Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-31


pie, and the wickedness of the ugly
imps is overthrown. This is not quite
in harmony with the ways of the world
as grown people see it, but the habit
of anticipating Ill after wrong and re-
ward after sacrifice is good. Also, the
habit of seeing in common occurrences
more than at first meets the eye, and
above all things the habit of looking for
unseen good, add greatly to the value
of life. The old fairy tales, in modera-
tion, are efficient aids to the formation
of right habits of looking at the world.
Not of least Importance in the read
ing of children is the habit of feeling
which is thus developed. If undesir-
able traits are held in honor in the
book a boy reads, as in the yellow
penny dreadfuls, then he is apt to hold
these traits in honor If the hero
smokes long, slender cigarettes U be-
modern fiction), then the boy must Sc
cure these things If possible, Anyway,
they regard any man whom they see
smoking that kind of thing as in some
degree heroic. Now this is perhaps
exaggerated, but the principle is true
one. The repetition of any series of
mental actions leads to the formation
of mental habits, these habits await
only suitable circumstances to display
thinks consciously that he admires
such and such a hero and chooses to
follow his example; the affair is more
subtle than this. The very thinking,
in any vivid manner, of certain traits
plants the beginnings of those traits in
ones own personality. If one reads a
book which describes vividly any crime,
any person feels himself in some degree
guilty of that crime. And he is just
haf0rR
With children whose powers of oppo-
sition or inhibition are very feebly de-
veloped the way from the vivid appre
citation of crime to its actual perform
ance is often a short one.
In this matter lies the danger of the
cheap theater, and still more of the
moving picture show. In these moving
pictures the scenes are so very realistic,
and the imagination is kept SO con-
stantly on the alert because of the lack
of words. that the effect upon the i'm
agination is more powerful than is the
case with the ordinary play. Besides,
there is reason to believe that the
quivering of the pictures as they move,
and the eye strain thereby produced,
add to the suggestibility of the child,
Just as the eye strain causes hypnosis.
The danger of ill planned or wicked
picture shows is not to be overestimat-
ed. The scenes shown in these cheap
theaters become real part of the per-
sonality of the children who see them
should like to say very strongly that
these shows are not merely seen by
the children; they become real part
of the child's personality, they become
a part of the foundation of his char
acter. And he will act, through all his
life long, in q certain degree in har-
mony with the things which have i'm
DraSsed themselves upOu him.
One of the highest characteristics of
mankind Is the power of inhibition.
This Is the power of restraining any
action until it has been subjected to
the effects of past experiences, of MEM
ories of ones own experience and of the
experiences of others. 1t is by means
of this power that we are enabled to
"think a thing over" to act more
wisely than would be possible If any
reaction were performed Immediately.
This power of inhibition may become
too strongly developed, so that the
habit of thinking too long about trivial
matters may lead to loss of time and
to foolish delays in action. 1t is good
to await second thoughts; it is good,
also, to learn to act speedily. These
things also are matters of habit Let
the child be permitted or encouraged to
discuss trivial things, as, for example,
which shoe shall go on first, or whether
he shall do some other thing in a GER
tain way. Let the discussion be re-
peated daily, and the habit of foolish
and wasteful delaying will be formed.
On the other hand. if a difference of
opinion arises, as for example in the
case of the right shoe or the left shoe,
then he should be encouraged to de-
eide the matter in as logical manner