A STUDY OF CHILDREN'S IDEALS. 97 



This shows in the fact that at seven years of age sixty-two per cent of 

 the girls and only thirty-one per cent of the boys find ideals among 

 their acquaintances. But the potency of education shows in the 

 seventy-two per cent of the girls who at fifteen find their ideals in 

 historical characters, either past or contemporary. The following 

 papers illustrate the curves in Chart IV: 



Girl of twelve: "Washington. Because he went bravely to 

 war." 



Girl of twelve : " Julius Csesar. Because of his bravery and 

 greatness." 



Girl of thirteen : " Remenyi. Because my name would become 

 famous all over the world." 



Girl of fourteen: " Columbus. Because he discovered America, 

 and his name is wide spread." 



Girl of fourteen : " Robinson Crusoe. I like him because he 

 went through many adventures." 



Girl of fifteen : " I would most like to resemble "William Mc- 

 Kinley, because he has such a strong will, and whatever he says that 

 he will do he always does." 



Girl of fifteen : " The person whom I should like to resemble if I 

 were a man is Sir Francis Drake. He was a man of action. The 

 reason I should like to resemble him is because he made a great many 

 dangerous journeys around the world." 



The tendency shown in Chart IV is best expressed by the follow- 

 ing papers.* A girl of ten writes: 



"I would like to resemble Barbara Fichy (Frietchie). Why? 

 Because she was such a brave lady, and you know that there are not 

 very many brave ladies." 



Another girl of thirteen says frankly : 



" I believe that I would rather resemble a man than a woman, 

 because the deeds of woman, although sometimes great, selfsacrific- 

 ing and brave, sink into insignificance when compared with the 

 valorous deeds of man." 



In conclusion, we are able to distinguish three marked types of 



* The following recent studies also show the same tendency : 



A Preliminary Study of Children's Hopes. J. P. Taylor. In Annual Report of the State 

 Superintendent of Public Instruction for the State of New York, 1895-'96. 



Children's Ambitions. Hattie Mason Willard. Studies in Education. Edited by Earl 

 Barnes, vol. i, No. 7. 



Mr. Taylor's study finds thirty-eight per cent of the girls wishing to be teachers, twenty- 

 four per cent milliners and dressmakers, eleven per cent clerks and stenogi-aphers, three 

 per cent housekeepers, and three quarters of one per cent wives and mothers. Mrs. Willard 

 finds thirty-five and a half per cent of her girls wish to be teachers, eight per cent music 

 teachers, thirty-one per cent milliners and dressmakers, six per cent clerks, typewriters, and 

 bookkeepers, and three per cent housekeepers. 



VOL. LIII. — 9 



