New-York tribune., 1908-01-03
CULTIVATING IMAGINATION.
Plays of Great Value in Child Training, Says
E. II. Abbrtt

Two generations ago a man wrote book about
the training of children Gentle Measures In the
Management and Training Of Children was the
quaint title he gave IL Among the aids to the
bringing UP of children. he aamed imagination as
one of the most useful He modern in that
more modern than many parent of to-day But
his grandson Ernest Hamlin Abbott. believes
he did. The third paper of Mr. Abbott's series
The Training of Parents in THE Outlook turns
on the Importance of cultvating m children the
quality which many parents. under the mistaken
impression that it implies in the child imperfect
respect for veracty. labor to suppress
Mr.. Abbott looks ina agination a kind OF in
stinct-of-al-work. "As a draft animal it is in
defatigabe," he says. land nothing else can take
Its place for driving" Even the rod, he
says. may be used imasinativey. and he tells of II
small boy whose father, seeking some way 20 cure
the child of dawdng over his dressing in the
morning, suggested that he the father, be an
Egyptian and the Israelte slave The play
was joyfuiy accepted, and when the boy got q
smart rap the shins to remind hin to be
quicker he never whimpered-wasn't it the over
seer's business keep the slave at his task? The
slave got dressed with marvellous quickness. and.
what is more enjoyed it. Disciplinarians will OBJ
ject. perhaps. that the child should be taught to
obey because 1t IS right to obey. Do these moral
lists pause 10 reflect how they-how al adults
require some outside stimulus 10 keep them at their
work? How many of would keep steadily at
task because told ought to DO IL? We work be-
need money or desire 1t for pleasures.
because we want tame. or the esteem CT our HSISu-
bors-almost always there is outside pressure
to reinforce the will A child's will needs rein
forcenlent, too, and ina gination will supply IT,
often when nothing else will
All lovers of Kiping remember Wee Willie
Wrinkle whose father put him under military
regime; what a brave honest little man it made
OF him; what anguish possessed his young spirit
when stress of circumstances compelled him to
'bweak his pawoe," Parents who object to tin
soldiers as toys Mr.. Abbott observes, won't ap-
creatures rnilitarism" but there other plays
that may be employed. Let the children be
monks. or members of a labor union. idealized
legislators. or honest policemen. anything
that will not put TOO great strain the imagi-
nation-of the adult"
Four big girls in Little Women found trans
forming themselves into "PiIgrim's Progress char
acters a great help in performing distasteful
tasks. Imagination" said Susan Coolidge who
understood children we'll, lis sail to carry US
over dark places There small girl once
woman-who made her dull daily job of
dish wiping quite interesting by playing that the
dishes were her children, whom she was making
fine to go on an excursion. and the cupboard the
railway train. which wouldn't wait If they were
late. With what celerity she got her numerous
family in their places. and shut the door and
called out All aboard" And there no slight
ing of the work. either-her children must have
clean faces
Imagination need not resort to such prosaic fan
cles Literature is full OF exhiarating plays for
| children The Bible teens with them; do the
! folk tales of the Old World, and the best fairy
| tales The race between the Israeltes and the
i Egyptians TO the Red Sea. for exampe-what could
| not children be induced to do by imagining them
selves the Israelites
There is. Mr.. Abbott points out nothing neces
| sarily soft habby about the imaginative life
| There is why little children should bt
afflicted with continual talk about the dear httl'
brides. Indeed. the natural taste OF chill
! dren seems TO be attracted in the opposite direc
| ton" Then he tells of small boy who inquired
| about a bloody Bible picture, and. being put on
! with the explanation that IT was not pleasan
! story locked up angelicany and exclaimed, Il like
| to hear about horrid thingsi"