Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-07
FEAR IN CFIILDREN-POWER
OF SUGGESTION.
What is learned in childish years.
Deep craven on the mind appears
Our life's whole Journey through.

What is learned in childish years,
Deep craven on the mind appears
Our lifes whole journey through
Parents who are DESTROYS of bringing
| up their children in manner At for the
higher duties Of life should see that their
daily life is passed with persons of good
principles. The looking on children as
| only mechanical beings is q grave error
and often works much mischief
To me a most baneful, and, I regret to
, say, not uncommon. practice IS that OF
one parent holding up the other parent
as an object of terror to the children
How very often do we hear the express
been very bad"
to confide in and love both father and
mother without reserve. Children do not
need to be taught to love their father
and mother. If their parents treat them
rightly the love will be there: 1T only
| needs opportunity for development.
John ais says: There is no fear in
love- but perfect love casteth out fear,
because fear hath torment" Parents
should never give vent to their differ
ences'' in the presence OF their children.
Only recently father had very severe
lesson. In the presence of his two boys
he said to his wife:
ooh, you make me tired I don't care
a damn what you think about it. Imagine
his horror when, two days later, he over
heard his boys. seven and nine years old.
respectively, discussing his conduct and
using the very words he had used In
their presence. Suffice it to say. that
man is better husband and father than
he was prior to this occurrence. But
think of what it cost to learn such
lesson!
How many mothers and fathers who
read this article have been guilty OF Gre
ating in their children fear of the fam
lily doctor? Many thousands have. Are
you that you have deprived your chill
dren of the greatest and most important
factor in the cure Of their various ills.
Children should be taught to love the
family physician. Fear is always pain
full emotion. To depress child with
fears or in any other manner Is to lower
it's tone of health in every instance.
Cause Of Night Terrors.
At night the child is alone, and his little
consciousness cannot find the easy sup
port Of others. Before the kaleidoscope
of his dreams pass the various images
and accompanying emotions of his wax
ing life, so that if any Of these images
has become linked with fear it is GER
tain to bring with 1t terror as It surges
into dream in the night, and the child
jumps up, awakened. in panic, finding no
ono near him upon whom to lean.
It should not be difficult to see that
these night terrors are the product of q
suggestion while awake, implicit or ex-
plicit. 1t should not be difficult for those
who are forewarned to prevent morbid
of a southern lady who could never enter
a dark place without feeling an indie
scribable horror No hereditary psychop-
athy could be invoked to explain her
dread. for none Of her three daughters
had the least fear Of the dark. and, In
deed, they used to be sent by their school
fellows into dark and eerie places with
out experiencing the least trepidatton.
The difference was that, as children. they
were protected by their mother from the
tales of the plantation negroes, who knew
that dismissal would follow transgression
of the prohibition
The formation of a night terror was
nipped in the bud in the case Of a boy
then aged three and three-quarter years.
l shall try to explain the method. For
several weeks he had been visiting the
geological garden every afternoon III the
company of French maid of exception
ally forceful character, and apparently
free from the superstitiOusness OF the
average nurse. For long time all went
we'll, until one evening the boy began to
cry in bed soon after he was left for the
night At this unusual occurrence his
father mounted the stairs and inquired
the cause of the boys trouble. He said
there were lions in the house, and that he
did not want to stay alone as he was
afraid they would eat him.
The source of the idea had been that
the lions had roared more loudly than
usual that particular afternoon. and he
had been much impressed, standing for
some time quite mOtiOnless before the
cage, though unterrified. The boy soon
was convinced that the lions had to re-
main in their cages and could not get
out, hence there were none in the house,
so that there was no occasion Tor fear
OF course, it was first necessary to give
him the feeling of security gained by en-
bracing his father, and, secondly. to be-
gin the conversation by talking Of some
thing else.
In this way the state Of terror was dis
missed. and the feeling Of protection was
induced before they returned to the SUBJ
ject of the lions: then they made rather
a joke of the funny roaring of the lions
before they had finished. and he finally
lay down with solemn purpose to go to
sleep and think, as his father suggested
of the tramcars and motors passing out
side his open window. 1t was all q very
simple substitution, but it was the pre-
vention of what might have become a
serious fear-psychosis If injudiciously
handled.
Guard Against Fear.
The service rendered by fear is servile
slavish and wanting in all the elements
of truth, and is only calculated to bring
out the worst qualities of human nature
Longfellow says: Fear is the virtue
of slaves; but the heart that lOveth is
willing" Fear invariably produces rest
less sleep in children, for they have not
the power of reasoning their fears away.
Children should never go to bed unhappy.
Good, sound sleep is essential for health,
especially in children.
Suggestions to children should be indi-
rect and positive. Generally speaking,
negative suggestions are dangerous
Parents should ever remember that sug-
gestions are conveyed to their children
not alone by their words, but by their
acts, by their facial expressions and by
the expression of the eye. Generally