Evening star., 1938-06-09
Confidence
Will Cure
Tinoidity
Military Schools
Not the Place
For Shy Boys.
BY ANGELO PATRI.

FATHERS and mothers, who are
anxious about timid or wayward
children, turn to camp and military
school as the answer. Let us consider
this little, for it Is extremely i'm
portant to the welfare of the chill
dren concesned. a.t a.a,
The timid child, who does not want
to play with other children, may.need
the association OF the group: may
need the inspiration of the life in
the camp. Usually he does need
them. But-the child has been alone;
he or she has hidden away with his
book, or his stamps, with her book,
or her music for years, and number
Of children, swarming like ants,
frightens one out of ones wits.
Throwing timid child into camp
without preparation. is a shock that
no timid child can well endure.
Don't do it.
Prepare the child. Begin weeks
ahead. Introduce the director. Let
the director come in to dinner or
tea a few times, and bring couple
Of other campers along. Take the
timid one out with couple of the
campers a few times. Break the
news gently. Buy the equipment in
the presence of the child, with his
opinion asked and considered. Talk
up the camp until going becomes
something less of a dread. And don't
talk about that dread. Talk about
the camp. not about the child's fear.
The timid boy is not good subject
for military school. That is the
school for self-sustaining boys, boys
who like to stand up to the next
fellow; who like short, sharp orders;
like the feel of marching; like the
rhythm of the day, the feel of broth
erly give-and-take. 1t is essentially
the school for those who want the
feel of belonging, not for those who
are extremely individualistic, as tinid,
retiring boys are likely to be.
II boy is to 60 to military
school. prepare him. Don't tell him
that the guard house is waiting for
him every time he forgets to tie his
shoe-lace. 1t is not fair to the
school, which is not primarily a
school of punishment, but q school
for mastering work, building a body
resistant to disease, strengthening 4
mind to resist disorder, evil and un-
worthiness of whatever sort; train
ing a mind to elect what is good,
what is clean, what is fine wherever
it is to be found The good military
school does all this and more. It is
not place for the failure, the ILL
adjusted, the socially antagonistic
When you tell boy that his poor
work, his bad behavior, his poor hab-
its are fitting him for military school,
you are saying the wrong thing.
Military school will strengthen good
boys; polish their manners and
brighten their minds. It is not q
Jail, nor a hospital, nor q disciple
nary institution.
The timid boy usually needs medi-
cal care first. He needs encourage
ment that comes through success.
Lead him gently. Help him to make
friends, slowly. Offer him what he
can take, and gradually strengthen
him, through success. Don't be an
cry. or forceful, or impatient. The
timid child is afdicted by fear; and
the way to help him is to remove
the cause Of his fear. You won't
make the camp or military school
successful in helping your child II
you send him there in fear and
dread. He must go there with q
gleam OF hope in his heart, feel
ing of confidence in somebody who is
to meet him there. Faith and the
confidence that is born Of it cures
timidity.
(Copyright 1881