48 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



These comparative frequencies in the words used are an interesting 

 index of the interests of the child, as well as of its energy. The pre- 

 ceding list gives those used most often by 2 (b.) on his two and a half 

 year day: 



Such a list shows the child's interests centered egoistically, and 

 naturally, too, around his primitive struggle for existence. The 

 aggressive want, go, get, put, will, have and take; the offensive don't, 

 'the everlasting no/ always taking precedence of the submissive yes; 

 the demonstrating that, this, there, here, in and to — all show the 

 natural pleasure-pain life in its immediate expression in ceaseless 

 activity and in its conflict with the environment. The social instincts, 

 however, appear in the more frequent use of his parents and sisters' 

 names than of those of novel objects or objects for play ; sympathy and 

 approbation are shown by the use of see and some. 



The important role played by the great activity of the child has 

 been pointed out by Tracy (ibid., pp. 146-148) in the child's use of 

 a much larger proportion of verbs than the adult. The full record of 

 a child's talk for a day gives a vivid and fascinating picture of this 

 intense activity; the following scenes give fair samples. In her first 

 play for the day with her doll, about three quarters of an hour after 

 waking and before breakfast, 3 (g.) kept up the following stream: 



" My little baby, my little baby. Momsie, Morasie, jiggle my little baby, 

 jiggle my little baby. Please put that little pillow in, put that little pillow in 

 — little pillow in. I did put. Just little tiny bit, little tiny bit, — little, 

 little, little. Going take nightgown off. Safety pin, safety pin. Put that on 

 bed. Going put that on, going put little pillow way. Please help me put my 

 little baby's sleeves in. I call that my little baby. Why I — I — I? Try pin. 

 Can't pin. Why write that way? Don't want my pillow, — want that pillow, — 

 want — . Where that little baby sleep on my pillow? (Repeated) Why do just 

 like that way? That bed spread lie on. (Repeated) Little baby, — cover legs. 

 (Sings) Sweet little baby, sweet little baby, — Oh little baby, Oh little baby, Oh 

 little baby, Oh little baby. Put that, — that bed spread little baby lie on, — have 

 bed spread. Go right off. I going put my hands on that. Try make that 

 stick together, — stick together; try make that stick together, — go together all 

 nice. My little baby can't lie. What? — what? I used my — away back on 

 Mamma's bed. Can't tell Hilsie that. My baby got two little shoes, two 

 little stockings on. (Repeated) Can't take off. My poor little baby got 

 go bed, got stay in bed. Got little neck, little neck, cunning little neck, — 

 little neck. Please unpin that safety-pin, Momsie. My little baby not very 

 well, — have stay in bed. No, — my little baby's nightgown, — that Grandma 

 made (latter four times) — other Mama made me, — that Emma made me, that 

 Emma made me. That Mama crochet, Mama crochet other one— other one. 

 Hasie have that one (repeated twice) — that one. My little baby have sleep on, 

 — where my little pillow? Got little chin. Why do that way? Got no night- 

 gown. Play with little safety pin." (She then changed off to another doll.) 



Of course the above was interrupted by some talk from other mem- 

 bers of the family, but we tried to leave the child to its own activity 



