Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-21

When the Big Boy Says 'Lem-me
Look in Yer Basket or I'll Punch
Yer Fac" -What Should the
Smaller Boy Do?
Shall He Surrender, Tamely;
Whimper and Plead: Drop His
Basket and Run--or Stand His
Ground and Defend His Prop
erty at the Risk Of Being Rough
~ Handled? Have You Told
Your Boy Just What TO Do in
Such an Emergency?
IF young ruffan tries to pick a row
with your little boy Johnny, shouting.
You bumped into me, | am going
to smash YOU in the nose" what is The
correct thing for little Johnny 10 90 I'M
der such circumstances?
Ii neshborhood bully grabs your lit
tie Tommy's bag OF marbcs-what should
little Tommy say and do about il?
IL some strange boy. girl or grown-up
person attempts cajoeres with your
daughter Mary-what is Mary TO do and
say under the many different circum-
stances which may arise?
Have YOU carefully Instructed johnny
and Tommy and Mary on what 10 90
under ali these various unexpected sit
uat!ous ana emergencies which are con
fronting boys and girls? How can chill
drcn b" expected TO face intelligently and
act advisedly in these little daily TRACE.
dies OF life unless they are instructed?
Here Is ii field Of practical instruction
which has been overlooked.
In ,he Japanese schools OF Hawaii a
clever att"mp, is made to solve this prob.
lem by means Of colored pictures Illus
traine the model conduct expected OF
children in all sorts of situations and
emergencies. The pictures are scattered
over the walls OF the schoolrooms and az
frequent intervals are changed IL is a
methOC OF character education.
in the schools OF the United States
ther" Is no such thing as character cdu-
cation-a fact that is neasurably account
able for the large percentage OF young
people who grow up into dishonest, law
less or otherwise undesirable citizens
SUCH education is fundamental need OF
IN" nation. II is impossible for the child
10 protect its own interests in matters
concerning character development There
fore, III matters of the kind it has a right
10 look 10 teachers and parents for heln
and guidance, intelligcntly given.
Mr.. Milton Fairchild, of Washington.
D. c., is at the head OF an important
movement looking 10 a solution OF the
problem. He is man OF original ideas
and one OF them is represented by a
camera OF move! construction. made by
himself. with which he has already taken
$500 snapshots OF street scenes showing
children as actors in just such accidental
episodes and emergencies as are here
spoken of--tor instance, boy fights. at
tempted bullyings. little chaps hooking
things. boys pitching pennies and so on.
In no case are the pictures posed" for
the camera They are scenes from real
life each one of them involving a char
acter problem" The camera used (Which
can take thirty.six photographs min
uteD is made 10 look like a small suit
case, SO that the children who appear in
the pictures have no warming that they
are being snapped"
For example, one picture shows small
hoy carrying basket home 10 his
mother y larger boy wants to look into
the basket and grab something The Jill.
tie fellow has choice among several
courses OF procedure. He can veil for
mamma; he can bargain: he can whim-
per and beg: he can leave the basket and
run home But the picture shows that he
does none OF these things. He holds a
stick in his hand and confronts the big
ger boy. determined 10 protect his prop
erty Who can doubt that he has solved
the problem rightly? II is test Of char
acter.
Colored drawings, such as those used
IN the Hawaiian schools. are well enough,
but drawings are dead things Photo.
graphs OF the kind here described are
alive and real Children do not get tired
OF them. When they are thrown on a
screen by the stercopticon Gas they arc
going to be used in schools all over the
country before long, they instantly gain
the most interested and enthusiastic al
lention They are at once recognized as
the real stuff" and the character les.
sons they convey produce a correspond.
ingly vivid impression.
Another picture shows group of boys
who have "hooked" barrel belonging 10
poor woman. It is her ash-barrel. and
she cannot easily replace il. They want
it to make bonfire. But policeman
has caught them iii the act and they are
trying to lie out OF it, II is obvious
that the boys have done mean and un-
worthy thing and that lying only makes
it worse.
When children understand that they
are to receive moral instruction, they ex.
a