Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-20
CHILD CULTURAL
PLAN IS PROPOSED
System Suggested Similar to
That Now Used to Aid
Farmers Live Stock.
why not do as much for children a

Why not do as much for children as
for pigs?
A group Of organizations, with the
double function Of research and educa-
ton, modelled after the State agricul-
tural experiment stations, maintained
jointly by the States and the Federal
Department Of Agriculture, were recon-
mended to the Conference on Child
Health and Protection today by COM
mittee on the pre-School child, headed
by Prof. John Z. Anderson of the Ma
tional Research Council.
"a type of organization which is so
successful in meeting the scientific and
practical problems of the farmer in
raising cattle, hogs and corn might also
prove successful in solving the pressing
problems of the parent and child" the
committee reported.
A study Of normal young children in
all aspects of living should be under
taken on q wide scale, the committee
concluded after its own partial .dy.
It urges actually studying children as
they are from observation, and not by
the methods Of armchair philosophy.
The members also want to train par
ents as teachers.
The average 4-year-old gets from one
to four spankings q month, and Is
spanked more frequently by his mother
than his father Besides, he is scolded
quite frequently, but parents have
grown away from such punishments as
col pairing him unfavorabiy with an
other child or putting him to bed in a
corner.
Typical Homes Seen.
These were among the findings Of the
Committee on Infant and Pre-School
Child. headed by Prof. John E. Ander-
son Of the National Research Council.
The committee workers had to 60 di-
rectly into nearly 5000 typical Ameri-
can homes to get a sample picture OF
the life of approximately 5000, 900 pre-
school children, almost IA per cent Of
the entire population, but an eleme t
to which organized society pays very
little attention.
1t found conditions better than it
expected In these homes of parents
with elementary school educations it
found the youngsters getting their baths
daily during the Summer, clean under
wear twice a week, beds of their own
and plenty Of milk. It also found these
comparatively uneducated folk doing
their best to keep up with the latest
Developments in the scientific care Of
the child, reading articles in the news
papers and magazines and occasionally
new book.
It found an average Of six kinds of
toys in the home and one play article
in the yard. But the Investigators
found that about half the children were
afraid of something, but even the UNI
educated parents, trained by radio talks
and news articles, are trying to explain
away the fear rather than soothe or d.
vert the childs attention.
In the average home, the investi-
gators found, the 4-year-old has learned
to say his prayers, can count little,
and has learned rhymes and songs, but
not the alphabet. Usually he plays OUT
doors from five to eight hours day.
About half such children have at
tended the movies. They 60 once or
twice q month. On the whole. their
physical care Is on q higher level than
their mental and social training.
A tragic picture of American child
hood was presented To the conference