most intelligent of all animals,
requires the longest period of care and training from
its mother. Thus mothers of intelligent children
should prolong the period of infancy or the time when
the child seeks its mother's advice, as long as possible.
Every mother has the power of suggestion over the
sensitive mind of her child and this power may be used
The parents' f r evil r ? d ' If the m ther
power of sug- and father wish their child to grow
gestion j nto gi or i ous manhood or woman-
hood they must set him a good example. The father
of the great German scholar, Karl Witte, tells how he
and his wife attempted to display only those character-
istics with which they wished to imbue their son. They
196 NATURAL EDUCATION
were always courteous in his presence even when he
was in the cradle and they never failed to be his loving
companions and playmates. Pastor Witte said: "All
children are what we are."
A mother who foolishly strives to follow the latest
fashions and thus drags her husband into debt, who
spends her afternoons in artificially
lighted rooms when the sunshine
calls to all Earth's children, "Come forth and let
me give you strength," and who talks of nothing but
silly society chatter is liable to have a daughter of her
own stamp.
The father who smokes and drinks excessively, plays
poker and lives at the club need not be surprised if his
son follows in his footsteps. Because father smokes,
the little boy is willing to endure agonies to be like his
father, and because father swears he tries to swear
also. I once heard a three-year-old boy cursing loudly
as he cavorted around the lawn on a small broomstick.
He would lash his wooden steed furiously and call out :
"Damn you, I'll teach you a lesson, you damned beast."
I asked him why he spoke to his horse in such a dread-
ful manner and he answered with pride : "That's the
way to talk to real live horses. That's what my daddy
says when he rides Tom."
We mortals have great influence on those around us.
As Maeterlinck says : "Be good at the depths and you
The influence we wil1 disc ver that th Se wh ^
exert on those round you will be good even to the
around us same Depths." Imagine then the
DISCIPLINE 197
great influence that a mother has over her baby. She
has the power, as some one has said, to sow a thought
and reap an act, sow an act and reap a habit, sow a
habit and reap a character and sow a character and
reap a destiny. And moreover by trying to train her
baby properly and to set him a good example she not
alone molds his destiny through the great power of ma-
ternal love, but she makes herself into a better woman.
Few great and good men have not had great and good
mothers.
From earliest infancy the most important training to
be given a child is that of occupation the secret of
Idleness mother happiness. Idleness is the mother
of all evil of all evil. Even the tiny baby be-
comes irritable or destructive when his nervous energy
is not properly directed into occupational channels.
The old saying, "Satan finds some mischief for idle
hands to do," is all truth.
Plato said : "No one is wicked voluntarily." He be-
comes so because of a disposition of body or a bad
No one voluntari- education, misfortunes that may
ly wicked happen to any one. Parents not
alone influence a child by heredity and environment,
but by their examples of being either workers to make
the world better or simply drones.
Children trained early not alone to be busy in exer-
cising their muscles but to drink deep from the well
of knowledge and to have highest thoughts of love and
sympathy for their fellow men will always be happy.
One of the first twigs that must be directed in a
198 NATURAL EDUCATION
straight course in child training is that of self-control.
' ., Alexander the Great, who con-
Self-control one
of the first twigs quered worlds, died because he
to be bent could not control himself; and no
man can have greater satisfaction than that arising
from his power to control himself at all times.
Mrs. Mary V. Grice says: "Let the first lesson in
the 'bending of the twig* be that of self-control. The
youngest child is old enough to be started in that direc-
tion. Always remember in the effort that you are in
this way laying foundations for a richer, fuller life
than you can in any other way give your child, for 'the
happy man is not the one who has possessions, but the
one who has himself in possession/ "
A mother should not be discouraged because her
baby shows he has a temper. This is a sign of ex-
Temper the sign cessive nervous energy which may
of energy be turned to good uses. Anger
uncontrolled is like volumes of escaping steam; but
when controlled it may do great good.
The spoiled child is like the uncontrolled forces of
nature which work havoc in their path. He makes
other people miserable and is un-
The spoiled child , ,. ir . , , ,.
happy himself simply because his
parents have not shown him how to educate his will
and practise self-mastery.
But the child will always be a joy and comfort to his
parents, friends and himself if from babyhood he is
taught obedience and self-control
through the guiding hand of love.
DISCIPLINE 199
The mother of a spoiled child is usually too lazy to
discipline the little one and train it into a straight tree.
The child who is pampered and petted, who is taught
nothing of self-restraint, is liable to be at the mercy
of his explosive temper and can not have the mental
balance that he who is conscious of self-mastery pos-
sesses. This can be instilled into a baby through the
power of suggestion. When he cries for something
that he should not have his mother should not give it
to him but even before he talks she should try to im-
press him with the suggestion that he wants to be a
good boy. She should say : "Baby is a good boy. He
is mother's comfort. He is brave. He will not cry,"
etc. By making these suggestions to him she inspires
him with the wish to live up to this reputation.
If he hurts his finger the mother should not continue
to talk about the pain. She should try to make him
forget his suffering through
thought suggestion in other lines
and should inspire him to be brave like the Indians, or
noble knights in the days of chivalry. Thus he learns
to bear manfully what it is necessary to endure and
places himself above the so-called "cry babies" who go
whimpering through life eternally seeking sympathy
for their real or imaginary woes. But learning to bear
his own pain must not make him unsympathetic for
others who are suffering. The unsympathetic boy is
always rude and sometimes unkind toward his com-
panions, but the truly courageous and kind-hearted lad
lends a helping hand to all in trouble.
200 NATURAL EDUCATION
Perhaps the best way to encourage a sympathetic
Encourage syrapa- feeling for others while learning
thctic feeling to bear pain one's self without
yor U chilTas"a g flinching is through the Knights
knight or lady of King Arthur's Club. No knight
or lady in this club can use profane or unkind lan-
guage in speaking to companions or to animals. Each
must try to be courteous, considerate, and patient
with every one and above all he must never sulk or
pout These knights and ladies are in honor bound to
"keep a-smiling."
Each knight must try to keep his promises with
playmates and try always to be on time, never too late
or too early. There has been little written against the
"too-early-bird's" habits, but I think that they are to
be deplored as much as the snail's behind-hand quali-
ties. I once had a friend who always arrived at least
half an hour before the time set for our meeting, and,
as I am a busy woman, who must arrange my day's
work as a general plans his battle campaigns, she very
often caused me much annoyance.
In order to reach perfect "knightship" and "lady-
ship" all members of this order must strive to gain
. perfect control over themselves so
All knights must J
control their as to control their inclinations and
tongues even t h e j r thoughts. No knight
has an unruly tongue to bring trouble into the world.
Knightly tongues are under the perfect control of their
master's will. They do not throw forth hot words un-
DISCIPLINE 201
til the knight has stopped to count, like the great war-
rior Caesar, at least twenty.
In order to make youthful knights, the parents must
be knightly also. They must always be polite to each
Parents must be other and not have two sets of
knightly also manners; one for private family
use and one reserved for company. If the mother for-
gets that she is a lady and says "Shut up" to her little
squire he will make the same reply, thus debarring
himself from the glories of knighthood. If she asks a
favor without using the magic word "please," her child
should not be punished for giving her similar com-
mands. If she forgets to say "Thank you" when her
child does a favor for her why should she consider him
ungrateful if he forgets to thank his parents for any-
thing they do for him ? If we would train our children
to be courteous or knightly we must set them a good
example.
Good manners are simply the outward manifesta-
tion of a good heart, and people who are boorish in
The need of good their wavs are either suffering
manners from a disordered nervous organ-
ism, ignorance or evil thoughts.
People may learn arithmetic and geography after
they are grown, but without reasonable culture and
good manners a boy or girl is heavily handicapped in
the race of life. There has ever been, and there ever
will be, a great demand for well-mannered young peo-
ple. The business man does not bother about how
202 NATURAL EDUCATION
much knowledge of history, etc., a boy may have, but
he wants a boy who has easy manners and knows how
to be polite to those with whom he comes in contact.
In other words, a lad who knows "how to do and say
the kindest thing in the kindest way."
All babies are born egoists. They are little tyrants
who seem to expect others to wait on them while they
Babies born give nothing in return. This is
egoists the result of parental training. If
a child is early taught to do something for himself and
to think of others he grows up self-reliant and also
sympathetic.
A psychologist has recently attempted to prove
that children, despite training, are egoists up to the
Belief that chil- a ^ e of adolescence - H ^ tells many
dren are not sym- stories of children's acts and say-
pathetic j n g s as p roo f of his belief. The
following is an example:
A teacher, who considered it her duty to warn her
pupils about catching cold, graphically described the
death of her darling little seven-
A story of egoism year . old brother who had gone out
to slide in the snow with his new sled, had caught cold
and in a few days was dead. The tears were in her
eyes as she told her story, but she saw no wet lashes on
the eyes of her pupils and one little boy on a back seat
called out : "Where's that nice new sled ?"
The little heathen who selfishly thought of the sled
instead of the poor dead boy was truly an egoist, but I
am sure that if the teacher told this story as a sorrow-
DISCIPLINE 203
ing sister sEould, there were many boys and girls in
that room who felt deeply sympathetic.
All knights must be taught to think of others be-
fore themselves, and, above all, to be pleasant to all
whom they meet, remembering the old Japanese say-
ing: "He that brings sunshine into the lives of others
can not keep it from himself."
Recently I have met a little knight who certainly
disproved the theories about all children being egoists.
A young knight He has been carefull y trained b 7
who is not an kind and courteous parents to be
egoist self-reliant, doing things for him-
self that other boys generally ask their parents to do,
and always thinking of others before himself. I was
delighted with the chivalrous manner in which he
treated Winifred and when I praised him for his clev-
erness in being able to tie his own cravat and dress
himself, he seemed afraid that Winifred's feelings
would be hurt, since I was tying her hair ribbon at that
moment, and he said: "Oh, yes, I can tie this cravat,
but I never could fasten a ribbon on my head if I were
a girl. A boy's clothes are so much easier to put on.
I'm sure Winifred could dress herself in a little while
if she were a boy."
This little knight is also very obedient. He has been
taught not alone to obey his parents but to listen to the
voice of conscience, thus gaining mastery over inclina-
tions and appetites.
A child should not be given a command without an
explanation, and be expected to obey implicitly. He
204 NATURAL EDUCATION
Commands with- should be taught that his mother
out explanations asks him to do a certain thing be-
cause it is for his own good and that he is not the
only one who must obey, as all mortals are subject
to obedience. No child should become distrustful of
his parent's word and thus doubtful about giving the
obedience a parent asks.
Mrs. Washington, when asked by a distinguished
French officer how she had managed to rear such a
splendid son, said : "I taught him to obey."
In asking Winifred to do anything for me I never
command her, but through stories of brave men who
When Winifred have not paused "to reason why"
did not obey I have tried to impress on her the
necessity of prompt obedience. However, when she
has shown reluctance to obey and has given proper ex-
cuses for not being "mother's good soldier" I have
not punished her. I give the following example to ex-
plain my meaning : One day last winter we were play-
ing on the veranda when three ragged children came
by and called out, "Hello, pretty girl !" Winifred did
not answer and I said: "Winifred, do you hear the
little girls calling you a pretty name? Say 'Hello' to
them." "Oh, no, mother," she replied, "I don't want to
call to them." "And why not ?" I asked in surprise at
this seemingly discourteous spirit of my daughter.
Then she explained to me that these little ragamuffins
were only teasing her and if she should answer them
they would call out irrsulting words, as, "Oh, you think
DISCIPLINE 205
you're pretty, doncher? He! He! He! Well, you're
not ! We wuz only foolin'."
"You see, mother," said Winifred, "I know those
kids better than you do even though you are so wise. I
answered them once and I know better than to do it
again."
Lord Chesterfield claimed that manners should be
one-half of a child's education and if by manners is
Lord Chesterfield meant not alone so-called politeness
on manners and ease of manner but the train-
ing in habits of truthfulness, honesty, perseverance, in-
dustriousness and self-respect I would say that they
should occupy three-fourths of his education.
Habits acquired in youth certainly cling to us
throughout life. People generally judge those whom
Habits are ^ e y mee t> fi rst by their personal
clinging appearance and dress, and second
by the English they use and their so-called manners,
particularly at the table.
Many a college man shows that he came from untu-
tored parents by using expressions he learned in in-
fancy and by not knowing how to hold his knife and
fork. The child who learned to be untruthful and dis-
honest in his childhood will seldom grow up to be an
honest or truthful man. An honest man is the noblest
work of God, and, beginning with our babies, we
should teach them to be honest to themselves and to us.
In teaching children to be strictly truthful there lies
the greatest task confronting a mother. Children who
2o6 NATURAL EDUCATION
Is it right to tell are imaginative are prone to exag-
"white Ties"? gerate things that they see and all
unconsciously to tell so-called "white fibs." These are
white indeed and seldom do harm unless they lead to
overexaggerated statements as the child grows into
manhood. He should be taught that the stories which
come to him are amusing and should be written down
to make little books, but when mother asks him to de-
scribe anything he must try to be very accurate and
describe it exactly as it was.
A lie with the intention to deceive a parent or any
one else is of another stamp. Oliver W. Holmes says :
Oliver W. Holmes "Sin has many tools, but a lie is the
on a lie handle that fits them all." A child
who deliberately tells a falsehood about another child
or lies about something he has done should be pun-
ished. But even under the category of the real lies
with intention to deceive I believe there are times
when children should not give the truth to the world
unveiled, but should try to keep from wounding others'
feelings by "beating about the bush."
Winifred has been taught by her father to look on
any untruth as a heinous sin and to speak the truth at
any cost. At times this tendency to give forth plain
unvarnished facts has caused me considerable trouble
as I unblushingly confess that I would rather polish
off the rough corners of some facts than hurt any one's
feelings. Let rne give you the following instance as
an example to show you my meaning :
One afternoon Winifred, her father and several chil-
DISCIPLINE 207
dren went witfi me to a picnic. Our good kind cook
The unvarnished baked a cake for Winifred and
truth sometimes took great pains to decorate it with
hurts white icing marked "Cherie." When
Winifred saw the cake she was delighted with its ap-
pearance, but when she tasted it she found that "its
looks were deceiving." I knew that the cook would ask
her how she liked the cake as soon as we returned
home, so I told the child to say, "Oh, the cake was
lovely." In this expression I hoped to deceive the
cook into thinking that Winifred meant the cake tasted
good and yet the child would not be telling a direct lie,
since the cake had appeared lovely to her. But the
child's father interfered, saying that I was teaching the
child to deceive or, in plainer words, to lie and he be-
lieved with Montaigne that after the tongue has once
got a knack of lying it is almost impossible to re-
claim it.
Being convinced by this argument that I was in
the wrong I told Winifred to tell Victoria that the
cake looked prettier than it tasted, but to say it with a
smile so that she might think it a joke. As you will
see, my wicked propensity to deceive was still clinging
to me.
When we arrived at home the good cook met us,
and after petting Winifred, she asked : "And how did
my darling Cherie like the cake I baked for her?"
Winifred told her the plain truth and as I saw the
tears streaming down this good soul's cheeks I resolved
that the "white fibs" are no crimes and I would prefer
208 NATURAL EDUCATION
to be punished for them in days to come rather tfian
to hurt people's feelings on earth.
I was once the Queen Guinevere for a Knights of
King Arthur Club and I plainly told these youthful
Sometimes best kni ^ hts t0 ^ and avoid S ivin S di ~
to give indirect rect answers when these answers
answers would woun d. But Winifred's
early impression to stick to the plain truth has made
such an impression that I fear she will never be guilty
of telling the white lies I advocate as "Kind Fairies."
