Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-03-14
IMITATION.
a Paper Read Before the. Herbart So
ciety by Miss Mary A. Catalan,
of Birmingham.

This subject is one that does not lend
itself readily to missionaries. We can-
not make the child initiate, but must
record our observations of acts of imita-
ton as they present themselves in the
child life about us. Examples are not
wanting; we have them under our eyes
daily hourly l have gathered together
several instances of this power In num-
Der of children, most of them pupils IN
our own school, but have made no ef-
fort at a scientific classification.
No one can doubt the importance OF
research in this direction, and the bear
ing of imitation upon the problem or the
child's Development. 1t is the hinge on
which the world turns.
Prominent Writers.-"It is the COD
given power that has made the human
being educable and has made our pro-
gresSiVe civilization" Burke, in 'On the
Sublime and Beautiful" says: 1T Is by
imitation far more than by precept that
we learn everything; and what we learn
thus, we acquire not only more effect
ually, but more pleasantly. This forms
our manners, our opinions, our lives. 1t
is one of the strongest links of society;
1t Is species of mutual compliance,
which all men yield to each other without
constraint to themselves. and which is
extremely flattering to ALL"
Froebel makes imitation the central
point of kindergarten work, basing upon
1t the plays in Mother Play" and often
selecting modes of activity in which the
child initiates the movements of grown
up people at work.
Mr.. Jackman says: Children always
start with imitation, and very few people
ever get beyond It,"
Imitation white says. the impress
sions from the external environments are
received by the senses, the nervous sys-
tenn Is reused to activity this activity
Is carried to the brain, and ii is the
reaction of this functional activity in
the shape of muscular action" that pro-
duces imitation. BY repetition these
acts become reflex and SO we have habit.
This reaction may be immediate, or. as
is sometimes the case, the impression is
retained and the reaction or imita ton
does not take place for some time.
This imitation element is considered
by our best psychologists to be the most
potent factor in the chld's mental evo-
luton This is known, too, by people
who have given little attention to chill
dren, and we hear them spoken of as
little monkeys, parrots, etc.
1t is held by some that imitation is
instructive but methods say that babies
begin to initiate when they are three
and four months old.
many mothers told me they did not
notice the children initiating at alp
Eyes and see not
ouliy says lndI every Initiative ACT
presupposes some idea of movement, the
power is then probably acquired)
ThehMaungest initiative act that saw
that seemed to presuppose an idea of
motion and sound was in the case of a
babe 6 months old of Jewish parents.
who initiated very closely the growing of
pet dog; and who associated the name
of the dog by growing when asked what
Bounce did.
/ WHAT CHILDREN INITIATE.
This power is strong in all children. but
in varying degrees. Some seem much
more ready than others in initiating the
actions-some the words, others facial
xpressions-dress etc, of others, the
occupations of those with whom they as
sociate.
1t is especially noticeable the variety
of things children in the same home will
initiate. One will initiate the religious
ways of people Others the reading or