Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1910-03-18
PROFESSOR NC FARLANO'S
ADDRESS.
Talks Interestingly About Child
hood and Its Needs,

by Rev. Arthur E. Hartman of the
Memorial Church. and the minutes of
the previous meeting were read by the
secretary, Mrs. S. r. Patrick. The presi
dent of the class, DIR. Howard L. Averill,
announced that the next four sessions
will be held in the vestry of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church.
Professor Mcfarland said in part as
follows: "For the purposes of study,
human life is divided into several stages,
We are to be particularly concerned,
this evening, with the stage known as
the period of pre-adolescense, which ex-
tends from the 9th or 9TH through the
18th year.
Certain outstanding characteristics be-
long to this period 1t is frequently
called the barbaric stage 1t is the time
when new relationships are established,
aud new influences begin to play upon
the life which has heretofore been sur
rounded almost exclusively by home in
f1uences. The new institution with
which the child becomes most intimately
connected is the school, but it also
quickly responds to other social in
fiuences, such as the gang spirit, the
desire to form little groups with secrets,
and the desire for companonship in play.
The child is very appreciative of praise
very sensitive, also, to criticism. While
criticism evidently cuts to the quick the
suffering is transient.
During this period of life the child
needs wise oversight. Habits of neatness
should be encouraged. A congenial en-
vironment should be allowed to play
upon the life. Care should be taken to
provide proper diet; and, above all, the
child should find helpful examples in the
lives of parents, teachers and friends.
"Children of the pre-adolescent stage
are often divided into two classes; one
class is called motor minded. and the
other 'sensOry- minded Mental activity
Is manifested IN two directions. Sensory
movement begins with the sense organs
and travels to the brain, here it is
manifested as sensation. Motor move
wardly; it is manifested in the move
ments of the muscles.
The sensory-minded child is sensitive,
impressionable, vet reserved. He Is
'bashful, slow to act, slow to reveal his
feelings, and not very practical He may
be good in counsel, but he is not usually
"A good leader. He may become poet,
a painter, or thinker but never fear
less reformer. philanthropist' or ruler.
This TIVE of child needs to be encouraged
to express himself frequently, to be
drawn out. He should be asked to do
things. to perform tasks requiring motor
. activity. He should be prevented from
engaging in unwholesome mtrospectIon.
The undetermined child is the active,
impusive child: more energetic than re
Elective. He is very responsive to sug-
gestion and easily influenced by environ
ment. In the schoolroom he is 'all over
the seat. his hand is always up He is
pretty largely creature of habit. What
this type OF child needs is to he taught
self-restraint; he should be encouraged
to listen and to reflect. He should have
a quiet. even environment. He needs
fewer incentives to action than the SEN
sorry minded child He often appears to
be brighter and smarter than the sensory-
minded child; but, in reality, he may
not be. He is simply more expressive
than the other type.
4 The period that we are studying is a
time of rapid physical development. The
, brain reaches its full growth from the
seventh to the ninth year; and at about
the eighth year there Is change from
, growth in bulk to development of organ
lzation From the seventh to the ninth
year ply steal disturbance takes place,
and its symptoms are physical and nerv-
GUS fatigue, weak heart and inatten.
ton to school tasks. The latter NAV
very largely be due to physical weakness.
The mind of the child, during the per-
iod that e. are studying, develops in a
most interesting way. HIS power of per.
ception becomes quicker, more active
and more definite. He is not so easily
satisfied, nor so readily deceived, as in
earlier years. His mind begins to work
upon the materials which the senses
bring to it. Memory now becomes one of
the most active and most dominant of
the mental powers. Experiments in the
= schoolroom have proved that girls can
remember stories better than boys. Boys
have better memories for descriptions
and logical processes: girls, for novel
occurrences and single impressions
Though the child's power of association
begins with its conscious life, yet it is
not very consistent before the ninth
year. The imagination of the child is
very active. Ills will should receive
very careful attention from the teacher.
, While his power of attention is not as
marked as in later period, yet the child
takes considerable interest in other chill
dren, partly because of their possessions,
such as toys, guns, books, etc. The
father or the uncle is usually the ideal
of the very young lad after the 7th
year some historical character becomes
his ideal; from the 18th year onward ne
finds his ideal among his contempora-
ries. The majority of children take
males, rather than females, for their
ideal character 1t is surprising fact,
and rejecting upon home training,
that only five per cent, of children draw
their ideals from tha Rihla