Evening star., 1937-10-22
Work Is Best
When Child
Is Problem
Forced instruction
Not Beneficial
In Such Cases.
BY ANGELO PATRI.

TN SOME quarters lately there has
= been tendency to teach art as a
cure for behavior problems, the notion
being that if troublesome child is
allowed to use paint and paper freely
he will release the demon in him and
be whole. 1t simply is not So
There is no specific cure for be-
havior problem. Human behavior is
never the simple thing that this would
imply. 1t is about the most compli-
Gated process under heaven, and only
the angels understand it, and some
times I doubt that they do.
When child does things that are
clearly out of balance with life as it
is lived today. when he persistently
fights, lies, steals, runs away or does
any of the disturbing things that are
related to these disorders. the first
thing to do is to try to find the cause
of his behavior and remove it.
This means a long session of exam
inations and tests, many consulta-
tions with the teachers and the ex-
perts, much time and patience. USu-
ally given enough of these last two
elements, the child will come through.
Nature works behind screen through
which we never see clearly, and she
works marvels beyond human under
standing or power. If the child has
a good ancestry, good home. sound
health, then time and patient teaching
pull him through. The sick and the
ailing child, the deficient child, needs
more special teaching, longer time and
a finer quality of patience.
How about occupations like painting
and art weaving? Fine. if the child
can enjoy them. Bad If he cannot.
Even the most enthusiastic pro-
moter of free art for problem children
would hesitate to prescribe writing
poetry for his case Why? Why should
not one art form be as good release
as the other? 1t is, provided always
that it is the peculiar release of the
individual child. Otherwise it is time
and effort wasted-time for the teach
er and pain for the unhappy student.
Work is the best possible release, or
escape, for humanity. Blessed is he
who has found his work" said Car
lyle, and he knew what ne was talk
ing about. But he said his work.
Not somebody's else. If a child wants
to paint, let him. Teach him all he
can learn. He will be the better for
it mentally and physically, and his
behavior will be better because he is
happier If he wants to write poetry
and can manage to do 1t, don't stop
him. You won't be able to help him
much, but let him alone. Encourage
him and feed him the works of the
great poets. He. too, will be happier
My point is that art instruction is
no cure for problem children as a
group. There is no sense in intro
ducing art classes into probationary
schools, for example, in the hope Of
curing the behavior traits Of the pu-
pills. Give them a variety of occupa-
tion and let them stick at the one in
which they seem to do best. If white
washing the walls or fences helps, fine
If sewing patches helps, fine. Let
each have his work and there will be
some hope of cure. Provided always
that the doctors and teachers and spe-
cialist have been permitted to do their
share toward the cure. Behavior prob
lens are not wiped off with brush
full of color. They go deep.
MIR. Patri will give personal atten-
ton to inquiries from parents and
school teachers on the care and de-
velopment of children Write him in
care of this paper, inclosing a Scent
stamped, self-addreSsed envelope for
reply.
(Copyright. 1937)