[Sidenote: Substitute Altruistic Ideal]
Elmer Bronson, an only child, had a difficult task in adjusting himself
to his social environment when, at the age of four, he entered the
public school kindergarten in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At home all
playthings had been his, with none to molest or take away. Moreover, as
the grown-ups in his home were very indulgent, practically all objects
that he desired to have were placed at his disposal.
But at school a new order seemed to prevail. Elmer not only was not
allowed to appropriate many interesting looking objects that lay about
on desks and tables, but at times he was not even permitted unrestricted
handling of his own things. The situation was perplexing. He couldn’t
make it out.
Miss Melbourne, Elmer’s teacher, comprehended the conditions of the
problem better than he did. She perceived that Elmer, as yet, had no
understanding of the meaning of ownership, nor had he received any
training whatever in the recognition of the rights of others. She must
begin at the foundation.
To that end she utilized all sorts of games, stories and dramatic plays
as a means for teaching these two lessons, but that part of the program
which seemed to captivate Elmer more than any other was the singing of
“The Soldier Boy.”
The delightful part of it was that as the song was sung the children
marched about the room wearing paper caps of red, white and blue, and
each, as he marched, was presented by his teacher with a flag to be
proudly borne over the right shoulder. Who could fail to be patriotic
and generous under such stimulating conditions!
One day Elmer spied a toy boat on the desk of one of his classmates,
Freddie Buzzell. Elmer immediately appropriated it.
“Don’t take my boat,” said Freddie.
“’Tain’t yours. It’s mine,” was the reply.
Naturally, Freddie sprang to the defense of his property rights. Elmer
insisted upon the principle of possession as proof of ownership. Thus
the battle was raging when Miss Melborne entered the room. Knowing
Elmer’s individualistic tendencies, she was not long in getting at the
cause of the quarrel.
“Come here, Elmer,” she called from the desk. Elmer came reluctantly,
still holding the toy boat. Miss Melborne picked up one of the red,
white, and blue caps on the table.
“Who are the boys these caps were made for, Elmer?”
“Sojer boys.”
“And what sort of boys are they?”
“Those ‘whose hearts are brave and twue.’”
“Now, Elmer, soldiers who are ‘brave and true’ have to fight sometimes
but do they fight in order to get something they want themselves, or do
they fight to take care of other people?” This was a pretty hard
question for Elmer to think out fully. He looked thoughtful but did not
answer. Miss Melborne tried a more concrete form of question.
“We would not like to have any one march with the ‘soldier boys’ this
afternoon who takes things away from other children, _would_ we?”
Elmer looked very sober, but he shook his head. Miss Melborne followed
up the advantage she had gained by adding, “What would a soldier boy
‘whose heart is brave and true’ do, if he had in his hands something
that belonged to another boy?”
Elmer looked hard at the toy boat for a full minute, then slowly walked
over to Freddie’s desk and carefully placed the boat on it.
“That’s my brave soldier boy!” said Miss Melborne, enthusiastically.
“That’s the kind of boy to wear the soldier cap!” and she placed it on
his head, adding, as she did so, “You may wear it, dear, till the school
bell rings.”
The idea of protection of the rights of others had been substituted for
that of selfish possession. Approval had crystallized the experience
into an attitude of mind. Many reminders of the soldier boy, “whose
heart was brave and true” and who lived for others instead of self, were
necessary before the most selfish child in the class became one of the
most unselfish, but each application on the teacher’s part of the
principles of substitution and approval made the meaning of the words
more explicit to Elmer and the habit of self-sacrifice more firmly
fixed.