Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-22

We often hear person alluded to as
a naturally honest" man. In common
with a good many statements whose
veracity won't bear scrutiny this one
falters under its own load. No one is
naturally honest. 1t is virtue which
must be taught by precept and example
Undoubtedly this virtue grew out OF
necessity, for the wise ones of the tribe
discovered very early that in order to
protect the weaker and less shrewd
members of their tribe one had to make
honesty admirable and satisfying.
The child mirrors in his own behavior
the experiences of the race, for honesty
has no meaning and very little salts
faction for the small child. II he wants
a toy and is stronger or more clever
than his brother or companion he makes
away with it. 1t may not be toy. but
few pennies which he has learned will
buy desirable objects or it may be for
hidden food, but if he can get them by
stealth his conscience troubles him very
little
1t is futile to tell tiny children that
toy belongs to some one" and eX-
pect them to release it because of that
Their sense of property rights is very
weak and their acquisitiveneSs very
strong. If the toy is in their own
hands possession is to them all points
Of the law.
once we have conceded that the child
is not naturally honest, but has to be
taught laboriously and patiently what
it means to keep hands off the property
of another Thy being given things that
are his very own in order to learn the
meaning of mine and thine'O, the
mother must go even farther in her
understanding of the many motives
which may influence an older child to
take what does not belong to him.
One of the foremost motives is a de-
sire to possess something. either money,
clothes, toys or food which puts him
on an equal plane with the children
with whom he associates. 1t may be
just the burning desire to treat his COM
panions to an ice cream cone. as others
do. 1t may be the desire to have blue
handkerchief sticking up in his blouse
pocket, just like Franks. Whatever the
desire, he achieves it by stealth, and Il
money is left temptingly about by par
ents or teacher the child cannot be
blamed if he yields to the temptation.
The parent meets such a situation IN
various ways. She may be so humili-
ated and Shamed that she leaves the
child with the feeling that this one mis-
step has marked him as thief for life.
To struggle from under this load Is tor
much for most children and they sue
cumb to the reputation that is forced
upon them. Another parent may feel
so helpless to act wisely that she de-
termines to ignore the situation, thus
! leaving the child free to make more OF
his desires come true.
One should neither over-emphasize the
act nor ignore it. One should view 1t
as rather commonplace step in child
development, but one which. indicates
that the child is In some way unhappily
adjusted to his home or his companions.
His own parents must determine If he
| IS being compelled to steal in order to
right condition that for him is dis
satisfying.
Any sort Of stealing, however trivial,
leads us directly to the subject Of money
| and allowances for children. for it Is
lack of money or the material possess
sions which money can buy that is the
outstanding motive for early stealing.
A girl of 10 admits that she has never
had an allowance because, though her
parents can afford 1t. they just give it to
her when she asks forit. Then they are
often short of change or minimize her
needs and she is driven to petty thiev-
ing from her friends. or what is quite as
.eprehensible. to borrowing money which
she fails to return.
Upon the subject of a cbild's need