The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-01-07
poLL-HATlNe GIRLS.
Some OF tho Pcculiaritles OF Children MT
Play and Their Causes.

his new work on psychology, makes
the assertion that 1.-THE sexes differ
somewhat i'll their play impulses" and
he Celebrates this idea by the following
quotation from Schneider:
THE little boy initiates soldiers,
models clay into an oven, builds houses,
makes u wagon out of chairs, rides on
horscoack upon u stick, drives nails
WIN the hammer, harnesses his broth
rem ana comrades together and plays
the stagc-drivcr, or lets himself be cap
turcd as wild horse by some one else.
Inc girl, on the contrary, plays with
her doll, washes and dresses it, strokes
IL, clasps and kisses it, puts it to bed
and tucks it in, sings it Il cradle
song, or speaks with it us if it were u
living being Il y Il This fact that
u sexual difference exists in play-im-
pulse, that Il boy gets more pleasure
from u horse and rider and II soldier
than from doll. while with the girl
the opposite is the case, is proof that
an hereditary connection exists be-
tween the perception of certain things
Chorsc, doll, ctc) and the feeling OF
pleasure, as well as between this latter
and the impulse to play"
Now, presumptuous us it ay be in Il
mere lay-woman to differ with authori-
ties SO we'll qualified to judge of the
playimpulses of infants. / must con-
fess think they arc both utterly mis-
taken. do not believe that the nat
ural, unbiased play impulses of the
normal boy and girl do differ. a per-
sonal observation of children of both
sexes, during twenty years, has con-
t-sn
more of the parental instinct. lust rs
the girl does more of the active, rest
less, inventive spirit, than they are
popularity given credit for know two
boys whose passion for playing with
dolls lasted until they had en-
tered their teens they were
both strong, healthy boys, and one of
them has made quite Il reputation as an
amateur athlete. Although ridicule led
both of them during the later years to
indulge their pcnchant in their own
apartments. yet their respective colonies
Of deaf and dumb idols was not entire
ly abandoned until one was fifteen and
the other sixteen. These BOYS were not
related III any manner; one was born and
bred i'll New England, and the other in
Il southern state. One had two sisters
and brother; the other. no sister and
one brother. Another New England
boy of another family also preserved
his doll devotion to Il tolcrably mature
age, though i'll his case it may have been
due to delicate health. But Il sturdy
little chap in brooklyn, y. y, since his
earliest infancy has been Il constant
daily worshipcr Of Il succession of rag
babies. saw him year or two ago at
the age of four, and lie was still in the
habit of laying down to sleep each night
with his beloved infant closely clasped
to his faithful and tender little heart.
These arc but the few cases which
spring into recollection without effort.
But amongst little girls, on the con-
trary, of doll-hatcrs have known moro
than few. In my own Immediate
family canvass through three genera
tions of women shows only two doll
lovers out of fiftccu little girls, the rest
decidedly preferring rough-and-tumblc,
active play in the open air
The day after reading Prof James
Judgment, as walked abroad at school
closing hour, overlook numbers of lit
tic girls. among whom took ii census
of doll-lovers and supposedly boy-play
lovers. The first couple l encountered
was two girls one OF whom had har-
messed the other and was driving her
with Il whip. | soon won their conf
dcnce, and asked: 'But You would far
rather play with dolls, wouldn't YOU,
than to play horse ami driver?" NO,
ma'am, we wouldn't" was the stout
answer; wed rather run" The next
group were hoop-drivcrs, and having
aroused their interest in myself
as Il helpless female who wanted
direction as to which street TO take. I
easily induced them to respond to my
questioning. When it came to an ex-
animation on the doll subject five of
them did like dolls best and four en-
phaticallY did not like dolls at all on
first consideration, but admitted finally
they might play with dolls if there was
nothing else to do. The next Saturday
visited ii morning class of small girls
and pursued my Investigations with
about the same results Coming home,
paused in the public garden to inter
view tlrcc-year-old boy, richly
dressed, who sat with his nurse on one
Of the scttces. The look of CONTEMPT
which appeared on his countcnancc as
1 asked him if he liked dolls was n sight
to see. and he Indignantly Informed me
that he had Il wagon, pointing to one
near by which had not observed. Here
the nurse spoke up: ole do be 'shamcd
to play with dolls, mum, cause they're
for girls"
Now, this girl voiced what have
long thought. a deliberate effort is
u,1Ir n hi,S f1,c in.I;,,
sexes. My theory, confirmed by such
observations as were possiblc) is that If
boys and girls were left to their nat