RJ Q We UC-NRLF I IMS AMERICAN HOME SERIES NORMAN E. RICHARDSON, Editor THE NERVOUS CHILD BY EDITH C. JOHNSON THE ABINGDON PRESS NEW YORK CINCINNATI Copyright, 1920, l>y NORMAN E. RICHARDSON EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION WHEN a child is naturally predisposed to nervous- ness he constitutes a particular problem for his pa- rents. In such cases, one of their first duties is to avoid stimulating these unfortunate inborn tenden- cies. Nervousness may be transmitted from parent to offspring. The fact that this is done unconsciously in no way lessens its reality. In discussing this important subject of social heredity, a modern writer describes an interesting experience : "I came on a nest of the wild duck in a marsh as the young birds had just emerged from the eggs. The mother duck flew off and disappeared in the sedge, flapping a wing to which she pretended injury. I stood by the nest for some hours and watched the young birds. The greater number were already active and displaying an interest in their surround- ings. They began to try to get out of the nest, and I took them one by one in my hand and placed them in the water, where in the stillness that reigned they splashed and twittered and enjoyed themselves. They showed not the slightest fear of me, nestling from time to time on my feet, and turning intelligent eyes upward to look at me, evidently quite ready to accept me in the fullest confidence as their guardian. "The wild duck had been in these marshes for un- told ages. She had been here even in the days when the woolly rhinoceros left its remains with those of the cavemen in the adjacent hills. During all this time her kind had been one of the most universally hunted among wild creatures. The spent cartridges of the modern sportsmen strewed the bog around. Yet here were her offspring just entering on the world and showing no sign or any kind of any inborn fear of this the hereditary enemy of the species. "After a time I moved away some distance to 506o 4 '" THE tifi-RVOUS CHILD watch what would happen. The mother bird re- turned and alighted nearby. The little ducks rushed toward her as she called. I could observe her. She was chattering with emotion. Every feather was quivering with excitement. The Great Terror of Man was upon her. After a short interval I ad- vanced toward the group again. The mother bird flew away with a series of loud warning quacks. The little ones scattered to cover, flapping their short wing stumps and with beaks wide open cheeping in terror. With difficulty I found one of them again in hiding. It was now a wild, transformed creature trembling in panic which could not be subdued. "It is in this way, and under conditions of the strongest emotion, that the accumulated experience of tens of thousands of generations of the species is imposed on young birds. Once having received it, within a few days, even within a few hours, they pass into another world from which they can never be reclaimed. In the numerous experiments with wild ducks which I made, the following conclusions stood out without any exception. The little ducks, hatched out from the eggs taken from the nest, or taken themselves from the nest the first day after hatch- ing, knew nothing of any fear of man, and they never acquired it afterward if brought up with do- mestic birds. But when once the Terror had been transmitted to them through the social heredity of their species they could not afterward be tamed. When brought up by a foster-parent the young wild ducks acquired that exact relationship of friendliness to man which the foster-parent displayed and which differed considerably according to the birds used as foster-parents." Benjamin Kidd, Science of Power, Chap. X. With her unusually clear insight into child nature, Miss Johnson has set before the parents of nervous children the most common errors to be avoided. The nature of nervousness is so well described that her practical suggestions for overcoming it will be THE NERVOUS CHILD 5 easily understood and applied. The study is neces- sarily brief and introductory. It is not an adequate guide in all cases. It does point out, however, the nature of those types of nervousness that require treatment which only specialists can give. NORMAN E RICHARDSON. THE NERVOUS CHILD Tis easier to prevent bad habits than to break them. B. Franklin. Prevalency of Nervousness in Children Causes of Nervousness in Children Symptoms of Nervousness in Children Need of Special Treatment Treatment of the Nervous Child The Regular Life Removal of Physical Defects Environ- ment of Peace and Harmony Cultivation of Right Habits and Virtues Guarding the Imagination Analysis of the Child's Dreams Activities and Interests Love of Nature and Religious Training. PREVALENCY OF NERVOUSNESS IN CHILDREN HOW many a mother, when her child has been restless, irritable, sulky, or otherwise badly behaved before "company" has turned to the guest and said, apologetically, Mary's terribly nervous," or "Tommy's such a nervous child." Then, accord- ing to her own temperament, she has spasmodically scolded and shaken the child, or has allowed it to tug at her and slap her, whine or wail, with occa- sional mild reproofs inserted parenthetically into her attempted conversation with the guest. In either case, neither the guest, mother nor child enjoyed the visit, and each probably came out of the ordeal with nerves much the worse for wear. The child who had so unpleasantly dominated the scene was, doubtless, a "nervous" child. Nor are such cases isolated or rare. The bane of American life is the production of nervous people, evidenced even in early childhood. Norsworthy and Whitley, in their recent Psychology of Childhood, state that "about 5 per cent of children of school age are neu- rotic, meaning by that that they are sufficiently far down the scale of nervous stability to make them susceptible to emotional complexes which will inter- fere with good adjustment to the outside world." The very fact that so many children are nervous 7 8 THE NERVOUS CHILD leads many a mother to accept this condition as a matter of course a phase in the child's develop- ment. Instead, it should be recognized as a danger signal which, though not morbidly to be feared or dreaded, should be looked upon as ample cause for special observation and treatment. The parent who knows the chief causes which produce nervous chil- dren, will be able either to ward off such tendencies or to make their appearance an impossibility. CAUSES OF NERVOUSNESS IN CHILDREN The greater number of nervous children are probably born with a predisposition to nervousness which is a part of their inheritance. Intelligent parents who recognize the possibility of such an in- heritance can do much by educational means to over- come this tendency. Besides disciplining themselves to self-control, they can learn what to eliminate from and what to insert into the child's environment in order to prevent injury to the nervous system or to strengthen during infancy a system that is inherently sensitive. In this period of life heredity and environment overlap. In fact, all through early childhood imita- tion of parents and others in the home is so strong an educational influence that doubtless much that is sometimes attributed to direct inheritance is really due to imitation. Various factors in the environ- ment, then, may be causes of the child's nervousness. Of these, one which has become recognized as of growing importance is that of unhygienic living. The brain and the body are mutually dependent upon each other. Each must be healthy, or mental power and activity will be low. The brain gives vitality to the body and controls the processes of digestion, res- piration, and circulation. A healthy condition of the blood, which feeds and nourishes the brain, is im- possible without proper food and enough of it, suffi- cient exercise in the open air, and plenty of sleep. THE NERVOUS CHILD 9 Many children are allowed to cultivate antipathies toward certain kinds of food, choosing their own diet according to the caprice of the moment. The natural results are indigestion and headache, which in turn cause irritability, peevishness, and inertia. Dr. Barker says, "Faulty feeding in infancy and early childhood may lead to such impoverishment of the tissues and such stunting of growth that the ill effects can never be recovered from in later life.'