Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-25
speak of England, America, France or
Play Taken from Homes

children's play. In the case of the
little children 1t is yet. But the nome
is no longer the center of activities
and children want to be where things
are doing, and so, unless they are
chained up, they will go out on the
street where things are happening ano
have their play life and their social
life. We have taken out of the home
the tools. We have taken out of the
home the things to do with. We have
taken out of the home the social life
In the city we have done this more
than in the country.
1.-THE school has now become far
more interesting place, for there Things
are happening, more things can be
done and there is companionship. The
city home is becoming too small to
permit lots of children to come in and
play. The old-fashioned home had its
fireplace and large kitchen. The
kitchen has been the center of social
life for all the ages. 1t is no longer
so. Eating together has been the Gus
tom for centuries. Eating together has
been the worldwide symbol of friend
ship"
DR.. Gulick then discussed the bear
ing of this change in the relation OF
the home to society on the moral edu-
cation Of children. He showed that by
taking away the opportunity for play
from the home the community must
supply something to take its place.
| "Play means free time" said DR..
| Gulick. by play we usually mean the
way we react to questions when we
are free to do as we please. A man
| chained to a post is not lazy If he
| fails to get up and 60 about his work.
When a child Is taken by the neck and
planted behind school desk and made
to study, in so far as he does 1t by COM
pulsion, he is neither moral nor i'm
moral. He has to do 1t, and perform
ance brings no credit to him.
chiId's Character Shows in Play
"Our actions are moral or immoral,
then, only in so far as we are free to do
what we please. The freedom of chill
dren is largely found in play life and
the way in which character tends to
show itself most readily is in the
things they do when they are free.
Our real character shows best when
we go away from our friends on play
time and we know that nobody will
know. As, for example, on trip alone
in Europe. l am putting it in this way
deliberately. A great many people,
when entirely free from the influences
Of tradition, will find themselves do
ing things which they would not do al
home. Complete freedom is the condi-
ton for as we'll as the test of, char
acter of the most profound type. A
child who is afraid of his teacher Is
not nearly as moral as the boy on the
playground who refrains from licking
! a smaller boy. In the school, where he
| is moral under compulsion, there Is
less opportunity for morality; on the
playground, on the other hand, there
| is more room for conduct of moral
character. Still there are many of us
so shortsighted as TO hope to produce
morality by limiting human freedom
Freedom to do right also means
freedom to do wrong, and In no othel
way in the world is there any pos
sibilitv TO do the thing that is wrong
as when we are free to do what We
please. The way We react indicate:
the essential character of the mora
nature inside of us. Play consists OF
those activities which we carry OF
when we are free to do whatever We
please. when we are not driven BY
the lash. or drawn by the praise o.
public opinion. 1t is the opportunity
to do this that is leaving the nome
Children less and less have their par
ties at home. The home is not bi.
enough. But that is not the principa
reason. The home is no longer TIT
scene of activities which make III
social life.
Morals Not Safe In Family
Coming down to the question o
moral education in the modern nome
DR.. Gulick said that morals are NJ
longer safe in the family because tn
activities out of which they arise have
been taken away from the family.
"Please don't misunderstood me,
said the eastern physician. i nave
frequently been misunderstood on thl
noint. as saving that the family has
deteriorated, that the family has be
come disintegrated, so that 1t can NJ
longer do these things. 1t IS a Wroh.
point Of view. The community ma
taken away some of the functions
Of tbe family and thus it has degen
Grated. If YOU wish the word. 1t ha'
taken away from the family the per
formance of the work, play ana re
Iipion rites which permitted the chill
dTen to face moral issues in the pres
ence of the family, TO imblbe loi'
traditions, and to witness daily lil'
adult reaction and example. Chlldrei
no longer have opportunities Tor en-
tering into moral questions win IN
father and mother
1.-THE moral problems facing IN
father and mother are not the kiill
/ INFO
they used to in the past. In the cas'
of the bank president, the clerk, th'
trolley conductor and the motorman
the moral questions are technical ant
of a kind that do not lend themselves
ia general family example. Whe1
children worked with their parents
they had a chance gradually TO adJuS
their shoulders to the worlds WorI
and the obligations Of adult lie, pu
that opportunity has been taken away
"To remedy the situation we mus
look forward and not backward. II Il
as impossible as it would be undesira
HE TO restore the old family industries
Remedy Is Not Modern
.rTbere are a number of societies il
America who are trying to restore
bandicraft to our families and thus L
remedy this and certain other prob
lens. This is an attempt to cure b!
looking backward. To call in thu
father from the railroad or from th'
shop. from the specialized farm, tn
store or bank and have him again llV'
the long. wasteful hours of unspeclal
lied labor and the mother become
again the slave of toll in order to ere
ate the rude home necessities of a cen
fury ago-all this is foolishness anC
impossible. We have passed tina
stage.
1T is necessary, however, for th'
community to have children learn t
work. and learn the great moral les
sons which come through Work, and l
is necessary that it be done in com
panionship with expert men and Wom
en- who have the kind of character anC
moral life that we want the children
! ta a