Another trait that our little knights and ladies should
have is that of unselfishness and generosity, but one
need not be taught to give up all of
Unselfishness , . ,, . . TT
his earthly possessions. He can
not follow the old Scriptural saying to have faith that
he will be clothed and taken care of even if he be pen-
niless. In this practical age he must learn to look out
for himself, for little of friendship and comfort will be
left him if he give away all his possessions.
I have always been possessed with a mania to give
away everything I own. This habit has sometimes
caused me considerable trouble and I have not trained
Winifred in my footsteps. As an only child she has
not been tested as to her generosity toward brothers
and sisters, but she is always happy to give gifts to
poor children and to those she loves. She has made
it a business to try and do some good turn for some
one each day and is always disappointed if she can not
tell me of something that she was able to do in a help-
ing-hand way before night comes.
DISCIPLINE 209
She is hoping to make enough money so that she can
buy warm clothes for a lot of poor children, feed many
Each child should starving cats and dogs and free all
work for some of the wild animals in the zoo. No
purpose doubt j t is f or tunate that Winifred
has not yet made her fortune, for the warmly-clothed
children and well-fed cats and dogs, as well as some of
us, might become parts of tigers, lions, bears, etc.
However, I do not discourage Winifred in her work.
Later on she will see the impracticability of turning
wild animals loose. Now she believes that with love
they can all be tamed and made to live happily with us
as do our dogs and cats. I encourage her to work for
others, and I believe it is a good idea to let every child
have some purpose in view which will be his all-absorb-
ing ambition, holding him steadily to his aim. This
purpose will make him industrious. All great invent-
ors, artists, writers, etc., have a purpose in life. The
most idle classes are the most criminal, who as chil-
dren have not been trained to work for some great end.
As they grew up they would not persevere in tasks
given them. Their mothers had not given them the
habit of patience to work and wait for better things.
Michael Angelo, who worked for twelve years
studying anatomy so that he might paint the human
Genius is eternal ^ TQ *> his own satisfaction, said :
patience "Genius is eternal patience." He
told all who sought his advice that he believed any-
thing that was worth doing at all should be done well
and that no small task should be slighted. This great
210 NATURAL EDUCATION
artist did not believe in fate or in laying our failures
upon God, but he had faith in the cultivation of any
talent through work and self-respect.
When self-respect, the foundation of all true manli-
ness and womanliness, is lost all character is gone.
When self-respect Without self-respect a man may
is lost all is lost become a gambler, a drunkard, a
glutton, a thief, a sloven or a human pig. All knights
must retain a proper self-respect or proper pride, and
the parents who destroy this pride by repeatedly telling
of a child's misdeeds before strangers are unworthy of
the name of father and mother. When a child is con-
stantly told he is wicked he believes the statement and,
throwing aside all self-respect, strives to live up to his
wicked reputation. When he loses self-respect he also
loses all good manners which, as Lord Roseberry says,
are the oil which make the wheels of life run smoothly.
In a recent address this great statesman said : "Good
manners are a sign of charity toward your fellow
men, of duty toward your neighbor, and also a sign
of self-respect. A man who respects himself is al-
ways well-mannered toward others. Good looks are
not at our command. They are the gift of God and
are bestowed only on a small percentage of mankind.
But self-respect, and good manners which make a
goodly appearance, are at the command of any boy,
and give him a commercial value. With these two
aids that always go together, he can live in peace
and happiness with all his fellow men; without them
DISCIPLINE 211
he will constantly be in the atmosphere of strife and
discord."
In striving best to prepare Winifred for the battle
of life in character development, I adopted ten
"nevers" and first among these
In disciplining a r r-rjcr-/
child never use was Never give a child physical
physical punish- punishment" How would any
mother feel toward a giant who
would throw her over his knee and spank her? The
giant might intend to cure the mother of some bad
habit, but she would hate the one who administered
corporal punishment.
Many mothers confess that they can never whip a
child until they have lost their tempers. After their
anger has passed they take the naughty child in their
arms and kiss the red marks made on the delicate
flesh in their wrath. The baby then feels that he has
been martyred and deserves some reward, which is
usually given him in the form of sweetmeats. Such
punishment can never make a noble man out of any
boy.
Herbert Spencer said that the training of a child
implies the most strenuous training of its mother,
Herbert Spencer wno must learn to control herself
on child training before she can control her little
one. Hysteria in mothers means hysteria and may-
be insanity in a child.
Doctor John B. Murphy, the world-famous surgeon,
says: "At the bottom, the very foundation of the
212 NATURAL EDUCATION
The mother cure of hysteria, lies will power. *
and hysteria The mother who knows how to
rule herself does not suffer from hysteria and, having
mastered herself, she knows how to train her child
to be his own ruler.
Many a mother produces nervousness, anger and
even hysteria in her children by her voice and man-
Havoc wrought ner - Anc * these mothers, in a
by shrill voices moment of passion, follow out the
old idea of "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a
tooth."
Some parents still believe with Solomon, that if
they spare the rod they will spoil the child. Hard-
Religious belief ened bv wnat tnev ca & tneir
in the rod spiritual duty, they apply the rod
in order to make their children truly righteous.
Helen Hunt Jackson, in one of her books, tells of a
Presbyterian minister who whipped his three-year-
old baby so that he died from the administration of
this Solomon rod, simply because the baby refused
to say the lengthy prayers his father dictated. The
great God who rules this universe asks for no en-
forced prayers. He wishes us to come to Him with-
out fear, and to ask for His aid as if He were a loving
father. Had this boy lived to manhood's estate he
would never have loved God. Like Robert Ingersoll,
this austere early training would have made the Al-
mighty Father seem to be a cruel Deity.
Many a child has been ruined for life by corporal
punishment. Edison tells us that a box on the ear
DISCIPLINE 213
Injuries to chil- caused him to ** dea in that . r -
dren from cor- gan. A friend of mine, who is a
poral punishment comp i e te nervous wreck, claims
that her trouble was brought on by a stepmother who
boxed her ears or struck at her for the least indis-
cretion. As a child she was constantly dodging these
blows, and even now she jumps and shields her face
if any one throws out a hand in her direction.
A child not alone suffers physical pain when he
is whipped, but his mind is injured by the terror and
Gives birth to re- ^ ear therein incited. There are
sentful spirit humane societies to prevent men
from whipping their horses but, so far, no societies
have been formed to interfere with parents who treat
their children cruelly, believing that a child must suf-
fer in order to be good. Children so treated grow
up with a resentful spirit. Recently I saw a little
boy whipping his dog. I asked him what the poor
dog had done to merit such treatment. He replied:
"Oh, nothin', but my ma's always lickin' me, and I
thought I'd try it on Buster for a change."
Another child has told me that when she grows up
she intends to "knock the stuffings out of her chil-
dren every night," so as to pay up for the beatings
her mother has given her. One can generally tell
the child who receives physical punishment by the
way he treats his pets and playthings. The little girl
who beats her kitten is but an imitation of her mother
whipping her.
Children are not naturally bad. The old saying that
214 NATURAL" EDUCATION
bad boys make good sailors simply means that the
Children not brightest children have the most
naturally bad energy, and when they are not
given proper work as an outlet they get into mischief.
If the nervous energy expended by a so-called
naughty and mischievous lad be properly directed,
he will grow into one of the world's great workers.
Idleness, as the handmaiden of crime, fills our prisons.
Recently a criminal in the Boston law court boasted
that he had never done a day's work in his life. Other
idle people do not actually commit murders, but they
kill time and allow the muscles of their bodies and
minds to suffer from lack of exercise simply because
they were not trained to keep busy in youth.
A mother of my acquaintance had a mischievous
boy, who was always doing damage to her flowers.
A cure for mis- She asked my advice in training
chievousness this lad, since whipping seemed to
do him no good. I urged the mother to buy him a
set of garden tools and let him expend his energy in
making a garden, so that he could feel that he was
an important factor in the world's great wheel of
labor, or doing something worth-while. The pre-
scription worked like magic, and a few days ago the
erstwhile naughty John sent me a head of lettuce for
my luncheon salad. John's mother is now proud of
him. "He is so good," she says. And why? Simply
because he has found something to do that interests
him. No busy children are ever bad. They are
happy because they are busy.
DISCIPLINE 215
My second "never" in child training is, "Never
scold." In olden times, the few scolds who lived in
any city or village were punished
with the ducking stool. In these
days, owing to the mad rush and nerve-racking life
many men and women lead, there are large numbers
of both male and female scolds. In fact they are
so common that no one thinks of punishing them for
the fault.
While walking through one of the slum districts in
our city on a hot evening a short time ago, I failed
to hear one pleasant word spoken
Our many scolds fcy ^ many mothers who had CQn .
gregated on the steps of their homes or sat around
on store boxes in the alleys. They looked tired and,
no doubt, after a hard day's work in the intense heat,
they felt irritable, but it seemed terrible that these
mothers should find relief in scolding the children
whom they had brought into this world without the
little ones' volition.
It is not, however, only among the poor hard-work-
ing people that we find scolding women. Many
mothers who have every comfort in life are given to
scolding, worrying and lamenting. Every time a
child disobeys, the scolding mother pours forth vol-
umes of harsh speech which is sometimes more harm-
ful to the sensitive child than a severe spanking
would be.
A mother of my acquaintance reserves her scold-
ing for the bedtime hour, or time of the day's reck-
216 v NATURAL EDUCATION
Scolding at oning. She is generally out play-
bedtime ing bridge all the afternoon and
comes home in a nervous frame of mind. The nurse
reports John's and Mary's misdeeds. As the mother
hears how John tried to saw the legs off of her new
baby grand piano, and how Mary tore the point lace
curtains in the drawing-room, she becomes so angry
that she pours forth tirades of bitter words, and some-
times whips the children and sends them to bed sup-
perless. At other times she tells the nurse to per-
form this disagreeable act, and she does not hesitate
to scold her children even in the presence of guests.
She says they are the worst children she has ever
seen, and she can not imagine why a good Christian
woman of her make-up should be tormented with
such devils. She does not realize that the fault is
at her own door, and that these children would be a
joy to her if she were pleasant to them and would
direct their energies to useful purposes. They are
but the reflection of their mother's idle and purpose-
less life.
Believing that only bright angels of peace and love
should hover about a little one's crib, I have always
attempted to send Winifred to
angels P should dreamland with kisses and loving
hover around words, rather than with scoldings.
At bedtime hour all of the little
troubles of the day are banished and after a jolly
romp or a funny story we are both in a good humor
as the sandman approaches.
DISCIPLINE 217
We older people know how tongue lashings hurt
us. We realize that unkind words are like nails
Harsh words driven into hard wood. The nails
that sting may be withdrawn, but the holes
will remain. Why then should we torture little ones
with harsh words' stings? Many boys beg their
mothers to give them horse-whippings rather than to
keep harping about their misdeeds and the bringing
of white heads with sorrow to the grave.
A scolding mother never holds the confidence of
her children, for when they do wrong they are afraid
to tell their mother for fear that
fo C se ld {hf nfi- erS she will scold them. Many a boy
dence of their just entering on manhood might
have been saved from going on
the wrong path if he could have told his mother in
confidence of his first false step and been helped by
her advice and sympathy. He longs to confess his
wrong, but fears to tell his mother as he knows she
would upbraid him.
A young man, whose mother died within the last
year, refused to attend her funeral, and when I chided
him upon his apparent heartlessness, he replied:
"Nature made her my mother, but I never loved her.
I learned to hate her when I was a tiny boy in kilts,
as she was constantly scolding and whipping me. As
soon as I was old enough I ran away from home and,
despite the letters my mother wrote asking me to re-
turn, I never wished to see her again, as I had had
enough scoldings to last me through life."
CHAPTER XIII
PUNISHMENT THROUGH NATURAL CONSEQUENCES
IN training Winifred it has been my endeavor to
steer clear of whipping as the Scylla, and scolding
as the Charybdis of parental love and authority. I
have tried to make my child see that when she does
wrong she must bear the consequences just as we older
people do when we transgress laws of nature or of
our country. When she has been good all day the
Fairy Queen Titania changes coffee beans beneath her
pillow to nice chocolate drops and makes sour lem-
ons into juicy oranges. If she is naughty, Titania
does not pay us a visit.
If Winifred throws down her dress carelessly or
forgets to fold up her ribbons, the dress continues to
lie on the floor and there is no fresh one on the mor-
row, while Titania does not bring pretty new ribbons.
If paper dolls are left on the floor they disappear for
many days, and Winifred knows that she can not play
with them until I see fit. She also knows that she
has brought this punishment on herself.
Winifred has had some bitter lessons because of
thoughtlessness. Once she left her precious child
Lucy on the grass beneath a tree. Rowdy, the dog,
218
PUNISHMENT 219
came along and almost devoured her. When the lit-
tle girl came weeping to me for sympathy I took her
into my arms, but I did not promise her a new dolly.
Instead, I explained to her how cruel she had been
in leaving her child to such a dreadful fate, and I
pictured to her how wicked I would be should I leave
her all alone to be devoured by a tiger or lion. Thus
the child saw that she had brought this punishment
on herself.
A few days ago Winifred asked permission to visit
a friend. I told her she could go, but to be at home
promptly at half past twelve.
She gave me her promise and skipped down the
road to Regina's house. When it was half past
twelve I was surprised not to see
A child under- ~, , . . , , ,
stands that he Chene, as she has always been
brings punish- most obedient in returning at an
ment on himself . , , ,. ,
appointed time. She came in ten
minutes later. There were no cross words, but I
showed her the clock. She said she was sorry, and
I accepted her apology. Lunch was later than usual,
and after lunch she ran to get dressed for the theater,
since Tuesday was the day that we usually went to
see some good play. Again I said nothing but, point-
ing to the clock, I told the little girl that the "Care-
less Gnome" had made her lose ten precious minutes
and thrown us backward on our day's journey, so
that we could not get to the theater in time. The little
girl understood that she had brought this disappoint-
ment on herself and she felt no bitterness against me.
220 NATURAL EDUCATION
Tears were shed and I sympathized with her, but
gave no promises of other joys. Since that time she
has never been tardy, and I believe she will always '
be careful to keep appointments in the future. Win-
ifred knows that when I make any statement I mean
what I say, and after we thoroughly understand each
other as to why she should do or not do certain
things, there are no retractions.
I often hear mothers telling their children that they
must not do this or that and then, forgetting all about
Unfulfilled their commands, they allow the
promises children to do what they have told
them not to do. I have heard children laugh and joke
about their mother's forgetfulness in meting out pun-
ishments or rewards and, naturally, these children have
no confidence in maternal promises. Not long ago I
heard a mother promise her little son five cents if he
would learn one of Winifred's jingles. The little
fellow, full of enthusiasm, left his companions at play
and spent the whole morning studying The Giant
Arithmos. Then he came to his mother all ready to
recite the rhyme. She was busy at the time and said
in a cross tone: "Run away. I've no time to hear
you now." "But where is the nickel you promised
me?" pleaded the little fellow. "I haven't any now.
Didn't I tell you to run along? Don't you see I'm
busy?" The poor youngster hung his head and went
away disheartened. Needless to add, if his mother
asks him to learn anything else and promises him a
PUNISHMENT 221
nickel he will not try to learn it, not having any faith
in her promises.
I have found a record chart a great help in mak-
ing Winifred obedient and thoughtful. We always
A record chart make a new chart ever y Sunda y
to help children morning and destroy the old one
be good on Saturday night, so that all
memory of naughty deeds may be banished. This
chart is divided from left to right into seven com-
partments, covering the seven days of the week.
From the top to the bottom we divide the record into
as many sections as we desire. Some of these col-
umns are headed obedience, politeness, generosity,
kindness, courage, patience, truthfulness, cheerfulness,
neatness, industry, self-control, good lessons, good
deeds.