* Food and a good digestion are necessary to pro- duce a proper quality of blood. Some children with poor appetites have to be taught that it is their duty to eat in order that they may live, work, and play. With an abundant supply of such food as is suitable for children, and plenty of fresh air and exercise to maintain a supply of pure blood to the brain, the child will be greatly aided in overcoming any ner- vous tendencies. An out-of-door life leads children to exercise their muscles more than any indoor play. Children who are brought up in such a way as to be very sensitive to changes in temperature often suffer through life as a result, especially if they are com- pelled to live in a climate like that of the northern States of the United States or of Canada. In order that the skin and nervous system may not receive a shock at every variation in temperature, children must become accustomed early in life to the cool bath in the morning, and the daily walk in practically all kinds of weather, rain or shine, warm or cold. Nor should it be forgotten that the air breathed in during the night must also be fresh if the sleep is to be sound and revitalizing. Many children start the day in an irritable, peevish frame of mind because of a night spent in the close atmosphere of a room without proper ventilation. With lungs and brain thus poisoned, the child awakes with a tired body, and a heavy and perhaps aching head. To keep the nervous system in good condition refresh- ing sleep in a well-ventilated room is absolutely nec- essary. io THE NERVOUS CHILD Certain physical defects which need attention may prevent the child from enjoying a normal, healthy existence. Even though plenty of fresh air and exercise are available, the child with an abnormal adenoid growth, for example, is unable to inhale enough of that fresh air to keep his blood in a healthy condition. H. Addington Bruce tells of a boy who was taken to a physician to be consulted regarding his selfish, sulky disposition and his poor record in school. Upon examination the doctor found an abnormal growth of adenoid tissue in the cavity back of the boy's nose. The diseased tissue acted as an irritant and a drag on his nervous energy; in addition, by interfering with the intake of oxygen it lowered the nutrition of the brain. Upon the removal of the growth, the boy became interested in his school work, considerate of others, and ceased sulking. Adenoid trouble is often the cause of nervousness in children, manifested by sulk- ing, selfishness, and other symptoms. It may usually be detected by the flat, insipid appearance of the vic- tim's face, and by mouth breathing, particularly when the child is asleep. Another common physical defect of the nervous child is bad teeth. A child whose teeth are decayed may be suffering not only from nerve irritation, but also from some degree of poisoning due to the germs from the decaying teeth, which he swallows with his food. Teeth that are crowded together are also a source of nerve irritation. Defective eyesight may give rise to various ner- vous conditions. This is more difficult to discover since during childhood and youth there may be se- vere eye-strain with no telltale eye symptoms at all. In his Handicaps of Childhood, H. Addington Bruce gives the following illustration: u An eight-year-old girl, previously in good health, and with no more nervousness than is displayed by the average child, began to show traits that worried her parents. She became difficult to control, querulous, and sullen to THE NERVOUS CHILD n an extent that bordered on melancholia. In addi- tion, she complained of indigestion and headache, symptoms which caused her parents to take her to a physician for treatment. His medicines and the course of diet he prescribed did her no good, and another physician was consulted. Then began for this unfortunate little girl a weary round or exam- inations by doctor after doctor. Every means of curing her headaches and indigestion seemed un- availing, and her nervousness and sullenness in- creased apace. Finally, one physician, in spite of the fact that the girl's eyesight seemed normal, sug- gested that she be examined by an eye specialist. Then, for the first time, it was discovered that she had a serious ocular defect. According to Percy R. Wood, who reported the case for the benefit or the medical profession in general, within six months after she first put on spectacles the girl was entirely free from digestive disturbances, her head had ceased to ache, and her melancholy moroseness had given way to normal good nature." The important place which imitation plays in the early education of the child makes him particularly responsive to his environment. Irritability, violent temper, sulkiness, extreme excitability may therefore be but a reflection of these qualities in the nervous, excitable, irritable parents. "Just as cheerfulness and kindliness are contagious, so, unfortunately, are moroseness, churlishness, and ill will, and the lajtter are mental states which are most harmful to the nervous system" (L. F. Barker). One can hardly blame the tired and worn-out mother, nearly exhausted by her many household cares, for being irritable at times, but the child unconsciously partakes of her spirit. When mother is cheerful and happy the child is apt to be happy, but when mother is worried and nervous the child is impatient and irritable. In explaining sulkiness, H. Addington Bruce speaks of the importance of the parents' example. 12 THE NERVOUS CHILD "Many parents, though wholly unappreciative of the fact, inspire sulkiness in their children by setting them an example of sulkiness. A striking instance has lately come under my personal observation, in the experience of a mother who is continually being annoyed by the whining, sulky ways of her four-year- old daughter. She scolds the girl, she spanks her, but all to no good. Not once does it seem to occur to the mother that possibly her own habit of sulking when things do not go right may be blamed for the sulkiness of her child. She is precisely the kind of woman to whom the learned Professor Paul Dubois addresses these scathing words: 'You, madam, who complain of the irritability of your little girl, could you not suppress your own ? . . . Remember the proverb, "The fruit does not fall far from the tree." ' "This factor of example in the causing of sulkiness is something that parents frequently ignore. In a general way they realize that their children are likely to imitate them, but they do not appreciate the subtle force which imitation exercises in forming the men- tal states and moral attitudes of the young. Time and again we see parents talking and acting as though children had no eyes or ears or memories; as though, indeed, they were beings quite insensitive to the sights and sounds of their surroundings. "Yet normal children are the most sensitive and the most Suggestible' of beings. Let father snarl and mother sulk, and little Johnny or Mary may be pretty confidently counted on to snarl and sulk like- wise unless by a happy chance Johnny and Mary have playmates or relatives whose lives radiate suffi- ciently strong suggestions of cheerfulness to offset the parents' unhappy influence. Instruction is much, but example is more. Or, as wise Pastor Witte puts it, 'Instruction begins, example accomplishes.' ' Physicians are practically agreed that "night ter- rors" are most likely to appear in children having a nervous, excitable father or mother. Parents can THE NERVOUS CHILD 13 hardly expect their children to be self-controlled if they themselves allow worry, temper, fear, jealousy, etc., to gain the mastery over them. Dr. Barker offers encouragement to all who realize their weakness in controlling themselves when he says that "it is