CIRCUS ELEPHANTS ENTERTAINING PATIENTS AT BELLEVUE HOSPITAL, NEW YORK CITY Sick people cannot go to the circus, so the circus comes to them-when its owners are of the right sort. The picture shows a gathering of Bellevue's patients, many children being among them, who have assembled in one of the courts of the hospital to watch the "stunts" of the trained elephants of the "world's greatest aggregation of wonders" PERSHING'S BAND MAKES MUSIC ON "VICTORY WAY" IN NEW YORK CITY The A. E. F. Headquarters Band, familiarly known as "Pershing's Band," is seen in this picture as it passes along Victory Way, on Park Avenue, at the beginning of the Victory Loan drive. The huge pyramid in the center is composed of German helmets captured during the war BY NORA ATWOOD AUTHOR OF THEORY AND PRACTICE OF THE KINDERGARTEN" HE number and variety of toys that THE provided for the children, or even are for the only child, of our comfortably conditioned Americans constitute a source of constant surprise and inquiry to the intelligent observer. It would seem as if the indulgent parents, the fond relatives, and the devoted friends vied with one another in providing toys for the children, and that they were guided chiefly by the thought, "the more the merrier.' In some cases there seems to be a kind of rivalry between families, the high aim being to see whose child can boast the largest number of and the most expensive toys. The heterogeneous character of the toys indicates that they are generally selected with no thought of the educational significance of toys. Some of these parents and guardians of children would undoubtedly laugh at the idea of a toy as an educational means. In their minds a toy is solely for amusement and entertainment. The idea that children get their entire education within the four walls of a school-room is long since obsolete. We all know, whether we think much on the subject or not, that a large part of one's education is derived outside of the school room. The little child's education begins in the early months of his life, and as he emerges from the passive to the more active state of his being toys begin to be a very important element in the educational process. The little child is more or less a passenger in these early years. He must go where the adult directs, he must do as he is told, he must accept the environment provided for him. He has, in short, little choice, in spite often of vehement protest, but to accept what the adult sees fit to furnish him. And yet, even in these early years, he often indicates his need-the thing which his developing being hungers for-if only we adults have the understanding mind. His treatment of his toys is frequently a lesson for us, if we are wise enough to heed it. Witness, for example, in the case of a little child two or three years of age who has this heterogeneous mass of toys provided for him, the things which he discards and destroys, and then note the toys to which he clings, the toys of which he never tires. Is there not a lesson in this for those who have the will to see? The study of the educational value of toys presents two aspects, the positive and the negative. The toy in itself is a material thing which has for the purchaser a neutral aspect. It is only when taken in relation to the individual child that it becomes something more than a thing of wood and paint or of kid and bisque. For Johnny, aged two, this box of elaborate architectural blocks may present a nega tive aspect, for it invites to destruction; whereas for Harold or Dorothy, aged six, it becomes a positive agency, opening up delightful fields of new endeavor and rich reward. TOYS AND TRAITS It makes, therefore, a great difference purchases into developing and productive courses. Let us for a moment catalogue some of Toys lead primarily either to a con- bears to the age of the child-that is, the character of the child's home, which his toys. THE IDEAL TOY In emphasizing the educational significance of toys we do not minimize their value as a means of entertainment for the child. The truth is that those toys which possess in the highest degree an educational value are the toys that contribute in the largest measure to the entertainment of children. They have a permanent worth, and therefore, from whatever point of view you approach the question social, economic, or educational-they are the toys that pay the largest interest on your investment. The little child, if normal, is during his waking hours incessantly active. He must be doing something. He will be doing something; and his elders are sometimes hard pressed to find employment for his seemingly superabundant activity. Toys are one of the means we supply to meet this activity of children, and, if properly selected, they fulfill this purpose happily and adequately. This leads me to state that the ideal toy is the toy with which the child can do something. It is the toy that absorbs his activity, physical and mental. There is no more interesting sight than a child absorbed in his play, his lithe body active, responsive, and his mind alert and often creative. Toys have a more or less important part in the plays of childrenmore, if they are stimulating and suggestive; less, if they are too perfect and and the plain little bisque doll, or even complete in themselves. Thus the rag doll the doll made for the occasion from a shawl, are more stimulating and suggestive in the child's plays than the costly plete to leave any room for the play of doll elegantly attired. The last is too comthe child's imagination. She is what she is; whereas the cruder dolls can be transformed into babies, little girls, ladies, and the like, and so fit more truly into the creative plays of