1911 - Article that not only encourages moms to encourage their boys to play Indian, but says there's already an Indian living inside them.
Indianism of American Boys
1911, Oct 22 The Atlanta Constitution
I firmly believe that all American boys, at any rate those that are normal, are born Indians. This Indianism is suppressed by surrounding circumstances in babyhood and early boyhood. But, while it can be kept suppressed for a time, it is bound to break out eventually.
The mother should be on the watch for the time when her boy shall put on his war paint and feathers. When she sees the signs, she should let the spirit have full play. If the locality of her home allows of it, she might let the boy live in the woods while the spell is on him. Let him build his wigwam and make his bed in it.
Perhaps more important than anything else is to see that the boy has full opportunity to make all the noise that his lungs and limbs will manufacture. A boy can't develop without noise! It's the essence of the Indian.
I firmly believe that all American boys, at any rate those that are normal, are born Indians. This Indianism is suppressed by surrounding circumstances in babyhood and early boyhood. But, while it can be kept suppressed for a time, it is bound to break out eventually.
The mother should be on the watch for the time when her boy shall put on his war paint and feathers. When she sees the signs, she should let the spirit have full play. If the locality of her home allows of it, she might let the boy live in the woods while the spell is on him. Let him build his wigwam and make his bed in it.
Perhaps more important than anything else is to see that the boy has full opportunity to make all the noise that his lungs and limbs will manufacture. A boy can't develop without noise! It's the essence of the Indian.
The common difficulty with mothers is that they fail to distinguish between what are character faults and what are annoying habits. A noisy boy, one that can't help slamming the doors, has an annoying habit. But it is not a character fault. It's an indication that there is something in him.
Character faults manifest themselves negatively in a boy. There is always something wrong with a boy who does not know how to make trouble.
Children, of course, should be allowed to read the kind of stories that they like. Their natural tendencies must be guided, but never thwarted. No boy will want to read cheap detective stories if his mind has been guided in the right direction. He will crave wholesale takes of adventure.
As the child lives in a world of its own imagination, we should not try to yank it over headlong into our sphere. It is nonsense to ask the child to jump to us. We must get down to him. If the mother will try to think in the way the child thinks, then she will be able to guide him rights. (From American Club Woman.) - Source: 1911, Oct 22 The Atlanta Constitution
Character faults manifest themselves negatively in a boy. There is always something wrong with a boy who does not know how to make trouble.
Children, of course, should be allowed to read the kind of stories that they like. Their natural tendencies must be guided, but never thwarted. No boy will want to read cheap detective stories if his mind has been guided in the right direction. He will crave wholesale takes of adventure.
As the child lives in a world of its own imagination, we should not try to yank it over headlong into our sphere. It is nonsense to ask the child to jump to us. We must get down to him. If the mother will try to think in the way the child thinks, then she will be able to guide him rights. (From American Club Woman.) - Source: 1911, Oct 22 The Atlanta Constitution
 |
| 1911, Oct 22 The Atlanta Constitution |
