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CHILD'S TOYS
AFIECT
HIS HEALTH
SCIENCS! tt discovered that chlldrea's tori are
not mere playthings, but Mi Instruments for the
fonnlrg of mind and character. Tby react,
according to he scientists, not only upon the physic!
being, tut n on mental and spiritual aides of the
nature. Tt Society for Ethical Culture !a New
Yfiffc recent! r gave recognition to this nw!y dis
covered tru-l by giving aa exhibition of toya that
, should sui rh . Tboaa which aboald vanish, bcaua
useless or 4 rimental to the child who playa with
them, were -' Are fully eliminated. They wera ren
dored conspV-.ous only by their absence.
jTbat the v. .da ct intelligent parent were at work
ipon the pro1 m was ahowa by the letters sent by
those whoe ihildrea attended the Epical Culture
School. The 'areata' and Teachers' Conference aent
oat letters ct Inquiry to parents. The Questionnaire
resulted In surprising unanimity la the eipressloo
of needs. Ti 'hout exception the parents desired to
know what to- were best for their children, and re
quested that n exhibition should b given of such
toys. ' The vants generally responded that not only
were some it n foolish and useless, but that they
were harmful.
The Sod-' - "or Ethical Culture appointed a com
mlttea to ema ot to solve the problem of right and
wrong tors ai .directed It to confer with aclenttaU
and tomaker to that end. The findings of the com
mittee were 1 appear la concrete form at the exhi
bition. ; -
The exhibit to. glvea at the Ethical Culture -Bo-,
ciety's BulWto t In New York, set for all who saw a
new standard in toys. Only those toys that educa
tors and psyefc rioglats were convinced were genuinely
helpful to tt children were exhibited. Only those
games were H own which the experts had determined
would develop the child's faculties.
An object w Men attracted general and studious at
tention was a rsodel of a playground. It was such a
' playground at could ba arranged on the roof or at
'Jhe rear of a .loat any home. It contained swings,
sliding ropes, Mrs for "chinning" and rings by whkh
tab children U ed themselves above the ground. A
Children Better MENTALLY, MORALLY and PHYSICALLY If They Are Allowed Only the
RIGHT KIND of
PLAYTHINGS
levtee by which children swung
down aa Inclined rose we Touched
for as one that bad cured a llttla
girl of what had seemed hopeless
timidity.
There were numerous dolls, but
It wae observable that among then
waa not one monstrosity. Not one
wae out of drawing. Some were
beautiful, ill were normal. They
were not dolls that did things un
less aided by the child's strength
and, Imagination. There were
among them no crying or talking
dolls, nor dolls that walked or
danced by pressing a button, nor
by any other mechanical means.
In the collection were toy
animals, but none of the mechan
1 leal sort, none that could be wound
up and would "go of themselves."
A large, perfectly formed camel, a
fine specimen of the nearly extinct
buffalo, a bear and aa elephant
were exhibitedamong the useful
toys.
Aa aeroplane was a central
figure of the toy exhibition, and be
side It were shown all the parts
needed to enable an Ingenious child
with some direction at the begin
ning, to make his own airship. Ac
curacy was necessary, for if one
part ' were omitted the aeroplane
would collapse. ' '
. There was a doll house, but one
not completely furnished. Many
articles were left to the Ingenuity
Of the child to supply. ' ,
One of the most Interesting of
the exhibits was a derrick, crudely
built. It Is true, but operative,
which la the essential thing. Every
thing In the assemblage was either
useful or beautiful Whenever pos
sible both qualities were combined.
On the whole the exhibition de
pended for Its success on what was
eliminated. Conspicuous for their
absence were all articles of a
freakish nature. All objects in
trinsically ugly were banished.
There were no animals with
horrible heada on natural bodies,
nor natural heada on horrible
bodies. Certain Japanese toy anl-
Toys and Qames Which Science Finds Espec tally Suitable for Children at Certain Ages,
A Four months, celluloid dumbbell. B One to two years, large rubber ball. C Two to four years, un
breakable dolls. D Four to 6 years, picture puzzles. E Six to nine years, dominoes.
