Evening star., 1937-10-08
Neat Prices Are Giving the Thrifty Housekeeper Bad Case of ers
InSiStance
On Place
Unwise
Grave Mistake to
Shame Child for
Not Being First.
By ANGEBO PATRI.

THE line was forming to go to
class room after recess. Miss Jen-
ME was at the end shooing the strag-
'elers into place. There was q scuffie
ut the head Of the line. a suppressed
wan and murmur OF voices plainly
n protest.
whats the trouble?" asked Miss
Jennie. hurrying up to the head of the
line once more.
He wants to be first. He can't
be first all the time" said sturdy
Benjamin, truculently. "Why should
be always be first? I got here first
I've right to be first cause I got
here first"
Miss Jennie eyed him gravely, in
silence, long enough to bring Ben
1amin to sense of place and CUSTOM
Then she said very quietly, go to
your place, Benjamin"
Benjamin, scowling but obedient,
returned to his place, four places down
the line. Miss Jennie took the hand
OF the little boy who was heading the
line and started up the stairs. Then
one saw that the little chap in first
place was lame. He had to head the
hne or he would delay it, maybe cause
an accident on the stairway. Ben
1amin took no account of lameness,
or OF winding stairs. He wanted to be
first.
This Is one of the problems that
the teacher Of the lower grades has
to meet daily. Every ambitious child
IN the first grade, and they are all
ambitious to lead, wants to be first.
First on line, first to get drink, first
to read, first to speak. Every child
wants to sit in the first row in the
first seat. Why? 1t is human ma
ture asserting itself in one of its
strongest moods. II must be first.
the only one, the anointed one" is
the cry Of the human heart from birth
70 the end. We learn to cover it up
some, as the years pass and we get
hint of the meaning of selfishness, but
the children come to it fresh and
Keen, backed up by their parents.
BenJamins mother called on Miss
Jennie to see why her boy did not get
MS chance of being first on line.
Wasn't 1t first come-first served?
Miss Jennie looked at her in the
same steady way she had looked at
Benjamin. mot always" she said
finally. "You see the little boy who
Is first on line is lame"
"Oh-h-h. Then it isn't such q
shame for Benny"
That's the idea. If you can't be
first You are shamed, and who shames
you' Mother and father who say.
Why aren't you frst? Why don't
you bead the honor roll? Why weren't
you chairman of the committee?
Arent you Just as smart, or just as
good as he is? I'm ashamed Of you
always behind somebody else"
Being flrst may be an honorable
post. II It means that a child has
worked hard, overcome difficulties.
held TO his task until he finished it
against odds. 1t is an honorable post.
But there are many things to be con-
sidered before shaming a child who
Is not first in the field Maybe he
has not the talent required. Maybe
he has other qualifications quite as
fine as those that landed the other
fellow first honors. In any case it is
not wise to be too insistent upon a
child's taking first place, even in the
baby class. 1t would be well to uues-
zion a little first and to ask, first in
what?
Mr.. Patri has prepared leafet en-
titled, Trouble With Number Tables"
in which he explains an easy way to
help children improve in arithmetic.
Send for it, addressing your request
to Mr.. Angelo Patri, Child Psychology
Department of this paper. Inclose q
self-addressed, stamped (3-cent en-
Helope.
(Copyrigtt, 1879