entirely possible, with long training, practically to banish anger, worry, irritability, and uncharitable- ness from one's life." Very often the nervous child is the product of overindulgence on the part of the parents. Perhaps the worst sufferer in this respect is the only child, though in many families of several children there may be a Joseph upon whom all the best things are showered by father or mother or both. Such a child is usually overprotected in early childhood. For fear that he may be exposed to hardship or danger, he is not allowed to play out of doors with other children, or to see anything which will cause him mental suffering. The nervous system, thus over- sensitized in early years, suffers the more keenly when the close parental protection is removed. Sooner or later every child is exposed to pain and discomfort of some kind. His early training, in- stead of attempting to exclude him from all painful and disagreeable experiences, should help him to en- dure them courageously. "Physicians who work among nervous cases," says Dr. Barker, "realize how often the child who has been too much pro- tected from pain becomes the victim of nervous breakdown later in life." The overindulgent parent continues the spoiling process by yielding to the child's outbreaks of tem- per in order to stop its crying. Before long the child learns that by exhibiting a violent temper he can gain what he desires. Uncontrolled fits of tem- per, if of frequent occurrence, play havoc with the nervous system of the child. With advancing years the ability to achieve self-control becomes increas- ingly difficult. The lack of self-mastery becomes habitual. It results in defective will power. The i 4 THE NERVOUS CHILD overindulged child must usually pay heavily in later years for the short-sightedness of its parents. Describing the self-centered and unhappy victims of uncontrolled parental affection, H. Addington Bruce says: "Hysterical pains, contractures, swell- ings, even hysterical blindness, have been observed in children who, after having been unduly indulged, feel that their father or mother, as the case may be, is no longer as attentive to and lenient with them as they would like. More frequently, under such con- ditions, the symptoms of nervousness are chiefly mental, or, ir physical, are confined to muscular twitchings, slight involuntary movements of the face, head, hands, and similar manifestations. Unhap- pily, the true significance of these is often over- looked. They are thought to be defects which the child will 'outgrow,' and in many cases they certainly are outgrown, to all appearance. But, if the moral weaknesses underlying them the self-centered- ness, the deficiency in emotional control are not in the meantime corrected, at any crisis in adult life there is likely to result a nervous breakdown or a serious attack of hysteria. Indeed, in not a few cases of adult hysteria, the casual agency of sel- fishness is unmistakably in evidence to those ac- customed to interpreting nervous symptoms. There are plenty of men and women whose chronic neu- roticism is motivated by a subconscious craving to be the center of attraction, or to be perpetually dominant in the family life. There are other un- fortunates who, when their will is seriously crossed, take refuge in various forms of nervous disease." Sensitive, imaginative children may become ner- vous as a result of fright caused by an accident, or by a threat intended as a means of discipline. A child of six who was struck by an automobile when crossing a street, for some months after the accident jumped at the slightest unexpected sound and was unable to sleep quietly. Though five years have passed since the accident, she is still nervous about THE NERVOUS CHILD 15 riding in automobiles, and continually requests the driver not to go fast. More serious and permanent results are often the consequence of threats carelessly expressed by par- ents or nurses to frighten children into "being good.'* One young man, who, during his college career, was subject to frequent nervous breakdowns, traced them to a severe fright in early childhood which was oc- casioned by such a threat. When he showed signs of being naughty, his mother told him that if he wasn't good, a man with a big knife would come and take him away. This frightened him into tempo- rary obedience. One day, as he was running over into a neighbor's yard, the neighbor came toward him, holding a knife in his hand. The terrified child ran home screaming, possessed with the idea that this was the man to whom his mother had referred. He has never recovered from the shock of that fright, which he claims is the cause of his frequent nervous breakdowns. Another young student afflicted with stammering traced its origin to a similar scare. He had been told, frequently when naughty, that some day be- cause of his disobedience, the policeman would come and take him away. One day, the policeman came to the door to ask his mother a question. The child answered the doorbell. The sudden appearance of the big man in uniform caused him to run under the dining-room table, pulling the cloth down to hide himself. When he was rescued by his mother he was trembling violently and unable to speak. Since then he has stammered, though his speech was per- fectly normal before this fright. When parents realize that their children may be handicapped for life by the scare of the "bogey-man in the attic," the "black bear in the cellar, or the "policeman who will catch them if they do thus and so," they will doubtless be more careful of the methods employed in the management of their boys and girls. 16 THE NERVOUS CHILD Nervous troubles may be provoked and morbid fears incited by certain gory fairy tales and eerie ghost stories told to children predisposed to ner- vousness. Said Angelo Mosso, the famous Italian scientist, "Every ugly thing told to the child, every shock, every fright given him, will remain like minute splinters in the flesh to torture him all his life long." Several cases, reported to him by physicians who are specialists in nervous diseases, are described by H. Addington Bruce. They are such typical exam- ples of this cause of nervous troubles both among children and adults that two are quoted at length below. The influence of the wrong kind of fairy tale is well illustrated by a little girl whose morbid irri- tability, disobedience, and crying spells led her parents to take her to a physician for examination. Excessive jealousy of her brother seemed to be the cause. "In the course of the analysis the discovery was made that the girl had frequent dreams of see- ing both her mother and her brother cruelly treated. In one dream witches shut her mother in a cave to starve to death, and threw her brother into a large caldron of boiling water, leaving him to perish mis- erably. " 'This dream,' the little girl naively explained to the physician who was analyzing her mental states, 'is just like the fairy tales I read.' "Other dreams of cruelty were likewise found to be drawn from the reading of unpleasant fairy tales. So that, although in this case jealousy was undoubt- edly the chief cause of the nervous condition for which treatment was required, fairy tales also played a part in directing the course of the little girl's mor- bid thinking and her difficult behavior. Warned by this revelation of the dream-analysis, her physician made it a point to notify her mother that unless steps were taken to change the girl's reading matter she might develop traits of character harshness, cold- THE NERVOUS CHILD 17 ness, indifference to the sufferings of others that would handicap her throughout life." Continuing, Mr. Bruce says: "The fairy tale abounding in gory elements may breed an abnormal timidity, passing sometimes beyond the category of a character defect to that of a positive disease. A typical instance is found in the experience of a young New York boy. 