From: Krasna, Bessarabia
5 August 1912

(First Continuation)

Children of educated parents, and especially among those of the higher classes, who do not see their fathers very much and partake only very little in father’s and mother’s lives and activities, need more and different activities and more supervision than all other children. These are children whose parents have a profession, which the children most likely will also pursue later on. Through participating in it, they will learn hundreds of things, which they will be able to use in a future common and practical life.

Among the former, there are also many parents whom the circumstances do not allow to hire an educator or a tutor. Yet they cannot decide if they should send the kids to school before the sixth or seventh year. Those people will keep their children at home up to the seventh or eighth year. Such parents especially often do not know at all what to do with their kids in order to keep them sufficiently and properly occupied. All the while they realize that the children become bored and loiter in the street, both of which will only lead to evil. Those parents I want to approach with a few tips.

It would be most ideal if, instead of a teacher or an educator, one of the siblings at home, and if that is not possible the mother herself, would follow the below listed and similar activities with three year old children. The mother should rather do this, since it takes a lot more in the form of a childish mind to effectively play with a child and read short stories instead of giving a formal education. Not all mothers have this know-how at the same level, but how much greater are the odds of finding such among people who are paid for it? … …text missing… … and mother – have the talent for inventions. Second to keeping things tidy, the child has to be directed to activities. What can be said in general about the educational activities at schools for toddlers, also finds its application in the smaller family surroundings, with only one difference. In the later, more has to happen for the single child, because it becomes bored more easily. In a school for toddlers there is usually way too much being taught along with sitting still too long. Nowadays this is also the case in many families with six-year-olds. It seems that especially in line with this, the parents among the educated classes ignore the main rule, which is supposed to be applied for such children. The 2, 3, 4, and 5-year old should be kept busy with physical and spiritual activities in a loving and, by them hardly noticed continuous supervision. They should not be put to work, as is usually the case with farmers, who can hardly wait until the child can lift its legs. The profit that the child brings in during those years is lost at least tenfold for the child in school time. The child should not learn, but entertain itself cheerfully and childishly. It should play, not perform gymnastics; speak and learn to respond in talk to questions, but not learn how to read; draw, not write; build, not construct; with little wooden sticks and sand shape forms, not draw; count, not do arithmetic. Along with that the children should have a lot of things. For instance, sand, lots of pebbles, peas, beans, lentils, building blocks, pieces of cardboard, and according to the season, leaves, flowers, buds, fruits, rose hips, chestnuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, etc. Girls preferably should have many ribbons, colorful textile pieces, corals to string, strings and ribbons to make knots and loops and then undo them again, dolls and cradles, etc.

Boys preferably should have strings, sticks, marbles, small chopstick-like sticks which are put together in five or six or stacked on top of each other and afterwards pushed into disarray, as I have seen it often among farmers’ children, whips and carts, etc. Along with all these things, many pictures are shown to them, short stories are narrated, verses and simple songs are imprinted into their minds through reciting, and as a part of this, hygiene, order, truth, and obedience are emphasized. The first two, they normally learn by example, but not the rest.

Now, how does the child play, and with what does it like to play the most? I am writing with consideration of the 3 to 6 year old children, who spend the biggest part of the day playing. Since this is their main activity, I want to present some of my experiences. I found out that among hundreds of children one can hardly find one, who would not prefer to play with one or the other above mentioned items, or with others not mentioned. Alternating with their options, they would know how to keep themselves busy for hours, yes, half days or weeks on end. Children will spend less time playing with toys they received as presents, the so-called store bought items and other attractively made toys. Kids will like some of these when they are older, or such which one kept away from them for some time. This laying aside of some toys from time to time is of importance because the child relates these items with different imaginations and will play with them at various times and in all sorts of ways. The child will see the old toy differently, but always as an old friend. Therefore, there is no greater joy for a child than to enter the junk room from time to time, being accompanied by father or mother. … …Text missing…but also, because they first become of value when several companions play together. They are more like social games for students. All boys know more about what to do with whips, carts, horses, and hobbyhorses than with the rocking horse. A homemade hobbyhorse, or a whip made by father or older brother out of the next best piece of wood or strap and in the presence of the child will bring more joy to the boy than the nicest bought ones. A 3- or 4-year old will ask two or three times a day for a piece of string, so that he can play with an imaginary horse. By utilizing a chair, a footstool, or a piece of wood, or using several chairs, act as a stagecoach driver on a trip around the world. During the same week he may ask three or four times for a different whip. Each time one should fulfill his request with love and patience. This pushiness in asking reflects something emotional, and therefore should not be ignored. Those boys who have too many nice toys usually know the least about how to play. They often are happier with the next best hazel wood stick or a ball of twine than with expensive toys. That of course stands to reason that with the former they can do as they please. Therefore, a pocketknife, which should not be pointed or too sharp, will make a boy happier than a hundred other things. Should he lose it, then one should not balk at him. Instead, a few weeks later, after he feels the lack and the results of the loss, one should present him with another one along with a friendly warning – and, just the same with the third, or fourth and fifth. Boys need a variety and more toys than girls do. If girls have dolls, dolls’ clothes, kitchen utensils, and additionally get some horsehair and yarn (but please, no needles!), and some pearls to string up, then they will truly know how to keep themselves occupied. Yet there are some who, in their fourth or fifth year, want to really cook this or that themselves. That, one should tolerate, especially if they ask older sisters or other children for advice. ————- (Continuation to follow.) —————

Postscript: I am delighted, dear old colleague Anton Jochim, that you extend to me your greetings in every edition. These greetings are hereby sincerely reciprocated. In your write-up in Issue #52, dear Mr. Colleague, you mentioned that I let very little be heard about me. But this also has a reason because I noticed that you were silent all summer long. Therefore, I too corresponded less. (*Editor: However, the reality probably is that Mr. Jochim sent in correspondences, which were lost along with others during the move, at no fault of ours, because we had everything carefully packed.) Now that I noticed during the recent past that you are working full steam ahead, I too am enthused to write again.

Now I am curious to find out how you like it in Canada. I wish you a lot of luck and blessings with the new job. The people who appointed you will be happy to have found a man like you, one who will accomplish what surely nobody else has achieved to date. I am familiar with your skills in that respect and know that you could be the right advisor for many men holding similar positions.

I also would like to know if there are friends or acquaintances from my homeland in your surrounding area; people who even may know me personally. I ask you, dear colleague, to please inform me about this in the near future.

Once again, I sincerely greet you and your wife, and all your community members. I hope this dear newspaper will grow in circulation. Then it will offer us just as much as the nowadays well-known and convenient telephone.

Respectfully,
Romuald Dirk.