Dials were discarded, the remark of the three-year-old
daughter of one of the committee
being quoted In support of their action
banishing a Japanese cat with hideous, grinning head:
"Please take ft away. I don't like It I never saw
anything like that."
Practically all mechanical toys were swept from
the table. Trains that moved on circular tracks, ar
riving nowhere and going nowhere, . were discarded,
as were automobiles that ran on a set track. Only
those toys which permitted the play of the child's
imagination, as a train that could be directed from
and to different points at the exercise of the child's
will and imagination, were allowed to remain. A doll
house, already furnished, was barred for the same
reason. They removed the personal equation. They
gave the child nothing to do. '
, Summed up, the exhibition by the School for Ethical
Culture avoided all toys that stultify- a child and
displayed all that would promote his mental, moral
and physical growth. Teys should be useful or'
beautiful, or both. They should stimulate his Imag
ination or should train him to do something. If they
performed neither of these offices they were useless,
and because useless were harmful. There should be
no toys that made the child a mere spectator, as a
doll house that left the little owner nothing to do in
fitting or caring for It, or a balloon that went of
Itself.
The committee of the School for Ethical Culture
and its scientific associates deduced that there are
but two results for the chijdren who' do nothing for
themselves. If society continues to pamper them,
they will become paupers or Join the anti-social class
become criminals. For the sake of society it asks
that all useless toys must go. "
Miss Mary I Read, B. &, director of the School of '
MotEercraft of New York City, in her book, "The
Mothercraft Manual," issued by Little, Brown & Co-
ONE SUPERSTITION That OUGHT to Be BURIED
-Tl HE W
of promiscuous ex
',- is an uncleanly
and t' usting one, and yet.
strange to , It is surrounded by
much suprr.'J ion. In days of an
tiquity spktt ; was resorted to in
order to vr- oS danger, and up
to the pmoik time luck is wooed
and mlslvrtv te avoided by the
process .of tr ting.
NewV rr. el Idren are treated to
a lavta '-j ct oration la some
countrc; n?: rmen spit upon their
hooks ftr bt ilng them.
In Stolen great deal of super
stitlors g still takes place.
Persoat cpU j ito their beds before
retlrln. plj ng carda are spat DItgTllm showing the Location of
upon wner. nr a ... . rrj th y,,.,- SD.r.,B ... of ..
vary GLjade the Sublingual (A)
Under the Tongue; the Submax
illary (B) Along the Side of the
Tongue, and the Parotid (C) at
the Angle of the Jaw.
t 1
, .saT -1
new mii of C- thes is made the ob
ject of a t7 try demonstration.
y,Tlja wlewtr d belief In the won
, dorfut.powrrt possessed by saliva
; vowetr,' at always allied te
" tcaglnttr U wstttlon. but often
: seems to sa of empiricism. Ia
parts cf Sa aaft warta on the '
hand are svpt to vanish with
' great Celeru; : should they be
anointed ear worntng with the
first spittle r w k-1 by their owner's
salivary gla4 a.fer awaking. The
most exUaordinary part of the
story la that there seems to be a
degree of truth la it
In America the curative power of
spittle la vouched for by many of
the Intelligent classes. The wounds
of dogs are said to heal best if
treated solely with the Injured ant
mar tongue.
The Gaelic race has ever been
deeply -absorbed in legendary fan
cies and mythical creations, many
of which are connected with spit
ting. Ireland ia noted for1 its many
"evil-minded" people. In many
cases the evil-minded person la com
pelled by the Injured man, oa pain
of bodily damage, to apit upon the
object of his pretended admiration,
and at the same time to Invoke a
blessing on it Admiration from an
' evil-minded person is always re
garded as of 111 omen.
In Connemara a bowl la some
times sent around the neighborhood,
and each person to whom It la (re
sented is expected to spit into it
The bowl is then taken home, and
the person orx animal overlooked Is
anointed with spittle. The object of
this is to obtain the spittle of the
person responsible for the Injury
without giving him offense or awak
ening his suspicion, as a direct ap
peal to him would be certain to do.
