Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1914-02-28
TALK ON THE CHILD
i CIVIC LEAGUE WORK
Educational Department Lecture
at High School.
VALUE OF PLAY FOR CHILDREN.
hrs. Wilson Approves Of Playground
Discussion After Talk

A larger audience greeted Mrs. lie.
titiA p. Wilson last evening IN the
High School Assembly Hall. when
she gave the fourth Of her series OF
talks on "Child Development. The
specific subject last night was "The
Educational Value Of Play"
Mrs. Wilson, who gives these talks
in a pleasing, conversational style.
which is delightfully."- informal said
play Is the natural. appropriate bus.
mess of childhood. She spoke OF
the playing child, and the different
kinds of plays, those which devotion
the muscles, the emotional PLAYS
and imaginative. There are three
stages in human development Feel
ing, willing, actiag. Putting our
feelings and will into action marks
us as successful men. Childhood is
the feeling" period of life. that
is bstween the age of three and
seven years.
AT this period the child needs OBJ.
iective teaching, by some symbol
which may be defined as a thought
wrapped up in things" For example
soft worsted ball while entertain
ing the child may teach him many
things, such as the raising IL the
sheep from which the wool is obtain
ed, the manufacture Of dyes bv which
the ball is colored. etc. The child
should be carefully led rather than
forced; action must be impelled
instead of compelled. In this wav
the natural happint IS or childhood
is preserved, and happy childhood
is the flrerunner of a happy adult
life.
Play is often the imitation Of
work. The child eopieshis play from
the employment Of his elders. The
boy initiates the carpenter and other
craftsmen ;the girl initiates the me th-
or and the school teacher. A child's
environment is reflected in his play.
If he lives in a refined neighborbood
his play is likewise refined If IN
vicious surroundings, his play imi.
tates vice. BY this instinct fer copv-
ing his elders the child's education IL
very materially advanced.
Mrs Wilson urged that Fairgrounds
be provided In every place accessible
to children. Especially the public
school yards should be Ike pit open the
year rou I'd and equipped with the
necessary devices for pleasure and
profitable development. After the
lecture, a number of questions were
asked and answered with practical
and useful suggestions. One mother
wished to know what to do with her
eight-year.old sen who, when dress
ing or undressing, would perform
stunts of pretended diving or
swimming instead of performing the
duty in hand. Mrs. Wilson replied
that the "stunts" were all right nro.
vided the child was taught 10 do
them at the proper time. "There is a
time for everything under the sun. {"
The best corrective for dilatoriness
is penalty, closely associated with
the offense, as for example. child
wilfully late for meal, may learn
wholesome lesson BY forfeitinp a
portion of the meal or even The whole
meal.
Another mother asked about plBys
in which children are frightened by
their elders playing the role Of wild
animls. This, Mrs. Wilson condemn
ed in unqualified terms. Children
should never be wilfully frighte ned.
They inherit this dread of wild ami.
mails from their primitive ancestors,
who lived in the woods in constant
danger of the beasts. Other questions
and suggestions from mothers afford.
ed both profit and amusement as the
traits of their little ones were graph
ically depicted.