children. It should be noted that it is through these creative plays that the child gets a valuable phase of his development. They help him to find himself and to adjust himself to the mysterious world in which he lives. WHAT IS A SHOVEL WITHOUT A SANDPILE? There are many simple and inexpensive toys which are specially valuable for the developing child. Blocks, if adapted to the age of the child, are always a stimulat ing incentive to play and an agency by which he gains many ideas as well as a means of self-expression. The little pail imity to a sand-pile, is a source of great accompanied by a little shovel, if in prox delight to the very little child and provides a legitimate outlet for his activity: but the pail and the shovel not put to use become dead and meaningless. The writer recalls a little girl who used to walk out with her nurse, carrying a little pail and shovel. When the nurse was not looking, she would make a detour from the walk and begin to shovel dirt into her pail. As soon as the nurse missed her she would turn, make a rush and grab the child, brush off her dress, empty the pail, admonish the child to "be good," and pull her back into her sedate and ladylike occupation of walking. Again and again 27 the child would make the effort to utilize her toy, only at last to be carried back to the hotel howling with disappointment. The nurse learned nothing. She was blind to the hunger of this child. A box of crayons and plenty of good drawing paper of an inexpensive variety, as well as a pair of blunt scissors and paper for cutting, afford both an outlet for the activity of children and a means of entertainment and profit for many a rainy day. One of our well-known illus trators says that he got his start in his profession with a pair of blunt scissors, scraps of paper, and crayons when he was a small lad recovering from an illness. Water-color paints are another old fashioned and valuable toy. Tools, both for the garden and for carpentry, are excellent toys, provided they are of good quality so that they are really usable; but, given these, as with the water-color paints, the child must have a legitimate outlet for their use. He must have pictures which he is permitted to paint, a plot of ground where he may play at gardening, wood and nails and some directions so that he may make things that are satisfying with his tools. Otherwise, of course he'll paint up one of your good books, he'll hoe up your plants, and hammer your mahogany chairs. Why shouldn't he? He'd be stupid if he didn't. The writer remembers a little fellow of four in a home where she once visited, a lusty, strong little chap, whose days were spent, seemingly, in devising mischief. Everything that an active brain and a pair of stout legs and willing hands could accomplish that boy did. "Why, John!" was the wailing cry heard again and again from the mother as she discovered some new depredation of that small boy. That boy's mischief was a plain case of lack of legitimate outlets for tremendous vitality. He needed toys that would absorb and use up his energy. His mother spent her time in pulling him out of mischief instead of studying to understand and supply his needs. EXPENSIVE AND INEXPENSIVE TOYS The cost of a toy does not necessarily indicate its value. There are many expensive toys that are distinctly valuable to the developing child-toys that train him to think and to act quickly, toys that stimulate to some degree the inventive spirit; but there are also a great many simple, inexpensive toys that are equally good, giving the child the same training, if not in so attractive a guise. Mechanical and electrical toys are found in large numbers, some of them simply a means to divert a child for a time, many of them truly educative. The real test of the value of a toy is, Can the child do something with it? Will it employ his activity in a legitimate way? Coupled with this must go the judgment as to whether a particular toy is adapted to the particular individual for whom it is designed. Not merely the personality of the individual must be taken into account, but also his environment. A little boy who lived in a town where he had a large yard space in which to play was presented with a set of freight cars, with tracks, turntable, and switches, made by hand and of wood. Although somewhat crude, this was an admirable toy, and afforded this small boy and his playmates untold pleasure. It called for considerable ingenuity to put the various parts together; it gave the child, in a small way, a knowledge of the working of a railway system, and it afforded a splendid opportunity for the play of his imagination. It had another value in that it suggested and invited co-operative play, and thus the benefits of this toy were extended to other children, and the boy himself was gaining a most valuable experience that of sharing one's possessions. This plaything which covered yards of space was well adapted to the environment of this particular boy, but fancy what consternation such a gift would occasion a boy's parents living in the restricted quarters of a city apartment! FITTING THE TOY TO THE AGE The question of age is another important element to be considered in this problem of adaptation. Toys which delight the child of two generally make little appeal to the child of five or six, while toys which absorb the activity of the child of five or six are far beyond anything but the physical grasp of the child of two years of age. A little girl just past her first birthday was presented at Christmas time with a box of architectural blocks made of wood. The mother, like many another, not being a wise woman, handed the blocks over to this baby instead of putting them away for