Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-09
THE IMAGINATIVE CHILD
ny A WOMAN PHYSICIAN

b1 n NONfAN EAhASACA<AkN
A vivid Imagination is one Of the
most precious gifts with which chllo
can have the good fortune to be born
into the world. Imagination Is indis-
pensable to the creative genius in art,
literature, music and even science.
Millions watched kettles boiling, but
il took the Imagination of Watt TO
deduce from it the fact that steam
could be transformed into the greatest
locomotive force of the time.
Any child possessing more than an
ordinary share of imagination ought TO
become person of more than ordinary
value in the world. 1t is to them that
the race will owe all progress IN the
process of evolution. 1t Is they who are
gradually showing how to make Ire
beautiful, to convert impediments INTO
instruments, to make nature heieeiA
subservient to our needs ana TO EN-
bellish all moments and objects with
a charm.
The training of O mind which shows
promise of real Imagination, so that II
shall attain the highest degree OF de-
yelopment of which 1t is potentially
capable is a task fraught with great
difficulties.
The nervous system of highly sem
sitiye child is an exquisitely dellcateiy
balanced instrument, which requires
proportionately delicate handing. ANY
form of harshneSs of treatment Wli
have a much more disastrous erect
than 1t would have on less sensitiVs
nature. .+
In the earliest years the senses must
he constantly appealed to. perhaps one
of the greatest dangers one has TO
guard against in the highly imaginative
.child-especially those of an artlstic
emotional temperament, not so much
SO If scientific-is a tendency TO dlsre-
gard the truth.
one form of untruthfulness arises
from inaccuracy of observation; later
comes exaggeration and romancing, es-
pecially If the first signs are tnougnt 10
be amusing and are rather encouraged
than eradicated. Above all, these chill
dren must be taught to observe accu-
rately and to use their senses In the
proper manner
1t is a very good plan for the mother
to make a point of teaching the child
the effect upon it's senses of one COM
mon object every day, beginning as
soon as it can talk. with the simplest
For instance, an orange must not be
allowed to remain vague sort OF OBJ
iect of food. 1t must be recognized as
yellow, round and pitted to the sight.
as pungent to the smell, as sweet (pulp)
and bitter (white and pips) to the taste.
as round, elastic and rough to the
touch, etc.
In this way the various senses are
educated and taught discrimination. A
bell, a top, a clock, some water, form
valuable objects for educating hearing
at the same time as sight and touch.
Most people have tactile sensations
very undeveloped. which is decided
loss.
AS time progresses the finding of a
daily object and the teaching of the ac-
curate facts about it without exaggera-
tion may lead to science and natural
history, which will be almost as In
structiye to the mother as to the child.
But it is not until she begins that she
will realize what an enormous time 1t
will take to exhaust the most ordinary
objects.
1t must be remembered that once say
ing a thing is rarely sufficient for chill
dren; facts have to be repeated often,
but care must be taken that child's
first impressions being the most power
full are the correct ones. He should
have nothing to unlearn as he pro-
crosses.
Memory should newt be cultivated.
The best basis for this is foreign lam
guages. They should be acquired orally
and not from books. A child with