'Our son/ his parents told the physician, to whom they took him for treatment, 'has suddenly become excitable and nervous, afraid to go outdoors alone, and still more afraid to sleep alone. If left to himself after having been put to bed, he often wakes out of a sound sleep, shrieking for us. When we go to him he seems dazed, and for some moments does not recognize us. But he can- not tell us what has frightened him, and in the morn- ing does not remember his alarm.' "From this brief description the physician at once recognized that he had to deal with a case of what is technically known as pavor nocturnus, but better known to the lay public as 'night terrors.' Having had a thorough training in medical psychology, he was well aware that night terrors are grounded in disturbing experiences of the waking life. Accord- ingly, he questioned the parents closely. "Insistently they denied that anything had oc- curred to cause their son undue anxiety or alarm. Then the physician resorted to psychological analy- sis of the boy's mental states and, before long, made the discovery that his mind was full of frightful images of giants, wizards, and slimy monsters. Promptly he summoned the father and mother and asked them : " 'Have you been reading or telling fairy stories to your boy lately?' " 'Why, yes,' the mother replied. 'He is passion- ately fond of them, and I tell him some every day.' ' 'And what, may I ask, are the stories that you tell to him most frequently?' " 'Jack the Giant Killer is one. He is also par- i8 THE NERVOUS CHILD ticularly fond of The Boy Who Did Not Know How to Shiver/ 'Well, madam,' said the physician, gravely, *I must ask you either to stop telling him fairy tales or to choose for him fairy tales with less gruesome ele- ments in them. He is a boy of nervous tempera- ment, and, figuratively speaking, he has been pois- oned by the fear-images that are so abundant in the stories he has heard. Take him out into the open air, turn his thought to other things, and be more discreet in your choice of reading matter for him. Unless you do this there is danger that he will yet suffer from something far more serious than night terrors.' ' Morbid dread of blood, for example, and of cer- tain odors and sounds may also be traced to ultra- sanguinary tales and stories. Fear of the dark, the most common dread of childhood, may originate in the same way. The vivid pictures lodged in the child's mind remain there throughout life, a source of weakness. Dr. T. A. Williams, a specialist in nervous troubles, says: "Morbid fears are a great distress to many people. They nearly always have arisen in early childhood, and have been inculcated by injudicious nurses, tales of goblins and fairies being most prolific in this respect." It must not be supposed, however, that all fairy tales are harmful. It is not their elimination that is wanted, but discrimination in the choice of tale to be told the child. The normal, healthy child probably will not be injured by any of these stories, but with the highly imaginative, impressionable boy or girl care must be employed in the use of the fairy tale as a means of entertainment. However, the rightly chosen fairy tale and myth are an important means of education in early childhood. They help to culti- vate the imagination, they give an outlook upon dif- ferent nations, people, and classes of society, and they intensify in later years the grown child's enjoyment of all literature because of his understanding of the THE NERVOUS CHILD 19 frequent allusions to persons and scenes in these same tales and myths. Small children who have older brothers or sisters, or fond young uncles assisting in their upbringing are often subjected to such ordeals of teasing that their nervous systems may suffer seriously and their dispositions become hopelessly ruined. One writer cites the case of a little girl whom she first saw when a child of three. She was then healthy, happy and of a joyous disposition. Some years later, when again visiting in the home, she saw the same child, yet could hardly believe it was the same. Her face looked thin and drawn, and bore the marks of the peevish, fretful, irritable temper which she had de- veloped. Seeking an explanation of such a trans- formation, the guest finally discovered it in an ador- ing young uncle who teased the child almost contin- uously from the time he came home until the little girl went to bed. Neither he nor the mother seemed to realize that such treatment daily was undermining the girl's nervous constitution and ruining her dispo- sition. Even fathers are sometimes so unwise as to tease their children, especially when the latter are quick to respond. The effects may not always be irrita- bility and ill-temper. There may be extreme rest- lessness or excitability, evidenced by inability to sit still, or to restrain screams and giggling upon the slightest provocation. Lack of control ofthe nerves is the natural result of such treatment. A cause of nervousness in children which is more common than most parents realize is mental conflict over sex questions. Dr. Ernest Jones, a noted Eng- glish medical psychologist, may be quoted as an au- thority on this subject. He says: "The extent to which such matters occupy the mind of the young child is always underestimated by adults, and is impossible to determine by a casual examination, for, on the one hand, the later mem- ories for these years are always deficient and er- 20 THE NERVOUS CHILD roneous, and, on the other hand, this aspect of the child's mind is rarely accessible to direct inquiry, on account of the barrier always existing on the subject between child and adult. As the child grows older the desires and tendencies in question meet with such obstacles as an increasing sense of shame, guilt, wrongness, remorse, and so on, and are fought against by the child, who now half-consciously strives to get away from them, to forget them, or as it is technically termed, to 'repress' them. The repressed mental processes are later thus forgotten, and, along with them, a major part of the mental experiences associated with them in time. "It is almost a regular occurrence for children of the age of four or five to turn from their parents, to withdraw into themselves, and to pursue private speculations about the topics concerning which they have been denied information, whether by direct refusal or by evasion. Phantasies of bitter resent- ment against the parent commonly occur at this time, and often form the basis not only of a later want of confidence, or even a more or less veiled hostility as regards the parents, but also of various subse- quent disharmonies, neurotic disturbances, and so forth." SYMPTOMS OF NERVOUSNESS IN CHILDREN Having considered some of the factors, physical and mental, which lead to the development of the nervous child, the next inquiry is : how may a mother know if her child is showing any of the symptoms of nervousness? General weakness and ill health, with a tendency quickly to become fatigued and to suffer from headaches, are the chief characteristics of the nervous child. If the weakness is marked, it is usually evidenced by extreme listlessness and in- difference to the people and places of daily life. Ill health is usually shown by underweight, extreme pallor of skin and lips, circles under the eyes, and THE NERVOUS CHILD 21 bloodless appearance of the finger nails. Sometimes the face may be fat, but the rest of the body thin; this is often the case with nervous children. Nervous children of the highly sensitive, imagina- tive type may be physically weak, but overactive and restless because of lack of poise and nerve control. We find them extremely excitable "high-strung" their relatives would say abandoning themselves without control to the joy or grief of the moment. The supreme effort of their parents and teachers is to try to "keep them still," an impossible feat from attempting which both sides usually emerge ex- hausted and irritable. Such children probably have inherited their nervous tendencies, or reflect the temperaments of those by whom they are brought up. Overstimulation of a nature which should have an environment of poise, harmony, and quiet has accentuated inherent tendencies. Still more difficult to live