The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-08-26

| the coming OF puberty a tremendous
growth occurs; il is not only in the
growth itself, the increase in height
and weight, but the structure OF the
system changes: the large trunk mus
cles begin to grow, and the youth has
entered on the awkward age; they
seem over-grown. All this means a
stirring up, then, of the physical sys-
tenn and the reception OF d new stimuli
and sense of reaction. The new i'm
pulses of sex which dawn at this pc
riod are the ones which make him be
come a member of the race of human
kind and announce his sex II is not
surprising, then. at this time that
there is a tremendous reconstruction
going on in the entire mental and NOR
al makeup OF the youth. as well as in
the physical. That seems TO be the
explanation as far as it can be given
of the change which comes al this
time-the awakening of the intellect
ual impulses which make the individ-
ual an organic member Of the human
race and with the life of humanity as
a whole. 1t is not strange that he
feels different to himself and to others,
and takes on new characteristics and
a change of methods.
Il heard a teacher once say that
when a boy or girl began TO take great
interest in themselves, in their clothes
as far as making an appearance be-
fore others was concerned. because
they were thinking what some of the
other sex would think of them. it was
then time for them to study technical
grammar. That simple statement illus
trates the character of the change
which is going on, that is, the social
accompaniment of this change. Vague
longings come at this time; the child
before this has perhaps ends and aims
in the sense that he sees certain re-
suits, but the normal youth doesn't
have ideaS-he doesn't have aspirations
at large Now whether every youth
has these vague aspirations, | cannot
say but it is certainly characteristic
OF the average youth to have these
longings, to have these ideas of a gen
eral nature, which would include a
great variety of minor details. They
partake largely of the inner nature of
the youth and not of the outward; he
may want TO be a soldier o. lawyer
but it is only physical thing which
he has in mind. On the other hand,
the other side of his nature being Ia
ken possession of by these lOngingS,
it is liable to create romantic spirit.
This is the period when the youth is
continually running away from home,
and the sea seems to possess the great
est attraction to him; it seems TO pre-
sent an unbounded eXpanse and is gen
orally in greatest contrast with his life
at home The youth feels that the
life at home has restrictions and re-
straints, which do anything but salts
~, h oh
in him.
Now another side of this same ex-
perience of being filled with large
ideals is seen in religious affairs. Some
students in the United States have Ia
ken the pains to collect large amount
of statistics of this joining the church,
and it was found that this period OF
adolescence is particularly favorable
to religious awakening-a sense of sin;
an introduction into religious life
seems a realization of something large
and infinite and unbOunded. They also
find that this is the period for con-
firmation in the churches.
There is an eSthetic awakening
which is also characteristic OF this
period of the child'S life. A woman
told me of walk she took with about
a dozen children whose ages run from
~ to Is: first she took them through
the streets purposely, and then TOOK
them along the side OF a river, teem-
ing with beauty at every point; When
she came back she asked them what
was the thing that had most impressed
them; they were divided as TO Whetner
it was a donkey cart or bunch or pa
nanas hanging up in store; there
was not a single child who alluded IN
the most remote way TO anything in the
nature of natural beauty. The aver
age bow or girl doesn't care much for
beauty as a thing by itself.
Now with the age of adolescence II
there is any artistic beauty dormant
in the youth, it comes out, and conse-
ouentlv a new form of literature is ac-
cessible TO him. Most boys profess a
contempt for poetry, except perhaps
in the form of narrative. Of course.
if it is a story by Walter Scott 1t APP
meals we'll to him. The average chlId
has no interest in the generalization
of principles as principles, no more
than in ideas as ideas. He may De IN
terested in rules, but that IS dlHerenl
from a law of principle. Now, Wheh
he begins to see a larger Wofld anu
he begins to see himself as member
of the larger NOI III, JLACll AiC NNN-i AA'' -
" help being interested in generaliza-
tiOn of principles. 1t seems obvious
to me that when a person begins to
think of himself in his relations to
home and society there comes a ire
mendous change in his life and meth
DDS of thinking.
In three directions, then, the ethical,
esthetic and intellectual, we find the
awakening TO larger interests and
larger meaning of things, so that the
machinery of habits which has been
formed may now be taken possession
of. and Illuminated and expanded by
these larger ideal considerations
which have come into view. Two
things seem quite obvious 70 me. In
the first place, the emotions are a
great awakening: it is the emotion
which keeps our life from becoming
mechanical and routine. 1t is the
emotion which gives us force, VlVaclty
i q m y