The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-20
THE CH|LD'S
PHYSIQUE
Meeting of Moth
ers' and Teach
ers' Club.


at Punahou Preparatory School last
night and studied the ideas of physical
education presented in two essays. one
by Mrs. U. Thompson on ,'Cultivating
Habits of Regularity" and another by
DR.. Luella Cleveland on Foods for
Children" The pleasure of the even
ing was varied by a violin solo by Miss
Alice Woods. Following is Mrs. Thomp-
sons paper:
A well ordered system of habits
constitutes the greatest labor-saving
device that could be furnished the
mind Habitual movements are less
fatiguing than other activities Imi-
tation makes the major part of a
child's life, both in quality and quaint
ty, in his language, ideas and actions.
At first it is ANONYMOUSLY done, but
later the child takes a model from an
other, and clothes his own ideas upon
it. The entire accumulated wealth of
mankind-languages, arts, sciences
passes from one generation to another
by social tradition, each generation
simply initial ting the last. This ex-
plains the slow advancement of a race.
Invention and imitation are the two
legs on which the human race histor-
ically has walked.
The chld's attention is very easy to
get and very hard to hold. This dou-
"
cation, but at the same time, makes his
education a gradual process, which
must consist largely of right habits In
his childhood, through instruction.
Then from the nursery to the school
how careful must we be of his COM
panions. Highly educated German
mothers never allow their children to
have nurses who speak low German.
1t is pity that ignorant people should
ever be the companions of our child
rem In every school there are leaders
among the teachers or pupils, or both
due to their personality, beauty of
person or mind, or both; fascinating
manners, originality, musical ability,
athletics, etc. Wealth and position do
not seem to be the elements of lead
ership 1t is a very serious matter for
boy to be placed in close relationship
person.
Timid and affected mothers have
| timid and affected children. Courag-
eous mothers have courageous child
rem.
| The terms eminent and illustrious
come noted by some single act, or py
some official promotion. They refer TO
men who have attained and can main
| tain their distinction, whatever their
position in society may have peen, or
| may be in the future. Such men are
characterized as possessing three sepa-
| rate qualities-intellect, zeal and pow
er to do work.
| Original men and women, the mar
velous flowers of the race, do not ap-
pear by chance or by miracle, but rep
resept the GROWING point OF long
past. They synthesize the greatness of
| their time, and of the race. BY very
careful study of distinguished men OF
various periods and countries, 1t was
found that one man in four thousand
| may be called eminent, and that not
more than one in a million, or in many
millions, sometimes, may be called IL
luStriouS.
Habits save power and strengthen
power already possessed. All intellec-
| tual habits are strengthened by con-
tinua1 use.
| If a certain one of our sense organs
| is stimulated-the eye, ear OF hand,
and that stimulus us carried to the
brain to be expressed in terms of SEN
| sation, by training, to certain path,
| a second stimulus is more likely to
| follow the path of the first than any
other possible path, provided the con-
| ditions are the same.
Children, like well-kept machinery, IL
properly bathed, fed and exercised,
will run smoothly. While an ill-kept
child, governed through impulse, rath-
| er than reason, goes with jerks and
starts, suffering from menrai, moral
and physical dyspepsia ana ennul, ana
| is thoroughly unhappy.
Children early gain the habit of put
| ting away toys, clothing, etc.
When we do thing for the first
| time we are necessarily awkward ana
slow, but when We have learned this
thing well we may do it quickly and
| perfectly, and this is habit.
Prof. James says habit is the fly
wheel of society, keeping each person
| in his place. He says, Il have seen
miners working fourteen hours a day
| at s cents an hour, when they could
| have had more remunerative and pleas
anter occupations, but they had be-
come accustomed to this occupation
| that they preferred.
| At the age of twenty-five most hab-
| it's are formed for good or bad.
| Habits of order, cleanliness and po-
| likeness are learned early in childhood.
| Evil habits are learned in the same
way-use of liquor, tobacco, coarse
! thoughts and profane language; habits
| of wearing loose or tight clothing; OF
| eating good or bad food, are formed in
| childhood.
Truthfulness, honesty and unselfish-
ness are the most important traits to
develop in childhood
Certain habits are formed for sleep
ing. Habit of fretfulness should be
checked unless caused by physical all
ments. Habit of gossip, fault-fnding,
scolding, using coarse or profane Ian
guage, should be at once stopped.
The best mother I ever knew devoted
herself and the pleasantest things of
home to her three boys, with whom she
associated as of the same age. sac was
enthusiastic in their amusements and
| studies, entertained their friends, among
| whom were numbered some of their
teachers, with charming dinners, at
which they met choice friends. You know
| the real ornaments of a home are its
| friends.
| One must first learned unmoved, look
ing neither to the right nor to the left.
Without unbroken advance there is no
such thing as accumulation of the ethi-
cal forces possible. and to make this pos
sible and to exercise US and habituate us
In 1t, is the sovereign blessing of regu-
| lar work
| Nothing we learn becomes useful until
1t has become mechanical, until we do
| 1t automatically or as we say until we
| become in the habit of dSing it. A book
keeper learns to add automatically. The
| carrying out of certain fixed purposes
should never be interrupted; there must
be perseverance and a continual follow
q