Every day that the little girl is perfectly obedient
a golden star is put in the obedient column just be-
Golden stars and fore the dinner hour. If she has
black marks been disobedient, an ugly black
mark is placed there instead. In the same way if
she is polite, generous, does some good deed of kind-
ness to people or to animals, shows courage and
fortitude, strives to gain knowledge with strict at-
tention, has patience in practising on the violin or
piano, or in drawing pictures and writing stories ;
sticks to the truth, always has a smile, keeps her books
and toys in order and, above all, never shows ugly
temper or pouts, she receives golden stars in each
222 NATURAL EDUCATION.
section. If she acts in an opposite manner, this
shield or escutcheon is marred with ugly black marks.
On Saturday afternoon Winifred and I review this
chart together. We count all the black marks and the
Examination golden ones, and see which are
of chart greater in number. Winifred
knows that if the stars win, there will be pleasures in
store for her during the coming week, and the fairies
will bring lovely gifts of flowers and candy, ribbons
and books, but if the black marks are in the ascend-
ency, a week of penance must follow with no great
joys to look forward to.
The black men have ruined our escutcheon only a
few times, and Winifred shed tears when she saw the
Rewards and record of her naughty deeds, but
deprivations she felt no anger toward her
mother. She knew that she had brought these sor-
rows on herself and, smiling through her tears, she
would say: "Well, mother, I'll do better next week."
I would encourage the child with love and kisses ; to-
gether we destroyed the spoiled escutcheon and on
the morrow we made a new one, both of us hoping
that it would shine brilliantly with stars by the end
of the week. On several occasions, after unusually
good weeks, the charts have been absolutely perfect,
and we have preserved these escutcheons to show that
the girl has been a perfect child for at least two weeks
of her life.
I do not consider myself an ideal mother, nor
PUNISHMENT 223
class my methods of discipline as perfect, but they
Experiments have seem to be somewhat of an im-
proved effective provement over the old-rtime meth-
with this chart O( j Sj as man y o f m y friends have
proved by experiment. If the spirit of love and
patience can rule in the home lighted by smiles, if
we can only banish the cruel rod and the Harpies'
nagging tongue, we may have a heaven here on earth.
All that we need to make this earth a paradise is a
race of smiling men and women who follow the
golden rule.
All children must be disciplined lest they become
spoiled. A spoiled child is a life blighted in its bud.
All children must His life unwatered by the dews
be disciplined of love, grows harder and harder,
and he goes to his grave unmourned. But this dis-
cipline need be nothing stronger than a mother's firm-
ness and love in leading her child with a loving hand
into right pathways. If the tiny stick seems inclined
to be crooked the mother need only bend it into
straight lines in infancy and it will grow into a glor-
ious tree, of which she may well feel proud.
A third "never" in method of character building is,
"Never say f Don't' to a child." I have never known
Never say "Don't" a child to learn obedience through
to a child his mother's constant cries "Don't
do this! Don't do that!" When Winifred was a
little baby I am afraid that I was quite often guilty
of hurling "don'ts" in her direction. These cries often
224 NATURAL EDUCATION
startled the child so that she would desist from doing
something for a time, but they gave her, in the end,
a still greater desire to do the forbidden act.
While visiting a charming lady in Indianapolis,
who seemed to have a great influence over my little
girl, I noticed that this lady never said "Don't" to
the child. At one time, when the little girl was
pounding on the piano, making discordant sounds, I
called out: "Don't do that, Cherie, darling." The
child obeyed me, but her feelings were hurt and, in-
stead of coming to my arms, she crawled up on a big
armchair and assumed the air of a martyr. I was
rather amused at Winifred's conduct, but Mrs. Brown
said : "Don't you think it would have been better to
have directed the child's attention to something else ?"
A few minutes later Winifred forgot her injured feel-
ings and, for lack of something else to do, began to
expend extra nervous energy by beating a tambourine.
Before I could interfere, Mrs. Brown called: "Oh,
Cherie, please run into the next room and see what
you can find in a little brown package on my dresser."
The child ran in haste to do what she had been told
and returned screaming with delight, as she had found
a tiny china doll. Mrs. Brown then explained that
the doll would be hers if she would keep quiet and
make it some nice dresses. She gave her some bits
of cloth, little ribbons, etc., and for the rest of the
afternoon Winifred cut out dresses with holes for
arms ; put them on the tiny doll and fastened them
with a sash tied about the waist.
PUNISHMENT 225
Since that time I have tried never to say "Don't"
in speaking to Winifred, though sometimes my in-
genuity has been taxed in diverting her thoughts from
things I did not wish her to do.
My fourth "never" is, "Never say 'Must' to a child."
This word, spoken to big or little people, arouses an-
Never say "Must" tagonism. No mortal likes the
to a child word. No mother likes to be told
that she must do this or that. How then can she ex-
pect her little child, born with a love of freedom, to
do any task with a glad spirit after he has been told
that he must do it?
I know mothers who say to their children : "Willie,
you must have all these arithmetic questions by noon
or you will get a whipping. Tommy, you must have
this wood cut by six o'clock or I'll see that your father
punishes you. Nellie, you must finish hemming these
napkins or you can't play with Mary all this week."
Naturally, these duties become tasks under an over-
seer's whip, and the children, feeling as if they are
slaves, hate the work and yearn to be old enough to
be their own bosses.
The true mother must be a diplomat who knows
how to bring about obedience in her home through
The true mother suggestion, rather than stern com-
a diplomat mands.
I have had little trouble in persuading Winifred
to study or to do certain tasks, because I have always
Solitude instead asked the Fairv Interest's help,
of harsh words On rare occasions, when Winifred
226 NATURAL EDUCATION
rebelled against doing certain things that I thought
she should do, I have not scolded her, but left her in
solitude where she could think over her disobedience.
It generally took but a few minutes to make the child
repentant, and she would come to me with a smile,
ready to do what I had asked.
There is no use trying to force a child to study by
telling him he must learn a certain fact. Such dis-
cipline is like bringing a horse to the water though
you can't make him drink when he is not thirsty.
Children do not like to work blindly at any task be-
cause it is their parents' will. They want to know
why they must do certain things, and when their in-
terest is aroused they will work with a glad will.
My next "never" is greatly needed in helping to
mold a child into noble manhood and womanhood
"Never allow a child to lose re-
Never allow a . , , . . . , .
child to lose re- s P ect f or *** parents or himself.
spect for his par- The child who loses self-respect is
ents or himself , , . , , , , , . ,
lost indeed, and he who is ashamed
of his father or mother is to be pitied. Many a child
is made to blush with shame because other children
ridicule his parents. Sometimes the most moral and
upright parents cause their children to suffer because
they will not "do as the Romans do," but through
eccentricities in dress or habits or through careless-
ness make themselves conspicuous and open to ridi-
cule. Some mothers with a mania for clean corners
often spend so much of their time scrubbing and
cleaning like the almost amphibious Dutch house-
PUNISHMENT 227
wives, that they neglect to clean themselves or to
keep their children looking neat. Other mothers
work so hard to make fancy clothes for their chil-
dren that they neglect their own dress and acquire
slovenly habits. When their children go on the
street with them, other children look at these moth-
ers and laugh. Sensitive children can not help blushing
with shame when they hear their parents ridiculed.
I know a mother who has lived a hard pinched life
in order to give her daughter luxuries and send her to
A daughter a f asmona ble boarding school and
ashamed of her yet the girl does not love her moth-
mother er. She frankly confessed to me
that she suffers agony when her mother comes to visit
her, because the girls call her a "frump," and she says
that she has been ashamed of her mother since she was
four years old and some boys made fun of this moth-
er's old-fashioned hat. She says : "Mother has always
worn her hair in an ugly tight knot, and her shoes
down at the heels and minus buttons. Her dresses are
dreadful misfits and there is often a gap between her
shirt-waist and skirt. Dad was ashamed of her and
would never be seen on the street with her and finally
one day he ran away from home and we have never
heard from him. I think that he would have con-
tinued to love mother if she had cooked less and put
a few frizzes in her hair and taken time to put on her
clothes."
Although many of you may think that this girl was
heartless, she certainly deserved sympathy,, and I do
228 NATURAL EDUCATION
not consider her mother a real mother despite her
labors to educate her child.
Many a girl who is attractive in appearance before
marriage develops into a slovenly unattractive woman
and, as Shakespeare said, "A slov-
Slovenly women , . ,. . ,
enly woman is an odious sight.
When a mother makes her husband and children
ashamed of her she loses the best part of motherhood
that of happy companionship with her loved ones,
whom she feels not alone love her but are proud to be
seen in her company.
God has given us our bodies to care for and to make
the most of with such raiment and adornment as our
"purse can buy." It can not be de-
Good clothes . '
nied that clothes play an important
part in society, and the careless mother not alone
makes her children ashamed of her but sometimes by
her example gives them slovenly habits that will cling
to them for life. Many a man has been helped to
obtain a good position by being well dressed. Neat
clothes not alone help the wearer in appearance but
they give him a feeling of self-respect. I have often
noticed this even in animals. On one of our govern-
ment reservations, where Uncle Sam was too stingy
to keep a cart horse for rough hauling, we were com-
pelled to use Don Pedro, the carriage horse, for both
driving and carting. When Don was driven in the
carriage he held his head high like a proud gentleman,
but when in the cart he hung his head as if with shame.
PUNISHMENT 229
All babies should be taught to have respect for their
persons and to take delight in keeping clean hands,
noses and mouths. They must
Respect of person , ,, . ..... . .
know that little pigs are not al-
lowed in decent society and that no ladies and gentle-
men care to caress children with dirty fingers, tousled
hair and, worst of all, filthy noses. At a very early
age children may be taught personal cleanliness and
how to use a handkerchief, tooth-brush and nail-brush,
not alone for health's sake but to develop proper re-
spect for one's person. Such personal cleanliness does
not lead to vanity, which is only eagerness for outside
admiration, but to true self-respect.
They must not, however, be taught to think too
much of dress and of appearance. There should be
moderation in all things, nothing
being good in excess. Vanity in
dress is generaly learned from mothers. As some one
has jokingly remarked: "When a boy is little, his
father asks him, 'What are you going to be ?' but when
a girl is young, her mother says, 'What are you going
to wear ?' "
Some women have a great love of the beautiful and
this love leads them into extravagance in dress. Oth-
ers love clothes simply to enhance their own appear-
ance ; regardless of cost, they must outshine their sis-
ters. All mortals need something to do and idle
women generally enter into this "clothes competition."
Their daughters follow In their footsteps and I am
230 NATURAL EDUCATION
often amused to hear ten-year-old schoolgirls talking
about the fashions and the new dresses they are hav-
ing made.
The true mother puts neatness and cleanliness into
her child's daily habits and then awakens larger ideas
Athletics an through interesting studies and
antidote athletics. I have always found
tennis and baseball excellent antidotes for love of
finery. Tennis changes Louis Quinze slippers to sen-
sible shoes and baseball does away with too many
frills and furbelows.
I do not believe, however, in humiliating children
and killing self-respect by making younger girls wear
Younger children thelr older sisters ' cast - ff S ai "
not to wear cast- ments. The older children some-
off clothes times suffer k een i y w h en a new
baby comes to take their place in the mother's arms
but their suffering is nothing in comparison with that
endured by the youngest member of the family who
must wear all the cast-off clothes. I believe in buying
only a few clothes and letting the children wear them
out instead of passing one garment from the head of
the family to the foot. All children like to feel that
their clothes were designed expressly for them and
every child wishes to be the undisputed possessor of
his clothes as well as a cherished jack-knife or doll.
One way to teach a child good manners and self-
respect is to allow him to dine with the family and to
Dining with treat ^ 1 " n as ^ ^ e were a cnum to
his parents father and mother. In our home
PUNISHMENT 231
we try to make meal time one of joy, and the conversa-
tion is always on subjects that interest Winifred so
that she may converse with us. Some people teach
their children that they must be seen and not heard at
the table. In fact, some parents make their children
feel as if they were a nuisance in the home and thus
the little ones lose respect for themselves.
We have always tried to make Winifred feel that
home would not be home without her and to encourage
Showing a child self - res P e ct and self-reliance; we
that you trust have never given her occasion to
him doubt our faith in her goodness.
If we leave her alone we do not caution her not to do
this or that but we tell her that we know she is going
to be such a good little home keeper while we are gone
and not do anything that would harm her. Through
stories of children who have played with matches,
knives, etc., and come to bad ends I have impressed
her with the need of caution and when she gives me
her word of honor that she will stay in a certain place
and steer clear of harmful things I always feel that
she is perfectly safe. On the other hand, Winifred
never feels that she is compelled to obey me, but she
looks upon her parents as experienced guides and lov-
ing advisers who wish only for her welfare.
A child should not be taught only self-respect but
proper respect for the rights of the property of others.
Respect for prop- German children are early taught
erty of others to respect their country's property.
They know better than to deface trees and throw
222 NATURAL EDUCATION
paper and banana peels in the public streets. Uncle
Sam has not yet trained his children so carefully and
flat owners are sometimes compelled to put up signs:
"Flats not rented to families with children or dogs."
Many parents furnish bad examples to their children
by driving nails into the walls and otherwise defacing
property of others.
And now we come to another "never" in childhood
discipline, "Never frighten a child" Fear is the great-
Never frighten est enemy of mankind. All mor-
a child tals are prone to fear something
and none of us has too much courage. Therefore
mothers should strive to instil courage rather than
fear into the minds of their babies. A child who is
frightened into being good never loves his parents and
he is liable to become a victim of hysteria, or even
insanity.
I know of one case of melancholia which resulted
from depression caused by stories of hell fire told to
the victim when he was but five
Case of melan-
cholia caused by years old, by an overzealous and
hell-fire stories fanatical Sunday-school teacher.
Many children's nerves have been injured under cover
of so-called religion by parents or outsiders striving
to frighten the little ones into being good. I have
known children to sleep with their heads under the
bedclothes for fear of seeing Satan or his imps at
night, and some little ones can not be persuaded to go
into a dark room alone. Fear sends hideous night-
mares to haunt the pillows.
PUNISHMENT
233
Up to the age of five years a child believes every-
thing he is told. This is the trustful age and during
this time he must be taught to be
The trustful age . , r , <
brave, to have no fear of the dark-
ness and to know that his mother will always protect
him. He should not be told stories of dreadful crimes
or hideous monsters which may pay him visitation
during his sleep, but peaceful and happy stories of
fairies and dear little sprites should brighten his
dreams.
When Winifred was a baby and seemed afraid to
go to certain places, I would go ahead saying: "See,
Giving courage by darlin & ther e is nothing here to
example and sug- hurt you or mother." This gave
gestion 1-jgj. confidence and she would fol-
low me. To all children who fear animals, loud harsh
noises or swift motion this seems the only way to in-
spire courage and to drown fear. By suggestion a
mother may also help to make her child more cour-
ageous if she hypnotizes him into believing that he has
no fear by constantly telling him: "John is such a
brave little knight. He is not afraid."
Children should not be taught to be rash and fool-
hardy. They should learn to know the difference be-
Taught not tween real danger and imaginary
to be rash and to guard against injury from
fire, water, vehicles, etc. I have always been fool-
hardy and have risked my life needlessly on many
occasions simply because companions in my youth
taught me never to take a dare. Having learned from
234 NATURAL EDUCATION
my own rashness that there are some things which
even the brave man should avoid, I have tried to make
Winifred guard against real dangers.
Sometimes a child becomes fearful because of a dis-
ordered physical condition and when he is in this con-
Fear caused by dition there is no use to argue or
physical condition try to reason with him. His atten-
tion must be taken from thoughts of fear through
something of great interest or by giving him a tepid
bath.
