The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1917-03-01
TRAINING TODAYS
BOYS AND GIRLS
Every Child Should Be Encour-
aged to Pursue a Hobby.
GIVE HIM ACTIVE INTEREST
Something Involving Application and
Effort and Sacrifice Is Better Than
One Calling for His Entertain.
ment and Amusement.
BY siooNIE M. oRUENsERo.

WHEN Il person has completed his
" share Of the worlds work II Is con.
sldered proper for him TO retire" And
IN accordance with this tradition old
MIR. Stewart withdrew from active par.
.icipntion in his business when he knew
that he had enough money and when
his fatally thought that he needed n
rest After Il few weeks of resting
the old gentleman became very uneasy
aud unhappy. He wanted to visit the
office, but this was strictly forbidden,
and MS he could not think of anything
else to do he moped around, extending
his own misery To those about him.
Cases of this kind are common enough,
and In II large proportion of them the
nan does return To his old affairs. there
to remain to the end. But In other
cases there is too much opposition from
those who look upon work as II hard.
ship, and the old man withers away.
Many Il business man before reach.
ing this stage Is merely tired. But why
should the business man be more tired
than other people? He does nut work
any harder than the professional man
or the artisan. And the others prob.
ably are doing their share of the wor.
rying. II Is very likely that the person
who Is always represented to us in the
comic papers and in the theater us be-
Ing In need of entertainment that calls
for no eXcrtion whatever on his part
Is tired because he does not do enough.
That Is to say he does not do enough.
different kinds of things. The tired
business man suffers from all the evil
consequences of early specialization.
We may be sorry for him, but 1t Is diff
ticult To remedy his condition. What
we can do Is to prevent our children
from acquiring this AIN malady.
We may find the preventive In the
lives of men and women who never
grow old. The essential difference be-
tween n OF these people or n healthy
child and n tired business man" lies
In the wide range OF problems and nc.
tivitles that can interest the former as
against the narrow interests and sym.
pathies of the latter. II should be part
OF our aim In the training of children
TO keep open for them all the lines of
communication with ideas and feelings
that may come to them.
This Is not n passive affair. Ideas
and feelings do not come To US because
we sit still. The child must learn to
go forth and meet the new experience
II little more than half way. We must
cultivate the attitude which seeks sat.
isfaction In doing, In overcoming difi.
cultles, In solving problems. We must
discourage contentment with passive
comfort, always receiving and never
giving, with letting well enough
alone This means retaining the YER
satility and the aggressiycneSs of
youth ms long rs possible.
In practice We shall be annoyed fire.
quently by the Intensity with which
the girl or boy will pursue II hobby.
We realize only too well the folly of
setting the heart too firmly upon this
or that But the child In these things
often Is wiser than his elders. For
whatever Is worth doing mt all Is worth