Omaha daily bee., 1917-06-19
Tram the Riddles
In Generosity

dIl "illNo q ii4ClilNl ~
me, because my little son is so self
ish. How can | teach him to be gen.
erous"
Well, seIfshness is a problem, I'll
admit, but happily it is not unsolvable
That selfish little boy OF worried
mother can be made generous to
fault (if such a thing is possible) If
she will for a time labor increasingly
with faith, patience and tact.
There are, of course, some children
who are what we call naturally
selfish, while others are naturally the
opposite, but | think intelligent moth
ers will agree with me that the av-
erage child is originally neither one
nor the other, and that his early train
ing determines his standing. How
ever, even the naturally selfish"
child is far from being hopelessly
selfish. All he needs is help TO a diff
ferent attitude of mind il he has ever
had any serious thoughts about the
subject at all--which he probably
hasn't.
The youngster of tender years, say
f., IN the first cry to years, does not
readily comprehend that others be-
sides himself may desire things in
tensely Yet I have seen a year-and-
a-half-old child give up a toy smil-
ingly, not once, but several times in
succession, to his various relatives,
who delighted in putting him through
the generosity test. This dear little
smile was the result of his young
mothers patient training and constant
wachfulness for psychological mo-
ments," as it were, for the teaching of
unselhshness.
Do not force a child to be generous
that is, to give up its possessions
unwillingly. Such method is a great
mistake, for it makes the child re-
sentful, besides giving him an unbeau-
tiful idea OF beautiful virtue. Forced
giving is likely to be felt as an IN
mitigated and unjust deprivation. The
better way is to educate little folk
up TO the point where they find happi-
ness in giving in making others happy.
Do not fail to call attention to this
happiness when the child has per-
formed generous action, thus i'm
pressing it on the young mind and
heart
Stories OF generosity are always
helpful both in training young people
to be generous or in that greater
problcm-thc one overcoming any
selhshness that may have been al
lowed to develop Is there anything
finer than the spirit with which
Louisa Alcotts dear Little Women"
give away their very delicious break
fasts to a nearby poor family? This
charitable incident is especially ap-
preciated when one knows that it
really happened in young Louisa's
own life. Other stories especially
good for instillng generosity are
THE Three Cakes" and "The King
of the Golden River" The life OF
Peter Cooper will be enjoyed by the
older children.
Selhshness in girl or boy ap-
preaching womanhood and manhood
is, Of course, more difficult cope
with than when found in younger
children, but the idea of sending the
former upon short trips with social
workers, or taking them oneself to
see, and help where possible, cases of
distressing need, is effective. Such
cases usually appeal to the most cal
lous, so that there is at least a soften
ing OF the soil in which the seeds of
generosity, tactfully planted by the
home folk, may hope to grow and
flourish.
Very often laziness is the real cause
of child's selhshness. | know a
man who is ever ready to give away
money in preference TO his own serv-
ices, not because he is wealthy, but
because he is thus absolved from u.s.
ing his indolent body and brain; he
is not generous; he is merely paying
for what he wants--ease. The highest
generosity is self-sacrifice, unless the
contents of the pocket is needed more
than ones personal services.
The poor little only child is always
in danger Of becoming selfish from
the sheer lack of opportunities to
share toys and goodies with other
children. Consequently it is wise to
encourage the sisterlcss, brotheriess
oncs to seek companionship among
other children and to invite those
companions into your house or garden
where mother eyes may be upon
them.
1t is-lamentable. but true, that some
mothers deliberately make children
selfish. What do you think OF the
women who gives her LITTLE pirl two