As every act that a child does is preceded by a
thought, constant thoughts of brave, generous and
Thoughts can true heroes will make the child
make him brave wish to be brave and true and save
him from the thousand deaths the cowards die. As
Spenser said:
"It is the mind that maketh good or ill,
That maketh wretch or happy, rich or poor."
If our minds are filled with diseased worry and
fear instead of concentrated, clear, serene thinking
Thoughts as life we can not be na PP v > and neither
companions can we keep our children's minds
serene through black fear. The thoughts that we
make our own can become such tyrants as to banish
all hope and make us become a misery to ourselves and
those around us. If we were to select a companion
for life, naturally we would try to choose some bright,
entertaining person. Therefore in choosing thoughts
PUNISHMENT 235
which remain with us as lifetime companions we
should be careful to chase away all those stained with
worry, gloom and fear, and keep bright thoughts of
cheer and love instead.
Many a child has gone through life as a miserable
coward, made so by parental influence of his mother
or by her example in childhood.
The child who fears his parents is most to be pitied
and yet there are mothers who think that they must
Child who fears make the child fear them > rd f
his parents and to win his obedience. This fear is
like fear of God as a power who
rules over this earth and sends fierce floods and dread-
ful lightning as a flaming sword to destroy the wicked.
The child who fears his parents and God, goes to
church for fear of punishment and prays to God lest
he be destroyed. He can not enjoy the beauties of an
electric storm because he knows he is sinful and he
fears he may be struck dead at any moment.
In striving to make Winifred brave I have told her
stories of brave men and women, pointed out the beau-
Striving not to ti es * a storm rather than the ter-
be a cry baby rors, and above all tried to set her
a good example by never giving way to tears in her
presence. The ever tearful woman is a torture to her-
self and to her children. She is even worse than the
scold but in this day of action she is disappearing from
our midst. The wise woman has learned to know that
the demon "Tear" does not always bring her what she
cries for, but only mars her looks. Winifred has been
236 NATURAL EDUCATION
taught to grit her teeth and bear pain rather than to be
a "cry baby."
She knows that it is dangerous to go out into a
storm, but when she is under shelter she has no fear of
No set prayers or God's wrath being vented upon her
man-made creeds through a lightning stroke. I have
told her that God is a loving father who loves all His
children and does not wish to punish them. I have not
given the child any set prayers to learn. She thanks
God for His mercies and asks for His blessings in her
own simple language as her heart dictates. She has not
been taught to believe in any man-made creeds, the
cause of so much dissension among men. Believing
that true religion is founded on the pillars of love and
truth and does not consist in any special outward form
of worship, I have tried to make her see that her Cath-
olic playmates are just as good in God's sight as the
Presbyterians, and these two powerful religious sects
are no better than the Methodists, Episcopalians and
members of other sects. They are all worshiping God
and doing their best to live a moral life according to
their enlightenment. I tell her that there is an intui-
tive principle within all mortals which makes them feel
that there is something beyond them, some great power
to which they must bow down, and if they worship
this power as their conscience dictates there is no rea-
son why our good God should punish them in a life to
come.
We should teach our children to be broad-minded,
to overlook the sins and faults of those we meet and
PUNISHMENT 237
Teaching broad- to believe that there is salvation
mindcdness for all men, regardless of the way
in which they worship God. Thus they learn to feel
universal kinship and to have tolerance for the beliefs
and failings of others. No parents should set them-
selves up on a pedestal before their children as if they
were without sin. They should show that they are
striving to live good, clean, pure lives, but they must
constantly strive to do better. Self-satisfaction means
stagnation and degeneration.
Show your children that you are never content with
your work but must continue to look upward. Like a
tree you must not cease to grow but constantly put
forth new leaves and branches.
One of the strongest "never -s" that I would suggest
in child training is, "Never allow a child to say 'I
.- can't.'" These are words of a
Never allow a
child to say "I coward and weakling, while / II
can>t " try," are the watchwords of the
boy or girl who succeeds in life. If we cultivate the
acquaintance of the "I'll Try Fairy" he will never
desert us no matter how dark the pathway of life
may be. He teaches us to sing rather than to sigh, to
press forward rather than to lag behind. He gives us
patience to perform all our tasks and endows us with
perseverance, concerning which glorious trait of char-
acter Hafiz says: "On the neck of the young man
sparkles no gem so gracious as perseverance."
"I-can't" tendencies may be destroyed and "Fll-try"
qualities implanted in a child's mind through the moth-
*38 NATURAL EDUCATION
Teaching perse- er tellin S him stories of reat men
verance through who have won through persever-
examples ance> At Qne time when Winifred
felt greatly discouraged because a careless servant de-
stroyed her week's work of French exercises, she put
her head down on the library table and in a most de-
jected voice said: "Mother, I simply can't write those
exercises over again." I knew that the poor child had
just cause for discouragement, but I showed great sur-
prise at hearing the cowardly "I can't" come from my
brave little girl's lips and I told her of Carlyle whose
work of many years had been destroyed by a careless
servant. He never uttered the words "I can't," but
set to work and rewrote his great work; and I en-
couraged her to begin her task over again, following
in the example of Audubon whose work of twenty
years was eaten by mice, but who would not be dis-
couraged and made his drawings all over again.
Sometimes when Winifred feels inclined to think
she can not do some task I show her a number of
, . dressed fleas and we talk about the
Showing exam-
ples of patience little Mexican children, who with
to teach patience i n fi n j te patience, have dressed
these fleas while working under a microscope; or I
show her bits of old lace and tapestry, which have re-
quired infinite patience in their making. Once we read
the story of how oriental rugs are made thread by
thread, so as to show the child what patience, con-
tinuity or "sticktoitiveness," can do. At other times
we visit the museum and look at wonderful pieces of
PUNISHMENT
pottery, embroidery, carving, etc., as speaking exam-
ples of what perseverance has done.
One reason that many children have no faith in
their own powers is because parents make puppets of
Parents make pup- them doin g tasks that the children
pets of children should be taught to do for them-
selves. It is not necessary to buy a Montessori outfit
in order to teach a child how to button and lace things.
When he is a tiny baby let him try to button his own
shoes or fasten the dress of his mother. I have sat
for long periods letting Winifred learn to feel that she
was a useful factor in life by buttoning her mother's
dress. Sometimes I felt impatient at the length of
time it took my baby's wee fingers to perform this
task and at other times when I had many things to do
I felt like buttoning the baby's shoes and my own dress
instead of letting her do this work. But I argued with
myself that if I did not show patience my child could
not well learn to be patient and useful. When she
grew impatient I would praise what she had done and
inspire her with fresh courage, or if she were weary,
I asked her to let mother help a little. When parents
show children that they think they can not do a certain
thing, or are afraid that something will befall them,
the child is always fearful and belongs to the "I-can't"
class.
I know a little girl who is not allowed to skate for
fear of falling and making holes in her stockings, or
Parents' fear worse still, breaking her legs. She
makes weaklings has been taught that it is danger-
2 4 o NATURAL EDUCATION
ous to row or swim as she is certain to be drowned ; so
she may watch others bathe and have a good time
while she hangs her clothes on a hickory limb and goes
not near the water. She has never been allowed to ride
horseback and when I coaxed her to mount on Wini-
fred's good Prince Karlo's back she said: "Oh, no, I
can't ride him. He would throw me off and break my
neck." In the same spirit, she says she can't climb a
tree, and she is afraid a snake will bite her if she goes
to the woods. Naturally she will be a failure in life,
because her mother is a weakling and can not look the
world squarely in the face, banishing fear and doubt
and following "I'll try."
My eighth "never" is, "Never refuse to answer a
child's questions." Curiosity is given to a child as a
Never refuse to means for S ainin knowledge. The
answer a child's child who never asks a question is
questions an j m becile. Most mothers grow
weary of the many questions evolved from the teem-
ing brains of Johns and Marys, since all children are
human interrogation-points. Sometimes the mothers
also feel ashamed at their lack of knowledge, since
they can not always answer these questions satis-
factorily, and thus they, too, may learn through this
natural method of education by seeking knowledge
from others.
When our little ones ask us silly questions we
should not ridicule them. It sometimes requires great
Do not ridicule courage on the part of a timid
a child child to ask certain questions and
PUNISHMENT 241
if met with ridicule he will cease to put forth his in-
quisitive tentacles to gain knowledge and will become
like the lobster, which when cast upon a bank by the
tide does not seek paths leading back to the ocean but
stupidly remains where the waters have cast him. A
child's questions can be used as a means of opening
the doors of understanding and sowing good thoughts
and teaching him to think for himself.
In answering a child's questions a mother should be
careful never intentionally to deceive him. If she does
Do not deceive not &* ve n ' m truthful answers to
your child his questions and he discovers his
parent's deceit, he will lose all faith in that parent, and
may become deceitful himself. Some parents actually
seem proud of their children when they are inclined
to invent cloaks to hide their sins. One father proud-
ly told an acquaintance that his son was destined to be
a great politician. He said : "Why, the other day Jack
ate all the preserves in the pantry, and I heard him say
as he smeared the cat's face with the stuff : Tm sorry
for you, Tom, but I can't have the old folks suspect
me.' " This child certainly had received suggestions
of deceit from his parents, or he would not have con-
ceived the idea of laying his fault on the poor tom-cat.
As a ninth "never" I would say, "Never tease a
child" Men have been sent to the gallows because
Never tease tnev were tease d as children.
child Nothing makes a child more im-
pudent, rude an3 cross-grained, than to be teased. We
know this is true even in animal life. A puppy that is
242 NATURAL EDUCATION
leased grows up into a snarling dog. Teasing and ill-
natured comments make a child bitter and arouse
feelings of hatred, envy and malice.
I know of one little boy who tried to kill his baby
sister because his father teased him by saying, "Ha!
ha ! my young man, the baby has pulled off your nose.
She's got your place in bed and I guess she'll make you
toe the mark in this house."
My tenth and best "never" is, "Never allow any
other place to become more attractive to your child
than his home." Recently a half-
Never allow any < , , . ' ,
other place to be- dozen b ys, a g ed from Slx to twelve
come more attrac- years and belonging to good f ami-
tive than home < ,-, , i
lies in Chicago, were arrested for
breaking into a house and robbing it during the owner's
absence. When the boys were caught they confessed
that they had no need to steal but each one told a simi-
lar story about living in a strict home where there was
no sunshine or pleasure.
It is necessary that there be discipline in the home,
since there would be constant commotion and conflict
without it, but the child need not know he is being dis-
ciplined. Through love, which, as Dante says, is the
one thing on earth that is inexhaustible, and with co-
operation and patience the parent can guide his child
in proper pathways and direct his thoughts, for "as
he thinketh, so is he."
If mothers make their homes sunshiny spots through
smiles and courtesy to husbands, servants and chil-
dren, the children will never be impatient or ill na-
PUNISHMENT 243
tured. They will grow up into sunshine plants. And
if fairies are never banished from the home, but made
to help in all tasks and to cheer in hours of sorrow
these children need never be lonely or sad, for the
imaginative fairy will take them away to interesting
realms when the world looks dark and gloomy.
If the mother always shows gratitude to her child
when he offers his help and never forgets to say
"Thank you," the child will not show ingratitude the
worst of crimes when he leaves his home.
If a mother has faith in her boy while he is at her
fireside she can have faith in him when he is out in
the world, particularly if she has taught him firmness
of character. By firmness I do not mean obstinacy
born of ignorance and pride.
As Diderot said, "Man's duty is to make the earth
A mother's duty P leasant >" so l believe a mother's
to make the home duty is to make the home pleasant
pleasant jf S ^ Q would have her children
grow into noble men and women.
As companions greatly influence a child's character
the mother should choose his early friends while teach-
ing the little one to be stanch in his friendship, since,
as Emerson has truly said, "The only way to have a
friend is to be one."
A mother need not tie her boy to her apron-strings
and make him into a "stay-at-home sissy" under her
policeman-like guardianship. To make a child fear
the world in his absolute obedience to your will is sim-
ply crushing his will. But every boy through his
244 'NATURAL EDUCATION
mother's influence should learn to love home better
than any spot on earth and look on it as the haven
where he always finds peace and rest.
In no home should there be a tyrant. Under eacH
roof should be a free republic where the child need
No tyrants should not be P itied as bein g rule <* by
rule in the home tyrannical parents and the parents
need not suffer as Themistocles, who said that his son
ruled all Greece since this baby ruled his mother, the
mother ruled over Themistocles and he ruled over
Athens, which ruled over Greece.
The ability of any one as a trainer lies in his power
to guide and direct rather than to repress, and guide
Mothers are build- and direct our children we must if
ers of next gener- we would lead them into safe path-
atlon ways where they may care for
themselves. Our great love for our children should
not make tyrants of us in our desire to mold them into
perfect beings and neither should our love make us
become our children's slaves. We must cooperate
with them in loving sympathy and show them by sug-
gestion and example how to live upright lives. We
mothers are the builders of the next generation, since
the boys and girls of to-day are to be the men and
women of to-morrow.
HEALTH FIRST OF ALL
T TNLESS the goddess Hygeia is our friend, life is
^J truly a curse to man, woman and child. We can
not enjoy the beauties of nature or man's great works
when we are tortured by "Pain Imp." Therefore,
it is important that we guard our baby's health as the
most precious jewel of his existence.
Mrs. Ella Flagg Young, Superintendent of the
Public Schools of Chicago, says : "I believe from the
moment a child is born until it passes from beyond
parental control that its physical condition should be
given the closest attention. If we are cultivating a
grove of black walnut trees for profit, or a cluster
of rose bushes for beauty, there is no phase of their
daily existence we miss."
As we can not take care of a garden one week and
neglect it the next, expecting the weeds to stay away,
so with our children, we must guard them constantly.
First of all, the baby should never be deprived of
fresh air; and he should have the best of old-fash-
ioned tonics plenty of "Adam's ale" inside and out-
side.
245
246 NATURAL EDUCATION
The milk of healthy mothers is the best food nature
can provide, but if for any reason this must be denied
Best food for ^ e child, modified cow's milk
babies seems to be the best substitute.
He should always be given plenty of water, and after
the fourth month a teaspoonful of sweet orange juice
about one hour before feeding time. Later on, most
children thrive on prune juice, meat broth, soft boiled
eggs and baked potato. We gave our little girl no
meat until she was two years old.
Most children like cereals, which appear to be
wholesome food, but Winifred disliked every kind of
breakfast food and, believing that what is not pleas-
ing to one's taste is not good for him, we never en-
forced partaking of these foods.
There has long been a German proverb which runs :
"The man is what he eats" ; and truly one's diet seems
"The man is what to ^ e a most important factor in
he eats" character forming.
Recently a new so-called science has arisen under
the name of "leguminotherapy," a long name for
scientific vegetable diet. The men who make a study of
this so-called science say that they can mold the charac-
ter of children by feeding them certain foods. If this
be true, then as a child eateth so will he be. They
believe that eating raw carrots will give a child beau-
tiful teeth and complexion, while potatoes develop
reasoning powers, string beans artistic qualities, cab-
bage and cauliflower produce vulgar and common
thoughts, and green peas make one frivolous.
HEALTH FIRST OF ALL 247
In accordance with their ideas, if Johnnie dislikes
mathematics he should have a liberal percentage of
mashed or baked potatoes for his diet; and if Mary
does not appreciate art she should be fed on green
beans, while fickle Nancy should never have a taste
of green peas, and rude Tommy can not travel in
Germany and eat sauerkraut.
These leguminotherapists have no positive proofs
of their theories, but from personal observation I
have noticed that Russian peasants, who subsist al-
most entirely on carrots, have unusually good teeth
and remarkable complexions. I also know that pick-
les, mince pie, green apples and too many sweets will
make any child see "nine little goblins with green
glass eyes."