Superstitions are said to die hard;
and It would seem from the fore
going facta that the one .under dis
cussion has been endowed with 'a
phenomenal vitality. Despite its
absurdity, fllthiness rind unhygienic
character, the salivary superstition
has still survived; whereas, on sani
tary grounds, It should, without fur
ther loss of time, be buried and
never be revived.
urges the forming of early tastes In play. She ad
vises placing in the nursery 'large, colored and ar
tistic pictures of babies, cats and dogs," because
their presence develops the social sense toward other
children and a protective sense toward animals. Mrs.
Read counsels the presence In the- nursery Of "a
variety of forms and toys, harmonious, gay colors, at
tractive forms and features." She Insists upon "the
exclusion of ugly, vulgar, rude pictures and toys."
Miss Read, in an exceptionally Interesting -and in
formative chapter on "The Toy Age," says: "When
the baby first begins to grasp objects and stare at
them, the toy age begins. That is at about four
weeks. It increases rapidly in force during the first
year, and la at Its height from two-to about ten years.
By twelve it is devoted chief - to apparatus for
games. It wanes with, the dt.-.ue of imaginative
plays and gives way to Interest in reading and in
Industries.
"Toys, ad the child's constant most Intimate com
panions, and most used Implements during these im
pressionable years, Inevitably have a marked influ
ence upon his character and development.
"How far are the child's expressions of desire for
toys an index to the vatue of the toys or permanent
interest in them at home? Refatively slight It is
necessary to distinguish between his passing whim
and vital Interest. Children are momentarily at
tracted by the gorgeous, the vivid colored. This ex
plains their interest while in the toy shop in the
realistic French doll with wonderful clothes and a
speaking voice; in the mechanical toys and the flimsy
nonentities. At home, in the play room, they are soon
broken and cast away without more than a ripple of
emotion, and the realistic French doll languishes
alone in her glory, while plain Mary Jane
receives the daily ministrations of affection and com
radship. , , . . v f
"It is these factors of glitter, noise, rhythm, imita
tion, physical activity, combined with the possibRites
of movement and counter-movement augmented by -the
attitude and remarks of their elders, who, assum
ing the reasonableness of war, praise military activi
ties, that explain the child's Interest In military toys.
Any , other toys that have these same Qualities will
hold 'the child's enthusiasm as well. Engines, trains
and their crews, fire engines and firemen, steam
boats and sailors, life-savers, fishermen, policemen,
mines and miners, steeplejacks, divers, painters, car
penters, farmers there is a great range of possibili
ties. - -
"It is true that not many of these are found In the
toy shops, but they will be found
there as soon as the demand Is
sufficient It should be noted in
passing that the military toys are
Imported from foreign countries,
where was has been considered the
climax of virtue, and where little
children, especially in the, royal
families, were imbued with a spirit
of military prowess. The conse
cuences are written so large that
'the wayfaring man, though a fool, cannot err thereby.
International peace will bein in the nursery. In the
training to ideals of activity - and heroism that
are constructive and helpful, not destructive."
Miss Read applies to toys these tests of value:
Are they lovable?
Are they durable in composition and workmanship?
Are theV stimulating to imagination, analysis, In
vention, initiative, activity, workmanship?
Are they adapted to experimentation, investigation
or constructive purposes? .
Are they adapted to the child's stage of development
that is", to his motor ability, his interests, his mental
development?
Are they sanitary, washable, without Inaccessible
corners to hair or dirt and germs?
Are they artistic in form, color, expression that
is, simple In design, harmonious in ' color, genuine,
without either thorough realism or sentimentality? '
Among harmful oys Miss Read cites these as
threatening the physical nature of the child:
Dangerous toys as those that have sharp edges,
corners or points. Unhygienic, those .'not washable,
made in an unsanitary factory; having paint or dye
that runs; too small for the child's development.
