The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-08-24

imagination; they want it variable: il
they do follow rules, they simply fol
low the habit they have formed oil
playing a certain thing in a certain
way and which their Imagination sug-
gests no new way OF playing. After
the transition period, skill in playing
games begins 10 appeal to them: skill
as thing by itself or power TO achieve
has no meaning; you cannot present a
motive 20 the child by saying. If YOU
do it this way you will be able TO do
better next time. but there are certain
ranges of skill which appeal 10 them
and they can feel the force of it. The
child sets considerable store by his
power to mimic; if he plays he is build
ling a house, he wants TO build a big
/ house, for in that he gets a sense of
! largeness; if he plays at Indians. he
/ has his mimic weapons and everything
! in that line which gives him a sense
| of power, things which give him the
sense of having ability to achieve. and
| prevailing upon those with whom he
comes in contact that he is a somebody
and capable of doing great things
In the seventh year We find that
children's ideas of results are, of
course, out of all proportion TO what
they can actually do In many cases
they often conceal their true abilities.
because they fear the possibility of
ridcule. However. we find they plan
the most impossible things. A boy of
seven we find planning to make a
steamboat, and how he is going to run
it; also another planning how TO make
balloon, how he will steer it and
make it go up or down; another plan
ming to build theater, stage and all,
and even planning to be an actor; the
more imaginative ones plan things
which are of course ludicrously all out
iOf proportion for their ability TO
achieve the desired end. Now it is that
very disproportion between the things
which are imagined and the capacity
for achievement which make it such a
critical period. The main and most
important question is to bring these
two elements nearer together; how to
cultivate the child's imagination with
out destroying the imagination, until
it comes within the range of reality
and possibility. On the other hand
quite often we find that in passing from
five to eight years that the youthful in
genuity of imagination has entirely
been wiped out and the child seems to
have fallen into a rut; the reason for
this is that the child'S power OF imag-
ination is not taken hold of and he is
not given any outlet whatever for it,
and as he grows older he realizes that
he cannot do the things which were
thought of in his earlier years; no ave-
nue. or channel of performance is open,
and his originality dies out, from lack
in IA 10 6pOra6pS
thinking to his actual achievements.
Other children who retain this origi-
nality. in spite of lack of advantages
for outlets, conceal their powers, be-
come highly absorbed in themselves
and they eventually lead a double life,
and there is a point reached when its
mind becomes morbid and unreal, the
result of the child living in world OF
vast achievements, doing wondrous
creating it's own world, NOR
bid world existing in it's mind.
There is another thing which of
course accompanies this period OF de-
and that is the training and
discipline The child of five and six is
extremely active and is generally more
affected by discipline than at the age
of seven and eight. There is certain
physical lawleSSneSS at this latter age;
the child cannot always do the thing he
wishes to do. and if curbed in his de-
sires is likely to commit some mischief,
and often to this to direct attention to
themselves and cause one to feel that
they are somebody, even If they have
to resort to mischief. When child
can do things in which he sees certain
results accruing and they find that the
same results are usually produced,
form certain regulations or methods, an
equation between the thing which the
child has in mind and his ability to eX-
ecute: if he takes certain materials IN
hand and he finds that there are GER
tain laws outside of his own powers TO
execute. in order to bring out certain
results and he finds that he has TO do
things in a certain way, the failure OF
results as followed out by himself be-
comes a discipline to him and forces
upon him the necessity OF using Oil
ferent order or method to produce the
required results. / am extremely hope
ful that good results in discipline may
be reached when people at large have
thoughtfully and seriously begun to
find occupations and purposes for chill
dren at this period which will bring
them out of chaotic habits and mean
ingless desires TO orderly and disci-
plined habits.