The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1911-02-09
CHILD CULTURE
SERIES NO. 5.
"The Child, a Habit Forming
Animal by Prof. A. P.
Hollis, V. C. Normal.

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After eighteen, says the late Prof.
VIM. James of Harvard, the eminent
psychologist, the brain begins to set
like plaster. No absolutely new
and uncolored ideas are received by
the brain after this. All ideas are
modified by the body of ideas which
receives them. The personal habits
are nearly all formed at eighteen.
Personal cleanliness, bathing, manner
of dress, table manners, habits of
speech. the walk, gestures and pos
lures are nearly always fastened on
for ''good and all" by eighteen. Not
that there is any magic about the age
eighteen: for some it is seventeen, for
others nineteen or twenty; but quite
close to these years for most people,
the tissues of the body and brain be-
gin 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
harmful. 1t is the business of society,
OF parents, of schools, to see to it that
the profitable habits are started dur
ing this Golden Age, and that the un-
profitable 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 personality submits
more to the control of superior per-
sonalities as parents and teachers.
Between ten and twenty-five danger.
Gus, swiftly changing adolescent peri
od-the youth assumes new dignities
and new emotions. Youth and man
hood meet in tumultuous struggle and
manhood energies from the storm and
stress, wrecked or triumphant.
If there are any good habits that
should be fixed for life, pleads Pro-
fessor James, let all the forces OF
human society concentrate on their
formation during early youth. 1t 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, reason
able degree of personal neatness, such
as combing the hair, wearing clean
linen; pleasant home evenings, instead
of pleasant street evenings; erect car
riage, clear enunciation and good
English, memorizing short selections
of literature, attendance at religious
services appropriate to the age of the
child, outdoor tramps and exercises,
handiwork with tools and machines,
singing, the practice of kindness, gen.
erosity to others, saving.
Habits unfavorable to the growing
organism are smoking, drinking and
all forms OF nerve deadening, slouchy
carriage and dress, avoidance OF
healthy play and sports, the weekly
going to cheap shows and reading ex-
citable literature; buying things in
stead of making things. In the boys
habits lies his destiny, for they will
rise up and think for him in the emer.
gencies of life.
Professor Balm lays down two rules
for habit forming that have become
classic among the psychologists and
should be household words in every
home; they are:
l. In acquisition of new habit or
the leaving off an old one, launch
yourself with as strong and decided q
start,as possible.
2. Never suffer an exception to oc.
| cur until the new habit ia stah1ishad