Inartislc those giving harsh, metallic, Jingling
sounds; ugly, ill-proportioned shapes; harsh or inhar
monious colors; ugly, simpering or unwholesome ex
pressions in dolls or animals
Those' toys that are in psychological sense harmful
Mjrs. Read classifies: '
First Mechanical, which merely amuse the child,
making him only a spectator, Instead of providing him
means for his own creative activity.
Second Military toys, demoralizing fot these rev
sons: They cultivate the spirit of destructivenetsia- "
stead of constructivenessj they foster callousness
toward the value of human life; they give a wholly
wrong Impression of the meaning of war, omitting Its
destructive social and industrial effects, over-emphasizing
the Joy of its enthusiasm and rhythm.
In the class of harmful toys sht places "the
over-realistic and the super-refined, especially In
dolls." : "
, George Thomas White Patrick, professor of philos
ophy in the State -University of Iowa, says in his
work on "The Psychology of Relaxation" that the
love of conflict In play is evidence of, "a child's
dreams that throw back to the cave and. camp, the
hunting ground and battlefield of his primitive ances
tors," and is by no means laudable, nor to be encouraged.
Just Why HIGH PLACES Make You FEEL GIDDY
THAT peculiar sensation known
as "giddiness," which we ex
perience when standing 'on
high buildings , 16oking earth ward,
has recently been Interestingly ex
plained by science.
According to ' this explanation
whenever bur normal vision, of
moving objects Is . suddenly Im
paired, or the sense of sight is
shocked by some unusual catas
trophe, we are affected like a young
colt suddenly blindfolded. . There is
a constriction of the heart muscle
and a sensation of fullness in the
throat which makes us feel that
we are choking or fainting.
Far-sighted people are less prone
to a giddy sensation at , great
How Parallel Light Rays Are Fo
cussed by a Far-Sighted Eye at a
Point (X) Behind the Retina In
stead of in Front Where They Do
in- a Normal Eye as Indicated by
the Dotted Lines. Far-Sighted
People Are Seldom Giddy.
heights than those near-sighted.
This Js because objects moving and
passing beneath them are less
blurred by distance, air currents -and
heat waves. It has long been
SAMS
YOUR CIGAR ASHES They Are WORTH MILLIONS
'.l.Jtway.
THE war 9 teaching the na
tions of lie earth how much
they m re , been throwing
Genmio ' was supplying the
..lfortd with ret h, and aa the sup
'" ply has ueeq tt off .there France,
England and th United States have
been put to it 4 supply the great
sed of this 1m. ortant product
The latest t! jcovery of a large
source of pots t a, which has been
overlooked, was made by Professor
B. A. BurreiL of London, who shows
that England la 1 rowing away tons
cf potash- In t Very usable form.
He has made a pedal study of the
.ashes derived fr n burning tobacco,
hi Pipe, cigar w 1 cigarette, and he
has proved that ad per cent of the
tobacco Is prest -ved aa ashes, and
that from these ashes may be ex
tracted SO per : eat of potash an j
6 to 6 per cent t anhydroua phos
phorus. , 1
10
He found that a dgar weighing
two ounces left more than one-half
ounce of ash, which yielded 1 per
cent of potash. Twenty cigarettes
weighing a little more than one
ounce yielded one-third of aa ounce
of ash and one-twentieth of an
ounce of potash, and a pipe stuffed
with tobacco gave a similar per
centage of ash and potash.
lie claims that it would be well
worth while to collect tobacco
ashea, especially where much smok
ing Is done, aa la the clubs and
hotels and restaurants. On one
day Professor Burrell collected
nearly three ounces in a hotel
lobby, over three ounces In a res
taurant and nearly fourteen ounces
from a theatre where smoking was
permitted. He figured that aa Eng
land smokes 45.341 tons of tobacco
a year, they would get 15,573 tons
of ashes, and 171S tone of potash
by saving the ashea,
la the United States the consump
tion of tobacco Is far greater. We
produce more than a billion pounds,
we Import over forty-five million
pounds from Cuba and Porto Rico,
besides imported cigars costing
more than 14,000,000 a year.- We
export over 300,000.000 pounds, and
98,000,009 worth of manufactured
tobacco and cigars, but our con
sumption Is more than seven hun
dred million pounds a year.
