[Sidenote: Property Rights]
Miss Ward realized that pilfering and abuse of the property of others
arises from lack of education, so she assigned certain days to talk of
property rights, using concrete examples like the following:
“Do you see this pretty bow of ribbon on Frieda’s head? How did it come
to be here? Whose pencil is this? May I use it?” She made a list of the
possessions of some of the children, as named by themselves. The
unfairness of stealing was clearly shown by asking, “Would it be right
for any one else to take and use these things? Why not?”
These lessons gave the children a prejudice against stealing.