with are the nervous children whose symptoms are irritability and bad temper. Again it is true that very often these char- acteristics are but reflections of the parents' own dis- positions. Never do Burns's lines "O wad some power the giftie gie us To see oursel's as others see us! It wad from monie a blunder free us, And foolish notion" find a more fervent echo in our hearts than when we observe such instances. However, any of the other causes discussed above may be at the root of the disagreeable temper and general crankiness. A common symptom of nervousness, which should not, however, be taken too seriously unless it occurs with great frequency, is talking and walking in sleep. Indigestion, or too much excitement are usually at the root of it, and if the child is otherwise bright and healthy, these symptoms should disappear at about the eighth year. More serious, however, are the so-called night 22 THE NERVOUS CHILD terrors which so disturb the sleep of many children that they awake in the morning feeling more tired than when they went to bed. Though night terrors are very similar to the nightmares of adult years, they indicate a greater degree of nervous strain. A typical attack has been described by H. Addington Bruce as follows : "The child who is a victim of night terrors gen- erally has an hour or so of quiet sleep after going to bed. Then he wakes, shrieking for his mother. When the parents, alarmed, rush to his room, they are likely to find him out of bed, crouching behind a chair, or in the corner. His eyes are staring and full of horror. He seems not to recognize his parents, though he will eagerly clutch at them for protection. After a few minutes the attack passes off, he quiets down, returns to bed, and sleeps soundly until morning, when, as a rule, he has no conscious remembrance of his fears of the night be- fore. "While the night terror is at its height the child may have ghastly hallucinations, representing a con- tinuance in the waking state of the dream-images that have distressed him. Also, instead of leaping out of bed, he may merely sit up, or may find it im- possible to move at all, as is the case with many adults when coming out of a nightmare." Investigation and study have shown that physical conditions, contrary to former opinions, do not of themselves account for night terrors, and the night- mares into which they are apt to develop in adult life. The children who are troubled by them are always of a sensitive, nervous organization which has been subjected to some emotional stress. A nervously high-strung child, if kept from emotional pressure, may sleep soundly without any interruption by night terrors; but if he suffers any excessive emotional disturbance, he becomes likely to suffer at once not only night terrors but more serious nervous troubles. Over anxious parents, by their THE NERVOUS CHILD 23 influence and example, may cause the child to worry over imagined dangers which will trouble him in his sleep. Fears excited by the wrong kind of stories and fairy tales, and by threats or frights are further important causes of these night afflictions. Growing out of them and often resulting from the same causes is the characteristic of extreme timidity. Fear, not only of the dark and of strange places, but of being alone, and of meeting people are expressions of this nervous trait. The child so afflicted usually blushes deeply when spoken to, or when called upon to recite in school, becomes almost tongue-tied; or stammers, when addressed by anyone outside of the immediate family, and shows similar signs of a most uncomfortable and continually present self-conscious- ness. Life becomes a miserable burden to the person who fails to conquer this nervous tendency. "When a child frequently sulks " says Mr. Bruce, "it is always a sure indication of mental or nervous stress/' Unhygienic living and physical defects such as those previously discussed are the chief causes of this nervous symptom. The home environment, especially the attitude of parents toward the child, is another important source of sulkiness. It is usu- ally the very sensitive child who sulks, and nagging, scolding, or otherwise punishing him only increases his feeling of being ill-treated and having a grievance against the world. Sometimes the favoritism of parents toward a brother or sister whether real or only imagined may cause the child who feels his inferiority and craves greater affection, to shut him- self out from the world which appears to him so dismal and unpleasant, and seek melancholy comfort in his sulks. If his parents have answered his questions untruthfully, causing him to lose con- fidence in them, the sulks may be his way of showing the shock which such loss of faith has been to his nervous system. Sulky children are never happy children. Though the ground for their sulks may be wholly imaginary, it should be removed before 24 THE NERVOUS CHILD a permanently sullen, pessimistic temperament has a chance to develop. Sometimes a child develops a comparatively sud- den change in character as was the case of the little girl who had been teased by her uncle as a symp- tom of nervous trouble. Parents should try earnestly to discover the cause of such a change, and by proper treatment endeavor to restore the child's nervous organization to healthy normality. NEED OF SPECIAL TREATMENT FOR THE NERVOUS CHILD Since all of these symptoms are but nature's danger signals warning us of trouble ahead, if they are not heeded, serious consequences may follow. It is usually during middle and late adolescence that the nervous instability of childhood produces the serious diseases of adults. The overindulged, spoiled child, who has never been trained in habits of control of the emotions, may become the victim of hysteria which is chiefly characterized by "insta- bility of emotional control, excessive love of day- dreaming, a tendency to forget all unpleasant emo- tional experiences, and to originate a second per- sonality almost wholly separated from the real world about him." The highly excitable child, restless and excessively active and of weak constitution, may, during adoles- cence, develop the well-known disease popularly called St. Vitus's dance. Its main characteristics are fairly well known uncontrollable jerks and twitches of head, face, and limbs, and, if severe, interference with speech and swallowing. Mentally the victim suffers from poor sleep, and is generally unstable and capricious. St. Vitus's dance occasionally begins with the sulks in early childhood. Life-long invalidism, often beginning with general debility and weakening of will-power in adolescence and leading to early senility, may be the price which THE NERVOUS CHILD 25 the nervous child must later pay for parental neglect of marked symptoms during childhood, such as night terrors, sulks, and extreme timidity. Physicians have found that many diseases of neurotic adults are the result of fully developed nervous troubles of child- hood. Where the child's heredity predisposes him to ner- vous disorders, and his environment, instead of re- pressing, tends to accentuate such an inheritance, even such dreaded diseases as insanity and epilepsy may result. Extremely violent temper, uncontrolled, is a preparation for such disorders. There is much encouragement to parents, however, in the conclu- sions of the great majority of scientists that nervous- ness is at bottom an acquired rather than an in- herited disorder, and that in its many forms, in- cluding insanity, it represents an imperfect adapta- tion to environment, due largely to lack of proper training. The chief fault in this training has been the neglect on the part of those intrusted with the individual's nurture to develop emotional and moral control during the first years of life. This places the responsibility for overcoming already established symptoms largely upon the shoulders of parents. If, therefore, they discover that their children are showing symptoms of nervousness, they should be- gin at once to give the treatment necessary to over- come them. TREATMENT OF THE NERVOUS CHILD If the case is one which a physician ought to handle, the child immediately should be placed under his care. But careful observation of the child and intelligence on the part of the parents without the aid of a physician can often discover the cause of the nervousness and the best way to administer the correct treatment. 