The Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1911, 1911-02-10
: THE CHILD, A HAR1T FORM ::
: ING ANIMAL. .
Child Culture Series No. s. !
|. Prof. A. P. Hollis, State Normal /:
+ School, Valley City, N. D.


After eighteen, says the late Prof.
VIM. James of Harvard, the eminent
psychologist, the brain begins to set
like a plaster. No absolutely new and
uncolored ideas are received by the
brain after this. All ideas are modi-
fed by the body Of ideas which receives
them. The personal habits are nearly
all formed at eighteen. Personal yes.
lures and postures are nearly always
fastened on for "good ana all" by
eighteen. Not that there is any magic
about the age eighteen; for some it is
seventeen, for others nineteen or TWEEN
ty; but quite close to these years for
most people, the tissues of the body and
brain begin to harden; the paths Of
nervous discharge along the muscles
have nearly all been fixed. AS Kipling
would say-''The Ship has found her
self" and the habits Of lifetime have
settled down to mark their permanent
grooves in the nervous structure.
Youth is the Golden Age for i'm
/ planting life s best habits. Habits are
both good and bad-useful and harm
full. It is the business Of society-of
parents-of schools, to see to it that
profitable habits are started during this
Golden Age, and that the Improbable
ones are not allowed to form. Brain
cells are plastic and yield persistent
impressions from ten to twenty. They
are of course plastic much earlier than
this, but less liable to persist in error.
Before ten in most children the person
atty submits more to the control of
superior personalities, as parents and
teachers. Between ten and twenty
the dangerous, swiftly changing Adde'S
cent period-the youth assumes new
dignities and new emotions. Youth and
manhood meet in tumultuous struggle
and manhood energies from the storm
and stress, wrecked and triumphant.
If there are ny good habits that
should be fixed for life, pleads Profess
sor James, let all the forces of human
society concentrate on their formation
during early youth. It is not sufficient
to drive out bad habits; good ones
must be implanted in their place.
Habits favorable to the growing or.
ganism are, regular bathing, a reason.
able degree of personal neatness, such
as eombing the hair, wearing clean lin
en-; pleasant home evenings instead OF
pleasant street evenings; erect car
rage; clear enunciation and good Eng
fish, memorizing short selections of lit
erature, attendance at religious ser
vices appropriate to the age of thu
child, outdoor tramps and exercises
handiwork with tools and machines
singing, the practice Of kindness, gener
+ osity to others, saving.
Habits unfavorable to the growing
organism are smoking, drinking and al
forms of nerve deadening, slouchy car
rage and dress, avoidance Of health,
play and sports, the weekly going t.
cheap shows and of excitable itera
! ture; buying things instead of MAXIM
things. In the boys habits lies hi
destiny, for they will rise up and, thin
for him in the emergencies Of life.
Prof. Rain lays down two rules 70
habit forming that have become class
ic among the psychologists and shout
be household words in every home
they are:
l. In acquisition of, a new, habi
or the leaving off of an old one, launc
yourself with. as strong and decided
start as possible.
2. Never suffer an exception to o.
cur until the new habit is established