Beginning at the earliest moment, the baby should
not be fed whenever he cries, but only at regular in-
Stomachs ruined tervals. How would the mother
in babyhood feel if a giant should force her to
eat when she was crying from colic caused by having
already eaten too much? Such treatment would be
liable to kill the mother. No wonder infant mortality
is so high !
It is also wrong to give babies soothing sirups.
Doctor Harvey Wiley says that millions of little ones
have lost their lives through these preparations, which
contain morphine.
As the child gains the power of speech he should
not be given sweets whenever he asks for them.
There should be moderation in the food habit as in
248 [NATURAL 1 EDUCATION
all other things. Habits of intemperance are often
caused by feeding children too often and giving them
overstimulating food.
Many young children have their stomachs ruined
through spending all their pennies for cheap candies.
We often see young girls going to school with all-
day-suckers in their mouths. Sometimes they drop
them in the street, pick them up and renew the per-
petual sucking process.
Most cheap candies are colored with coal-tar dyes
and are most injurious to a child's stomach. To sat-
isfy his craving for sweets give him a lump of sugar,
a stick of peppermint candy, through which he can
suck the juice of a lemon or orange, and home-made
fudge, taffy or butter-scotch.
As a factor in creating happiness the stomach plays
a most important part. Some one has said:
"Whether life is worth living or
"Whether life is , ,, .. ,
worth living or not depends upon the liver, and
not depends upon all mortals who have had quarrels
with this same stomach and liver
can verify the statement. By keeping our children's
stomachs in good order and "squeezing their livers"
through proper exercise, we can save our offspring
from becoming miserable, melancholic, long-faced
dyspeptics, who hate the whole world (themselves in-
cluded) and who, like La Farge's "Man with the Ap-
petite," would gladly give all their wealth for the
pleasure of enjoying a meal through another man's
stomach.
HEALTH FIRST OF ALL 249
You remember the story of Louis XV, who was
one day accosted by a beggar, pleading: "Oh, give
me a little of your gold ! I am so hungry !"
"Go on," replied the king, "and thank God that
you have an appetite."
Woe be to the mother who allows her children to
reach the Louis Quinze state because she does not
keep poisonous and overstimulating foods from him
or permits him to become a petit gourmand.
It has been truly said that all babies are good when,
they are fed properly, and the same may be said of
No one naturally adults. We are not naturally de-
depraved praved mortals, but dyspepsia of-
ten makes us so. One of the chief ways to ward off
indigestion is courtship of the God Cheer while we
eat. Mothers should always strive to have children
eat their meals in pleasant surroundings, where
laughter is the principal guest. Banish worry from
the table if you would have long life for your chil-
dren and yourself. Smile, and good digestion will
wait upon you. Laugh and grow healthy, wealthy and
wise.
Healthy individuals make a healthy nation. His-
tory shows that when a people lose their physical
Healthy Individ- stren gt h > it matters not what
uals make a wealth or culture is theirs, they
healthy nation are fated to perish as a nat i on>
since the vitality of the nation depends upon the bio-
logical fitness of the people themselves. Therefore,
it is to the advantage of every nation to preach health
250 NATURAL EDUCATION
to its people. This doctrine should be one of the first
lessons taught in the public school as well as in the
home.
Many mothers can not teach their children laws of
hygiene, and these mothers should receive instruction
Schools to teach through moving pictures or simple
mothers hygiene lectures given in the mother
schools, which I hope soon to see in every city and
village.
I am often amused by hearing people say: "Oh,
your little daughter looks entirely too strong and
healthy to be a genius." They
A genius sup-
posed to look seem to think that in order to be
sic kly possessed of brains one must have
a lean and hungry look, with stooped shoulders, nar-
row chest, sallow face and begoggled eyes.
It is true that some of our great men and women
have suffered from ill health, but if strength of body
as well as mind had been given to
of" them, they would have done even
strong mind and greater work, since a strong body
helps to make a strong mind. All
mothers as well as teachers should encourage children
to gain strong bodies by living clean lives as the
knights of old, or by following in the footsteps of
Abraham Lincoln, who could lift nine hundred
pounds, and Daniel Webster, William Cullen Bryant,
Benjamin Franklin, Henry Ward Beecher, John C.
Calhoun, Count Bismarck, Jennie Lind, Adeline Patti,
Sarah Bernhardt, Julia Ward Howe, John Wesley,
HEALTH FIRST OF ALL 251
Louisa May Alcott and many other great people
blessed with health and strength.
I do not pretend to be a health doctor, but as so
many mothers have asked me how Winifred has de-
veloped into such a strong robust girl, despite the un-
usual mental work she has accomplished, I shall tell
you how I sought to keep "Health" with us.
In the first place, I tried to surround my baby with
a cheerful environment, since even tiny babies become
H I tried t depressed in an atmosphere of
make my child tears, and depression leads to in-
strong digestion as well as bad nerves.
When Winifred was six weeks old she could sit
alone and had the appearance of a child four months
Holding to a stick of && l attributed this physical
while being lifted strength to living in the open air
and learning how to exercise. Relying upon a baby's
simian instinct to hold anything placed in its fist, I
began when she was but a few weeks old to put a
small smooth stick in her hands and to lift her as she
clung to it.
When the weather was pleasant the child spent
most of her time on the beach. There, under cover
of, a green sunshade, she could
watch the waves chasing one an-
other. Her mouth was not deformed with a so-called
comforter and her nerves were not wrecked with the
jerks of cradle rocking. When prevented by incle-
ment weather from sleeping out-of-doors, she slept
in her own little white bed, covered with a light eider-
252 NATURAL' EDUCATION
down quilt, and was never hampered from kicking
and moving her arms by long fancy dresses and petti-
coats.
From her first days on terra firma I was very par-
ticular in testing the temperature of her bath and in
not frightening the little one by
Care of her bath , . . \ . 3
bathing her when she was inclined
to be irritable. Many a child learns to hate and fear
the bath because some one carelessly puts him into
too hot or cold water, or forces him into the tub when
he does not wish to go.
As Winifred grew old enough to understand sto-
ries, I taught her to love her daily bath by playing
Games of games with her. Sometimes she
the bath was a little mermaid, swimming
in the sea ; other times she played that she was a lovely
nymph of Neptune's realms; again she played that
she was a whale or a big fish. At other times she
found great amusement in pretending to rule the sea
and make a lot of tiny birch-bark canoes with cellu-
loid doll passengers sail in the direction she chose.
One of her favorite games was with a tiny Indian
doll, whom we christened Hiawatha. She would
make him stand in his canoe and float down an imag-
inary river while she and I recited portions of Long-
fellow's beautiful poem. In this way she learned all
of this poem before she was five years old, but I never
allowed her to grow weary by reciting it all at once.
I also made the bath attractive by having a cellu-
loid doll that the baby bathed when she was taking!
HEALTH FIRST OF ALL 253
her own bath. If it was necessary to wash Winifred's
head she submitted cheerfully so that she might give
Lucy "a big lather."
When she was scarcely over a year old I told her
that she must help me to keep her white horses very
clean, and every time she ate even
Keeping the '
twenty white a cracker, she would run for her
horses clean tooth-brush and polish the white
horses and rinse her mouth with water.
She was also taught that only pigs like dirty faces,
and that she must wash her hands many times a day.
Whenever her nurse washed her
hands, Winifred hastened to wash
the hands of Lucy, and sometimes I let her amuse
herself by filling a small tub with water, protecting
her dress with a rubber apron and allowing her to
wash the hands and faces of her whole doll family.
She was early taught how to use a handkerchief,
and prided herself upon always having a clean nose.
Keeping a S firmly did I impress upon her
clean nose the vulgarity of dirty noses that
at one time she refused to play with a little boy of
wealthy and cultured parents because, as she said:
"He is vulgar, mother. Just look at his nose !"
In order to develop the child's chest, I taught her
how to take deep breathing exercises, and to sing and
whistle. She has not been blessed
Benefits of deep . , , . i
breathing exer- Wltn vocal cords to make her a
cises, singing and real singer, but she has learned to
whistle remarkably well, and
254 NATURAL EDUCATION
amuses her young friends by imitating birds and
whistling the airs she plays upon the piano.
Every day we play ball and take long walks. A
child should be given daily exercises of this kind to
__ keep down his excessive energy.
Keeping down ex- ^ & -;
cessive energy Many mothers think that their
through exercise children are nervous when they
are simply restless, yearning to throw off excessive
energy. Nervousness is due to irritability of nerve
centers and requires a doctor's treatment, but any
mother can diagnose the case of nerves from that of
too much steam. The restless child gets into mischief
if he has nothing to do, but the nervous child twitches
various parts of his body, bites his nails, screams when
he is crossed and jumps in alarm at any unexpected
noise.
When children are cross, talk with an imperfect
pronunciation, and sleep with their mouths open, they
Cases for the doc- need the doct r ' S aid . to relieve
tor and for well them of enlarged tonsils or ade-
directed play no j d tissue. But when children are
cross on rainy days and damage the furniture, it is
generally the result of misdirected energy, and the
clever mother is the best physician to turn this energy
into productive channels.
I did not allow my baby to put her hands into her
mouth, and she never acquired the habit of sucking
Hands out ^ er thumb because I held her
of mouth hands as a tiny infant every time
she made the attempt. She was taught to keep all
HEALTH FIRST OF ALL 255
foreign substances out of her mouth and told never
to eat anything given to her without asking permission.
She had many toys, but no toy pistols, firecrackers,
tin-swords and other child killers. I never took her
N , on roller-coasters, loop-the-loops
toys or amuse- or other insane so-called amuse-
ments ment places. I believe that all of
these amusements are not alone dangerous, but act
as false stimulants to a child's nerves.
We always have a gymnasium in our home which
contains not alone the ordinary apparatus for exercise,
A home gym- but a ^ so a sand-pile (saver of
nasium doctor bills), a see-saw, sliding
board and a tree ladder. Such a ladder may be made
out of a tree-trunk with limbs added where they are
needed to make an easy ascent. Climbing such a lad-
der is one of the best exercises to learn how to bal-
ance one's self.
When only a year old, Winifred took her first horse-
back ride on the horse's despised relative Mr. Burro.
Healthful and Tw y ears later she learned to
amusing exercises ride on his real Horseship and
make backbone st ju en j ovs this sport above every
other amusement. She has also learned to row, swim,
play ball, tennis, do fancy and interpretative dances
and climb trees as well as mountains. Through these
exercises and games I believe she has gained health
and courage to face the world with plenty of "back-
bone," so she need not go floundering about like a
ship without a pilot.
256 NATURAL EDUCATION
I certainly believe that no child is happy who is
not busy. Voltaire said truly: "The secret to hap-
piness is first, occupation; second, occupation; and
third, occupation."
The demons fear, worry, grief, hatred, avarice and
discontent should find no place in a child's mind.
Effect of fear, These perverted emotions produce
anger, etc. general disturbances of the nerv-
ous system, generate both mental and physical weak-
ness, retard growth and even work as poisons on the
whole system. Many a child has been thrown into
a fever through fear, or a fit of anger.
A scientist recently said that the natural lot of life
for man should be one hundred fifty years. He
Allotted life one claims that ever y animal but man
hundred fifty reaches the allotted age of five
years times the length of time it takes
to reach complete maturity. According to his obser-
vation, the ordinary man is not fully mature until he
reaches the thirtieth mile-stone. Therefore, he should
live to be seven score and ten. "But," says this wise
man, "fear and worry kill off one-half the human
race before they live a fourth of their allotted years."
We should teach our children never to cross bridges
until they come to them ; to feel that there is nothing
harmful in Mother Nature's dark, sleepy coat of night,
and that true courage is to be admired in every one.
I have tried at all times to put my little girl to bed
in the best of spirits, believing in the old proverb:
HEALTH FIRST OF] ALL 257
Go to bed with a "^ nOt the SUn % down u P 0n
smile and smile on your wrath." We play quiet
awaking games together and talk of the
fine time we will have on the morrow. I can not
think of anything more injurious to a child than to
scold or whip the little one just before going to bed
or immediately after meals. A child should be sent
to dreamland with a smile on his face. There should
also be a smile on awaking, and both mother and child
should say: "We are going to have a fine time to-
day." The first step toward becoming happy lies in
the thought, "I will be happy."
Train the little one into habits of right thinking
and right living and he will grow up with a strong
body and a strong mind.
CHAPTER XV
EUGENICS, PRENATAL INFLUENCE, ENVIRONMENT
ALL education must begin with the mother who
builds the foundation of her child's mental,
physical and moral life even before his birth.
It is the mother, despite man's assertion of lordship
over creation, who has always been the most important
Education found- factor in the world's history. In
ed by mothers the days when our ancestors dwelt
in caves, the father did not even know that he was a
father. He had no thought of his child. But the
woman found a suitable cave as a nest or home and
here she brought her babe into the world, caring for
him, protecting him from his enemies, and training
him as best she could for the battle of life.
Man owes everything to woman. She is the source
of his existence, but as a stream can not rise higher
- than its source, so the son can not
Why many great . , . , , .
men have had in- outshine his mother. It is for this
ferior sons reason that few great men, in the
past, have had great sons. These men were often so
engrossed in their great works that they did not take
time to choose their mates wisely. Therefore, in many
cases, the children were molded by their mothers into
inferior casts.
258
EUGENICS 259
Many good-hearted women wish to do everything
for their babies, but sin through lack of knowledge. I
Training in pub- hope that our public schools may
lie schools soon be utilized in the evenings to
give these mothers the information they need. I also
hope that training may be given to young boys and
girls to keep their bodies strong and minds pure.
These children are to be the parents of the next gen-
eration and lessons in hygiene and morals would do
more good in making them noble specimens of man-
hood and womanhood than extended studies in astron-
omy and calculus. It is interesting to know how far
away the nearest fixed star may be, but it is of far
more importance to know how to preserve the bodies
God has given us and to bring a better race into the
world. We can not restore misshapen men and women
to the noble symmetry of manhood and womanhood
as planned by God.
At the present day not alone individuals but nations
are working on the problem of giving the child a
Eugenics to make healthy body and mind so that he
better citizens may become a good citizen. These
nations (and we may count this great republic among
the number) are striving to gain better citizens, be-
lieving that parents who give healthy happy children
to the world are doing more good than they who win
great fortunes or become the heroes of many battles.
They hope for a better race through following the
principles of eugenics.
The term "eugenics," as generally used, seems to
260 NATURAL' EDUCATION.
lay most stress upon physical well-being, but eugenics
in the broadest sense applies also to planting seeds for
character building and mental strength.
Sir Francis Galton who, over a century ago, tried
to impress on his contemporaries the importance of
heredity, defined eugenics as the
Eugenics defined . , .. . , ., . ,,
science dealing with all influences
that improve the inborn qualities of a race and that
develop these to their utmost advantage.
To be true eugenic mothers we must consider not
alone the health and character of the man who is to
be our child's father, and what we
True eugenists . . , ,, ._.*
are to eat in order that the baby
may be physically strong, but we must fill our minds
with noble thoughts to give him mental and moral
strength.
Few mothers realize the great importance for their
little ones of prenatal influence. As long as a mother
Prenatal influ- can not see ^ er ch^d she does not
ence consider her responsibility for the
child's health and happiness. Physicians have shown
that the health of the child depends greatly upon the
nourishment given it by its mother. She should there-
fore make a study of the foods that contain proper in-
gredients to make her child strong. No sane mother
would feed a tiny infant with pickles, lobster and
"high-balls" immediately after its birth and yet many
frivolous expectant mothers feed their unborn babes
with such injurious food and drink while it is prepar-
ing for its journey into the world.
EUGENICS 261
But mothers sfiould not alone think of a child's
physical condition in giving him his proper equip-
ment for life in its fullest sense. She must also give
him mental and moral strength.
