Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-18

sweetheart. Boys VINO at OtHeT SlIIlcS d1c
towards. will fight with vigor and courage
when their love IS concerned. Children
that have a socfable disposition sometimes
become exclusive and abandon all other
playmates for the chosen one. and cannot
be induced to play with any one else.
First Ideas Of Marriage.
ideas Of marriage are often present in
this first stage, but are vague and due to
social suggestion. The general attitude Is
represented by the testimony Of one wo-
man, who stated that she had no definite
idea of marriage at the time OF her earliest
childish love affair, but that she had
vague feeling that she and her little lover
would always be together. and this feeling
was a source of pleasure"
Beauty begins to be a factor in the
choice OF a sweetheart among children in
this first stage. The most beautiful, charm
ing and attractive little girls the ones
who are favored This element becomes
much more CONSPICUOUS in the later stages.
Jealousy is present from the first
The following is a sample of the cases,
belonging to the first stage. reported to
Mr.. Bell:
my little nephew of three, and little
nefghbor girl of the same age, had a most
affectionate love for each other, and were
not at all shy about 1t. They would kiss
each other when they met, and would seem
to think 1t all right. The little boy used to
tell me that they would marry when grown.
This continued about two and a half years
then the girls parents moved away. much
to the grief of both. The little boy would
often climb up and take the girls photo
graph from the mantel and kiss 1T
Another account of two lovers, each three
years old. reads: "On one occasion a large
boy picked Bessie up to fondle her, where
upon her jealous lover seized Ratchet and
attacked his rival. He mperousy demand
ed Il dollar from me one day that he might
buy Bessie and have her all for his own
iS NOW civ nd
ever
The Shy Stage.
The second stage extending from the
eighth year to the twelfth in girls and to
the fourteenth in boys. is characterized by
the appearance of shyness and modesty.
the investigator says. The boys are more
secretive than the girls, but the tendency
to conceal love is present in both. There
is a conspicuous absence of pairing. The
lover and sweetheart are not often seen
alone. They are much confused and en-
barrassed when circumstances do bring
them into each others presence. Although
modesty shows itself as II characteristic
trait of the girl. even at this early age she
is. on the whole. less guarded about reveal
ing her secret Occasionally couples be-
tween eight and twelve fourteen years
of age freely express their feelings they
do in the previous stage. and also in the
couples are generally those of effeminate
tendencies. who have been accustomed to
play with girls instead of with boys. They
are never very highly respected by other
boys, and later tolerated by the girls
rather than respected and sought by them.
Kissing Games.
I'm this second stage the love emotion has
its expression indirectly through games.
Out of eighty-three games of Washington,
D. c., children reported, many thirty
are love games In this as In the previous
stage the embrace is the most important
love expression The kiss is not the frank
love kiss given and received as such, but
one called for by the rules of the game.
The charm is in the fact that under the
guise of cermony love has It's way.
1T is common to see favoritism in reci-
tations wherein pupils make the correc-
lions: the lover seldom corrects the sweet
heart. and vice versa. In contests, such as
spelling, words are purposely mispelled in
order to favor the sweetheart. The eye
glance is another means as efticacous with
children with adults. One pair Of young
lovers whose unsympathetic teacher for
babe their looking at each other, brought
hand mirrors by means of which they CON
tinued to exchange their love messages
Few teachers complain of the love affairs
of children in these first two periods AS in
terfering with school work-except where
one of the lovers is absent. A score or
more of observers assert that during the
absence of one of the lovers the other does
moody and irritable. On the other hand
this childish love very materially quicHena
the efforts of many who want to appear
We'll before their lovers
Attempted Suicides.
Akin to disturbance caused by absence
of the lover from school is grief from beng
separated. Four attempts at suicide are
reported, one boy eight years old, another
nine; a girl nine and another eleven. Six
cases of nervous illness are reported as
due either to separation or jilting. Ordi-
narily, however. weaving 1t is an easy
natter.
1.-The season of the year seems to have its
effect upon the intensity of the emotion.
One teacher from Texas said that love
among children seemed fairly to break out
in the spring time Many OF the others
who reported mentioned love affairs as be
ginning in the spring. This also agrees
with my own observations.
" Showing of as "A method of courtshi'
Is as old as the human race. 1t constitutes
one OF the chief numbers in the boys rep
ertury of love charms, and is not totally
absent from the girls. 1t Is d most com
mon sight to see boys taxing their re
sources in devisng means OF exposing
thci! own cXcellrucoS and often dong the
most ridiculous and extraVagant things
jumping, dancing. pranclnS, SpAIflng,
wrestling. turning hand springs and s"mer-
saults. climbing. walking fences singing.
giving yod.ls and ytlls. whstling initial
ing the movements of animals. taking PEG
pie off counting danger and affecting cour-
age / saw boy upon one such occasion
stand upon the railroad track until by the
bareSt margin he escaped death by PATS
se,Iger engine. one writer gives the Hc-
count of Al boy who thus sat on the end OF
"A cross tie and was killed by a passing
train. This Showing off in the boy lover
is the forerunn"r OF the skillful. purposiVe
and elaborate means of self-eXhibi ion in
the adult mall" and the charming coquetry
in the adult female. in their love relations
"Previuus to the ag" of about nine the
girl is more aggressive than tie boy IN
love affairs. At this age her InndeSty. coy
ness and native love for being Wooed come
to the surface and thereafter characterize
her attitude toward the opposite Sex.
Mr. Bell states that in the third stage of
love couples express their feelings more
freely than in the second. III his opinion
womans relatively passive role in love ilf- |
fairs although decreed by nature. has been
by society. The system of in |
gradually developed by civilization !
along the line OF evolution, and has been
pcstponing marriage until a period OF
greater and greater physiological ana psy- |
Geological maturity Of both sexes