26 THE NERVOUS CHILD A REGULAR LIFE A regular life in which the hours for eating, sleep- ing, and exercise are fairly well fixed, is absolutely necessary for the health of any child. "Plenty of good simple food including milk, meat, vegetables, and fruit is approved by all authorities." Refer- ence is made at the end of this pamphlet to good manuals on the care and feeding of children. From these parents can learn what foods are suitable for children and in what proportion they should be served. The child should learn to eat and digest these wholesome foods, and not be allowed to cul- tivate food antipathies. Play in the open air is necessary for a good, healthy appetite. The nervous child needs the hardening of the body which is the result of out-of- door exercise of some kind in all sorts of weather. Dr. Barker says that a child who has formed "good habits in taking cool baths, walking in all weather and at all temperatures, playing and exercising in the open air will have learned many lessons in the steeling of his mind to bear pain and to ignore small discomforts." During the school year systematic gymnastic ex- ercises should be used. If these are not provided, parents can teach their older children some forms of exercise to be taken upon rising. My System, by J. P. Miiller, referred to at the end of this pamphlet, is suggestive and practical. Dr. Barker considers it a mistake on the part of mothers to have the nervous child excused from the regular gymnastic exercises in school since he, more than the normal healthy child, needs systematic muscular exercises. If properly regulated, therefore, it will benefit the child. But he advises parents who doubt the reliability of the supervision of the gymnastic work at school to con- sult the family physician with regard to the character and amount of exercise to be taken. Physicians state that one reason why women, in THE NERVOUS CHILD 27 adult life, are more inclined to nervousness than men is because they have less opportunity in their play life as children to undergo the "hardening proc- ess" which is so beneficial to the nervous system. It may be well, however, to utter a warning against excesses in sports like tennis, football, and basketball where there is great competition and rivalry. The nervous young person may be injured both in mind and body by overindulgence in these vigorously com- petitive sports. Since sleep is very necessary to the nervous child, heavy meals or emotional disturbance just before bedtime should always be avoided. Certain forms of punishment at bedtime, such as sending the child supperless to bed, or recalling all his misdeeds of the day and thus arousing strong emotions of an un- pleasant nature, are, of course, most injurious to body and mind. The amount of sleep should be sufficient, and the retiring and rising hours known and observed daily by the child. For persistent sleep- lessness the family doctor should be consulted. The child who, from infancy, is properly fed and clothed, and given sufficient fresh air, exercise and sleep has the most important assets in gaining the sound body that is so important a factor in maintaining a sound mind. REMOVAL OF PHYSICAL DEFECTS Certain physical defects have already been men- tioned as often unsuspected causes of nervousness in children. Their removal may produce an entire change in the disposition and behavior of the child. Physicians cite many cases of children suffering from night terrors who, after having adenoid growths re- moved, were no longer troubled in their sleep. Other fears also may be caused by physical annoyances which should be removed, as in the following case cited by Dr. Barker : "A young girl, recently brought to me because of an unaccountable, persistent, and 28 THE NERVOUS CHILD distressing fear of 'burglars in the house/ was found to be suffering from goiter; on removal of a portion of the thyroid gland the child rapidly improved and on last report was only occasionally troubled by the fear; it seems probable that she will soon be entirely free from it." The teeth and eyes, other common sources of ner- vousness, need to be examined with sufficient fre- quency to make sure that they are not the cause of nervousness in the child. AN ENVIRONMENT OF PEACE AND HARMONY For all nervous children, an environment of peace and harmony is of supreme importance. The great- est factor here is the poise and self-control of the parents. "Many a mother unconsciously produces nervousness, hysteria, and irritation in the children by her own voice and manner, and does not realize it until the situation is serious." Many times the mother's irritation is due to over- work in her efforts to keep home and children clean and attractive in appearance. These mothers will have to be satisfied with the lesser achievements in housekeeping if, realizing that first things should come first, they wish to be successful in homemakmg. After all, it is the spirit of the home that makes it so dear to the family rather than the polished windows, furniture, and floors. True, the mother has a certain amount of obligation toward the latter, but they should not be allowed to usurp the time she needs to rest tired nerves and weary body. Some sane words have been written on this subject by M. L. Westcott. "Poise is not always 'the gift of the gods' ; too often it must be sought for diligently. It is oftenest found on the Road of Health, but it must be remembered that body and mind act and react upon each other. Physical soundness lends buoyancy to spirit, and conversely, mental control and disci- pline predispose to bodily fitness. The mother's THE NERVOUS CHILD 29 part, then is to see to it that her lack of nerve power be supplied by proper rest and treatment; that every effort be made, first of all, to conserve and build up the nerve force, recklessly consumed in the thou- sand and one demands of her position; and when the foundation is laid, the effort for speech-control, the search for spiritual balance and sanity, will be all the more speedily rewarded. Peace and serenity of soul are not the outcome of that intense striving which ties brain and nerve and repulses the thing de- sired, they are the result, rather, of putting oneself in harmony with all that is good and true and beau- tiful, or dwelling upon comforting and tranquillizing thoughts, and refusing to entertain worry, anxiety, apprehension, and the host of 'little foxes* that would lay waste our lives." The attitude of the mother will have a powerful influence upon the father's temper when he returns home in the evening tired and sometimes discour- aged. Likewise the appreciative word or smile on the part of husband will go far toward lifting mother's load of care. The methods of sympathetic interest, cool judgment, and counter suggestion can the more easily be substituted by parents for scold- ing, nagging, and faultfinding when each stands ready to bear the other's burden. CULTIVATION OF RIGHT HABITS AND VIRTUES The nervous child needs the power of self-control. The cultivation of right physical habits is an im- portant element here. In this connection Dr. War- ner says: "The infant needs training even from the moment of birth. Habits of regularity in the times of feeding and sleeping and in bodily requirements may be established and lay a foundation for acquir- ing further character." If the child has not formed regular habits of living, he should begin at once to do so. Where the parents are unable to remedy a condition for which they are largely responsible, as 30 THE NERVOUS CHILD in the case of the older nervous child, a good camp may succeed in establishing regular habits of living and thus greatly strengthen the nervous system. The school is also an aid. The nervous child, however, should not