Every child who comes into this world should be
born in an atmosphere of love. Before the baby's
A rightful heritage birth every breath drawn by the
of love and cheer expectant mother should be of joy-
ful anticipation of the little one's arrival. It is cer-
tainly a crime to give a child a heritage of tears. The
mother who weeps before her child's birth, handicaps
that child through life, inflicting him with the curse of
sighs rather than the golden gift of smiles and courage
to face trouble which must come to every mortal.
And not only should the mother place the light of
smiles on her baby's brow, but she should endow him
Endowing a child with tendencies towar <* the right, a
with good ten- love of beauty, justice, truth, hon-
dencies esty and all that is good. She
should read good books, think beautiful thoughts, hear
good music, see beauties in nature and art, cultivate
happy imaginings, and above all do good deeds while
she stands at the portals of motherhood.
She should also banish the demon "Fear," which
physicians tell us interferes with heart action, stops
Banishment of ^ e secretions in numerous glands,
Demon Fear changes the milk into poison,
throws the blood into a whirlwind of chemical changes,
whitens the hair, dries the bones and makes an old
person out of a young one in a single night. This
NATURAL 1 EDUCATION
demon, who has always been the worst enemy to pros-
pective mothers, can only be kept at bay through the
Gods of "Courage" and "Cheer."
Then, when baby is heralded into the world, he will
be clothed in the invincible armor made by these gods
and the great powers "Love" and "Wisdom." Thus
he will be defended from falling by the wayside into
sloughs of Fearful Despond, or from being captured
by the Giant Despair, who often leads to Suicide's
abyss.
The present ridiculous fashions in dress and absurd
marriage customs are to blame for the birth of many
delicate children and the destruc-
Improper clothing . - . , , _
tion of marital happiness. Recent-
ly one of my friends gave birth to a deformed child
whom the doctor said had been crippled owing to the
mother having had a serious fall. She had fallen
while trying to step over a gutter, and the cause of her
fall was the modern tight skirt which gives no freedom
to walk or run.
Many an unhappy marriage, which often means un-
happiness for some poor child or children, has its start
during the engagement days or the
Happiness sacri- , ,-. ,. , ,,
ficedbeneath honeymoon. Fashion decrees that
wheels of Fashion there shall be endless rounds of
Juggernaut bridge parties, dinners, dances and
other social functions in honor of the bride to be. A
recent bride of my acquaintance attended fifteen
bridge parties in one week and took ten grains of
aspirin each day to cure headache brought on by over-
EUGENICS 263
wrought nerves. In addition to social functions this
future wife and mother stood for hours before the
dressmaker while having her gowns fitted. She was
also compelled to receive many callers and naturally
spent much time with her fiance. Then came the great
excitement of a fashionable wedding, the long wed-
ding journey, hastening from place to place, and worst
of all a visit to the groom's relatives where the bride's
nerves were on a high tension for fear she would not
meet with the whole family's approval. Then home
again where there was further nervous worry in
furnishing a home and having the first experience with
the home management. As a bride, in her new home
she was expected to return all social obligations in-
curred during her engagement and consequently there
were more dinners and social functions.
Only six months have passed since this bride became
a wife but she has crossed the health border line, has
lost control of her nerves and temper, has frequent
quarrels with her husband, and is rebellious because
she is an expectant mother. How can such a woman
bequeath her child his proper heritage of health and
happiness ? But this is only one example of the many
women who are sacrificed yearly beneath the wheels
of Fashion's Juggernaut.
The Rooseveltian idea that every woman should be-
come the mother of as many children as nature can
Quality not ^ ve her is mdeed fallacious. It
quantity decrees misery and full alms-
houses. It is quality, not quantity, that we want
264 NATURAL EDUCATION.
During the last year, in a certain Ohio town, a mother
gave birth to her seventeenth child. When a reporter
visited her home she complained bitterly of the six
living "torments" and said she would like to see them
in the graveyard with their brothers and sisters.
Should such women, the weak ignorant slaves of pas-
sion, be praised as real mothers because they have
gone through the animal act of giving birtji to many
living beings? Far more worthy is the true mother
who brings a few children into the world but gives
these children before and after birth the best that she
can give.
All normal women want children, and the wife who
loves her husband longs to lay his first born son in his
arms. But no woman should
Motherhood . . vr , , ,
should not make a wreck her life and make her home
woman forget her a place of misery by bringing more
wifehood duties , .. , . , ./ ' ,, 6 ., 6 .
children into the world than she
can properly care for. Statistics show that nine out
of ten working men desert their wives because of the
children who keep them awake at night and wear out
the one-time-smiling wife, making her into a cross
scolding dame, so that home becomes a bedlam in-
stead of a haven of rest.
No woman knows the great joy of heaven until she
hears the first cry of her new-born babe and no mother
knows what hell may be until she descends into the
dark paths of misery, watching her little one suffering
agony or being carried away by the death angel.
EUGENICS 265
Therefore no woman should taste of motherhood un-
less she feels that she has the strength to bear earth's
greatest trials with fortitude and to keep a smile for
the man who has chosen her for his life's companion.
Her motherhood should not make her forget the du-
ties of wifehood and for baby's sake she should not
desert her husband each summer, leaving him to many
temptations which beset the lonely man. If he yields
to these ever present temptations the home will be
wrecked and the wife can lay the blame of its wreck-
age on her own shoulders.
When a mother has brought a child into this world
where, as Aristotle says: "Life is a twofold blossom
of sorrow and happiness with the
Hirelings can not 11 *
give a child his blossom of sorrow ever waxing
proper early the stronger," she should not give
him to the exclusive care of hire-
lings. She should realize that she has brought a soul,
not alone into this world, but for worlds to come for
eternity and she should cheerfully devote her life to
him. The duty of parenthood can not be faithfully
done by proxy. No paid hirelings can give the child
his proper early training.
All animals take care of their young. No mother
lion would consent to a sister, mother or any outsider
Animals better takin S a hand in raisin ^ her babieS<
parents than some It is woman alone who hands her
mothers offspring to others for rearing.
No wonder then that the human race is deteriorating
266 NATURAL EDUCATION
and that scientists believe human brains are not so
active as in days gone by. The fall of Rome, it is said,
was brought about through Roman mothers' neglect
of their little ones. May this great republic never lose
any of its glory through neglect of American mothers
in rearing their children !
Children of well-to-do intellectual people of to-day
generally are given into the care of uneducated nurses.
Better training for Few mothers deem * necessary to
horses than examine a nurse as to her mental
children qualifications. The nurse is hired
to attend to the physical well-being of the child. All
day long she teaches him repression, instead of ex-
pression, with her "Don't do this and don't do that."
The eternal "don'ts" heard in many nurseries have
tended to destroy mental growth. It is because of this
repression in infancy among the children of the
wealthy that so few of these children enter the life of
scientific investigation and artistic creation.
A man who has a fine blooded horse does not give
him into the hands of an ignorant stableman, but
places him in the care of a man well informed as to
the proper training of horses. How much more im-
portant the training of his child, and yet many an in-
telligent man sees his wife become a mother simply as
a law of nature and after the child's birth allows him
to be given into the charge of an ignorant nurse for
the first six years of his young life, the very years
when he needs the best training.
Many vicious traits in children can be traced to their
EUGENICS 267
being left under the charge of careless hirelings who
Vicious traits re- remained with the children pimply
suit of improper for filthy lucre and had no interest
early training j n the litt i e ones > menta i or mora l
growth. Bad tendencies were not uprooted, and like
weeds, they grew into vicious habits destructive to a
noble character.
There is no reason why a mother, who has means,
should wear herself to a frazzle in taking sole care of
her baby, but I believe that every mother should have
the supervision of her baby's diet, bath, clothing and
above all mental training. She should also be most
careful in selecting a nurse to care for her treasure,
being willing to sacrifice herself in many ways so as
to get the best nurse that her purse can afford.
A child's disposition certainly depends greatly on
the disposition and habits of those who care for it in
Effect of smiles infanc y- l have often noticed that
and frowns upon children nursed by disagreeable
ba k* es nurses reflect the cross expression
of their caretakers on their own flexible faces. For
this reason a cheerful nurse should always be selected
and the mother should wear a smile when she enters
the nursery. The spirit of childhood responds in-
stantly to joybeams and whatever our troubles may be,
we mothers should strive "To fold away our fears, and
put by our foolish tears, and through all the coming
years just be glad."
Not alone should the mother smile on her baby, but
she should place him in an atmosphere of sunshine.
268 NATURAL EDUCATION
The Japanese believe that by being
Environment j , , , ,.,. , ./.
surrounded by beautiful things a
child may be made beautiful. The Greeks believed
that beauty could be given to a child by its mother
gazing on objects of beauty before its birth and some
of the old philosophers cite examples of ugly de-
formed men and women who became parents to hand-
some children through beautiful environment.
There seems to be truth in the theory, since living
in filth and squalor tends to make the occupants of
such surroundings as ugly as their environment, while
being surrounded by things of beauty makes one more
happy and content, driving away lines of sorrow and
disgust caused by ugliness.
A child is a mass of impressions and experiences
derived from millions of ancestors and not an ani-
mated vegetable as some scientists would have us be-
lieve. I believe that he is susceptible to environment
from the moment of his birth and that true education
is a constant development from the first breath of life
to the last.
When a baby is expected in the home, the best room
should be prepared for his arrival, e'en though it be
Preparing the tne time-honored guest chamber.
nursery It is not necessary to expend large
sums of money in making this nest cozy and at-
tractive. Simplicity and good taste with an eye to
hygienic conditions will make it ideal. Green tinted
walls are restful to baby's eyes and white woodwork
is attractive as well as the emblem of purity.
EUGENICS 269
He should have a white enameled bed with a good
mattress covered with rubber sheeting 1 , and a soft
eiderdown quilt to cover him, instead of heavy
blankets which make him feel tired rather than re-
freshed after slumber. The floor should be stained
and covered with one or two small rugs matching the
walls. A carpet should never be used in a nursery.
If possible this nursery should open on a screened
porch where the little one can spend most of his time
in the open. Fresh air is nature's gift to all her chil-
dren, but as we march along the path of civilization
we have spurned this gift more and more and thus be-
come inferior in physique to our savage ancestors.
On the nursery walls hang a few good pictures, cop-
ies of great paintings, but highly colored, as babies do
not at first notice dull colors. Place copies of great
works of sculpture on the table, dresser or mantel.
Plaster of Paris copies may be obtained for a very
small sum if you can not afford marble. Through
these great works of man the little one's perceptions
of light and color may be developed and he may have
a taste for the beautiful cultivated unconsciously.
A writer in The New Statesman recently com-
plained that everything is getting uglier and uglier.
Are we growing ^ e thinks that women wear hide-
uglier? ous caps instead of pretty bonnets,
ungraceful gowns and still worse-looking boots. He
also says that a home has an expression just as a face
and he considers all modern homes lacking in the
artistic beauty of ancient castles. "In fact," he says,
270 NATURAL EDUCATION
"the world and its people are getting uglier each
year."
Let us hope that he is mistaken. But to prevent
such a blemish of lovely Mother Earth's appearance
let each mother seek to make the world better and
more beautiful by placing her little one in an environ-
ment to cultivate beauty, since environment as well as
heredity is truly the mother of us all.
A great educator of to-day says that our vital need
is enlightened motherhood. He believes that first les-
SOnS * n ^^ knowlede should be
Enliehtened
motherhood our given to all children by their
vital need mothers just as the little ones re-
ceive nourishment from the mother's breast.
Herbert Spencer did not believe that only certain
persons should be teachers, but all. He says: "A
All should be knowledge of the right methods of
teachers juvenile culture, physical, mental
and moral, is a knowledge second to none in impor-
tance. This topic should occupy the highest and last
place in the course of instruction passed through by
each man and woman."
A mother can certainly have no greater purpose in
life than to educate her child and at an intelligent
Greatest purpose mother's knee the little one can
to educate a child learn education's true aim which,
as William James has said, is "to see the good in life."
It may be difficult for some mothers to begin teach-
ing, but if they persevere and try to improve them-
selves each day new thoughts and plans will come to
EUGENICS 271
their minds which will be especially adapted to the in-
struction of their children. When children go to
school, mothers should cooperate with the teachers in
helping to educate their little ones.
The Chinese were the first people to make collec-
tions of facts and give them to pupils in general
Chinese advancing f ch ls : but the y did not advance
since women are in civilization because the mothers
being educated were kept in total i gnorance and
only men received instruction. They realized that
men without knowledge were "dark, dark like walk-
ing in the night," but they did not see that in order to
have brilliant men they must have wise mothers. Since
these people have awakened to the idea that like
mother like son, and are spreading knowledge to both
girls and boys, they are making vast strides.
No child can attain strength and success merely
through the acquisition of knowledge without the
-. .. . foundation of right principles
Destinies of na-
tions in hands of which should be laid by a loving
mothers mother's hands. How few people
realize that "The destiny of nations lies far more in
the hands of women the mothers than in the hands
of those who possess power. We must cultivate
women who are the educators of the human race, else
a new generation can not accomplish its task." Thus
spoke Froebel, who has done so much to make the
pathway to knowledge a path of joy.
Upon the home depends the prosperity of any coun-
try, and woman is the home maker. The irritable,
272 NATURAL EDUCATION
Prosperity of a faultfinding mother who lays
country depends aside her cloak of courtesy when
upon the homes she enters the home and letg QUt
all the disagreeable thought demons, generally has
children of the same pattern. Such mothers drive
children from home and furnish occupants for prisons
and asylums.
The true mother rises above annoyances, vexations
and troubles, meeting them with calm cheerful
thoughts, and keeping a smile to brighten the home.
Happy the child who is led by his mother, in the
environment of a glad-hearted home, toward the high-
est mental, physical and moral de-
Upon early home . , , ,, ,,
training depends velopment: and happy the mother
happiness in old when she fulfils her highest voca-
3. src
tion in becoming her child's
teacher and leader. But mothers must remember that
they can not begin too early in this guidanceship. It
is not the moral principles or the knowledge gained
in middle life that will remain with our children in old
age, but the principles instilled into them in childhood.
Let us, therefore, fill our children's minds with
beautiful thoughts while they are still in the cradle,
and in the evening of life they will bless us for this
knowledge, which will comfort them as they stand by
the "massive gateway" waiting to pass into the world
beyond, where they may drink deep at the source of
all knowledge that of Everlasting Truth.
THE END
HELPFUL LITERATURE
HELPFUL LITERATURE
I. MAGAZINES FOR CHILDREN
American Boy, Boys' Magazine, Boy Life, Chil-
dren's Magazine, Children's Star Magazine, Cassell's
Little Folks, Little Chronicle, Newsboys' Magazine,
Our Boys, Our Junior Citizens, St. Nicholas, The
Boys' World, Uncle Remus' Magazine, Youth's Com-
panion, Youth's World.
II. MAGAZINES FOR MOTHERS AND TEACHERS
American Motherhood, Child Welfare, Child Lore,
Education, Journal of Education, Primary Education,
School and Home, School Arts Book, School Journal,
The Teacher, Teachers' Magazine, Child Study, Kin-
dergarten Magazine, Kindergarten Review, Baby
Magazine, Mothers' Magazine, American Educational
Review, American Primary Teacher, American Jour-
nal of Education, Educational Foundations, Manual
Training Magazine, Musical Observer, Nature Maga-
zine, Work with Boys, Bird Lore, Craftsman, Guide
to Nature.
III. BOOKS WHICH HAVE HELPED WINIFRED
Abbott : Days Out of Doors.
Abbott : Heroes of the Nations.
Alcott : Flower Fables.
Alcott : Little Men.
