MOANS BY A SMALL MAN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2416, 28 June 1900, Page 64

MOANS BY A SMALL MAN.

paints for her. A sad commentary on th< children's opinion of the value of inora. suasion is to be found in the fact that 01113 54 seven-year-old boys, 24 eight-year-ole "girls, and 18 nine-year-old girls and 21 boys of that age, and 111 girls of 11 years -thought .that making Jennie promise not tc do it again would be sufficient. G-. Stanley Hall made an interesting investigation regarding the fears of children. He got 1701 people, adults, mostly undei 23 years of age, to state for him the things and conditions which most scared them as children. The 1701 persons described 6456 fears, which are grouped as follows, according to the objects feared : — Celestial Phenomena. — Thunder and lightning, 603; high wind, 143; cyclones, 67; clouds and their forms, 44; meteors, 34; northern lights, 25; comets, 18; fog, 16; storms, 14; eclipses, 14; extreme hot •weather, 10; extreme cold weather, 8; — total, 996. Darkness, 432 ; ghosts, 203 ; dream fears, 109; solitude, 55— total, 799. Animals. — Reptiles, 483 ; domestic animals, 268 ; wild animals, 206 ; insects, 203 ; rats and mice, 196 ; cats and dogs, 79; birds, 51— total, 1486. ' Fire, 365; water, 205; drowning, 57 — total, 627. Strange persons, 436 ; robbers, 153 — total, 589. Death, 299; disease, 241— total, 540. Why do children play with dolls? BeJore the Pyramids were built, in al] ages and in all climes children have played with dolls; In trying to discover the sources of the many instincts which enter into doll play there is a rich field for investigation, for to play with dolls is a universal and primeval instinct' which Jias not been accounted for as yet. From some investigations "made by A. Caswell Ellis; of Clark University, of Worcester, Mass., it appears fchat of average city school children below six years, 82 per cent, of boys and 98 per cent, of girls have played with dolls ; between Six and 12 years, 76 per cent, of boys and 99 per cent, of girls ; of high school girls, 100 per cent. Those confessing that they 'ever specially enjoyed doll play are — Below six years, 77 per cent, of boys, 95 per cent. of girls ; between six and 12 years, 78 per cant, of boys, 97 per cent, of girls ; of high, echool girls, 82 per cent. It is thought by the expert specialists that the educational value of dolls is veiy great, and that the doll habits of a child should

and in all climes children have played with dolls; In trying to discover the sources of the many instincts -which enter into doll play there is a rich field for investigation, for to play with dolls is a universal and primeval instinct > which Jias 'not been accounted for as yet. From some investigations'made by A. Caswell Ellis; of Clark University, of Worcester, Mass., it appears fchat of average city school children below six years, 82 per cent, of boys and 98 per cent, of girls have played with dolls ; between Isix and 12 years, 76 per cent, of boys and 99 per cent, of girls ; of high school girls, 100 per cent. Those confessing that they 'ever specially enjoyed doll play are — Below six years, 77 per cent, of boys, 95 per cent. of girls ; between six and 12 years, 78 per cant, of boys, 97 per cent, of girls ; of lugli school girls, 82 per cent. Ifc is thought by the expert specialists that the educational value of dolls is veiy great, and that the doll habits of a child should "be studied if one wishes to understand the child. Experiments were made by John C. Shaw, : of Clark University, to test the memory of 'children at different periods of school life. 'A simple " good boy " Christmas story was j .written down by Dr Hall, which took three \ minutes in reading. The pupils were told ; that it was a memory test, and that they j 'should write down after the reading all j they could remember of the story. For a j story like the one employed, and under ; these conditions, the maximum memory j power is reached at a relatively early age. ] ■The boys in the third grade remembered j only 17 per cent, of the story. In the ninth | grade they remembered 42 per cent, and j in the high school only about 40 per cent, j iFroni this it seems that memory power for | the boys culminates about the beginning -. 'of the high- school period. The girls made j a rapid increase from 18 percent, in the , third grade to 43 per cent, ih'th'e seventh j grade, and 47 per cent, in the high school, j iThe growth of memory is more rapid in i the case of girls than boys, and here the figures ■suggest a coincidence with the general law, that the rapid development occurs earlier in girls than in boys.

"be studied if one wishes to understand the child. Experiments were made by John C. Shaw. > : of Clark University, to test the memory ol 'children at different periods of school life. 'A simple " good boy " Christmas story was .written down by Dr Hall, which took three minutes in reading. The pupils were told that it was a memory test, and that they 'should write down after the reading all they could remember of the story. For a story like the one employed, and under these conditions, the maximum memory power is reached at a relatively early age. ■The boys in the third grade remembered only 17 per cent, of the story. In the ninth grade they remembered 42 per cent, and in the high school only about 40 per cent. iFrom this it seems that memory power for the boys culminates about the beginning 'of the high- school period. The girls made a rapid increase from 18 percent, in the third grade to 43 per cent, in 'the seventh grade, and 47 per cent, in the high school. iThe growth of memory is more rapid in the case of girls than boys, and here the figures suggest a coincidence with the general law, that the rapid development occurs earlier in girls than in boys.