future use. The child did what any child of her years would be sure to do, grasped them and then threw them about the room. She was at this stage of her develop ment mentally incapable of seeing any other possibility in this material. The result was that before many days some of the blocks were missing, and some minus their delicate minaret-like tops; and, alas! the seeds of a destructive habit were sown in this child's mind. Blocks are one of the very best of toys, but their educative purpose is defeated when they are not adapted to the age, and thus to the capabilities, of the child. For the very young child the plain cubical blocks are the suitable material. They are what he can use productively. They lend themselves readily to the towers he likes to build and to the " choo-choo" trains that never fail to absorb the interest of the young American. When this material fails to absorb the attention of the child, oblong blocks should be provided, and, still later, blocks presenting a division of the cubical or square blocks, and blocks with a division of the oblong blocks, or something of equal value, and, lastly, at the age of five or six, or even later, according to the degree of development of the child, the elaborate architectural blocks. When presented in this way, blocks are not only a constant source of delight to children, but are also a means of pro ductive activity, developing the child's creative powers in a sane and healthy fashion. The little child will sometimes give a remarkable exhibition of selective ability. The writer at one time experimented with a two-year-old boy. She gave him as a plaything the so-called Fifth Gift of the kindergarten, which consists of a box of blocks containing twenty-one whole cubes, six half-cubes (large triangular prisms), and twelve quarter-cubes (small triangular prisms). The child observed these blocks for a moment or two and then deliberately removed all the half and quarter cubes and threw them to one side. This done, he played for a long time happily with the plain square blocks (the cubes), making towers and trains. The experiment was repeated three times, the child going through the same procedure each time. The triangular prisms meant nothing to this two-year-old; they had no suggestion for him; they were simply waste material to be thrown aside. But if these blocks had been given him at the age of five, we would have found him utilizing all the blocks in various constructions; they would then have been suggestive, stimulating material. SOME OBSERVATIONS ABOUT DOLLS The doll, from earliest times, has been an ideal toy; and the species doll, though it is not generally recognized, is a form of toy that calls for adaptation to the different stages of child growth. The fascinating rubber doll, the rag doll, the little girl doll, the boy doll, the baby doll, the lady doll, the delightful tiny bisque dolls and paper dolls all meet needs of varying stages of child growth. The rubber doll and the rag doll are adapted to the early periods; but the doll dressed in its long baby clothes should come much later, often as late as the age of six, when the maternal instinct is far more evident than at two or three or even four, and needs something upon which to expend itself, for which there is nothing better than this type of doll. How many little girls are there who have literally yearned for a baby doll in long clothes, and have received instead from their devoted parents a wonderful specimen of doll dressed in silk or satin!—a sort of mongrel, as she is neither baby nor little girl nor grown-up lady. we Those fascinating creatures, the tiny bisque dolls, are often a perplexity to mothers who have forgotten their own childhood, or perhaps have failed to catch the significance of many of the experiences of their childhood. "Why,' hear them say, "does Mary spend so much time with those little dolls and pay no attention at all to her beautiful big doll? Last year nothing would do but the big doll, and now she entirely neglects it." And this is true. Mary is now seven or eight years of age-she may be even nine and her time and energy are all spent upon tiny bisque dolls, to the neglect of the beautiful big doll. "Why is it?" the mother asks. The answer is simple. These dolls meet the little girl's need for some form of productive activity. The big doll and her paraphernalia are too stable, not of a sufficiently flexible nature, to meet her desire to do and to accomplish. In the tiny bisque dolls she finds a medium adapted to her ability upon which to expend her activity her growing tendency to produce and originate. Witness, for example, the doll's outfit that springs into existence through the activity of industrious fingers and an alert, inventive brain-dresses, coats, hats, and not only these, but the furniture for a house for these dolls is now made by utilizing boxes, spools, and other odds and ends. Crude, do you tell us that this work is? To. be sure it is; but it is honest work, the product of the child's own activity, and into it has gone the joy of achievement and the consciousness of creative power. Do we adults not know what it means to us when we achieve some given aim and the joy that comes to us from anything into which we feel that an element of originality or creativity has entered? Knowing this, cannot we realize what this productive play of the child means to her? It is an act of self expression as truly as our adult deeds of achievement are, and it is fraught with deep significance. Some mothers lament this use of activity that might be put to more practical ends. "Why not have the children make dresses for their big dolls, something that would teach them to sew?" is the burden