Evening star., 1943-11-10

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ginning to bend very prettily. that
is only her physical development.
How about her spiritual growth?
Her moral standards? Those in
tangible, immutable values?
Well, could see right away was
out of my depth. So I've been get
ting in touch with experts thought
first OF Hughes Mearns, the fellow
who wrote Creative Youth" but is
much better remembered for the
little poem:
"As I was going down the stair,
met man who wasn't there
I met him there again today,
I wish, wish he'd 60 away"
Remains Calm.
Well, Mearns is a great authority
on progressive education and the
modern child and I asked him what
ne thought about a little 4-year-
girl who got money from her hard
working father under false pretenses
and then refused to give it up when
the collection box went by.
He was pretty calm about 1t, I
must say. He said, in effect, that
it's slow business teaching children
to adopt the code we adults use.
That I should learn to accept what
she does as a normal fact OF growth
and not interpret it as either right
or wrong-for right or wrong are
merely adult labels.
| 1 decided that maybe this wasn't
problem for an educator-maybs
should get in touch with an expert
in child behavior. SO called
Dr. Caroline zachry, author Of
Emotions and Conduct in ADO
lescence, and presented the problem
to her.
She was calm. too. But then it's
mighty easy to be calm about what
other peoples children do For
example, your children You have
no idea how calm I am about them.
DR.. Zachry said that children that
age haven't a great deal Of under
standing Of yours and mine
and somebody else's" And Its
very difficult concept 70 ask chill
dren to understand the matter Of
sharing pennies"
Discuss God Freely.
Well. maybe God is far away. but
Peggy and Pat discuss Him with .
friendly matter of fact informanty
that Is most engaging. He has whits
whiskers and looks a little bit like
Santa Claus and He lives up in the
sky behind High Tor and across ths
Hudson River. He Is very busy TAX
ing care Of everything. but He man.
ages to drop what He's doing every
evening in time to come around and
hear their prayers-which include
their own version Of the Twenty
third Psalm Of which their wtndup
will give you some idea! "
Surely goodness and nursie will fol-
low me all the days OF my life and
will dwell in the House Of the
Lord forever"
Finally I called my friend. DR..
Myrtle McGraw, the psychologist
who conducted the famous Johnny
and Jimmy experiment where one
twin was scientifically trained and
the other twin allowed to grow up
like Topey. Sure enough. she had
an entirely different slant.
Giving Unattractive.
| According to her, 1t wasn't the
child who was responsible but first
Of all the parent-thats me. I
should have known Peggy was too
young to learn the meaning of prop
erty rights in a capitalistic country.
Second, the church doesn't make it
attractive to the child to give. Said
Dr. McGraw: Children don't hold
back their dimes on the Fifth avenue
bus. do they?" And then realized
that If my little Peegy-and maybe
thousands Of other small children
are to be weaned away from their
careers of crime. collectors in
churches should be equipped with
those Fifth avenue conductor sad-
gets.
or course, it would help a lot If,
In addition to that little bell that
rings. a lollypop fell into each wait.
ing outstretched paw.