he Omaha
Bee
PAET TWO
EDITORIAL
PAGES ONE TO TWELVE
PART TWO
SOCIETY
PAGES ONE TO TfTTVT.
VOL. MAV-NO. S.
OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, AUGUST 8, 1915.
SINQLtt COPY FIVE CENTS.
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By ELLA FLEISHMAN.
SOMETHIN'S sure gonna happen today. We
only gets our shoes shined on Sunday."
This was the precocious reflection of little
young-old Mildred at the Creche when she
awoke Wednesday morning to find two
?'ick, shiny shoes by her bed.
What could it be? It wasn't any holiday that
the had heard of. Maybe someone was going to
have a birthday, but then the only concessions
rjade to birthdays was a birthday cake. Shoes
tiould not be shined for that.
If the shoes were shined, they must have to
look nice because they were going some place.
Where could they be going? Maybe for a car ride!
Oh, happy thought!
Scampering into her clothes, she rushed down
the stairs and throwing her arms around "Mamma"
White begged to know where they were going.
"Are we going to have a car ride?" she burst
ut, for let It be known that Is the height of pleas
ure for the Creche little folk.
"Well, bless your heart, yes!" admitted
Mamma" White, "but I didn't tell you earlier for
tear the rain would spoil our plans. Yes, we're
going to have a car ride and on top of that a picnic
at Hanscom park. Yes, indeed, a real picnic with
.lots of good things to eat sandwiches, Ice cream
and cake and lemonade and plenty of cookies. Oh,
yes, and there are lots of swings and teeter-totters
pnd a shoot-the-chute and ever so many things to
play there," panted "Mamma" White, In answer to
the many questions piled upon her.
Mildred was quick to spread the news and then
pandemonium broke loose In the rambling old home
on Park Wilde avenue, where mothers who must
toil during the day house their children under the
i:otherly care of "Mamma" White. Every child
v anted to be first to be washed and dressed and
teady for the nlcnlc. All were seated about the
breakfast table, but nobody wanted to eat any
breakfast. They were too excited. Going to a
picnic and eat breakfast? The usual morning re
rast was too tame In comparison.
"Now, children, anyone who doesn't eat break
fust will have to stay home from the picnic," ex
claimed one of the nurses.
That waa a different story! My, what a scram
ble for porridge bowls and milk cups! Indeed, one
little boy ate so hurriedly that he nearly choked,
to zealous was he to show that he didn't wish to be
left ,6 1 home.
'After breakfast each child received another
scrubbing until their faces shone In honor of the
picnic and then each one was provided with . a
fcweater or other wrap for the day was Inclined to
be chilly.
"Oh, It's not cold. Only sissies are cold," de
clared sturdy little Freddie, asserting his manliness
by discarding his coat.
Talk about the "little mothers" that big cities
like New York are said to boast! There were
plenty of them in evidence at the Creche. You
should have seen the motherly little souls of 8 and
9 years helping the younger children Into thetr
v-raps. Then each "little mother" was provided
v.lth one of the smaller children for a "partner" to
assist on and off the street car, under the super
lalon of "Mamma" White and the attendants, each
of whom carried one of the real youngest toddlers
In her arms.
"You'll have to take care of a few, too. If you're
coming with us," sang out "Mamma" White, so T
grasped "Buddy" with one hand and dark-eyed
Irene, self-styled "Pickaninny," by the other band
and off we started.
The older boys fought for the privilege of carry
ing the one basket containing towels, wash-cloths
and soap necessary to make the children present
able for the retnrn trip. This waa the only basket
to carry as the "eats" and all other picnic neces-
Mother. Nature Teaches Her
Children Through Play
I AM so full of happiness," said a little girl In a
spontaneous outburst of Joy, "that I could not
be happier unless I could grow!"
We cannot make our children too happy.
The boys and girls of today are the men and
women of tomorrow; and, as a rule, the happier
the children the better and more successful the
men and women. A happyehlldhood la the best
preparation for an effective career, for, other
things equal, only the happiest children make the
Ftrongest and most useful citizens.
