Discernment. - "All disorder in the state comes from ill education of the young." - Pythagoras.
However much people may differ as to the most desirable methods of training children, there are a few fundamentals on which all must agree.
If a child is to make normal and satisfactory progress his home must possess the elements that conduce to that end. Excessive luxury is not necessary nor even desirable: but a plentiful supply of wholesome food regularly served; dry, reasonably and uniformly heated homes and schools; proper recreation and exercise; sufficient and suitable clothing for protection and self respect, are essentials. That any child should lack any of these, is a challenge to our legislators, and all intelligent people. William E. Gladstone declared that "the highest duty of the statesman is the passing of laws for the protection of the young."
These material things are essential; but even more important is the mental and spiritual atmosphere of the home. A very "bad little girl" was transformed into a very good and lovable child by the simple process of changing housekeepers. The mother, who was also the breadwinner, came home irritable and wearied at night, only to have her discomfort aggravated by the housekeeper's regular recital of the child's misdemeanors. Things went from bad to worse. The housekeeper left. A serene faced believer in the power of the divine law of love, took her place. Not only the child, but the tired mother and older brother came under the influence of that benign personality. Well being and harmony have taken the place of the disintegrating forces which previously held sway.
Violence, fault-finding and constant use of the loud pedal, though they may frighten into submission for a time, invariably bring a reaction of indifference deepening into positive antagonism and loss of respect for parental or other authority.
Sympathetic Understanding works magical results in dealing with youth. It confers the power to discriminate between actual moral turpitude and sheer exuberance of spirits. The correcting of the first is necessary; the undue checking of the second often irritates and perverts. The boy who goes in swimming before the ice is out of the river or "plays hookey when baseballs are ripe," or "packs in mud" on his shoes or tears holes in the knees of his trousers or socks playing "mibs" is not in the class with the unfortunate lad who exults in the infliction of pain upon helpless things, persistently lies, steals and conducts himself generally, as an enemy of society. Still, I have seen the first list of offenses treated with a harshness and lack of. sympathy which could hardly fail to result in moral perversion.
Actual delinquency is more often than not due to physical defects. Junge Lindsay, Judge Norris S. Barratt and others who recognize that these children more often require surgical or other scientific treatment, than the reform school are indeed true elder brothers and saviors of the race.
Sense of Honor. - A clergyman especially renowned for his effective work among young people, some time ago remarked to me that "one of the bitter and crying needs of the world today, is the safe and wise confidant." Alas! Before there can be many such in the world we shall have to take a more decided stand, both in home and school life, against these flagrant violations of personal honor and integrity-tale-bearing, betrayal of friendly confidences, unfriendly criticism of those absent ones who fondly believe us to be friends.
Happily most children have an innate sense of honor which readily responds to the teaching that these things are base and contemptible; that to be guilty of them debases and dwarfs the spirit. Impress upon the child that these offenses against his own best self as well as against others-result from one of two things: either a malicious desire to injure, or a wish to appear possessed of supposedly important secrets; and that a person guilty of acting from these motives would also be suspected of exaggeration and untruthfulness.
Appointing a pupil-mentor in the school room in the absence of the teacher is a practice that should be discouraged. Better trust to the honor of the whole room to maintain order than to chance the unfortunate results that many times follow this policy.
Always children should be taught to give the fair and kindly benefit of the doubt to the person accused or even suspected; and not to repeat unkind gossip of any kind.
In Binet's standard work on Suggestibility he states that by using an impressive way of questioning he was able to completely falsify the memory of children. Of one hundred and forty-three but two had enough independence of mind to reply accurately. All who have had to do with the education and training of children are fully aware of the great care necessary to avoid biasing the child mind by a suggestive manner of questioning or by appealing to its prejudice. Dr. Van Eeden writes as follows: "The soul of a child and in lesser degree of a grown-up man, can be shaped by suggestive influences in any form; it can be bent crooked, twisted, adulterated-morally and mentally-to an extent depending on its degree of plasticity, its inborn, original force of resistance and the power of suggestive forces at work." He further states : "You are in your turn invited to reflect on what is happening daily in courts and in police headquarters, when some of those whose suggestibility co-efficient is high-some of the 98 per cent non-resistants submitted to the mild suggestions of a questioning police officer, a coroner, a judge or a lawyer. I remember quite well that when a boy of ten, I was questioned into a guilt being entirely innocent. And though it may be true that suggestibility lessens in riper years, we may be quite sure that at least fifty per cent of the average of men retain enough of it to be entirely unreliable as witnesses under the suggestive pressure of a headstrong policeman, a pompous judge or a shrewd lawyer."
Burnheim defines suggestibility as "the aptitude of the mind to receive an idea, and the tendency to transform it into action." 'What a power is here for good or evil and what a responsibility!