Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-03
ICA, GRADE AZ

imparthy practical lessons that will
never be forgotten in after life.
1.-THE instinct of the child. about
which we hear SO much" said one of
the teachers, Nis not always to be
trusted. Some >children viii play with
their dolls as thaugh they were actual
human beings and they can never be
caught in any act that is not gentle
and kindly. Others slam the unre-
sisting doll around as though it were
their bitterest enemy and put 1t
through the most eccentric course of
treatment in the period of their play.
1 found a'little girl the other day play
ing that her doll was a patient in one
of the hospitals. She was making be-
lieve it had been bitten by mad dog,
and was expected any minute to go
mad. Such an incident had occurred
in the neighborhood and the little girl
had seized on it as a means of impart-
ing sensational character to the doll
play. If one is constantly with little
children and watches their antics it is
borne in on one that a guiding hand is
needed in their play as well as in their
work.
What the Girls Are Taught
NOW what better time could be
chosen for teaching the little girl how
to properly care for a child than at the
IllllG nllCI sic 10 IdhSLl up Win ACA
doll as a plaything. We begin with
the dressing of the doll. We have
washing class, providing the little girls
with sponges, which they use dry, of
course. They are delighted with the
mimicry. We show them HOY to pass
the sponge over the face and body Of
the doll, and then comes the dressing.
The little girls are full of enthusiasm
over this They like to show what neat
little garments they have made for
their respective dolls, and it encour-
ages them to fashion apparel that is
the real thing so far as taking it off
and putting it on Is concerned. Dress
ing finished, we fix the dolls hair and
get them ready for an outing.
at is all very real to the little girls.
They are very proud of their dolls and
aim to make them look as presentable
as possible. Before we began these doll
lessons they were very sorry-looking
lot of playthings. When new they
were things of beauty. but they were
far from remaining joys forever. The
instinct of the children that we have
around us here does not always teach
them that neatness and plenty of soap
and water are desirable accompani-
ments to the daily life. Now our doll
procession Is something to be proud of.
"There is no shrill scolding of the
wax infant. We train the little girls to
be kind to their dolls, to keep them
shielded in the winter and give them
plenty of fresh air at all times. The
right and the wrong way to carry a
child is taught by means of a living
baby. We show them in this way how
wron.; it would be to hold a child in
the fashion that some of them hold
their dolls; how terrible it would be il
the baby were trailed by one arm in
the way some of the dolls are trailed.
and what delicate piece of humanity
a baby is, and how necessary it Is 70
treat it with care and consideration.
"There is nothing farcical about this.
The children take it all very seriously
and So do we. We see the result of
our teaching in the way the little girls
act toward their dolls By and by, when
the child has grown into a woman the
lessons we teach in the doll stage OF
life will be fruitful. We are taking the
children at the impressionable age, and
the good done at this time is meal
culably superior to that attempted later
in life. Every mother should study her
children at play and correct the mis-
takes that are made when the char
acter is Uniformed and the little girl js
but an imltator, copying the good as
well as the bad in the life she sees
around her. er."-Philadelphia Record.