That we are becoming thoroughly alive to this
fact la one of the most encouraging things In the
life of today. This has been called "the century of
the child," and deservedly so, for there has been
no more hopeful sign of race progress in the last
decade than the rapidly Increasing interest In the
welfare of the child. We see this reflected every
where in the greater care of the state for its chil
dren; in our wonderful kindergarten and school
systems; in the great children's stores everywhere;
in the marvelous development all over the world of
the manufacture and sale of toys.
In this world-wide awakening to the impor
tance of child life we are beginning to understand
more and more the tremendous part of play, not
alone in making children happy, but also in de
veloping them symmetrically, and thus making
lealtbier, more efficient men and women.
The three great essentials for a happy child
hood are food, love and play. After food and love,
rlay is the great builder and developer of child
hood. Yet there is far too large a number of
parents who are still utterly Ignorant or indifferent
to the righta of their children in this respect Some
of them are still a little bit like our Puritan fathers
who, in the early history of our country, thought
that the fun-loving, playful faculties were of the
devil, evidences of lack of piety, and a real detri
ment to the spiritual life. But we know now that
this is quite the opposite of the truth. We have
found that the fun-loving propensities, the great
cemand In us for play, for recreation, are Just as
sacred as the worshipping faculties, as the religious
Instincts. We do not use these propensities di
rectly in our living getting, in our occupations, but
their functions are to keep the wonderful human
machine in running order, to lubricate, to renew
it, to restore it to normal when it is fatigued.
Froebel, that great benefactor of children, tells
us that play is in reality the most spiritual activity
of man in childhood. lie finds that it is "typical
of human life as a whole of the Inner, hidden,
tatural life of man and all things; It gives, there
fore, Joy, freedom, contentment, inner and outer
rest, peace with the world; it holds the sources of
all that la good. The child that plays thoroughly
intil physical fatigue forbids will surely be a thor
ough determined man, capable of self-sacrifice for
the promotion and welfare of himself and others."
One of the very piteous things in human life is
i sad. prematurely old face upon a child. It gives
rathetio evidence that all that was spontaneous,
playful. Joyous, natnral to childhood was sup
pressed, discouraged, and the natural self-expression
of the child strangled at the outset of its young
life. For play is self-expression for the child aa
music or art is for the musician or tke artist. Chil
dren play until they drop with fatigue because It
la nature's method for tfctif development; it is the
flowering and unfolding of their natures. They
t.re like little animals. It is Just aa natural for
them to laugh, to romp and play, as it Is to breathe.
V.'e might as well try to suppress a bobolink as to
suppress a child bubbling over with merriment. .
The suppression of the normal activities of chil
dren Is a crime. They learn by play. This la their
great school; Ood'a kindergarten. They learn many
more useful things in their play than they do at
school, although both are necessary.
Yet many parents wonder why it is that chil
dren are not more serious, why it is that they want
to play from the moment they get up in the morn-:
lug until they go to sleep at night. I have been In
tomes where children were treated like adults and
expected to act like them. They were not allowed
to make a noise. They had to creep around the
house on tiptoe in constant fear of waking the baby
cr disturbing some one. I recall especially the
father of a large family who is so cross, irritable
and touchy about the house that the children do not
dare to play when he Is at home. If he cannot stop
them in any other way, he whips them. He tells
them he won't be disturbed by noise; that they
have too much play, that they ought to be "doing
something more important than fooling all the
time." Whenever company is present they are
obliged to sit still in their chairs like little mum
mies. They are forbidden to speak or move until
the company has gone. They are coerced and re
pressed until they are almost afraid to breathe.
