Omaha daily bee., 1915-08-08

be happier unless / could growl"
IL We cannot make our children too happy.
The boys and girls of today the men and
women of tomorrow; and, as a rule, the happier
the children the better and more successful the
nen and women. happy childhood is the best
preparation for effective career, for. other
things equal. only the happiest children make the
strongest and most useful citizens.
That we are becoming thoroughly alive to this
fact is of the most encouraging things In the
life of today. This has been called the century of
the child,' and deservedly so. for there has been
more hopeful sign of race progress in the last
decade than the rapidly increasing interest in the
welfare of the child. We see this reflected every
where in the greater of the state for its chill
dren; in our wonderful kindergarten and school
systems in the great childrens stores everywhere;
in the marvellous development all the world OF
the manufacture and sale OF toys
In this worldwide awakening to the impor-
lance Of child life we are beginning to understand
more and more the tremendous part of play. not
alone in making children happy. but also in de-
yeoping them symmetrically, and thus making
Healthier more efficient and women.
The three great essentials for a happy child
hood food, love and play. After food and love.
rlay is the great builder and developer Of child
hood. Yet there is far too large a number of
parents who are still utterly ignorant Indifferent
to the rights of their children in this respect Some
OF them still little bit like Puritan fathers
who. in the early history OF country thought
that the fun-loving, playful faculties were of the
devil, evidences of lack of piety and real detr-
ment to the spiritual life. But know that
this is quite the opposite of the truth. We have
found that the fun-loving propensities, the great
cemand in us for play, for recreation, just as
sacred the worshipping faculties the religious
instincts. We do not use these propensities d.
rectly in our living getting in our OCCUPATIONS but
their functions TO keep the wonderful human
machine in running order. to Intricate. to renew
IT, TO restore 1t to normal when 1t is fatigued.
Froebel, that great benefactor of children, tells
that play is in reality the most spiritual activity
Of man in childhood He finds that 1t is typical
OF human life as a whole-of the inner. hidden,
natural life of and all things; it gives there
fore, Joy. freedom, contentment, inner and outer
rest, peace with the world 1t holds the sources Of
ell that is good. The child that plays thoroughly
Until physical fatigue forbids will surely be thor
ough determined man, capable OF self-saerifice for
the promotion and welfare of himself and others"
One Of the very piteous things in human life is
sad. prematurely old face upon a child. 1t gives
pathetic evidence that all that was spontaneous,
playful, Joyous, natural TO childhood was sup
pressed. discouraged and the natural self-expres-
sion Of the child stranged the outset OF its young
ilfe For play is self-expression for the child as
music or art is for the musician or the artist Chill
dren play until they drop with fatigue because II
IS natures method for their development; IL is the