This would yield over 220,000,000
pounds of ashes from which we
would secure more than 44,000,000
pounds of potash and some lO.XlOO,
000 ' pounds of - anhydroua phos
phorus. The value of both of theso
products has increased so enor
mously since the war began that
It Is easy to see how we are flicking
away something like S50.000.000,
which could easily be saved by
gathering the ashes from all the
ash-receivers and selling them to
the chemists who are equipped to
extract the potash and phosphorus.
the practice to recommend looking
at nearbjf objects to steady one's
nerves when feeling giddy.
The optic and aural sense of
balance are somewhat interlocked
in their action on the nervous
systems To many people the sight
of blood produces exactly the same
sinking sensation and falntness
which is known as giddiness under
other circumstances. Sea-sickness
is another phase of the same affec
tion. The mechanism of the middle ear
is believed to provide a sense of
balance to human beings and, when
this very delicate organ becomes de
ranged while we are on shies toss-
lng in a heavy sea, the much-
dreaded sea-sickness takes hold of Diagrammatic
its. In some people this, .sense of
balance Is super-acute and they are
never able to become bo accustomed
to sea travel as to eliminate the
ailment. '
Famous steeple-climbers often
complain that certain sights or
sounds make them "lose their
nerve" when they, are working at
great heights. Some assert that'
the sound of music absolutely un
nerves them if they an hear It at
all clearly; others that a sudden
View of
snowing A) the External Ear
(B) the Middle Ear, and (C) the
Inner Ear. It Is the Mechanism
of the Middle Ear, Science Be
lieves, That Helps Provide Us
With a Sense of Balance.
noise, such as the dropping of a
hammer on a steel girder, causes
them to lose their grip.
AilHhese apparent supersltitions
may be traced to very logical causes
when one comprehends the delicate
structure of the nervous system ln
volved in our sense of balance
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Why WEDDING RINGS Are So Of tea VERY ANNOYING
NTS of the greatest annoy
ances experienced by Jewel-
era is the oft-repeated com
plaint that their gold onusenta
cannot be pure gold because they ,
blacken the akin. Many jewelers,
have been accused of adding lead to
the gold. Wedding rings are the
source of greatest complaint
This blackening of the akin which
cornea In contact with gold ia in
variably explained by one of two
chemical reactions. It is caused
either by oil compounds or by eul-
, phur. ' . .
' The oil of the skin, which nature
provides for the sake of pliability,
contains more or less oleic acid.
When gold la rubbed over this sub
stance a chemical reaction pro-
' duces oleate of gold, which la black
In color.
This same reaction often takes
place as a result of oils in soap or
cold' cream and ointments. If a
handkerchief is moistened with a
drop of oil and rubbed briskly over
pure gold, the same black oleate of
gold is deposited on the cloth.
To a lesser degree, an excess of
sulphur in the air or in the body
produces a 'similar blackening 'of
the skin when it comes in contact
with gold. A gold Vatch carried in
the same pocket with a box of Sul-
Copyrlaht MIT. by the Star Company. Great Britain Rights Reserved.
phur matches will very soon be
come as black as gunmetaL
Matches kept in a bureau drawer
will blacken all the gold and silver
ornaments in the surrounding draw-
: The yolks of eggs contain a large
sulphur component and sliver or
gold plated spoons are immediately
blackened when used in eating
eggs; Certain people have an over
abundance of bulphur In the system,
and gold Jewelry will tarnish un
usually fast when in contact with,
their skins. : '
Thepurer the gold used in Jew
elry the more of the black gold de
posit will be left on the skin. Four
teen, eighteen and twenty-two karat
golds register their purity by the
amount of their deposit This Is
why purer gold lawless durable and
wears away faster than gold, com
talnlng a Urge percentage of 3p
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