275
276 NATURAL EDUCATION
Alcott: Little Women.
Alcott : Old Fashioned Girl.
Andersen : Fairy Tales.
Atkinson : Grey friar's Bobby.
Bacon : Operas Every Child Should Know.
Baker : Wild Beasts and Their Ways.
Ball : The Story of the Heavens.
Baring-Gould : Curious Myths of the Middle Ages.
Baring-Gould : The Crock of Gold.
Baskett : The Story of the Fishes.
Bates : The Naturalist on the River Amazon.
Beard : Jack of all Trades.
Bignell : A Quintette of, Gray Coats.
Bonney : Volcanoes.
Books of the After School Library, published by the
American Institute of Child Life.
Books of The Book of Knowledge, published by the
Grolier Society.
Books of the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific
Circle.
Brassey : Voyages in the Sunbeam.
Brooks: Historic Girls.
Brown : Rab and His Friends.
Bryant : Poems.
Bulfinch : Age of Fable or Beauties of Mythology.
Bulfinch : The Age of Chivalry.
Bullen : Denizens of the Great Deep.
Bunce : Fairy Tales: Their Origin and Meaning.
Bunyan : Pilgrim's Progress.
Burns : Poems.
Burroughs : Squirrels and other Fur-Bearers.
Burroughs : Wake Robin.
Burt : One Syllable Histories.
Butterworth : Story of Magellan.
Byron : Childe Harold.
HELPFUL LITERATURE 277
Carmen Sylva : A Real Queen's Fairy Tales.
Carpenter : The Story of Frederick the Great.
Cervantes: Don Quixote.
Chaucer: Canterbury Tales.
Comstock : Insect Life.
Coussens : Poems Children Love.
Crane : Italian Popular Tales.
Curtin : Myths and Folk Tales of the Russians.
Damon: Ocean Wonders.
Darwin: A Naturalist's Voyage.
Defoe: Robinson Crusoe.
Dickens: David Copperfield.
Dickens : Nicholas Nickelby.
Dickens : Old Curiosity Shop.
Dodge : Julius Casar.
Dopp : The Early Cave Men.
Dopp : The Hut Dwellers.
Dopp : The Later Cave Men.
Dopp : The Tree Dwellers.
Du Chaillu : The Land of the Midnight Sun.
Eckstrom : The Bird Book.
Emerton : Spiders.
Ewing: The Brownies.
Field and Crani : Little Beasts of Wood and Field.
Field : Verse.
Fisk : Myths and Myth Makers.
Foa : Boy Life of Napoleon.
Foster and Cummings : As gar d Stories.
Fouque : Undine.
Garrett : King Arthur and His Court.
Geikie : Geology.
Gibson : Blossom Hosts and Insect Guests.
278 NATURAL EDUCATION
Gibson : Sharp Eyes.
Golding: Boy Travelers Through Africa.
Goodrich : Rome.
Grimm : Fairy Tales.
Grinnel : Black/pot Lodge Tales.
Guilleman : Wonders of the Moon.
Hall : Heroes of Our Revolution.
Hawthorn : Tangle Wood Tales.
Holder : The Ivory King.
Holder : Along the Florida Reefs.
Holland : The Mother Book.
Holmes: Poetical Works.
Homer : The Iliad.
Homer: The Odyssey.
Hornaday : American Natural History.
Hornbrook: Concrete Geometry.
Hornbrook: Grammar School Arithmetic*
Hornbrook : Primary Arithmetic.
Howard : The Insect Book.
Ingelow : Fairy Stories.
Ingelow : Poems of Old Days and New.
Irving : The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Jacobs: Indian Fairy Tales.
Johnson : Among English Hedgerows.
Johnson : Little Folks' Book of Verse.
Johnson : Livingston and Central Africa.
Johnson : The Elm Tree Fairy Book.
Johnson : The Fir Tree Fairy Book.
Johnson : The Oak Tree Fairy Book.
Kaufman : Our Young Folks' Plutarch.
Keightley : Fairy Mythology.
Kingsley : The Greek Heroes.
HELPFUL LITERATURE 279
Kingsley : The Water Babies.
Kipling : The Jungle Books.
Kipling: Wee Willie Winkie Tales.
Knox : Horse Stories.
Knox : Marco Polo for Boys and Girls.
Lamb : Tales from Shakespeare.
Lang : The Arabian Nights.
Lang: The Green Fairy Book.
Lang: The Red Fairy Book.
Lang : The Yellow Fairy Book.
Lear : Nonsense Books.
Longfellow : Poems.
Lover : Legends and Stories of Ireland.
Luken : The Boy Engineers.
Lytton : Last Days of Pompeii.
Macomber : Stories of Great Inventors.
Manning : Heroes of the Desert.
McKnight : Captain Jack the Scout.
Miller : Four Handed Folk.
Miller : Little Brothers of the Air.
Mix : Mighty Animals.
Morgan: Abraham Lincoln, the Boy and the Man.
Naake : Slavonic Fairy Tales.
Neill : The Robber Kitten.
Neill : Three Little Pigs.
Nesbit Royal Children of English History.
Noyes The Enchanted Island.
Noyes The Flowers of Old Japan.
O'Shea : Old World Wonders.
O'Shea : Six Nursery Classics.
Ouida : Dog of Flanders.
Owen : Herpines of History.
28o NATURAL! EDUCATION
Pasteur : Gods and Heroes of Old Japan.
Patterson : Pussy Meow.
Peary : Children of the Arctic by the Snow Baby and
Her Mother.
Peeps at Many Lands Series, published by Adam and
Charles Black.
Perdue and Griswold: Language Through Nature,
Literature and Art.
Poe: Poetical Works.
Poe: The Gold Bug.
Porter : Wild Beasts.
Potter : The Tale of Benjamin Bunny.
Potter : The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher.
Potter : The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
Potter : The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin.
Proctor : Other Worlds than Ours.
Reid: Cliff Climber.
Riley : Child Rhymes.
Roosevelt and Lodge: Hero Tales from 'American
History.
Saintine : Myths of the Rhine.
Seton : The Biography of a Grizzly.
Sewell: Black Beauty.
Scott : Ivanhoe.
Scott : Kenilworth.
Scott : Poetical Works.
Scott : Rob Roy.
Smith : Plants and Their Children.
Smith : Tales and Stories from Spenser's Faerie
Queene.
Southey : Chronicles of the Cid.
Spyri: Heidi (Winifred's favorite book).
Stevenson : A Child's Garden of Verses.
HELPFUL LITERATURE 281
Stevenson : Poems.
Stevenson : Travels With a Donkey.
Stevenson : Treasure Island.
Stockton : The Floating Prince.
Stoddard : Lectures.
Swift : Gulliver's Travels.
Tappan : Robin Hood: His Book.
Velvin : Wild Animal Celebrities.
Verne : Explorations of the World.
Verne : Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
Vincent : The Land of the White Elephant.
Wahlenberg: Swedish Fairy Tales.
Warren : Stories From English History.
Whittier : Works.
Wiggin and Smith : Magic Casements.
Wiggin and Smith : Tales of Laughter.
Wiggin : The Birds' Christmas Carol.
Wood : Nature and Her Servants.
Yonge: Patriots of Palestine.
Yonge : The Book of Golden Deeds.
Yonge : Young People's History of France.
Young : Manual of Astronomy.
IV. EDUCATIONAL BOOKS WHICH HAVE HELPED ME
Adler : Moral Instruction of Children.
Aiken : Methods of Mind Training.
Baer: Physical Education.
282 NATURAL EDUCATION
Baldwin : Mental Development.
Bancroft: School Gymnastics.
^-Barnes : The Historic Sense Among Children.
^> Beard: How to Amuse Yourself and Others.
^"Beard : What to Do and How to Do It.
^--Beecher: Popular Amusements.
^>-Berle : The School in the Home.
Betz: Popular Gymnastics.
Birney : Childhood.
Bolton : Principles of Education.
Bradford : Heredity and Education.
Browning: Educational Theories.
> Burrell : The Mothers' Book.
^? Butler : Meaning of Education.
J5- Call : Power Through Repose.
Chamberlain : The Child.
Champlin : Cyclopedia of Games and Sports.
Christopher and Smedley : Reports on Child Study.
Colim : The Learning Process.
-^Compayre: Intellectual and Moral Development of
the Child.
Drayton : A Brief Course in the Teaching Process.
^Earhart: Teaching Children to Study.
-r Emerson : Manners.
_-Emerson : Physical Culture.
^Forbush : The Boy Problem.
Forel : Nervous and Mental Hygiene.
Froebel : Education of Man.
Froebel : Reminiscences.
Graves : Great Educators of Three Centuries.
HELPFUL LITERATURE 283
Green : Memory and Its Cultivation.
Groos : The Play of Man.
Groos : The Play of Animals.
Harrison : 'A Study of Child Nature.
Harrison : Use and Misuse of Books.
Haskell: Child Observations.
Henderson : Education and the Larger Life.
Hogan : A Study of a Child.
Hopkins : How Shall My Child be Taught!
Hopkins : Motherhood.
Huey : The Psychology of Reading.
Hutchinson : Food and Dietics.
James : Pragmatism.
James : The Principles of Psychology.
Johnson : Education by Plays and Games.
Kay : Memory, What it is and How to Improve it.
Kephart : Camping and Woodcraft.
Kidd: Savage Childhood.
Kirkpatrick : Fundamentals of Child Study.
Larkin : Within the Mind Maze.
Lindsley : Health in the Home.
Mabie : Books and Culture.
Matteson: Notes on the Early Training of Children.
Montaigne : The Education of Children.
Moore : The Mental Development of the Child.
Nutt : Health and Hygiene for the Household.
Oppenheim : The Development of the Child.
O'Shea : Aspects of Mental Economy.
O'Shea : Dynamic Factors in Education.
O'Shea : Education as Adjustment.
284 NATURAL EDUCATION
O'Shea : 'Everyday Problems in Teaching.
O'Shea : Linguistic Development and Education.
O'Shea : Social Development and Education.
Otis: At Mother's Knee.
Pestalozzi : How Gertrude Teaches Her Children.
Pestalozzi : Leonard and Gertrude.
Poulessen: In the Child's World.
Preyer : The Mind of the Child.
Proudfoot : Mothers' Ideals.
Richter : Levana.
Ross : Social Control.
Rousseau : ifmile.
Rowe : The Physical Nature of the Child.
Sargent : ''Health, Strength, and Power.
Schmucker : The Study of Nature.
Scott : Social Education.
Sharp : Some Aims of Education.
Shinn : The Biography of a Baby.
Shinn : Notes on the Development of a Child.
Sidis : Psychology of Suggestion.
Sisson : The Essentials of Character.
Small : The Suggestibility of Children.
Spencer: Education Intellectual, Moral and
Physical.
Spencer : Essay on Education.
Stonewood : Gymnastic Stories and Plays for Pri-
mary Schools.
Stranger : A Brief Course in the Teaching Process.
Sully: Children's Ways.
Sully : Studies of Childhood.
Thorndyke : Notes on Child Study.
Tracy : Psychology of Childhood.
HELPFUL LITERATURE 285
Wells : Three Years With a Child.
White : Book of Games.
Wiggin : Children's Rights.
Wmterburn : Nursery Ethics.
Wright : Maxims of Health.
INDEX
INDEX
ALLEN, DAPHNE, precocity of, 10.
ALPHABET, learning the, 43.
AMUSEMENT: best in reading good books, 171; not dan-
gerous, 239.
ANAGRAMS, 60.
ANATOMY, easy way to learn, 105.
ANNIVERSARIES, celebrating, 176.
AQUARIUMS, visits to, 85.
ARITHMETIC: games, 130; historic data concerning, 144;
not interesting, 128; Winifred's method of teaching, 141.
ART, learning in the cradle, 18.
ASTRONOMY, study of develops imagination, 187.
ATMOSPHERE, of love and cheer, 251.
AUDUBON, walking in the paths trod by, 71.
BABY TALK, harm done by, 27.
BALL, heritage of every baby, 25.
BALLOON, best first toy, 24.
BATH, games in the, 252.
BEE-HIVES, a game, 60.
BEETLES, learning about, 73.
BERLE: children, 10; Professor A. A. on ideas of educa-
tion, 11; in teaching five-syllable words, 27.
BIOLOGY, poor substitute for fairy lore, 178.
BIRTHDAYS, celebration of, 176.
BISMARCK'S regrets, 59.
BOOKS: influence of, 48; in teaching Winifred, 48; scrap,
49.
BOTANY, interesting way to learn, 70.
BOX, a gift, 160.
BOYS, need color perception training, 21.
BROAD-MINDEDNESS, 237.
BURBANK, LUTHER, on nature as a teacher, 76.
BUTTON BOX, a, 159.
289
290 INDEX
CADE, BYRON, precocity of, 10.
CAMP-FIRE GIRLS, 87.
CANCELATION: interesting game, 143; short route, 142.
CHILDREN, made into puppets, 239.
CHANCE, games of, 157.
CHART: to learn even numbers, 132; to learn odd numbers,
132; to learn Roman numbers, 145; to make children
good, 221.
CHESTERFIELD, LORD, on manners, 205.
CHESS, Winifred's favorite game, 175.
CHINESE, advancement, 271.
CICERO'S ORATIONS, 119.
CLOTHING, improper, 262.
CLUBS, social, 170.
COLOR BLINDNESS, 21.
COMIC SUPPLEMENTS, harm done by, 19.
COMPOUND INTEREST, 140.
COMPUTER, Japanese, 134.
CONCENTRATION, 15.
CONFUCIUS, precocity of, 4.
CONTROL, of muscles, 158.
CORDELIA, voice, 54.
CORPORAL PUNISHMENT, 211.
CRONAN, MRS. MARY V., opinions of story-telling, 176.
CRY BABY, trying not to be, 235.
DANCE, learning to, 55.
DANCING, opinion of Doctor G. Stanley Hall on, 55.
DEFINITIONS, Winifred has never learned, 93.
DESTINY OF NATIONS, in hands of mothers, 258.
DICE, learning to add by throwing, 130.
DISCIPLINARIANS, the fairies as, 182.
DOLL-HOUSE BOOK, 173.
ECONOMY, in labor, 164.
EDUCATION: founded, 258; four factors, 111.
ENGLISH, learning first, 28.
ENVIRONMENT, Japanese and Greek, 268.
ERATOSTHENES, sieve of, 136.
ESPERANTO : at Chautauqua, N. Y., 33 ; diploma received,
32 ; help in learning geography, 35 ; help in learning
other languages, 32; learning in cradle, 31; Mother
Goose, 38; Winifred teaching, 38.
ETERNAL DON'TS, 223.
INDEX 291
ETYMOLOGY, interesting way to study, 114.
EUGENICS: denned, 260; making better citizens, 259.
FACTORS, of education, 111.
FACTS : in nutshells, 95 ; in jingles, 100.
FAIRIES: as disciplinarians, 182; in our homes, 179-181;
when banished, 179.
FAIRY IMAGINATION, what she does for us, 192.
FAIRY REARED CHILDREN, 181.
FASHION JUGGERNAUT, 262.
FEAR : effect of, 261 ; caused by physical conditions, 234 ; of
God, 235; of parents, 235.
FOOD STUFFS, gaining knowledge of, 137.
FOREIGNERS, correspondence with, 94.
FOREST, king of, 80.
FOURTH DIMENSION, the, 9.
FREDERICK THE GREAT, precocity of, 4.
GAMES : a hundred verses from a hundred poets, 165 ; ana-
grams, 48; with cards, 166; with money, 160; geogra-
phy, 92; bee-hives, 60; making rhymes, 60; for sense
development, 153; to learn colors, 156; of chance, 157;
two step, three step, 132; knights, 134; witch, to learn
odd and even numbers, 135 ; practical, to learn weights,
measures, etc., 136; finding notes, 51; grammar, 122;
in arithmetic, 130; rhythm, 52; with xylophone, 52;
rhythmic dances, 52; flags, 109; finding babies, 114;
Latin tag, 119; bath, 252.
