The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1899-08-29

| kioWth occurs ~ IL not only In thi
growth Itself. the increase In helgh
and weight. but the structure of th,
system changes. the large trunk mus
Giles begin to grow. and the youth ha,
entered on the awkward age. the,
seem over-grown. All this means !
stirring up, then. of the physical sys
tenn and the reception of new stimuli
| ana 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 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 Il can be given
or the change which comes at 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. Ii Is not strange that he
feels different to himself and to others
and takes on new characteristics and
change of methods.
Il heard a teacher once say that
when 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
accomplishments 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
rave ideas-he doesn't have aspirations
at large. Now, whether every youth
has these vague aspirations, / cannot
say, but IL Is certainly characteristic
OF the average youth TO have these
longings, to have these ideas of a gem
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 or a lawyer.
but 1t 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.
II 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; IL seems to pre-
sent an unbounded eXpanse and Is gem
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
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 a large amount
Of statistics OF this joining the church,
and 1t was found that this period of
adolescence Is particularly favorable
to religious awakening 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-
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
I dozen children whose ages run from
l2 to Is; first she took them through |
he streets purposely, and then took
hem along the side OF river, tenn
ng with beauty at every point; when
she came back she asked them what
vas the thing that had most impressed
hem; they were divided as to whether
t was donkey cart or bunch of ba-
lanas hanging up In a store; there
vas not single child who alluded In
he most remote way tOanything in the
nature of natural beauty. The aver
Ige boy or girl doesn't care much for
beauty as a thing by itself.
Now with the age of adolescence II
here Is any artistic beauty dormant
n the youth, it comes out, and conse-
Iuently a new form of literature is ac-
essible to him. Most boys profess a
Contempt for poetry, except perhaps
n the form of narrative. or course,
1t is a story by Walter Scott It APP
eals well to him. The average child
las no interest In the generalization
4 principles as principles, no more
han In ideas as ideas. He may be in
crested in rules, but that Is different
rom a law Of principle. Now, when
e begins to see larger world and
e begins to see himself as a member
{ the larger world, then he can hard I
7 help being interested In generaliza- ,
ion of principles. II seems obvious
D me that when person begins TO
link Of himself in his relations 10
ome and society there comes a ire !
lendous change in his life and meth !
DIS OF thinking.
In three directions, then, the ethical
sthetic and intellectual, we find the
10 larger interests and a G
Irger meaning OF things, so that the a
lachinery Of habits which has been 9
'rmed may now be taken possession
!, and illuminated and expanded by
lese larger ideal considerations D
hich have come into view, Two 4
lings seem quite obvious 10 me, In 4
10 first place, the emotions are a In
l.