of their lament. Ah, there's the rub! Cannot you see that the making of the wardrobe for the big doll is beyond children of these years? Never deceive yourself with the idea that it is play. The fact is that it is too big a piece of work to be accomplished in a short time; and let it be said right here that if you want to stimulate the productive activity of children, the thing which they are given to do must be something that is accomplished quickly, that has a near, not a remote, result. The work designed for the big doll of necessity would be directed ; and what gives significance to the work for the tiny bisque dolls, which the children attack and accomplish with such zest and joy, is the fact that it is an act of self-expression. At the ages we are considering seven, eight, and nine-the paper doll competes for attention with the tiny bisque doll. At an earlier age the finished paper doll, with its ready-made outfit, gives great satisfaction to children; but now the doll cut from the fashion book, with the outfit designed by the active mind and made by the industrious fingers of the child, gives greater satisfaction and forms another admirable means of self-expression. What visions of wonderful costumes does a girl of these years conjure up at the sight of sheets of colored tissue paper, paper lace, and adorable shiny paper! Whole wedding trousseaus are prepared from this delectable material, showing how observation, inventiveness and skill in designing, and the power of expression are developing in these young girls. CONCERNING BOYS The developing boys, no less than the growing girls, need toys adapted to their increasing powers. They, too, must have something that will stimulate and put to the test their developing powers of observation, of inventiveness, of skill in manual expression. They, too, yearn to produce, to create. A load of slab wood proved a fine plaything for some boys I once knew; a primitive form of dwelling without the use of a nail was the resultant product. CITY TOYS AND COUNTRY TOYS The problem of supplying suitable toys is a much simpler one for the parents whose children enjoy the environment of country life than for those whose children are confined within the limits of a city. The child with the incentives which the outdoor world of the country provides largely makes his own play world, and adds to his few and often simple toys playthings of his own creation. His play world is often one rich in imagination, fertile in originality. The children of our big cities who are not favored by summer outings at the shore or in the country lead a much more artificial life. They lack the natural play incentives that the outdoor world of the country affords, as well as the space in which to enact their plays, and hence are more dependent on the purchased toy. For this reason their need of toys adapted to their developing powers is even more urgent than that of the children of the country, and calls for a much more careful study of means and adaptation. QUALITY VERSUS QUANTITY It is not an exaggeration to say that the American child suffers from an oversupply rather than an under-supply of toys. His lack is not that of quantity, but of quality-of toys that really fit his requirements, and thus tend both to entertain and develop him. This habit of surfeiting our children with toys is a menace few who do appreciate it,too often lack the which few parents appreciate, and the courage or the initiative to mitigate the evil. assured the virtues of care, responsibility, and protection are generally lacking. And be it remarked that the child's care of his toys is one of the most valuable lessons which he should learn in this period of childhood. The evil of restlessness, the vacillating disposition, the germ of discontent, may all find their birth in a superfluity of toys. A little neighbor of ours had a habit of watching for her father each night upon his return from business. The cry which we generally heard from this eager young American, as her father ap proached, was, "What have you brought me?" The father usually produced from the depths of his pocket, if not from a bulky package, some toy, which the child greedily appropriated and for a short time utilized in play. We noted as time went on and our opportunity for observation increased that this child was restless, lacking in even the small degree of stability common to her age. This was particularly marked in relation to her interest in and affection for things. A given thing contented her for a very short time. The insidious germ-desire for change-was working rapidly in her organism. At last one night her father brought her two live bunnies. Now, we thought, here is something living. This surely will make a more lasting appeal to her; but not so. In the afternoon of the next day we noted one of the rabbits lying dead upon the lawn, and before night the second had met the same fate-a twisted neckand the little lady, all unmindful, was looking for new deeds of conquest and slaughter. Is it too much to say that in that child's nature were being sown the seeds that lead to the dulling of the affections, to the hardening of the heart, to a thoughtlessness that may extend beyond the material toys and the animal pets to her human brothers and sisters? pro I was once invited to view the Christmas gifts which the fond parents had vided for their five children. It was a big display. The indulgent mother pointed out how each one of the children had virtually the same sort of toys-five of 66 every kind- No little child is capable of appre- as a small friend of mine, abetted by her More often a superabundance of toys develops directly or indirectly a train of unfortunate habits. Destructivity