The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-03-29
OLD THEORIES
ARE EXPLODED
Professor Barnes Declares
Crying Is Bad for Baby.
SLEEPING ALSO HARMFUL
If Allowed All the Time
His Lecture.
SLEEPING ALSO HARMFUL

Mems Christian Association. in West Fiji
ty-seventh street, New York City, on the
Care and Culture of Children"
Professor Barnes lectures are particu-
larry interesting because they embody in
a form comprehensive to the layman a
tremendous quantity of facts which have
been secured by the investigation of
students of children.
In summarizing these facts for the Her
aid Professor Barnes divided his subject
into six parts, dealing with the begin
| ing of life as the problem of infancy; the
extension of the personality of the child
| and how children relate themselves 10 tbs
| family; the growth of ideals, how child
! zen approach the larger world, the play
of the mind, in which humor is seen to
develop the character of the child; the
help which pets give to children in help
ing them to understand human life and
| the manner in which a chlu approaches
| its vocation in life.
THE foundations of physical. mental
and moral health are laid before and
shortly after BIRTH said Professor
Barnes. The education of infancy con-
sists almost entirely in securing adequate
! NACiNiocS anu IOIiIlluS BOOu ltdDltS.
Beliefs will be reorgan ized and establish
| ed in early adolescence; but in infancy
habits of action, thought and feeling can
| be established which will color the whole
after life.
THE fondness for rhythm is apparent
| in babyhood, its basis is in the organic
/ functions. All life is rhytnmic the heart
J beats rhythm. the lngs perform their
| function rhythmically. We breathe. and
J that is rhythm. Therefore the child
! loves rhythm, loves to be patted carried,
rocked, danced and sung to. These ac-
tivities are moderately desirable. Neither
the Lie still and go to sleep theory of
I the modern child specialits nor the old
fashioned CRADLE theory should be IN
dulged in to excess
In regard to activity of the child. Pro-
| fessor Barnes says:-"It is sometimes
thought that crying is good for children
but | do not consider it a good form of
activity. The child who cries is expert
encing some strong emotion at the same
time. 1t is angry or hurt or frightened
String emotions are never good for child
rem, and therefore crying is not a good
activity"
The beginning of the will is strongly
marked in infancy. Obedience is the
first duty in life. This is obtained by
leading the child steadily in the path it
should go, so that he never knows what
it is to disobey. If this is not done there
may come a tine when, as In the case of
a cold which is neglected. the only thing
to do is to bring the child to obedience
through force This is called breaking the
xx-in L. aNfo
clusion. but it is terribly wasteful of hu-
man life.
Mother love is one Of the things most
indispensable for a baby, and yet a child
may sleep and wake in the arms of ma
ternal affection and grow up selfish. hard
and cold. The mother love must be di-
rected by intelligence, as the nursing in
stinct must be tempered by medical know
ledge
In speaking of childs relation to the
family Professor Barnes said:-'In the
family life the child Shout. find all the
factors of the larger social, industrial
and political life in which ne is to live
as an adult. The home on the farm with
its simple haO4Gs, varied work and primi-
tive human relations has produced the
leaders of the past. City life does not
provide equally good conditions
The result of various studies has shown
how thoroughly a childs life is based on
selfishness. Altruism. like all broad con-
ceptions, grows slowly During the la I
year cumulative studies have been made
on thousands of children, with a view 10
determining how chiIds sense of family |
obligations develops. In Dismorr's study !
two thousand children were asked TO
write little composition In answer to |
this question:-"A father paid his little |
child a penny for picking up kindling |
wood. Was 1t right or wrong for him TO /
do that?" 1t was shown that the children |
focused all their attention on themselves !
They made a personal application for the |
story. and thought only of the hard work !
of the child. Slowly. year by year they |
shift the focus of attention to the father. /
and come to think OF his care and their |
obligations.
So far as conscious returns are con- /
cerned. parenthood with young children
is the most thankless task in which an
adult can be engaged. our studies Of T.
ideals show how rarely children choose /
their father and mother as ideal charac- 4
ters and other Investigations have shown I
how rarely American children choose
their parents calling as their own Yet.
on the other hand. there is no other work
in which there are such rich rewards
Children pay as they go along.
The struggle between parent and child
is Inevitable. The parent must restrain
the child and the child must gain power
through struggling to escape This strug-
gle is most intense in infancy and in the
late teens. The child who does not fully
escape At maturity is unfortunate
All power centres in the parent Only
slowly can the authority be delegated to
brothers and sisters. The school makes
good transition.
Since the home life is 10 body forth and
prepare for the larger world il should
be orderly. with definite duties. obnga-
tons, privileges and rewards. and these
SHOULD be slowly hut surely modified from
absolute obedience toward absolute free
dom
The kindergarten is an invaluable aid 10
developing social political and Industrial
feeling. II adds to The good Conditions
Of a home. the association with q groEp
OF equals and expert leadership
The growth % ideals comes when child
ren approach the larger world
What we love. what Ne become. The
growth Of the personality from narrow
se.fcentred esotisn 10 a world sy-pa-
thi=ing self IS best seen n cur attitude
toward people. Adrirations and 6issfkcs
are eontasious. and most children catch
their heroes from parents. teachers and