be sent to school too early, but should start a year or two later than the normal child. And once in school, parents must be careful that their ambitions do not permit them to force the child ahead thus engaging him in competition which will be injurious. The cultivation of such virtues as courage and self-denial will increase self-control. The power of suggestion and of imitation again is helpful in this regard. "A child should never have suggested to him that he is afraid. He should be assured con- stantly that he is brave, loyal, and fearless. The daily repetition of these suggestions will contribute much to actual acquirement of the traits of character suggested." One parent tells of using suggestion to help her two-year-old overcome his fear of the dark. For ten successive nights she took his hand, leading him into the dark room saying, "Nice dark, restful dark; we go to sleep in the dark, we're not afraid of the dark, are we? No." On each of the first nine nights the child replied, "No, no, naughty dark. Willie 'fraid of dark." But on the tenth night the victory was won when his mind responded to the mother's suggestion and he too repeated, "We're not afraid of the dark." Since that night he has not been afraid of the dark. The suggestion that only babies are afraid often helps the boy who wants to be mother's little man to make a supreme effort for self-control. Courage may be instilled also by getting the child to laugh at his fears by showing him how harmless they are. We once knew a nervous child of two who had such a fear of dust sweepings from the floor that she would scream if they blew near her. Some chil- dren have, a similar fear of cats, dogs, hens, etc. By THE NERVOUS CHILD 31 letting the child get near them, talking about them and explaining the different movements and sounds which are instinctive to them, the parents can help him to overcome unreasonable fear. The nervous child will seldom gain courage and self-control by having his fears laughed at by adults. He needs sym- pathetic understanding and patient explanation to help him conquer his weakness. A love for humanity, and a realization that the blind, maimed, and crip- pled have the same feelings and desires that we have will overcome the morbidly sensitive nervous child's tendency to let his thoughts dwell in a fearful man- ner upon some afflicted person whom he has seen during the day. The control of temper and irritability is often a serious struggle for the weak, nervous child and for its parents. Purposefully ignoring the attack of temper, or isolating the child for a period is usu- ally the most effective method. "In older children the habit of giving way to temper may sometimes be broken by inculcating the conviction that one who loses his temper makes a fool of himself, loses his dignity and excites the dis- dain and contempt of his fellows. The horror of looking ridiculous, of making a donkey of oneself, may be a most powerful lever in conquering a ten- dency to attacks of fury n (L. F. Barker). In Problems of Temper, another monograph in the American Home Series, helpful suggestions for dealing with this fault are discussed at some length. For some nervous children it is harder to conquer irritability than temper. The example of parents and brothers and sisters, together with patience on their part, is the best aid. The companionship of playmates is important also in helping to control ir- ritation. These frank young truth-tellers will soon let the selfish, irritable child know what his failings are, and will refuse to play with him if he shows no disposition to master his weakness. Often too in his games with others this child must deny himself 32 THE NERVOUS CHILD for the sake of the game. The nervous child is usu- ally self-centered, and needs the discipline in self- denial, patience, self-control which association with other children, sisters and brothers, cousins and playfriends helps him to obtain. In this companion- ship, moreover, he is helped to face painful conse- quences of his conduct, since such action brings the commendation of his peers. In the games he must often make a decision and act quickly; this helps the timid, vacillating child to overcome his besetting weakness and gain the self-confidence which he needs. GUARDING THE IMAGINATION The overactive, nervous child, whose imagination runs away with him when the least bit excited, must be kept from having this faculty over stimulated by stories, scares, teasing, etc. Even very great pleas- ure must not be too long anticipated and thus allow the accumulation of feelings and emotions which will exhaust the excitable nervous child. Dr. Barker says, "It is a serious mistake to lead the young child into experiences that belong properly to a later age. When children under ten years of age are made to travel extensively, to visit museums and picture galleries, to attend the theater and the opera, they are introduced to entertainment wholly unsuited to their time of life and which they, in their immaturity, are entirely unfitted to enjoy." Even that form of entertainment which we think of as belonging to the children, the circus, should not be allowed to reveal its delights to them until the age of nine. By that time the nervous system may be strong enough to endure the many strange people and things without later allowing the im- agination morbidly to dwell upon them. If, how- ever, at this age, there are symptoms of nervous troubles, the child should not be taken to places where these will be aggravated. When the sleep is broken by night terrors an THE NERVOUS CHILD 33 analysts of the child's dreams often reveals the cause of the disturbance. The dreams of children usually relate either to things which they dread or desire. They are ordinarily much less complicated than adult dreams and therefore are more readily interpreted. Says H. Addington Bruce: "The frequency with which dreams of a given type are dreamed has, in- deed, much to do with their significance as indications of character defects. An occasional dream of gorg- ing oneself or, say, of being the center of attrac- tion at an evening party would not be valid ground for indicting a little boy of greed, or a little girl of vanity. But, if such dreams are habitual, or if, despite a seeming variety in the dreams reported by son or daughter, there is discernible an under- current of desires incompatible with strength and beauty of character, then the wise parent will not delay in supplementing dream study by educational measures to correct the indicated defects. "Dream-analysis should particularly be utilized to help children who being free from adenoids, eye-strain, or other adverse physical conditions show a sudden and unfavorable change in disposi- tion. Some cause of emotional stress is undoubtedly present, and it may be taken for granted that the child will betray, through the content of his dreams, what is troubling his mind. Dream-analysis will thus give insight into secret jealousies, secret de- sires, secret fears, secret mental conflicts of many kinds, that are provocative both of unfavorable changes in character and of outright ill-health." By this means it has been discovered that the nervous child may be suffering mental conflict over sex questions to which parents have given untruthful or evasive answers. When, very early, children begin to inquire about their origin and birth, honest, straightforward answers will satisfy their curiosity when untruths or evasions might arouse it and lead to an unhealthy secret pondering of the sub- ject. For the parent who has difficulty in answering 34 THE NERVOUS CHILD questions upon sex matters, certain literature on the subject may be of service. The pamphlet in the American Home Series, "What to Say" in Telling the Story of Life's Renewal, will be found useful and practical. ACTIVITIES AND INTERESTS "Education to idleness is education to nervous- ness." Work which is adapted to the child's ability furnishes a wholesome outlet for his activity. It occupies his attention and thus takes his mind away from thoughts of self. The nervous