is particularly prominent in this train, for where a succession or a superfluity of toys is Is it wide of the mark to say that those parents were sowing for selfishness, that most insidious of all sins? THE ADULT AND THE TOY There is no question but that we adults need educating along the line of toys and adaptation. The toy is, or should be, a bringer of joy to our children; it also should be for the little child an educative means in the happiest and most natural manner. The flowering of the human spirit which manifests itself in children's plays is one of the most beautiful expressions of child-life. It rests with us adults whether we shall be bringers of light or a means of stumbling to these little ones. WEEKLY OUTLINE STUDY OF CURRENT HISTORY BY J. MADISON GATHANY, A.M. HOPE STREET HIGH SCHOOL, PROVIDENCE, R. I. Based on The Outlook of April 30, 1919 Each week an Outline Study of Current History based on the preceding number of The Outlook will be printed for the benefit of current events classes, debating clubs, teachers of history and of English, and the like, and for use in the home and by such individual readers as may desire suggestions in the serious study of current history.-THE EDITORS. [Those who are using the weekly outline should not attempt to cover the whole of an outline in any one lesson or study. Assign for one lesson selected questions, one or two propositions for discussion, and only such words as are found in the material assigned. Or distribute selected questions among different members of the class or group and have them report their findings to all when assembled. Then have all discuss the questions together.] I-INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS A. Topic: Korea's Plea for Independence; Note. This topic should be made the basis of a study of the history of Korea and Japan's rise to supremacy in the Far East. 1. Explain why Korea at the present time is making a plea for independence from Japan. 2. What is The Outlook's attitude toward the independence of Korea? What are its reasons? 3.. Tell, with reasons, whether you believe in the absolute independence of Korea. 4. If Korea should become independent, name and discuss some of the problems and tasks you think would be hers. 5. Make several comparisons between the demands of the Sinn Feiners for Irish independence and those of the Koreans for independence. 6. What does The Outlook believe the true policy for Japan and for Korea is? Do you expect this policy to be executed? Reasons. 7. Describe briefly the struggle of China, Russia, and Japan for the possession of Korea. 8. Explain how Japan finally annexed Korea. 9. Give an account of the Portsmouth Treaty and the part played in it by Theodore Roosevelt. To whom were the terms more creditable, Russia or Japan? Reasons. 10. Discuss what, in your opinion, the effect of the world war will be on the position of Japan. 11. Do you believe, the United States should be decidedly friendly to Japan? Discuss at length. 12. You will find "The Mastery of the Far East," by A. J. Brown (Scribners), a most helpful book in the study of this topic. B. Topic: The Black Wave; Bolshe- 1. Make a numbered list of definitions of Bolshevism as given in this editorial correspondence by Mr. Abbott. (This should prove to be a very valuable exercise.) 2. State and discuss the effects of Bolshevism in Russia. 3. Who are the Russian patriots? State and explain their aim. 4. What, according to the men interviewed by Mr. Abbott, could the Allies do for Russia? 5. Does The Outlook believe the Allies, including the United States, should aid Russia? What are its reasons? Do you believe they should? Tell why or why not. 6. Explain the relations between Bolshevism and Germanism as seen in this correspondence. 7. What, in the belief of Baron Korff, constitutes the German men- II-NATIONAL AFFAIRS Topic: A Millionaire's Opinion of Edu cation. Reference: Editorial, pages 731, 732. 1. What is Mr. Woolworth's opinion of III-PROPOSITIONS FOR DISCUSSION 1. Anarchy is preferable to Bolshevism. IV-VOCABULARY BUILDING (All of the following words and expressions are found in The Outlook for April 30, 1919. Both before and after looking them up in the dictionary or elsewhere, give their meaning in your own words. The figures in parentheses refer to pages on which the words may be found.) Self-determination, revolution, insurrection, missionaries (725); Bolshevism, Prussianism (731); apolitic, autocracy, impertinence, callousness, prejudice, trilingual, patriotism (735); Germanism, virile nation, Kultur (736); benign, outlaw, chemistry, higher education (731). · A booklet suggesting methods of using the Weekly Outline of Current History will be sent on application Poetry, humor, love and adventure-all are here in these six most unusual books D.P. Rudyard Kipling's THE YEARS BETWEEN This, Kipling's first book of poems since "The Five Nations," sixteen years ago, shows the result of this great writer's mature inspiration on the events of the world as it is today. Net, $1.50; leather, $2.00 Joseph Conrad's THE ARROW OF GOLD The fascinating realism that is Conrad's alone pervades this great love story of a young sea captain and the exquisite and elusive Dona Rita. A story of Marseilles and the Spanish Coast. Net, $1.50; leather, $2.00 Arthur H. Pollen's THE BRITISH NAVY IN England's greatest naval expert has By the author of ELIZABETH CHRISTOPHER AND As Anna Rose and Anna Felicitas dis- Marjorie Benton THE CRICKET You follow her through the pages expectantly, amazed at a mother who doesn't just adore her, sympathising with the governesses whom she tyrannizes, and envying the man who finally wins her. Better than Bambi." Net, $1.50 |