Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1910-03-25
Prof. MeFarIand,s Lecture.

The Union Normal class met on Mon
day evening in the Methodist vestry
DR.. Howard L. Averill, President of the
class, was in the chair. Prayer was
offered by Rev. S. M. Harris of the NJ
E. church, and the report of the previ-
Gus meeting was read by the Secretary,
Mrs. S. r. Patrick.
Prof. Mcfarland said, in part, as fol-
lows: 'This evening | wish to speak to
you about the first period of adolescence,
that is, the period of the childs life
which extends from ihe 18th to the 18th
year. 1t is a time of transition and
marked development, and might well
be called new birth. New bodily pow
ers appear, and new ideas and ambi-
tions are awakened. The child of genius
begins too manifest his rich inheritance.
William Cullen Bryant wrote "Thana-
topsis" when but II years old.
This awakening of body and mind
suggests very practical question to
the teacher and parent, namely, How
may the newly acquired powers of the
boy and girl be most wisely directed
and applied They must haveS some
outlet, which may be either good or bad.
1t is, therefore, the obvious duty of
those responsible for the care OF youth
to see that the new energies are direct
ed into wholesome channels.
- The period under consideration does
not exactly coincide in the case of boys
and girls. With the latter it extends
from the 18th to the IA year, and with
the boys from the 14ht to the 10Th year.
1t varies, however, withrace, climate,
health, habits, luxury, ease and recrea-
ton.
The physical changes are very marked
The heart increases in size, and the ar
teries increase about third The
breathing becomes deeper; the senses
keener. There is an awkwardness of
movement which is an occasion of crit
cism on the part of parent and teacher,
but which really cannot be helped and
ought not to be unkindly dealt with; for
the ungainly movements are due to the
fact that the bones grow more rapidly
than the muscles, and the growing
youth is unable to perfectly control his
movements. The voice of the boy be-
comes deeper, and his skeleton begins
to take on something of the square
ness which is characteristic of the man.
The power of Endurance increases but
along with it there is an increased sus-
ceptibility to disease. Diseases may
now become seated which will develop
later on.
The mental changes are not so strik-
ing nor varied as the physical. Girls,
however begin to partake of their
mothers intuition; and their reasons
for so doing things are expressed in
such answers as Because, and "
want to-" Boys do not reach conclus-
ions by intuition but by processes of
reasoning. Boys are very much inclin-
ed to be commercial also to delight in
hazardous undertakings. Girls think
about their future occupations, and
often settle upon dress-making or
teaching.
The moral sense in boys is apt to be
less acute than in girls. With the for
mer it is the time of the dime novel
reading; the time when the neighboring
orchards make an irresistible appeal;
the time, also, when the window glass
in an unoccupied house or barn is stoned
out. A spirit of cruelty keeps pace
with the destructive spirit, and the lad
makes life miserable for the stray dog
or cat. 1t is the period of greatest
restlessness respecting school-life
Statistics prove that truancy is most
common among boys of Is years; and
the average time of leaving school in
the United States is IA years.
In respect to the religious life, it is
period of possible impressions. Much
of the good that is done, however, is
unconscious. The teacher and parent
must be content to patiently await re-
suits. King Arthur literature makes a
strong appeal; and the religious life
chould ha pOlrich bod bU tho raadipu Of