child, as well as the normal child, should be given the privilege of performing regularly simple duties in the home. He should, moreover, be encouraged to cultivate in" terests which will make him forget bodily ills or mental annoyances. The workshop where he can "putter" with tools which are his very own, the garden where he can plant and care for such flowers and vegetables as he wishes, the closet or set of drawers where he can deposit for safe keeping such collections as he may wish to make these the parent should take especial pains to make of interest to the nervous child, whose instability of tempera- ment or indifference will not incline him naturally to the interests which his more normal brother and sister grow into almost instinctively. The nervous child should not be encouraged to consider himself different from other children. Neither should his peculiarities be discussed in his presence. As much as possible let his mind be oc- cupied with interesting occupations and people, that it may grow away from unhealthy introspection to the development of a cheerful outlook upon life and an enjoyment of its delights and duties. The nervous child is a great challenge to parents. Shall they allow him to continue to cultivate charac- teristics which will make life a burden to him, and which may make him a drag upon society, or shall THE NERVOUS CHILD 35 they do all in their power to create the environment and establish the habits, both by precept and exam- ple, which will develop him into a helpful and hon- orable Christian citizen a contribution to society of whom they may feel justly proud? "It is on the development of a really efficient parenthood that the future of society depends." LOVE OF NATURE AND RELIGIOUS TRAINING The cultivation of a love of nature will counteract the tendency to fear insects, bugs, moving bushes, etc. The sighing of the wind and the rustling of the leaves at night need not trouble the child who has been led to love nature and feel the nearness of its Creator. The idea of God as a protector is perfectly natural to the child who has a loving mother and father. Through the evening prayer a feeling of trust and confidence can be inspired that will drive away the fears which are, after all, only a mental attitude. The following prayers, in which protection and care are invoked by the child, are taken from Fred- erica Beard's Prayers for Use in Home, School, and Sunday School: "Heavenly Father, thou wilt hear me, Bless thy little child to-night, Through the darkness be thou near me, Keep me safe till morning light." "Now I am going to lie down to sleep, I pray thee, O God, who seest in the dark as well as in the light, to take care of me and bless me." Amen. "Father of all, who dost never sleep, keep watch over me while I rest. I will put my trust in thee and not be afraid, for no harm can come to me when thou art my keeper. Send thy peace and love into my heart and fill my mind with happy thoughts. Forgive all in me that thou canst not love, and make me like Jesus. For Jesus' sake. Amen." Religion has a real and important place in the removal of fears from the life of the nervous child. 36 THE NERVOUS CHILD Religion can greatly help the mother to gain that poise, that quietness of mind, which is the very antithesis of nervousness. A vital religious ex- perience sustains and supports the tranquil mind. The atmosphere of faith is that of peace. "My peace I leave with you," "Let not your heart be trou- bled," are words of Christ which express the serenity of his own spirit. Prayer is the pathway leading to repose. Mr. Calvin Dill Wilson, writing in Mothers' Magazine, March, 1911, points out the refreshment that comes to anxious mothers through prayer : "The mother, laden with many anxieties, should learn, if she has not yet fully learned, that she needs and can have a source of refreshment for the spirit always at hand. As a breath of fresh air to the body, as a page of a charming book to the mind, so there is refreshment for the spirit in a few mo- ments of real prayer. Apart from all reasonings about prayer and what it can or cannot accom- plish in bringing what is asked for and we certainly believe that it can accomplish much the effect of sincere prayer upon ourselves is unquestionable. There is usually an immediate feeling of relief, of comfort, in quiet communion with our Maker. Presi- dent Eliot, of Harvard University, has expressed it thus, 'We need a daily bath in the Infinite for our spirits.' "The mother may not be able to stop and rest; she may not be free to lay aside her work to read, or to walk, but in the midst of work she can take a moment frequently to commune with God, and so gain that refreshment and strength of spirit that will make her work lighter, her outlook brighter. The mother who has not learned yet really to pray, should try to get beyond the mere form of a few hurried words at night and morning, and to enter into the deeper secret of real prayer, communion with the divine Friend. This reflex effect of prayer is not to be thought of as all that is to be accom- THE NERVOUS CHILD 37 plished by prayer; God docs grant petitions that are good for us; he encourages and inspires us to work for the bringing about of the ends we desire. But we have the right also to prove to ourselves the immediate strengthening and comforting influence of prayer, and to act upon what is clear in our own experience." REFERENCES HANDICAPS OF CHILDHOOD, by H. Addington Bruce, published by Dodd, Mead & Co., New York. PRINCIPLES OF MENTAL HYGIENE APPLIED TO THE MANAGE- MENT OF CHILDREN PREDISPOSED TO NERVOUSNESS, by Lewellys F. Barker, M.D. Publication No. 2 of the National Committee for Mental Hygiene, 50 Union Square, New York City. THE NERVOUS SYSTEM OF THE CHILD, by Francis Warner, M.D., published by The Macmillan Company, New York. PSYCHOLOGY OF CHILDHOOD, by Norsworthy and Whitley, pub- lished by The Macmillan Company, New York. The following books are recommended also to parents: THE CARE AND FEEDING OF CHILDREN, by L. E. Holt (fourth edition), published by D. Appleton & Co., New York. HYGIENE OF THE NURSERY, by L. Starr (fourth edition), pub- lished by P. Blakiston's Son & Co., Philadelphia. MY SYSTEM: FIFTEEN MINUTES' WORK A DAY FOR HEALTH'S SAKE, by J. P. Miiller. English Translation by G. M. Fox- Davies, New York. The Anglo-Danish Publishing Co., New York. THE AMERICAN HOME SERIES NORMAN B. RICHARDSON, Editor 1. THE NATION'S CHALLENGE TO THE HOME 2. How ONE REAL MOTHER LIVES WITH HER CHILDREN 3. PARENTHOOD AND HEREDII * 4. THE ROOTS OF DISPOSITION AND CHARACTER 5. THE FIRST YEAR IN A BABY'S LIFE 6. THUMB-SUCKING 7. THE EDUCATION OF THE BABY UNTIL IT Is ONE YEAR OLD 8. FIRST STEPS TOWARD CHARACTER 9. THE SECOND AND THIRD YEARS 10. THE EDUCATION OF THE CHILD DURING THE SECOND AND THIRD YEARS 11. THE MOTHER AS PLAYFELLOW (YEARS ONE, Two, AND THREE) 12. PROBLEMS OF TEMPER 13. THE PROBLEM OF FIGHTING 14. THE GOVERNMENT OF YOUNG CHILDREN 15. THE PUNISHMENT OF CHILDREN 16. THE HOME KINDERGARTEN 17. THE RELIGIOUS NURTURE OF A LITTLE CHILD (YEARS FOUR AND FIVE) 1 8. THE NERVOUS CHILD 19. ON TRUTH TELLING AND THE PROBLEM OF CHILDREN'S LIES 20. THE GOVERNMENT OF CHILDREN BETWEEN Six AND TWELVE 21. THE DRAMATIC INSTINCT IN CHILDREN 22. DRAMATICS IN THE HOME 23. TABLE TALK 24. SUNDAY IN THE HOME 25. A YEAR OF GOOD SUNDAYS 26. PICTURE HOUR IN THE HOME 27. STORY-TELLING IN THE HOME 28. Music IN THE HOME 29. TRAINING IN THRIFT 30. "WHAT TO SAY" IN TELLING THE STORY OF LIFE'S RENEWAL 31. SEX DISCIPLINE FOR BOYS IN THE HOME 32. YOUTH'S OUTLOOK UPON LIFE 33. BUILDING FOR WOMANHOOD 34. RHYTHM AND RECREATION THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS WILL BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO RETURN THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE PENALTY WILL INCREASE TO 5O CENTS ON THE FOURTH DAY AND TO $1.OO ON THE SEVENTH DAY OVERDUE. NOV 11 19.,, NOV 24 1933 NOV 16 1934 SEP 1 1947 De5'57JM MAY 2 11958 MY16'58MS SEP22" i Bind Gaylord Maker Syracuse ^'-m~ W t,o.^fl UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY vr:',fl. -,-,,; B m SK