GARDEN, for every child, 163.
GARIBALDI, precocity of, 5.
GENIUS: defined, 209; temperamental and intellectual, 2;
insanity, 3.
GIANT ARITHMOS, 138.
GIANTS, five good, 126.
GIRLS, playing with boys, 162.
GLAD DAY, Sabbath, 174.
GOETHE, precocity of, 5.
GOOD CLOTHES, 228.
GOOD HOUSEKEEPERS, destroy castles and hopes, 185.
GOOD LIVING, depends on liver, 248.
GRAMMAR: games to learn, 122; by simple rule, 122; why
people use bad, 122.
GREAT MEN: inferior sons, 258; homes of, 109; precocity
of, 4; strong in body and mind, 250.
292 INDEX
GRICE, MRS. MARY V., on nature as an educator, 77.
GROS, PROFESSOR RAYMOND, methods of, 119.
GYMNASIUM, in the home, 255.
HALL, DR. G. STANLEY, on dancing, 55.
HANNIBAL, precocity of, 4.
HAPPINESS, made by imagination, 178.
HARDY, EDWARD, linguist, 10.
HAWAIIANS, never tone-deaf, 54.
HEALTH, first of all, 245.
HELPFUL LITERATURE, 275, 284.
HINDU, story of a foolish, 13.
HOLLAND, a day in, 89.
HOLMES, OLIVER W., on a lie, 206.
HOME, most attractive, 242.
HORNBROOK, PROFESSOR A. R.: concrete geometry,
146; comes to rescue, 129.
HORSES, some receive better training than children, 266.
HUXLEY, precocity of, 5.
HYSTERIA, Dr. John B. Murphy on, 211.
IDEAS OF EDUCATION: Berle, Professor A. A., 10; Bur-
bank, Luther, 76; Grice, Mrs. Mary V., 77; Gros, Pro-
fessor Raymond, 119; Hornbrook, Professor A. R., 129;
James, Professor William, 41 ; O'Shea, Professor M.
V., 50; Sidis, Dr. Boris, 8; Spencer, Herbert, 9; Thom-
son, Professor James, 6; Witte, Reverend Karl, 7.
IMAGINATION, 177.
KANT, IMMANUEL, precocity of, 5.
KELVIN, LORD, precocity of, 6.
KING, of forest, 80.
KNIGHT, a young, 203.
KNIGHTS, and ladies, 200.
KNOWLEDGE: gaining practical, 124; gaining while teach-
ing, 90.
LAMPOONS, Greek and Latin, 4.
LANGUAGES : best time to learn, 27 ; developing reasoning
powers, 111.
LANDSEER, EDWIN, precocity of, 4.
LATIN: as taught in schools, 112; object of learning, 113;
Prussian method, 113; natural method, 114.
LEARNING: names of bones, 105; to read, 48.
INDEX 293
LEGUMINOTHERAPISTS, 246.
LETTERS, writing real, 67.
LIBRARY, each child have a, 49.
LIES, are white lies excusable?, 206.
LIFE, allotted, 256.
LITERATURE, characters in, 108.
MACLOSKIE, PROFESSOR GEORGE, at Chautauqua, N.
Y., 33.
MAN, is what he eats, 246.
MANNERS, need of, 201; Lord Chesterfield on, 205.
MELODIES, as exercises, 57.
MEMORY OF BABYHOOD DAYS, 17.
MILL, JOHN STUART, precocity of, 5.
MILTON, JOHN, precocity of, 4.
MODELINE, as an educator, 91.
MODERATION, 3.
MONEY, playing with real, 139.
MONTESSORI SYSTEM, does not develop imagination, 190.
MOTHERS : builders of next generation, 258 ; to play with
children, 163; to take interest in child's hobbies, 168.
MOZART, WOLFGANG, precocity of, 4.
MUD PIES, danger in, 167.
MURPHY, DR. JOHN B., the mother and hysteria, 211.
MUSCLES, control of, 158.
MUSIC: as amusement, 168; interesting ways to learn, 57;
in pattering rain, 53; what we gain through, 58; why
we should all study, 58.
MYTHOLOGY, use of, 86.
NEVERS, THE TEN : 1. Never give corporal punishment,
211; 2. Never scold, 215; 3. Never say "Don't," 223;
4. Never say "Must," 225; 5. Never allow a child to
lose respect of self or of parents, 226 ; 6. Never frighten
a child, 232; 7. Never allow a child to say "I can't,"
237; 8. Never refuse to answer a child's questions, 240;
9. Never tease a child, 241 ; 10. Never allow any other
place to become more attractive than home, 242.
NUMBERS, chart to learn odd and even, 132.
NURSERY, preparing the, 268.
OAK, story of, 80; the wishing, 82.
OAKS : largest, 81 ; most famous, 81 ; their uses, 81.
OBJECTS, of educational value, 18.
294 INDEX
OBSERVATION, 13.
OCCUPATION, keeping baby busy, 25.
ODE TO SOLITUDE, 4.
O'SHEA, PROFESSOR M. V., on reading, 50.
OUTINGS, fund for, 75.
PARENTS, to be knightly, 195.
PATRINO ANSERINO, 37.
PEACE LEAGUE, the Junior, 35.
PEN, mechanical instrument, 65.
PETS, for playmates, 167.
PICTURES, moving, 153.
PLAY : chief end of man, 151 ; for a purpose, 41 ; learning
science through nature, 87.
PLAYING: in sand, 88; with a globe, 88.
POETRY, effect of classic, 16.
POPE, ALEXANDER, precocity of, 4.
PRAYERS, no set, 236.
PRECOCITY, of great men, 4.
PREDICTION, a dire, 34.
PROMISES, unfulfilled, 220.
PUNISHMENT: corporal, 211; through consequences, 218.
QUALITY, not quantity, 263.
READING, for a purpose, 49.
REFORMATORIES, nature saves children from, 75.
RESPECT : for property of others, 231 ; of person, 229.
RHYTHM AND TONE, gaining ideas of, 51.
RHYTHMIC DANCES, 52.
ROD, the religious belief in, 212.
SABBATH, the glad day, 174.
SAINT-SAENS, precocity of, 4.
SALVATION, dependent on imagination, 193.
SAND, an educator, 88.
SELF-CONTROL, one of the first twigs to bend, 198.
SELF-RESPECT, never allow a child to lose, 210.
SENSE: development, 15; dramatic, 152.
SENSES, to be developed, 17.
SIDIS, DR. BORIS, ideas of education, 9.
SIDIS, WILLIAM JAMES, precocity of, 9.
SIEVE, of Eratosthenes, 136.
SMILES, effect of, 249.
INDEX 295
SONG, a bony, 105.
SOUND, developing, 17.
SPELLING: learned through games, 60; learned through
rhymes, 61; learned by using typewriter, 62.
SPENCER, HERBERT: intellectual genius, 2; on self-con-
trol, 211.
SPIDERS: a lecture on, 73; compared with insects, 74.
STORIES : acting out, 97 ; education through, 97 ; ants, bees,
etc., 72; strange plants, 79; to be told rather than read,
100.
STORY OF LOUIS XV, 249.
STORY-TELLING, 175.
SURROUNDINGS: becoming acquainted with, 18; effect of
change in, 26.
THEATER, stimulates the imagination, 183.
THOUGHTS AS LIFE COMPANIONS, 234.
TITANIA'S HOME, 183.
TOLSTOI, learning Esperanto, 32.
TOYS, mechanical, 184.
TREASURE BOX, 159.
TYPEWRITER: good fairy, 63; to take place of pen, 64.
UNSELFISHNESS, 208.
VARIETY, in playmates, 161.
VERB, life of sentence, 117.
VERGIL, a baby pacifier, 16.
VILLAIN, no great nature lover, a, 74.
VILLIERS-STUART, FITZGERALD, precocity of, 10.
VIOLIN, first lessons on, 58.
VOICES, Cordelia-like, 54.
WEAKLINGS, made by fear, 232.
WHISTLING, 170.
WIENER, NORBERT, precocity of, 8.
WITTE, PASTOR, teaching his son, 69.
WOMEN, slovenly, 228.
WORD BUILDING, 38.
WORK AND PLAY, defined, 42.
YOUTH, talents of great men in, 4.
ZOOS, visits to, 85.
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advantage the adventurous overflow of youthful energy.
He shows how home and school studies may take on a vital
relation to the actual daily life of children and how enthusiasm
for their work may be inculcated in the young. All this is told,
In a manner to quicken the interest of parents and teachers, in
Learning by Doing
By EDGAR JAMES SWIFT
Author of Mind in the Making, Etc.
Make the child as happy in his work as he is in his play by find-
ing how you can appeal to his individual interests, tendencies
and intellectual traits, and how the learner may be taught with
the least resistance and greatest efficiency.
This is precisely the book for every parent and teacher
who wants to make study a pastime and not a drudgery.
It is included in the CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH SERIES, the
important new collection of books for parents and teachers.
12mo, Cloth, One Dollar Net
The Bobbs-Merrill Company
Publishers, Indianapolis
CAN your child spell? Spelling takes more at-
tention in the home than almost any other
subject taught in the schools. The drills and prac-
tice exercises, the daily preparation for subsequent
work in the class-room call for the parent's co-
operation.
No subject taught In the schools requires more Individual at-
tention than Spelling, on the part of the teacher, who is continu-
ally confronted with new problems as to how best the subject maj
be presented to meet individual differences on the part of pupils
William A. Cook, Assistant Professor of Education in
the University of Colorado, and M. V. O'Shea, Professor of
Education in the University of Wisconsin, have conducted
a series of investigations extending over a considerable
period, with a view to contributing to the solution of the
various problems connected with the teaching of spelling.
First, an examination of the spelling history and abilities ot a
large number of pupils in a rather general way was carried on.
Second, a study was made of a small group in a very thorough-
going manner. Third, followed an examination of about 300,000
words in common usage, both in speech and correspondence, in
order to determine which words should receive attention in the
spelling vocabulary.
The Child and His Spelling
By WILLIAM A. COOK and M. V. O'SHEA
contains the results of these experiments, and presents a thor-
oughgoing, practicable explanation of (1) the psychology of spell-
ing; (2) effective methods of teaching spelling; (3) spelling needs
of typical Americans; (4) words pupils should learn.
The material contained in The Child and His Spelling
will be found of the greatest value to teachers and to par-
ents who desire to co-operate at home with the work of
the school in the education of children. This work con-
stitutes one volume of the CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH
SERIES.
12mo, Cloth, One Dollar Net
The Bobbs-Merrill Company
Publishers, Indianapolis
"teen age" is the critical age. Boys and
JL girls cause parents and teachers more anxiety
between thirteen and twenty than at any other
time. That is the period of adolescence the
formative stage, the high-school age, the turning
point when futures are moulded.
It is, at the same time, the period at which the boy and the girl
are most baffling and difficult to handle; when an ounce of di-
plomacy can accomplish more with them than a pound of dictum.
As a specialist and an authority, Professor Irving King
has prepared a veritable handbook on parental and peda-
gogical diplomacy which will ease the way of parents and
teachers in dealing with children during the formative
period and lead to far better results. He devotes special
attention to the question of co-education and the question
of handling mature, maturing and immature children of the
same age. He clears up the problems so confusing to the
adult mind and offers helpful suggestions.
The physical changes which take place during the early ado-
lescent age; the intellectual and emotional developments which
parallel them; and questions of health and school work as well
as practical matters pertaining to the conservation of the energy
and efficiency of high-school pupils are given full consideration in
The High -School Age
By IRVING KING
Assistant Professor of Education, University of Iowa; author of
Psychology of Child Development, Etc.
No parent or teacher can read this work without feeling a
keener appreciation of the vital period in the child's life and
without being assisted to a better understanding of how to deal
most wisely with the boy or girl who is passing rapidly from
childhood to maturity.
THE HIGH-SCHOOL AGE is one of the books In the
CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH SERIES, undoubtedly the
most important collection of practical educational works
for parents and teachers ever produced in this country.
As a guide for the home or school it is unexcelled.
12mo, Cloth, One Dollar Net
The Bobbs-Merrill Company
Publishers, Indianapolis
A HUNDRED thousand American mothers
venerate the name of Mrs. Frederic Schoff
(Hannah Kent Schoff). She has dedicated her
life to the work of making the new generation
better, stronger and more efficient, and has been
an inspiration to every woman in the land to do
her full part to insure the future of America.
Through her leadership of the National Congress of Mothers
*nd Parent-Teacher Associations, she is the presiding genius of
Mie greatest educational movement this country has known.
As President of the Philadelphia Juvenile Court and Pro-
bation Association, she has had an opportunity to study
the wayward children of a great city. She has carried on
extensive investigations among men and women confined
in prisons and correctional institutions to learn from them
at first hand to what they attribute their downfall.
By this broad experience she is qualified to speak with
unique authority on the training of children in the home,
and especially on the problem of the wayward child.
She makes a forceful appeal to parents both because of their
natural desire to guard their children from all harmful influ-
ences and because they realize that home training, which comes
first of all in every child's life, moulds his morality. If any
parent doubts this, he needs more than ever to study
The Wayward Child
By HANNAH KENT SCHOFF
President National Congress of Mothers and Parent-Teacher Associations;
President Philadelphia Juvenile Court and Probation Association
She shows beyond all doubt that the early training in the home
can make or unmake characters at will, that homes in which
children have been brought up carelessly or inefficiently are
largely responsible for the wayward children who later make
up our criminal population.
THE WAYWARD CHILD is one of the books in the
CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH SERIES, undoubtedly the
most important collections of practical educational works
for parents and teachers ever produced in this country.
As a guide for the home or school it is unexcelled.
12mo, Cloth, One Dollar Net
The Bobbs-Merrill Company
Publishers, Indianapolis
IF YOUR CHILD grows up to be a spendthrift
blame yourself. It is the fault of the training
received in childhood, or the lack of it.
But parents are hard pressed forways and means
of teaching their children how to use money
how to save it, and how to spend it.
Should a child have a regular allowance? Should he be given
money when he asks for it or only when he really needs it?
Should he be given money as a reward or as a payment for
services? Should he be allowed to work for money at an early
age?
Professor E. A. Kirkpatrick has made a special study of
children to learn their attitude toward money in the
home and the world outside. He has carried on investi-
gations to determine their natural inclinations and decide
how parents may encourage the right inclinations and
curb those which lead to the unhappy extremes in the
use of money miserliness or prodigality.
The Use of Money
By E. A. KIRKPATRICK
State Normal School, Fitchburg, Mass.; author of Fundamentals of
Child Study, The Individual in the Making, etc,
It offers sound advice, which any parent will be fortunate to
obtain. It tells when the child should begin to learn the real
value of money and how to dispose of it properly, and suggests
methods by which this training may be given. It clears the
mind of all doubt as to how to induce thrift in the child, so that
in later life he will be better equipped, not only for business,
but in the conduct of the household and private affairs.
THE USE OF MONEY, like all the other books in the
famous Childhood and Youth Series, is designed to be of
immediate, practical benefit to the average parent, guard-
ian or teacher.
12mo, Cloth, One Dollar Net
The Bobbs-Merrill Company
Publishers, Indianapolis
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY, LOS ANGELES
EDUCATION AND PSYCHOLOGY LIBRARY
This book is DUE on the last date stamped below.
24134
UCLA-ED/PSYCH Library
LB 1507 888
II HUH
L 005 638 363 1
LIBRARY FACILITY
A 000 993 641 o
