706 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1914. 
A special social hour should be organized to coordinate the social 
side of the activities and to give the opportunity for establishing 
democratic ideals. From this the leadership should extend to the 
spontaneous group organizations in and out of the play school. 
(g) VOCAL AND LINGUISTIC ACTIVITIES. 
Vocal and linguistic activities arise from the vocalizing and com- 
municative instincts. These instincts are the primary elements in 
the evolution of the languages and the literatures of the world. In 
the child, these activities begim in vocalization and develop through 
imitation and the need for communication into the vernacular. 
Linguistic activities are associated with each group of activities. 
The child tends to vocalize his thoughts and feelings. He is the great 
questioner. Conversations arise. Thus he develops language as a 
tool and elaborates a system of ideas. Both these tendencies should 
be perfected through leadership. Language is the tool of knowledge 
and rational adjustment. Conversation consciously developed 
through sympathy or elicited and directed, is the method that gives 
progress in language power, thought and systematic information, 
and carries with it the living motive. 
In the activities interests develop that, under leadership, are 
expressed in narratives and discussions, and these are the opportuni- 
ties for mind “fertilization,” as well as the elevation of experiences 
to the level of general ideas and conscious understandings. These 
conversations are also distinctly language lessons and should be 
guided carefully as such. 
With the development of the activities and interest under leader- 
ship, the need arises for a written language and it should be taught 
at this time. When gained as a tool, it should be used, not in read- 
ing unrelated stuff, but in connection with the activities as a source 
of informatioy, and as a real phase of living. 
For the little children, story-telling of a rational kind should have 
a prominent place and later this function should become supple- 
mentary in helping the individual select stories to read, that are 
adapted to his needs. It has been demonstrated that leadership will 
bring children to the realization that there is a literature to cover 
each interest and satisfy each desire in life. 
Numbers for the child are a linguistic activity and should be devel- 
oped in connection with his games and later manual and environ- 
mental activities. 
The absorption of a foreign tongue, naturally by its use in play, 
is another phase of these linguistic activities, and when the environ- 
ment makes it desirable can be easily brought about. 
i i 
