Evening star., 1939-09-05
Clock Rules
EveryOne's
Existence
Teach Child That
Being on Time
Is a Virtue
BY ANGELO PATRI.


The clock Is the master Of us all.
BY its tick we move. stop, rest, move
again. BY its solemn word we go
and come, meet a friend, catch a
train, do Job, mark OF a day. II
we disregard the grave face with its
pointing hands we suffer the conse-
quences. We do not meet the friend,
nor catch the train nor do the Job
and when we mark of the day it is
with feeling of failure and frustra-
ton.
Some children seem to be born
with disregard for time so strong
as to defy all teaching. In vain
their mothers haul them out of bed
on the stroke Of the clock, drive them
to the table on the minute, hustle
them of to school, or wherever duty
calls, on time. The idea does not
take.
Caroline, will you hurry? It's
quarter Of. You ought to be in school
right now. Never mind that book.
Get out of here. You're going to be
late again. There. I knew 1t. That's
the last bell"
Caroline, or Tommy, sex is no
bar here, Is not impressed. The child
is irritated by our insistence, but his
time sense is untouched. It is plain
to every one else what a burden
he is putting on himself, but he
blunders on, getting bad marks, an
cry remonstrances, the cold shoul-
der Of playmates, until he feels him.
self abused. Everybody else Is
wrong except the late one.
The only hope we have Of chang
Ing this Is to give the child expert
ences that teach him the Importance
OF being on time. Put such expert
ences In his path. Let the dawdler
be late for school, The teacher and
class will make his life miserable
about 1t and his record will suffer.
That helps sometimes. Let him lose
the pleasures he is late in accepting.
Don't make things up for him when
he loses them this way. Mothers
hate to see their children lose stand
ing, and fun, and good will, but that
Is about the only way to reach some
of these youngsters.
There are some who respond to
prodding, encouragement and the
help Of watch. I have known lit
tie boys, who were habitually late,
to reform with the aid of q new
wrist watch, the full strength Of
the family pushing him on with
cheers and much scheming. One
just has to try to find some way
Of bringing the clock into the child's
ideas of living. 1t has to be done
to avoid humiliating failure when
that failure will mean q great deal
to the hapless one.
The girl who makes people wait
until she gets dressed is q nuisance
and will certainly be avoided.
She's lovely, but who wants to
wait an hour, lose couple of hours
fun, just for the pleasure Of sitting
on her doorstep?" The answer is,
Nobody" The boy who is never on
time for his meals, always late for
an appointment, delaying others and
distressing them as they Fait for
him to put in appearance, is soon
counted out. If this habit carries
through to maturity it becomes q
dead weight on its victim.
We usually find that such children
lack rhythm. It helps them to work
II we set q metronome before them.
Letting them work to the rhythm
Of stirring march seems to stimu-
late them to time sense. Teach
ing them to select a sprightly.
rhythmical song, dance, march,
whatever the form Of the music. It
must be well marked rhythmicall v
and persuading them to keep It in
mind and step along to it is q great
help. Dancing lessons, swimming
lessons, any game set to music aids.
But steady acquaintance with the
clock and experiences with failure
to obey It are nrst.