Evening star., 1938-08-15
Housekeeping Mammoth Scale Is Undertaken by Uncle Sans
Let Children
Use Their
Hands
knowledge Gained
Quicker Through
Personal Touch.
By ANGELO PATRI.

CHILDREN learn with their hands.
What goes into their heads by
way OF their hands stays there; and
what is more, it comes out in skill
and finish that rejoice the heart.
Give a child a chance to do the thing
he loves to do with his hands. and
he is the happiest thing alive. He
has found work for the rest of his
life, and there is no richer f1nd than
that.
Children love to sail boats, real
ones Give a child an old boat, sound
and small enough for him to manage,
old enough to be seasoned; tell him
1t is his own to do with as he likes,
and see what happens. If he doesn't
begin begging for sail, doesn't begin
cleaning, painting, sandpapering, rig
ging and splicing. well-he just will.
He will work like a Trojan without
thought of fatigue, and be happy
every minute of the time.
And he will learn to handle that
boat as though he were part of it,
as indeed he is. A boy or girl who
owns and sails a small boat merges
into the spirit of the craft. and the
two live and move and have their
happy being together. A summer
Of sailing is heaven for some children.
Others prefer horses. Give the
child the horse to care for. if he
cannot own it, Let him feed, clean,
curry, brush and bathe his horse. The
more work he does for him the more
he will love him and the closer the
horse will get him in spirit. There
is something lovely in the affection
horse But that affection is born
only when the child deals personally
with the animal Don't worry about
the working part, for a child can be
tireless when he serves his horse, or
his boat, or his dog.
1t is all very well to say Rex is
Juniors dog. He is not Juniors dog
unless Junior works for him. Then
he becomes completely Juniors friend,
slave, worshipper. And the boy, or
girl, is the gamer every time. A child
cannot work for his pet or his hobby
without learning and growing at every
turn. Every experience gives him
greater confidence. more assurance,
greater skill, more understanding of
every other experience that comes
his way. There is no better way of
growth than this hand service to a
beloved animal or boat or machine.
But it must be the hand service, the
personal touch.
1t is delightful to see a suntanned
child preparing to set out in his boat,
or on his horse 1t is a JOY to see the
light in their eyes. the pride in their
backs, the skill in their hands, as they
harness, or haul, or repair their
charges.
And there is nothing SO pitiful as
children who have to stand by helpless
until somebody comes along to take
them out. help them here and push
them there, in the safety of super
vision Supervision Is all right in its
place. but if it is the right sort, its
place is soon filled with the indepen-
dent. self-sustaining. working child
Give children a chance to learn, and
then to act. Let their hands lift them
to security and success.
Mr.. Patri has prepared leafiet en-
titled Annoying Habits" in which he
tells parents how to cope with some of
the common infantile faults. Send for
it. addressing your request to Mr.
Angelo Patri Child Psychology De-
partment OF this paper. and inclose a
self-addressed, stamped (3-cenU en-
velope.