Our Children By Mrs. W. B. Davis
Lei's use the War as a life situa
tion for leaching our children.
(From the International Journal
of Religious Education)
We who are older can remem
ber a day when war was not,
when there were other outlooks
and values. Many of our children
cannot. To them today’s world
is all there is or has ever been;
it is their reality and they are
forming their personalities in re
lation to it. In America children
have not had to run trembling
to the air raid shelters, but they
do see the war films, read mag
azines and comic papers, and are
a part of the family farewell when
brother leaves for the army. At
school they are urged to buy war
stamps regularly and join the
Junior Red Cross. Even in the
church, the service flag and the
Christian religion have some how
become one and the same issue
to them.
Instead, however, of mentally
ringing our hands over this fact,
we must face it and use the war
as a life situation for teaching
our children. It may turn out to
be our opportunity rather than
our Waterloo.
If left to themselves children
will become intolerant. A child
whom I know is constantly asking
the question, “Are they on our
side?” when he sees a picture
of a group of people who are
soldiers. There is no tolerance
in this question as he asks it.
Recently it was reported that a
little boy presented himself at an
enlistment post and wanted to
enlist or “join up”. When told he
was too young he replied, “I can
kill Japanese boys.” American
children are not at war with Jap
anese children. If they are made
to feel they are, they will mature
with a bias against the Japanese
which will defeat the dream of a
New Internationalism. By taking
note of this danger, however, we
can avert it. It is not difficult
to help a child realize that it is j
not the children or common people j
of the nations who are responsible j
S for the war; rather it is their lust
| ful leaders: Such a word should
I be spoken whenever a child re
veals an intolerant mood.
Dark Merit
ie
Negro Folk Songs
The slaves on the plantations
sang when they worked, played,
or worshipped. Some times their
songs were happy ones. At the
Christmas time they would sing
such songs. They were called
jubilee songs or songs of joy. Ban
jos and drums of their own mak
ing were played with their holi
day songs. Like other folk songs.
some slave songs were sad. They
were ways of telling of sorrow
and unhappiness. They told of
their dreams, their hopes, and
their beliefs.
Singing by the slaves was en
couraged by plantation owners
and overseers. Perhaps they felt
that a singing slave was a happy
one. Some of the plantation
music was very beautiful. Three
questions are usually asked about
it: How were the Negroes able
to make such songs? How much
of their music was due to African
influence? How much of it was
i influenced by their life in Amer
ica?
The slaves brought from Africa
the habit of song. In Africa the
natives had a different song for
every occasion. They worshiped
their gods by singing and danc
ing. They honored thej^r chiefs
and kings by writing songs for
them. Singing was as much a
part of their lives as eating, work
1 ing and sleeping. When African
slaves were brought to America,
they continued their habit of sing
ing.
The most important thing that
they brought from Africa was
the sense of rhythm. The com
plicated African rhythms influ
enced music of other countries.
The Negroes who came to Amer
ica did not lose their ability to
use interesting rhythms.
In America the slaves met a
new life. For one thing, they
were exposed to the Christian
religion. The hardships of slav
ery made them readily accept the
teachings of Christianity. The
hymns that they heard and the
stories from the Bible wer# used
in songs of their own making.
Other songs were about their
[ every day life on the plantation.
They used all of their experiences
as material for songs.
When the slaves came to Amer
ica, they developed two other
musical abilities. They created
the melodies of great beauty and
an art of harmonizing. Songs
were made up by groups and not
by one person. Perhaps one per
son in the group would sing a line
another person would add a line
to it. This group wrould continue
until a song was made. Often the
verses were so numerous that
they would not remember all of
them. As the song was sung
again and again, the words were
changed. In this way the songs
grew and developed. They were
handed down by word of mouth
from one generation to another.
The folk songs of the American
Negro have been used all over
the world in their compositions.
When the famous composer,
Dvorak, came to America, he used
Negro melodies as a part of his
New World Symphony. There are
different kinds of Negro folk
songs. There are work songs,
lullabies, and spirituals.
More about Negro Folk Songs
next week.
Material for this series taken
from Supplementary Social
Science Units of the Chicago
Public Schools
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TRAFFIC SAFETY
Reckless drivers remind us of the
old mule. He went bumping into
everything. No, he wasn't blind,
nor so dumb; he just didn't care.
Let's sing, "Do you wanna be a
mule?"
I
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