Now, is It any wonder that these children all
have long, sad faces? Is it any wonder that the
blighting, dwarfing effects of the lack of play in
their Uvea are written in their expression, their
movements, their whole attitude? One has only to
look at them to know that all their natural in
stincts have been crushed and the childhood ground
cut of them. Nothing more completely and forcibly
illustrates the tremendous part that spontaneous
fun and play were intended to have in our lives
than the results we see in the blighted, prematurely
eld lives of those who never knew what real Joyous
childhood means.
Nature is a wise teacher. If we co-operate with
her we shall make fewer mistakes In bringing up
' our boys and girls. She knows how to teach chil
dren a thousand valuable lessons, not only without
tny coercion, but with supreme enjoyment. The
time will come when we shall continue the child's
education in play. Educators are becoming aware
of this great fact. Instead of shutting young peo
ple up in close, badly ventilated school rooms we
shall educate them in the open, out In the sunlight
and air.
Play'ls not only a developer, but a great self
discoverer. We cannot tell so very much about a
boy during school hours when he la busy with
routine work. But watch him in bis leisure time.
In his recreation hours. See what they call out of
lis inclination, when he is free from restraint and
rot under any one's eyes or supervision. It ia then
that the natural tendencies of the boy will show
themselves. They find an outlet during his play.
When father and mothers understand that not In
suppressing, but in guiding and directing their chil
dren's play, lies the great secret of child training,
e snail nave a happier, more efficient
sities had been arranged for by the women of the
City Federation of Child Conservation Leagues,
vho were giving the outing for the children.
Without any mishap, all marched to the car and
boarded it with safety. When we transferred a'
Sixteenth and Harney pasaersby, busy men and
shoppers stopped for a moment to smile or offer a
cheery word to the brood of chubby, sweet-faced
youngsters.
I got along nicely with my two charges,
Buddy" and "Pickaninny," until "Buddy" grew
effusive in his affections and Insisted on kissing
Pickaninny" with more ardor than the little lady
enjoyed. She burst Into tears and refused to bo
crmforted until offered the ever-remedial penny,
whereupon "Buddy" slipped his fingers into mine
and announced that he wanted a penny, too. So
peace was restored and the two sat up on the street
car seat, swinging their little legs and discussing
what particular kind of lollipop they would buy
with their pennies.
With what eagerness the brood alighted at the
p.rk and scampered down to the pavilion where
they were met by a reception committee of the
women. Then the children were turned loose in
the park to play to their heart's content until the
ringing of the luncheon bell.
Miss Alice McMahon, relief playground worker,
took the children In charge Immediately and oh,
what a good time they did have! She taught (hem
how to wash clothes to the accompaniment of a
pleasing little ditty, ring-around-a-rosy and other
gay pastimes, and when they were tired all gath
ered around to llBten to a rich store of fairy tales.
The playground worker made an Instantaneous hit
with the children, her silvery whistle, used to call
the children together, winning especial favor with
the youngsters.
At 12 o'clock "Mamma" White summoned all
her brood to the bandstand, where two long tables
bad been set for them. The little hands were folded
while grace was said and then with what zest the
voracious little appetites were appeased! All the
goodies your mind could conjure up were Johnny-on-the-spot
and when this was topped by delectable
lea cream and cake the kiddles' delight was com
plete. ; ; '
. . After luncheon Hetae of the younger ones took
a Bap In the arms of faithful attendants while the
rest resumed their-activities' with the park play
ground equipment.
Then came supper, which was a. repetition of
the goodies of the noon luncheon, and then the chil
dren were gathered up and prepared for home.
It was a weary but happy crowd of youngsters
that waa tucked into bed at the Creche that eve
ning, composed for sweet dreams of the best time
they had bad this year.
And after they had asked Ood to bless papa and
mamma and "Mamma" White and all the other at
tendants at the Creche, these are the women, al
though they knew not the names, to whom they
offered thanks for their Joyful outing: Mrs. Charles
H. Savidge, Mrs. John H. Beaton, Mrs. Bruce Mc
C'ulloch, Mrs. Charles A. Wonder and Mrs. Rod
man Brown.
C
Creche
Kiddies
at
Tkeir
Picnic
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